door. He spoke in whispered words to the sentries and then turned back to Elizabeth. 'Your servant wishes to speak with you.'
Elizabeth nodded and followed one sentry to the end of the corridor where Joseph stood waiting. She could tell by his expression that he was upset. 'Joseph, it is the Baron himself who I am caring for.'
'Aye,' Joseph said. He waited until the sentry was well out of earshot and back at his post before continuing, 'Will he heal?'
'There is a chance,' Elizabeth said. 'We must pray now. It is Thomas's only hope,' she added.
Joseph was frowning more ferociously and Elizabeth shook her head. 'This is good news, Joseph. Can you not see that the lord will be under my obligation whether I be a woman or not. He will have to listen to me…'
'But the one in charge,' he said, motioning toward her bedroom, 'the vassal…'
'His name is Roger,' Elizabeth informed her servant.
'He has sent for Belwain.'
'What is this?' Elizabeth demanded. She lowered her voice and said, 'Why? How do you know this?'
'Herman the Bald overheard his orders. The messengers left an hour ago. It is true,' he said when Elizabeth began to shake her head, 'Belwain will be here in a week or more.'
'Dear God,' Elizabeth whispered. 'He must not arrive before I talk with Geoffrey.' She clutched at the servant's sleeve, panic in her voice, and rushed on, 'We must hide Thomas. We have to get him away from here until I can be sure of Geoffrey. Belwain must
'It isn't possible, my lady. Belwain will know as soon as he is within the walls. Too many have seen you return. He will know. And it is only a matter of time before this Roger learns the truth.'
'I must think,' Elizabeth whispered. She realized she was pulling on the servant's tunic and dropped her hand. 'Talk with Herman. He is faithful and will keep his silence. And he is a freeman, Joseph. The two of you, you must take Thomas, hide him. There are many places. Can you do this?'
'Aye,' Joseph answered, straightening his shoulders, 'I'll not fail you. I will find a place.'
Elizabeth nodded, placing her trust in the humble servant. He would not fail her. 'It will only be for a short time, until Geoffrey awakens,' she said.
'But what of you? If the lord does not awake, if the sleeping spirits continue to hold him and Belwain gets here.. and if the lord dies…'
'I will have to leave,' Elizabeth said, more to herself than to Joseph. 'I'll not be here when Belwain arrives. If the lord awakens soon, perhaps I can speak with him before Belwain has a chance to weave his lies.' She shuddered and then said, 'If not, and he dies, then you must bring Thomas to me. Somehow we will make it to my mother's father. He will know what to do.'
'Will you return to the waterfall?' Joseph asked, fear in his voice. He would not be able to ride with her now that he was given the duty of taking Thomas, and his worry for his mistress was tremendous.
'I will not stay here,' she whispered in a harsh voice. 'Belwain has violated these walls. I'll not be here to see him return. I'll not.'
'Aye, my lady, calm yourself. Surely the warrior will awaken before you must leave, before Belwain arrives, and he will listen to you,' he said, his voice soothing, as if he were speaking to an injured child.
He waited while his mistress calmed her breathing. The change that came over her whenever her uncle's name was mentioned frightened the old man. He knew that she had witnessed the slaughter, understood the anguish and torment pulling at her soul, and believed, as she did, that Belwain was behind it all. Still, he wished she could speak of it, tell to let some of the pain out… She was so very different from her two half sisters, Margaret and Catherine. Perhaps it was because she was half-Saxon.
When Master Thomas had arrived at Montwright with his two little daughters, he was a hard, unhappy man. But all that had changed within six months, for he had met and married a fair-haired Saxon beauty. His Saxon wife was a hellion, to be sure, but Thomas had a way with her, and soon all could see the couple were coming to terms with each other. A year later, little Elizabeth was born. Thomas decided he was not destined to have a son and poured his love into the little blue-eyed babe. Those two held a special bond between them, and when, ten years later, little Thomas was born, the bond still remained.
While Elizabeth did not copy her father's masculine traits, she did imitate his reserved manner, his way of masking his feelings. Both Catherine and Margaret would wear their emotions on their faces, for all the world to see, but not Elizabeth. Joseph believed that Elizabeth was the thread that held the family together. She was so fiercely loyal, and family was the most important thing to her. She was the peacemaker and the rebel-rouser, her father's pride when she rode beside him on the hunt, her mother's frustration when she tried her hand at sewing. Aye, it had been a happy, contented family, until now…
'Did I tell you that Herman has sent three men to Belwain's holding? Mayhap they can gather the proof we need, for
'Herman is a good man,' Elizabeth interrupted. Her voice was relaxed now, and the servant let out a little sigh of relief. 'But I do not think Belwain's servants will speak the truth. They fear him too greatly. Joseph, tell Herman I thank him for his effort,' Elizabeth whispered.
'He loved your family too, my lady. It was Thomas who freed him. You were just a babe and probably do not remember, but Herman will not forget the debt to the Montwrights.'
'Yes,' Elizabeth returned, 'I have heard the tale.' She smiled and added, 'I could not understand why everyone referred to Herman as the Bald, for his head was thickly covered with hair, and my father would grow quite embarrassed whenever I asked him the reason.'
Joseph assumed that she still did not know the reason, and blushed. He hoped she would not ask him to explain. It was a silly men's joke and he certainly would not damage his mistress's delicate ears with the truth.
The happy memory with her father helped to lift Elizabeth 's spirits. She whispered, 'We will get through this, Joseph. Now I must get back to the Baron. Pray, Joseph. Pray Geoffrey heals. Pray that he will listen to me. Listen and believe.'
She patted the servant on his stooped shoulder and slowly made her way back to the bedroom. Her stomach was churning again and she fought the urge to throw up. The thought of Belwain returning to Montwright was overwhelming. Had there been no little brother to consider, then Elizabeth would have welcomed the news. She would have planned her trap, and met Belwain with an eager embrace, her dagger at the ready.
She would bide her time. Revenge would be hers. Her resolve kept her upright, her steps sure. It kept her sane, in this insane time, this insane situation. Revenge and her duty to her little brother. Only when her brother's life was protected and his lands secure and only when Belwain paid with his life for his mortal sins could Elizabeth allow the abyss of desolation yawning before her to make its claim. Only then.
When Elizabeth opened the door to the bedroom, she found her two animals had taken up vigilance on either side of the lord's bed. They had taken to the warrior, Elizabeth surmised from their watchful attendance. She resumed her seat on the wooden stool next to the bed and once again sponged the lord's forehead.
For two more days and nights Elizabeth continued her vigil beside the lord. She changed his dressing countless times, saying the Paternoster twelve times each and every time she sprinkled marrow and sage upon the healing wound, just as her mother had taught her.
She took her meals in the room and only left the leader's side when absolutely necessary. On one such occasion, as she made her way down the steps, she spotted Thomas in the great hall. He looked up and gave her a glance, and in that fleeting second, Elizabeth recognized that he did not know who she was. She did not let that disturb her, for there would be time in the future to help him mend. And perhaps it was for the good that little Thomas did not remember. He too had seen his family murdered, and if God was indeed a good and compassionate God, then mayhap little Thomas would never remember any of what took place.
Elizabeth turned her attention to Joseph, standing next to her little brother. The servant looked pointedly at the boy and then nodded to Elizabeth. With a little nod of her own, Elizabeth acknowledged that he would do what was necessary, and continued on her way.
She had made up her mind that she could wait only one more day. Then she would leave. And tonight, while the soldiers slept, Thomas would be taken by Joseph. If only the Baron would cooperate! If he would just wake up and listen to her! With these thoughts Elizabeth returned to her patient.
Roger had taken control of the dogs, seeing to their food and exercise, a task he disliked immensely if his grumblings were any indication. The reason was the dogs' strange behavior whenever Roger approached the
