“Yes. He should have a catalogue of everything.” She brought him to her table and chair. She was so brave, he thought, watching her turn her thoughts from burning to helping Walter. He sat with her for a few hours. There was work to be done. The king had to be found. But she’d been dumped here without her consent and lost everyone she loved. Now she was being called a witch. She needed his company more than ever and he was going to give it to her.
He let her teach him about a few items. He saw the passion for history in her eyes when she spoke about Cleopatra’s scarab or Spartacus’ sword. She knew much about history and he took pride in her while she spoke.
When it came time for him to leave, he lingered behind, holding her face in his hands, promising her the moon and the stars, kissing her until she wept in his arms.
He left with his resolve sharpened. When he returned to the castle, he found Elia and learned that the king still had not returned.
Nicholas’ head maid had questioned the men, but Reg had refused to answer her questions. No matter, Nicholas would ride to his cousin’s house tomorrow and see to him himself.
He took Elia to the garrison and looked for the king’s men, of whom there were forty, and stood before them. “You let your king out of your sight and away from your protection. As commander of his army, I relieve you all of your duties. Leave the garrison.”
Without waiting for another word to be spoken in their defense, he turned to Charlie. “Gather our men. I would have words with them.”
It turned out that all the men claimed to want to protect Kestrel. They agreed that whoever started such a despicable rumor should be dealt with swiftly. It wasn’t any of them, so they swore. Aye, some thought they saw her appear out of nowhere while men battled all around her. But this surely could have been a trick of the eyes. After all, swords were flying, blood was spewing, their enemies were coming at them from every angle. They didn’t truly know what they saw.
Perhaps it was a Red who went to the king.
The king. The men didn’t know where he was either. Had he run away? Why? Why had he taken Lizzie?
“Send your men out in groups of four,” Nicholas commanded. “Spread out in every direction until you come to your area’s largest town. Find them. I want answers by tomorrow night. Also, keep some men here to notify me if they return.”
Hoping…praying that Charlie could be trusted, Nicholas leaned in closer to his ear. “I will be at Old Walter’s. Tell only one of those men. One you trust.”
“Aye, Sir,” Charlie answered and turned to the men.
“How is she?” Elia asked him on their way back to the main keep.
“Keeping herself occupied. She has managed to transform Walter’s crypts into a candlelit haven where she can work. But she is frightened.”
The thought of her so afraid made his determination to protect her even stronger. “I must go back. I will—”
“Nicky, you must stay here,” Elia told him, her golden-green gaze so familiar that he almost smiled. “You have an enemy and if he sees that you have abandoned your post, left your castle with almost no protection, he will come here—and I, unfortunately, cannot hold the castle for you while you comfort your wife.”
Whatever urge he had to smile faded as the realization settled over him that she was likely correct. Let his enemy come here. But not while Elia was here with just a handful of men.
He remained awake all night, pacing the walls, waiting for some kind of word. It came just before the sun rose.
One of the guardsmen in the tower called out that riders were approaching. It was one of the groups Charlie had sent out to find the king. There were five riders. Were they his men? They were still too far away to see.
He waited with the men who were at the castle joining him on the wall.
“’Tis Charlie,” one of the men called out, peering over the side. “And…the king!”
Nicholas’ heart pumped wildly in his chest. He looked out over the side. Where was Lizzie?
Without another thought, he pushed off the wall and sprinted to the outer gate. He tried not to allow terrifying thoughts to creep into his head. He would find out everything soon enough.
Bursting through the outer gate on foot, his eyes searched the golden landscape for the group. When they saw him, the king broke forth and raced his mount to his commander.
“Is she here? Did she come back?” Richard called out.
“Do you speak of Lizzie?”
“Aye,” the king said, reaching him. “The bitch. She tried to have me delivered to Henry Tudor.”
Nicholas almost laughed it was so preposterous. Lizzie cared for Richard. She would never—would she? “Sire, where is she?”
“I had hoped she would be here. I want her found.”
“You will tell me what happened over some warm mead in my solar. And then we must speak of the accusations against my wife.”
“Aye. I am aware that she has been accused of being a witch.”
“Who is her accuser?”
“I will not tell you that and make you guilty of murder.”
Nicholas would find out. “Of course, I will kill the bastard who would try to have my wife burned at the stake. The claim is ridiculous.”
“I would think so.” Richard kicked his horse and the beast galloped up the long, walled pathway to the castle. Nicholas and his men followed behind.
“She told me that her mother was meeting Henry Tudor in a tavern in Huntington, outside the north wall of York.”
“So you went alone?” Nicholas asked the king while he stoked the fire in the hearth. The morning was cool with fog rolling in from the north.
“I didn’t bring any men because that bitch told me it might alert
