CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Josephine sat at the king’s table in the great hall of the castle, but she was too distressed to eat.
God help her, this was the worst thing she’d ever faced.
When the king would turn in her direction, she would dutifully put small pieces of bread in her mouth and struggle to chew it. The king sat on her right, watching her with great interest as he sipped his wine. She was well aware that she was being watched and was vastly uncomfortable at his attention.
In fact, she was vastly uncomfortable with the entire situation.
It was horrible and disorienting. The noise in the hall was deafening because there were easily five hundred people in the hall; all eating, belching, laughing, and farting. Josephine was a little overwhelmed by all of the commotion and that contributed to her lack of appetite. But more than that, she simply didn’t want to be there. She felt like a prized mare on display.
Nicholas sat on Josephine’s left throughout the evening and he could see that, clearly, something was very wrong. She wasn’t the same happy, sweet person he’d met at Torridon. She was sad and quiet. So, he spoke to her gently throughout the meal and tried to make her laugh with small jokes. She would smile weakly but rarely more than that as he tried very hard to cheer her. Sadly, it was a losing battle.
As Nicholas tried to entertain Josephine, there was another important player at the table who had only been introduced. Marie de Coucy, wife of Alexander, sat to the right of her husband, a darkly handsome woman with a weathered look about her. She and the king had been married for fifteen years and she had provided him with an heir. Even so, there were a half-dozen royal bastards running about, which deeply humiliated the woman of royal blood.
But Marie was a realist. She had long ago resigned herself to endure her husband’s liaisons with quiet ignorance. She had too much dignity and pride to acknowledge her husband’s many indiscretions, even when the results were paraded in front of her. She wasn’t entirely holy, though. She was as cold as stone and possessed what some had characterized as an evil streak.
Whispers in the castle said Marie was worse than her husband ever was.
Josephine hoped she wouldn’t ever have to find that out for herself. She had been introduced to her at the beginning of the meal, but the woman had barely acknowledged her. In fact, Josephine was acutely aware of the queen’s cutting glances as the meal went on. Josephine was afraid of very little but, for some reason, this woman frightened her. There was something in her eyes that suggested something dark beneath.
Down on the floor below the dais, Ridge sat at the table for senior soldiers and officers, watching the dynamics happening at the king’s table. He had cleaned up since his arrival to Edinburgh, clean-shaven and in fine clothing now. But he watched Josephine as she brooded over her supper and saw Nicholas’ attempts to engage her. Since the moment she’d been taken away from him in the castle yard, he found himself increasingly concerned with her fate. Then at the same time, he was disturbed that he seemed to personally concern himself with it. He wasn’t in love with her, even if he did find her extremely attractive, but he sensed that she was a rare woman. It was hard for him to describe, even to himself, how he felt. The closest he could come was a brotherly sense of protectiveness.
But sometimes, those were the most fierce.
As he sat there and mulled over Lady Josephine’s situation, the music started loudly and a group of acrobats flooded forward, putting themselves on the empty floor between the dais and the rest of the diners. They flipped, juggled, and gyrated, but Ridge wasn’t watching them. He was looking at Josephine as she noticed him and was now looking back at him.
He thought he could see the condemnation in her eyes.
Ridge watched as she tore her eyes away from him and glanced at the king, who was totally enthralled with some half-nude female dancers. As the man was so distracted, she turned to Nicholas and whispered something to him, and they both rose and quietly slipped from the table and discreetly left the room.
Ridge stood, took a deep gulp of wine, and followed.
Unaware that Ridge was trailing them, Nicholas and Josephine left the noise and lights of the feast and wandered out into evening. Across from the hall, tucked up against a rise in the natural rock, was a garden of sorts with a reservoir and organized plants. The night was surprisingly mild and the smell of greenery floated on the air as they strolled among the darkened area with growth and the reservoir. Nicholas glanced at Josephine, hoping her mood was lightening somewhat.
“Do ye have a garden at Torridon?” he asked.
Josephine shook her head regretfully. “Nay,” she said. “Once, my mother had the beginnings of one, but it died when she did because no one took care of it. I have never had the time or the inclination to start another.”
“But ye had time to paint,” Nicholas said, clasping his hands behind his back. “I am still very much interested in seeing more of yer work. It is something ye should continue, Josephine, truly. Such talent his rare.”
She shrugged modestly. “Mayhap, one day, I shall,” she said. “Considering the state of my future, continuing a hobby seems so far away. Foolish, even.”
They found a stone bench next to the reservoir, which turned out to be more of a pond with fish in it, and sat underneath the nearly full moon. Strains of music and laughter floated through the air and could be heard in the distance as they sat in silence.
Off to their left, leaves rustled and crunched. It was clear that someone was approaching. Nicholas rose in alarm, clutching at the dirk at his side, and Josephine stood, her face full of concern. As the noises came closer, Nicholas visibly tensed and Josephine looked about her to see what would make a good weapon.
But Ridge pushed through the bushes, his eyes twinkling with amusement at the look on Nicholas’ face, and Nicholas exhaled sharply.
“Good Christ, Ridge,” he exclaimed softly. “Ye nearly gave me fits!”
Ridge fought off a smile. “Good eve,” he greeted casually, then nodded at Nicholas’ waistband. “Were you planning to use that?”
Nicholas sheathed the dirk. “If I had to,” he said. “What brings ye out into the gardens?”
Ridge shrugged, looking up into the diamond sky. “I longed for peace away from the screaming and twitching of the great hall,” he said. “All of those people writhing about on the floor look as if they are experiencing a bad batch of ale.”
Josephine laughed softly as she sat down on the bench again. Ridge watched her appreciatively.
“If I may be so bold, my lady, you look as lovely as the flowers that surround you,” he said.
Nicholas rolled his eyes as Josephine nodded graciously. He knew Ridge well and had never heard him utter such ridiculous prose. In fact, he and Ridge were friends and he liked the man a great deal. But the poetry from his mouth was nonsense.
“Sweet words do not suit ye, Ridge,” he said.
“Shut your lips, Nicholas,” Josephine snapped good-naturedly, then looked at the soldier. “You speak them as if they were born to you. Ignore Nicholas.”
“I always do,” Ridge said dryly, eyeing Nicholas. “Yet in spite of my efforts, he never completely goes away. So, I am forced to associate with him and call him friend.”
“The same is said for ye, de Reyne,” Nicholas said, sitting back down next to Josephine. “Now, why are ye here?”
But Josephine was just coming to realize the two knew, and liked, one another. “I did not know you were friends,” she said. “Nicholas, you spent all of your time with Donald whilst at Torridon. I never saw Ridge with you at all.”
Nicholas lifted his shoulders. “Because he is my uncle’s bodyguard,” he said. “When we travel, Ridge never leaves his side, not even for a moment.”
She looked at Ridge. “Yet you leave his side now?”
Ridge nodded. “There are others in the hall who protect the king,” he said. “He does not need me at the moment. Besides, when I saw the two of you leave the hall, I had to come follow. You should not be left unchaperoned with Lady Josephine, Nicholas. She is spoken for.”
Josephine’s smile vanished and Nicholas shot Ridge a nasty look. It was a very blunt statement that had displeased them both and reminded them of why Josephine was really here. Here to face a horrific beast of a betrothed. When Ridge realized he’d been insensitive, the jesting ceased.
“Forgive me, my lady,” he said quietly. “I did not mean to sound so callous.”
“He cannot help himself, Josephine,” Nicholas put in. “He is a cad.”
Ridge nodded readily. “I am, indeed.”
Josephine looked at him with sad eyes. “I would believe that,” she said. “But even so, I do not sense ill from you. I never have. Somewhere beneath that knightly exterior, I would imagine you are a man of morals and character.”
Nicholas nodded before Ridge could respond. “He is,” he said. “And my uncle torments him for it.”
Josephine looked at Ridge with concern. “Is this true?”
Ridge looked uncomfortable, asked a question he did not want to answer. But out of politeness, he was forced to come up with some manner of response.
“I serve the king,” he said simply. “He is not obligated to treat me any way other than how he wishes to.”
Nicholas’ face darkened. “Ye’re a saint, Ridge,” he said. Then, he looked at Josephine. “My uncle and his courtiers speak the Scottish when Ridge is around and call him Sassenach and English bastard, among other things. I’ve heard them. Ridge never acknowledges it, but sometimes I would like to punch them all for what they do. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that my uncle forced Ridge to abduct ye and bring ye to Edinburgh. Isn’t that true, Ridge?”
Ridge was looking at his passionate young friend in the darkness. “I am the king’s to command, Nicholas,” he said quietly. “It does not matter what the order is. I must obey it.”
Nicholas made a face. “I knew it,” he hissed. “Rather than escort ye honorably from Torridon, my uncle took the easy way out. He had Ridge sneak ye out. That way, if Andrew caught Ridge and killed him, my uncle would be blameless. He could say that he did not tell Ridge to take ye.”
Josephine was rather horrified to hear all of this. She looked at Ridge and felt very sorry for the man. “Does he truly abuse you so, Ridge?”
Ridge wouldn’t acknowledge what they were driving at. He was a man of great pride, a knight of the highest order, and to seek sympathy for his treatment was beneath him. He bore it as he always did; with dignity.
“He is the king and can do as he pleases,” he said simply. “And that includes directives towards you, Lady Josephine. He is the king, you are his subject, and there is nothing any of us can do about it.”
That was the truth, but a most depressing truth. Josephine could see that, much like herself, Ridge was simply a pawn. Evidently an abused pawn and even if the man had abducted her from Torridon, it wasn’t as if he’d taken any joy in it. He was only doing what he’d been told. As she sat there thinking about their intertwined lives, she began to feel very cold and very exhausted. It had been an extremely long day.
“As you say, Ridge,” she said quietly. “As much as I would like to sit here and continue this conversation, I find that I am quite weary. I should like to retire.”
Nicholas shot to his feet. “May I escort ye, my lady?”
Ridge didn’t even ask; he simply reached out and took Josephine’s hand, tucking it into the crook of his arm. There was a bond they shared, as strange as it was, and his brotherly instincts were taking over.
As Nicholas followed the pair, quite unhappy that he was left without the lady on his arm, Ridge escorted Josephine back to her lovely chambers where the army of servants, led by Madelaine, was waiting to put her to bed.
*
Later that night, Sully and Andrew were ready to breach the castle.
As they waited for the whore’s sister to make an appearance, Sully was forced to spend more time with the woman whose sister they were waiting for simply because he wanted to ensure the sister didn’t lead them into a trap once they’d entered the castle. Vindictive women could do terrible things to a man, so Sully kept up appearances as Andrew retired to their rented room and stayed clear of Esme, who kept knocking at the door and trying to bring him food and wine.
He ignored her.
At some point before midnight, the whore’s sister appeared, summoned by the message and the lure of money to be made. The whore, whose name was Ermaline, and her sister, Ermagarde, were more than happy to help Sully and Andrew find a way into the castle. Once Andrew gave a plausible story that he was looking for a sister that he believed was being held by the king, Ermagarde made the very reasonable suggestion that Andrew and Sully should pose as farmers or servants bringing their wares to the kitchens of the castle.
As Ermagarde explained it, those were the only people who were allowed free travel through the multitude of gates that led to the heart of the castle. In fact, Ermagarde worked in the kitchens and in the great hall, and she was very willing to help Andrew find his sister. Truthfully, she really didn’t care why he wanted to get into the castle, especially after he paid her a gold crown. It was more money than the woman had ever seen at one time and he promised her another crown once he was safely inside.
It was an offer too good to pass up.
Therefore, Ermagarde was very serious about getting the men into the castle under the guise of bringing produce or other supplies for the kitchen. Andrew and Sully thought it rather curious that, even at night, supplies were being delivered to the castle, but Ermagarde assured them that it was not unusual. Therefore, the men stripped down to tunics and breeches, burying any weaponry underneath their clothing, but that wasn’t good enough. Ermagarde and Ermaline found dirty cloaks for them to wear, taken from the slovenly grooms who manned the livery across the road, and the cloaks covered up not only their torsos, but their heads as well. Andrew rubbed dirt on his face, as did Sully, to complete their disguise.
Now, they looked like the ordinary rabble. It had not been too difficult to blend in with the villeins and other servants, but they made sure to stay clear of any soldiers who might recognize them. Even in the darkness, a suspicious soldier could blow their cover, so they kept their heads down. The road leading to the castle seemed to be crawling with soldiers, so it was imperative for them to keep a low profile.
Ermagarde was surprisingly good at helping them blend in. It was she who spied a bent-over man hauling apples up the steep road leading to the castle and the man gladly handed over his burden when Andrew paid him a few silver coins for the apples, far more than he would have been paid for them at Edinburgh’s kitchens. With sacks of apples on their shoulders and Ermagarde’s help, Andrew and Sully made their way through two gates of Edinburgh’s main road and around the west side of the castle where they came upon the unmistakable smells of the kitchens.
There was quite a bit of commotion going on and they were scarcely noticed, much to their delight. It was obvious that there was a great feast going on as they caught the sights and smells of a massive amount of food. It seemed to both Andrew and Sully that there was something special going on, and Ermagarde was a wealth of information on that subject. When Andrew gave her another gold coin, she bubbled forth like a rain-swollen river on most of the gossip she’d heard as of late, including the rumor that the Earl of Annan and Blackbank was due on the morrow.
That was exactly what Andrew had wanted to hear.
His brother would arrive on the morrow.
Andrew had one final question of her and that was where she thought the king might house visiting female guests. Ermagarde was quick to point out the large building west of the great hall. Andrew then thanked her and the woman fled inside the kitchens, returning to her duties so that she would not be missed.
As Andrew and Sully stood in the shadows of the kitchens with their loads of apples still on their backs, Andrew appeared to settle down in what seemed to be a resigned mood.
“So… he is coming here,” Andrew said quietly. “So be it. My brother shall meet his end on the morrow.”
Sully raised his eyebrows with reluctant agreement. So much hate, he thought. It was the kind of hate that could blind one’s soul.
“That is tomorrow,” he said quietly. “We must find Josephine today.”
With that, they headed in the direction the girl had indicated. The night was cold and the nearly full moon was bright, casting eerie phantoms over the landscape. The foot traffic lessened dramatically as they left the kitchens, making their movement somewhat easier.
They could hear the music and voices in the distant hall as they reached what seemed to be a garden of sorts. There were bushes and vines, enough to hide in, and they covertly snaked their way around the shrubs to remain out of sight. They huddled together as their eyes lifted to the massive structure in front of them, the building to the west of the hall. Ermagarde had indicated this might be the building where visiting ladies would be housed.
It was as good a starting point as any.
As they crouched in the darkness and mulled over their options, two figures approached the garden from the direction of the great hall. It was difficult to see them from where the two men were, but they could make out male and female forms. They seemed to be talking between themselves and were completely unaware of the large figure that slipped from the door behind them, heading off into the depths of the garden.
The huge, dark figure moved swiftly, but he did not appear to be making secret his appearance. Andrew and Sully worked their way around so that they could keep all three figures in view.
The male and female figures moved into the silver moonlight and Andrew’s eyes widened in recognition. God’s Bones, it was Josephine! He felt as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him; of all of the women in the castle, she was the one who happened to be taking a walk in the garden at this particular time. His luck was almost too good to be true, and his palms begin to sweat with excitement.
He could hardly believe it.
He glanced at Sully and saw him flash a grin; he knew they were both thinking the same thing. It would be so easy to pluck her right now from under the king’s nose. The only obstacle was the man she was with – who in the hell was he?
Andrew moved a little so that he could see the face of the man who escorted Josephine. Peering closer, he recognized the handsome features of young Nicholas de Londres. He rolled his eyes, feeling jealousy creep into his veins. He’d told Josephine to stay away from the poetry-spouting whelp. That young man was in for a good thrashing for turning his attentions on The Red Fury’s woman.
But nothing untoward happened between Josephine and Nicholas. They were sitting a proper distance apart, talking quietly. As Andrew watched, he began to formulate a quick and decisive plan of escape. Security seemed to be heightened due to his brother’s arrival on the morrow, so their actions would have to be well-planned and covert. It was too bad that he didn’t ask the little kitchen servant about the soldiers’ routines.
Andrew and Sully heard the leaves crunching to their left before Josephine and Nicholas did. They had completely forgotten about the third person who’d come out into the moonlight, but now they were poised and ready to strike should a hostile move be made against Josephine. Andrew could hear blood pounding in his ears and he could not remember ever feeling more alert. Sully, too, was ready to charge.
But young Nicholas had heard the noise, as well, and was immediately on his feet with a nasty-looking dirk in his hand. As Josephine rose behind him, Andrew could see how utterly lovely she looked. She was wearing a very fine gown, and the sight of her sweet face made him doubly determined to keep her from harm.
Ah, Josephine, sweet Josephine…
Ridge de Reyne pushed his big body through the bushes, grinning like a fool. Nicholas dropped his guard and spoke sharply to him, but it was clear that there was no hostility. There seemed to be some laughter going on. Andrew and Sully found themselves relaxing as well, and tried to pick up pieces of the conversation.
Even though Josephine was safe, the appearance of de Reyne was an unwelcome one – there would be no easily plucking Josephine from Edinburgh with de Reyne at her side. The man was the king’s bodyguard, and certainly for good reason. Although neither Sully nor Andrew had ever fought with the man, simply from the look of him, he was seasoned and surely he must have been talented to hold the post that he did. Any battle with him would be long and drawn out, and would undoubtedly draw attention.
That was exactly what they wanted to avoid.
As they sat there and assessed how to proceed, Josephine abruptly stood up and Ridge took her arm, escorting her back towards the hall and the buildings surrounding it. Andrew watched closely as the three people moved into the castle through the door with the elaborate corbel over the arch.
“Damn!” Andrew exploded when they were gone. “She was right in my hand and I let her slip through!”
“Not entirely,” Sully said. “You simply showed your intelligence. It would have been foolish to attempt to rescue her with de Reyne around.”
Andrew knew he was right, as much as he didn’t want to hear it. “I know,” he said. “But she was right here. Right here!”
Sully could hear the angst in his voice. Before he could reply, however, a light appeared in a window directly above the door that Josephine had disappeared through. Although they did not see anyone in the window, somehow, they suspected it was Josephine’s room.
Now, it was time to make plans. Andrew studied the stone building from a distance. The stone was rough-hewn and it was possible there would be a way for him to actually scale the wall. But on the corner of the building was a tree, with branches overreaching the area close to the doorway. That was a possibility, too. Either way, he would get in through that window.
He would get what he’d come for or die trying.