Cast Love Aside (19 page)

“You couldn't have known,” Magnus said
quietly. “Erland tricked you. I told you this afternoon, Lilianne,
the blame for Gilbert's death lies with Erland, not with you.”

“I know every passageway and hidden staircase
built into Manoir Sainte Inge,” Lilianne said, pressing her case
harder because she sensed Magnus's sympathy. “When I was a little
girl, I played wherever I wanted. I guided you out of the manor
once. I can do so again if the need arises, and I'll do so by a
different route if necessary. You need me with you, Magnus. I wish
you would forget your manly pride and admit it.”

“She's right,” Braedon said. “Lilianne's
knowledge of the manor can save us a lot of valuable time and
possibly save our lives, too.”

“Be quiet,” Magnus ordered, not bothering to
look at him.

“As for pride,” Lilianne continued, fixing
Magnus with a determined gaze, “I have a fair amount of pride,
myself; enough pride to demand vengeance for my brother's death.
I've been thinking about vengeance ever since you left me this
afternoon.”

“Have you?” Magnus said, returning her hard
look.

“It has occurred to me that there are several
interesting ways in which I can punish Erland for what he has done.
First, by utterly destroying his spying operations and making it
impossible for him to continue his work. Second, by taking all of
his secret documents and handing them over to the English and,
lastly, by rescuing Desmond of Ashendown, so the French cannot use
him against the English. I believe all of that will make King Louis
disown his master agent. Humiliation will be Erland’s ultimate
punishment, a punishment far more subtle and devastating than blood
vengeance. For the rest of his life, he will live with the
knowledge of who caused his downfall, and why.”

“Are you willing to betray your king in order
to achieve vengeance against your uncle?” Magnus demanded.

“I have never sworn an oath of fealty to King
Louis,” she said. “If he were to require such an oath of me now, I
would refuse to swear myself to a man who encouraged Erland in his
spying, and who cynically rewarded Erland for murdering my father
and brother. My father did owe fealty to King Louis, who ought to
have protected him and did not, and ought to have protected Gilbert
as the under-aged son of one of his sworn nobles, and did not do
that, either.”

“All kings are duplicitous,” Magnus said.
“They must be so, to survive. In recent years King Louis has had
trouble with rebellious nobles. Perhaps he thought he'd buy
Erland's loyalty by granting him honors and paying him well for his
work as a spy.”

“When Louis hired Erland, he hired a
murderer,” she retorted sharply. “Do not attempt to convince me
that Louis was ignorant of Erland's actions.”

“If you are thinking of offering your
allegiance to King Henry, don't expect to find a purer king in him.
That’s not meant as a criticism of Henry; it's just the way kings
function.”

“I want nothing to do with kings,” she said,
meeting his eyes squarely. “What I do want is a measure of justice
for my brother's death. Once I have achieved it, I will depart from
France and never return.”

They sat staring at each other as if no one
else were present. Lilianne knew her future was uncertain at best.
If she survived her visit to Manoir Sainte Inge and returned to
England, the most she could hope for was a lowly position in some
noblewoman's train, as a companion or a lady of the wardrobe, a
place just a step or two above a servant. Perhaps Royce would
recommend her to one of the many great ladies he must know. She
didn’t like to think of asking anything of him, but she would
swallow her pride and do so, for the only other possibility open to
her was life in a convent, and that would most certainly not suit
her. She had heard too many tales from Alice about the way girls
who entered convents without dowries were treated.

She told herself that no matter what happened
in the years to come, she could face her lowered circumstances
knowing she had done the right thing by her brother and her father.
She would take great satisfaction in knowing Erland's spying career
was finished, in part because of her. She would even be grateful to
Royce and King Henry if their diplomatic maneuvers helped to bring
about Erland's downfall.

And she would never stop loving Magnus.
Never. Reason told her they could not be together, but lack of a
worldly position couldn't destroy what she felt for him. Only that
afternoon he had sworn to serve and protect her, which must mean he
cared about her.

She smiled at him, and saw how his harsh
features softened as his lips curved in immediate response. He
heaved a long sigh that told her she had succeeded in convincing
him.

“I have no right to deny you the justice you
seek,” Magnus said, “though it will most likely have to be a
private justice, without subjecting Erland to a public trial. Kings
have their own ways of dealing with such confidential matters, and
you may not care for King Henry's final decision on Erland.”

“I’ve told you, I care naught for kings. Let
us do this thing, Magnus, and have it finished before Royce
returns. From what I've seen of him, I think he won’t be angry with
you if you have valuable information to hand over to him. I’m sure
we will discover something of value in Erland's chamber.”

“Then, you may come with us,” Magnus said.
“You and Braedon and I will sail with Captain Piers.”

“I refuse to be left behind,” William
announced suddenly. “Royce assigned me to the original mission and
I won't desert my companions until it’s finished.”

“Oh, William, no!” Alice cried.

“I must go,” William told her, “or I will be
dishonored for allowing the others to sail into danger without
me.”

“What if you are injured?” Alice cried. “Oh,
why don't I have a stronger stomach, so I can go, too? But I fear
my weakness would delay you or put you into greater danger.”

“Only promise you will be here, waiting for
me,” William said, taking her trembling hands in his. “I swear, I
will return to you and never leave you again.”

“I'll be here,” Alice whispered. “I'll wait
forever if I must.”

Magnus cleared his throat loudly, the sound
drawing Lilianne's fascinated attention away from the lovers to
more practical concerns.

“First thing tomorrow,” Magnus said, “Braedon
is to ride to Hythe and discover when Captain Piers is expected
back in port. As I understand the situation from Sir John, the
moment he was put ashore, the
Daisy
returned to Calais to
retrieve the sailors who were left behind when he demanded the ship
sail for England without delay.

“While we await the captain's return,” Magnus
continued, “we will put together a plan for getting into and out of
the manor with our lives intact.”

Braedon returned to Richton at noon, having
left the castle soon after midnight in order to take advantage of
the long midsummer hours of daylight.

“Captain Piers is expected tomorrow” he
reported to Magnus, who was in the bailey when he dismounted. “I
ordered the man-at-arms you sent with me to stay in Hythe until the
Daisy
arrives, and warn Captain Piers that we need to use
the ship as soon as possible.”

“Good,” Magnus responded. “If all goes well,
we will have time to sail to France and come back to Richton before
Royce finishes conferring with King Henry.”

He broke off to gaze across the bailey to
where Lilianne, Alice, and William were leaving the stable, having
just returned from a ride together. Lilianne’s hair was pulling out
of its tight braid into soft curls and her cheeks were flushed with
bright color. At a casual glance she looked to be the image of
healthy young womanhood, but Magnus's heart twisted to see the
shadows under her violet eyes. He was sure she hadn't slept at all
since learning of her brother's death.

He wondered if she had passed the previous
night huddled on her side of the bed she shared with Alice, crying
out her grief in silence so as not to disturb her friend. It would
be like Lilianne to keep her tears to herself. She raised sad eyes
to meet his gaze when he and Braedon joined the others and they all
began to walk toward the keep.

“Lady Lilianne, have you been William's
chaperone in my absence?” Braedon asked playfully.

“I gave him no opportunity to misbehave,” she
responded, venturing a wistful smile at him. “What did you learn in
Hythe?”

“We will most likely sail for France the day
after tomorrow,” Braedon told her.

“Oh, dear,” Alice cried, grasping William's
arm more tightly.

Lilianne glanced at her friend, then slipped
one hand through Braedon's arm and the other into Magnus's elbow,
drawing them away from Alice and William.

“While I was riding,” she said to Magnus, “I
had an idea that I hope you will approve.”

“What idea?” Magnus asked, going along with
her attempt to allow the lovers to speak privately about Alice’s
fears.

“William has mentioned that he knows an inn
outside Calais where the owner keeps horses for the use of King
Henry's agents.”

“He shouldn’t have told you that,” Magnus
said.

“Of course, he should. Magnus, you must not
be so stubborn. I can be of great help to you, if only you will let
me.”

“You would help me best by staying here at
Richton, where I won't have to worry about your safety.” Realizing
he sounded as stubborn as Lilianne claimed he was and knowing she
considered their argument about her participation settled, Magnus
said no more.

“Will you listen to my plan and to the
reasoning behind it?” Lilianne said.

“What is your plan?” Braedon asked when
Magnus remained silent.

“I suggest we order Captain Piers to set us
ashore near the inn.” Lilianne looked at Magnus as if she expected
him to raise an objection.

“And?” Braedon prompted her when Magnus still
didn't speak.

“We will take advantage of those waiting
horses and ride them from the inn to Manoir Sainte Inge.”

“And then what?” Magnus demanded, unable to
keep quiet any longer, even if he did sound stubborn. He was afraid
he was beginning to see where Lilianne's clever scheme was leading,
and he didn't like it at all. The brave and foolish girl walking
beside him with a hand tucked into his elbow was bent upon putting
herself into serious danger for the sake of a dead boy.

“Then we enter through the main gate,” she
said.

Magnus was about to voice a loud objection,
until Braedon intervened. By that point in their sometimes testy
association, Magnus knew Braedon well enough to let him handle the
interrogation in his usual pleasant and cheerful manner. After
Braedon had elicited the details of Lilianne's mad scheme, Magnus
would demolish the plan with firm male logic. Then, despite his
previous agreement with Lilianne, he would insist she must remain
at Richton and he'd close his ears to her charges of
stubbornness.

“Simply riding through the gate is an
interesting notion, though it does raise a few questions.” Braedon
loosed an encouraging smile upon Lilianne. “How do you propose to
explain your absence from the manor? You will be asked, you know,
for you did leave without informing anyone of your plans. You will
also have to account for Erland's absence.”

“That’s easily done,” Lilianne said, her
confidence undiminished by Braedon’s remarks. “The men-at-arms know
only that Erland and I left the manor while they were sleeping
after too much wine. They don’t know exactly why we left, or under
what circumstances. When I am asked where Erland is, I'll say he
sent me home ahead of him, and that he intends to follow me in
another day or two.”

“Someone is sure to ask where you've been,”
Braedon said.

“In that case, I shall display the same
arrogance Erland employs when speaking to his men. I shall demand
to know by what right they dare to question me.” She lifted her
chin and narrowed her eyes to demonstrate arrogance.

“What about Alice?” Braedon asked. “She, too,
is gone from the manor.”

“Of course she is.” Lilianne's voice took on
a certain sharpness, mimicking a noblewoman whose patience was
strained by having to deal with a lowly man-at-arms. “Alice decided
she wanted to return to the convent, and she convinced Erland to
allow it. He and I escorted her there.”

“Who are the unknown men who ride with you?”
Braedon continued, asking the same questions the men-at-arms
guarding the manor gate would surely have.

“They are knights who have recently joined
Erland's service and are under his orders to escort me home and
then await his coming.”

“Very good,” Braedon said, grinning at
her.

Lilianne sent a triumphant glance in Magnus's
direction, a look suggesting she had thought her plan out
completely before confronting him with it.

Magnus stopped walking to stare at her in
bemusement. Lilianne's plan was bold and daring – rather like
Lilianne herself – and it just might succeed. From the way Braedon
was still grinning, Magnus knew he approved of the scheme.

Magnus quickly went over the most important
points, testing each in his own mind. If they entered Manoir Sainte
Inge openly, as household knights under Erland's sole command, they
wouldn't have to skulk around or hide in corners or place
themselves under the leadership of whoever was in charge of the
men-at-arms during Erland's absence. They could walk right into
Erland's private chamber with Lilianne. So long as she was with
them no one would question their intentions. They’d be free to
search out all of Erland's documents, and once they located
Gilbert's body they could carry the boy out of his cell and openly
arrange his funeral.

Magnus could see how much pleasure Lilianne
derived from providing prompt responses to Braedon's questions. The
shadows were almost gone from her lovely eyes and the corners of
her mouth were tilted into a delicious smile of satisfaction. She
was looking at him with such lively expectancy of his approval that
Magnus hated to quash her pleasure by bringing up one dangerous
little detail. But he could not avoid it.