Lady Gallant (41 page)

Christian moved, but Simon was on his feet and running. Racing lightly down the stairs after his quarry, Christan slowed as the thief vanished in the direction of the kitchens.

The creak of strained floorboards caught his attention, and he saw Anthony Now-Now lumber into view, trailing Blade. Blade scowled at Christian. "You can't expect me to make progress finding Nora or cozening de Ateca with this great anvil chained to my leg."

"Ah, it's the fruit sucket, all done up tastily and fit for devouring."

For once Blade laughed instead of bristling. "You don't fool me anymore. Your guts are braided into knots, and the longer she's gone, the more they twist."

Christian opened his mouth, but his father called down to them.

"I forbid this public quarreling. Both of you come up at once."

Blade walked past him, swaggering and smirking. As the youth passed, Christian whispered to him, "Be careful, my comfit, or I really will feed you to the Spaniard."

"Piss in your boot." Blade ran up the stairs before Christian could grab him.

Catching up with the boy in the Earl's study, Christian fixed him with a vulture's stare. Blade greeted Sebastian, falling to one knee and giving the Earl a humble and admiring obeisance that aroused Christian's suspicions. His father's voice distracted him.

"It isn't possible, my headstrong. Nora is too innocent and unwise in street ways to be able to hide this long in the city."

"I know," Christian said as he watched Blade handle a book of Greek poetry with apparent unconcern for their dilemma. "And I've been pondering the whole idea. When we set out from Falaise, I couldn't find a trace of her. There were tracks of a mare that had been taken from the stables, but those disappeared."

Easing his way toward Blade, Christian fell silent.

"And she was heading toward London when you lost her," Sebastian said as he studied a map.

Christian rested a hip on the table next to Blade's book. "Yes… headed toward London, but when the trail vanished, I was about to turn back to find it again, when our sweet comfit here found my wife's kerchief lying beside the road." Brutal in its swiftness, Christian's hand dove to pin Blade's arm to the table.

"Ow! Let go!"

As Blade protested, Christian sprang up and twisted the arm behind his back. "How convenient that I was diverted from my purpose by our reluctant guest." He yanked Blade's arm up, and the youth cried out. "Where is she?"

"Go tup yourself, you frigging arse."

"I'll show you frigging, you—"

"Enough!"

The Earl's command silenced them both. Sebastian was at Christian's side, his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Chris, this is not the way."

"He knows where she is."

"I will handle this. Release him, my son. I wish it."

Christian ground his teeth together, longing to twist Blade in half to get what he wanted, but the hand on his shoulder and his father's gentle command did what all the force in the kingdom could not. Christian yielded.

Sebastian stepped between his son and Blade and helped the youth bring his arm down. Blade was gasping with pain, and the Earl rubbed the tormented arm as he spoke.

"I've been searching for your family."

Blade cursed and dug his fingers into the flesh at his elbow.

"Christian has also," Sebastian went on, "but we've found no one. Of course, there hasn't been time to search all the northern counties. It will take some weeks, possibly months. Perhaps by winter—"

"It's useless," Blade said.

"No, it isn't, but I wonder if you understand what has happened." Blade shook his head. "My tempest of a son has dangled you from puppet strings and pricked you with his sharpest knives, but you're still alive."

"Ha!"

"You're still alive, and all the while he searches for your family."

"He uses me."

"Mayhap, but you must mark how he has changed."

Christian's voice rose. "Sire, don't."

"He loves that girl." The Earl sliced his hand in a warning gesture as Christian growled. "He is suffering for his sins and wishes to atone. And I wish you to help him do that."

"He'll hurt her again."

"Blade, trust me if you can't trust Christian. I would never do anything to endanger Nora. I've seen them together, and the vision of each is filled with the other. Put them in the same room and no power in Heaven or Hell can keep them from touching each other."

"You mean he wants to debauch her."

"You keep your filthy thoughts off Nora," Christian said. He stepped toward Blade, but his father blocked his way.

Sebastian warded his son off with one hand while buffeting Blade with his other. "Tell me where Nora hides. If you can't feel pity for Christian, have mercy upon me. My son hasn't eaten in days and hasn't slept either. He's losing weight, and if his pain isn't eased soon, he will vanish before my eyes. Difficult as he is, I couldn't bear to lose him."

"He's too perverse to die," Blade said. "Oh, God curse it, all right. If I have your word that he won't hurt her again, I'll speak."

"Better," Sebastian said. "You will have Christian's word."

Christian rounded on Blade, his mouth a straight slash and his face expressionless. Blade glanced at the Earl with apprehension.

In a thrice Sebastian slapped Christian lightly across the cheek. Christian's head snapped to the side and his eyes rounded. He stared at his father as he touched the reddened skin of his jaw.

"Mulish child, this is no time to threaten. Haven't your aggressions wrecked your life enough?"

Meeting his father's glare, Christian beheld both condemnation and understanding. He sighed, muttered an apology, and forced himself to turn to Blade and draw his sword. Holding it in front of his body, hilt up, he spoke.

"I give you my oath upon this cross, I won't harm Nora."

Blade grasped the sword at the hilt. "Do you swear that you love her?"

"I am going to lash you at the whipping post."

"Christian," Sebastian said.

Scowling, Christian barked out his word. "I swear that I love her, you little blight."

Blade chuckled. "I suspected, but with you, it's impossible to be sure." Christian hurled an obscenity at him, and Blade danced out of sword's reach. "Don't try to kill me before I tell you where she is."

"Out with it, lad," Sebastian said, his mouth twitching. "Else he'll take a fit before your eyes."

Blade grinned. "Forgive me, my lord, but I've longed for a chance to make him dance for my entertainment." Bowing, the youth chuckled as he watched Christian fume. "Very well, I suppose I'll enjoy your fury when I tell you that she never left Falaise."

There was silence, and Blade's grin widened as he watched Christian take in the news.

"Never left Falaise?" Christian sheathed his sword, the metal singing with the violence of his movements. He grasped the edge of the table and tried to dig his fingers into the wood. "Bloody, everlasting, fucking Hell."

Blade's chortles were like dagger pricks, and Christian flexed his muscles, lifting the table off the floor. His father quickly intervened. Shoving his weight across the table, he slammed it back down on its legs.

Christian appeared not to notice. He darted a vicious look at Blade and stomped away, muttering again, "Bloody, everlasting, fucking Hell."

"My headstrong," the Earl called after his son. "I'm sending some of my own men with you this time. And Blade. In your present state you couldn't find your own toes, much less your wife."

Nora held her wooden knife at waist level, blade up, and pointed her forefinger. Trying to remember not to clamp her fingers around the hilt, she circled with Sybille in the kitchen yard while Arthur shouted encouragement. Around and around they went, each trying to make the other face the sun. Suddenly Sybille dove at her, and Nora saw the woman's blade strike downward. She sank in a rapid lunge and cut under, blocking the strike with her left hand while she lashed out with her right, hitting Sybille in the ribs.

Sybille grunted and then shouted at Nora, "Don't stop. Keeping moving, and don't give me time to recover. Jump back if you don't make a clean finish. You're too little to stay within reach and not lose."

Wiping sweat from her brow and chin, Nora backed away, circling again. She'd donned a maid's rough gown, pulling the back skirt up between her legs and tucking it in the waistband. The clothing gave her the freedom she needed to leap and dance about. And she did need it, for Sybille never let her rest when they practiced. Nora dodged Sybille's knife, blocked it to the outside, and swiped at the woman's throat with her own blade. The wood hit skin, and Sybille yelped.

Nora dropped her knife and rushed to the older woman. Sybille was holding her throat, and when Nora moved her hand, it came away smeared with blood.

"Oh, no. Oh, I'm so sorry." Nora dabbed at the wound with a piece of her skirt.

Sybille gave a snort and then chuckled. "Don't be sorry, love. You just killed me. I'd say I earned my wages."

Arthur ran up to them, laughing and clapping. "My lady won. Now it's my turn."

"Not now, you little beggar. Can't you see I've been sore wounded?" Sybille clapped the boy on the head and tickled his ribs.

"Then may I go to the ruins, my lady?"

"As long as you don't try to swim," Nora said.

As Arthur scampered off, Nora walked back to the house with Sybille.

"What ruins?" Sybille asked as she mopped the nick at her throat.

"An old tower. It's all crumbled and fallen down. It's by the river, and Arthur pretends to besiege it."

"Men, they're born ready to fight. That's why the likes of us have to know how to defend ourselves."

"But it's hard," Nora said as they entered the house.

"You're learning. It wasn't long ago that you whimpered like a tupped nun if I even gave you a mean look."

"Sybille!"

"Quick: What's the art of using false dice to cheat a coney?"

"Cheating Law."

"What's a nip?"

"He cuts purses with a knife and a horn thumb. And a foist picks a purse with his fingers."

"And what's cozenage with whores?"

Nora blushed but said, "Crossbiting Law. A bawd entices a gull into her room, and then a roystering boy pretends to be her husband or brother. He bursts in on them and threatens a duel to make the gull pay to save his life or his reputation."