Chapter Fifteen
The roar of the crowd echoed in Terric’s ears. He let the sound wash over him. With a kick of his heels, he set his steed into motion. He barreled down the list, then had the satisfaction of his lance hitting his opponent’s shield.
A loud clang came behind him. Terric peered over his shoulder to find the knight he rode against lying in the dust on his back. That would be another ransom he would collect this day. Having faced his last challenger, Terric headed to his pavilion. Edwin had run ahead and awaited him there.
Terric stepped into his pavilion. He gratefully unlaced his helm and pulled it free. He reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow. He noticed the cloaked figure of a woman who watched him. The hood of her cloak was pulled up over her head, shielding her face from view. An instant of excitement shot through him as he thought it was Jacqueline, but he soon realized this woman was not tall enough for it to be her.
“Whoever you are, leave.” He turned his back on the woman and unbuckled his armor.
“I have no intention of leaving until you have listened to what I have to say.”
Terric jerked back around as the woman pulled off the hood she wore and revealed her face. He shook his head in amazement. “Why am I not surprised?”
Beth closed the short distance between them. “You never gave me a chance to speak before you left Carisbrooke. I do not give up so easily.”
“Obviously. What do you want from me?”
“For you to listen to me. That is all.”
Terric threw back his head and groaned, then stared back at her. “There is nothing you can say that will change how I feel about Jacqueline. She made her choice.”
“In that assumption, I think you are wrong. Jacqueline loves you. She told me so herself.”
Terric intently searched Beth’s face. Her expression said she meant every word she had spoken. “I once thought she did, but I am not so sure of that anymore.”
“She does, I know it. Jacqueline looked at you the way I looked at William. I loved him with all my heart. Do not turn from her. You could come to regret this decision later.”
“How do you explain the words she wrote?”
Pleadingly, Beth said, “You have to see past them as I did. She wrote them to protect you. To keep you away from something.”
“To protect me from what?”
“Not a what, but a who. I believe the earl will be found at the bottom of all this. It bears his stench.”
“I thought he had no idea it was Jacqueline in London.”
“As far as we knew he did not, but that does not mean we were right. He is quite capable of letting us go on with our plans, all the while knowing the truth. Then at an opportune moment, he used it against us.”
It was true, Terric realized. What he had seen and heard of the earl was not very awe-inspiring. The man was a snake, using all within his power to further his own gains. What Beth suggested could quite possibly have happened to Jacqueline. It was not too hard to believe.
If that was what really had happened to her, then he had already made a grave mistake. He had abandoned the woman he loved to the clutches of a man who could make her life unbearable.
“Will you help us look for her?” Beth asked.
Terric nodded. “Aye, you have convinced me. I can only hope when we find Jacqueline she forgives my stupidity.”
* * * *
This trip to Carisbrooke Castle Terric faced with mixed emotions. Besides being the place where he’d last had seen Jacqueline and what had happened on what was to have been their wedding day, he felt some misgivings about seeing Lady Elizabeth. She had believed in him, and he had let her down.
He peered at Lady Beth, who rode next to him, and found her watching him while a slight smiled played upon her lips. The two men-at-arms who had accompanied her rode a short distance behind them.
“What?”
Beth shook her head. “I can practically hear you berating yourself. Stop it. You were hurting. You took what you felt was the correct course of action.”
Terric grunted. “You mean I let my pride get the better of me and I ran away.”
“That is not what I meant.”
“I only wish I had listened to you that day. Jacqueline would be at Carisbrooke now.”
“There is no point beating yourself up about it, Terric. You made a mistake, but you can redeem yourself.”
Edwin, who rode directly behind them, broke into the conversation. “You tell him, Lady Beth. I am sick and tired of his moping about.”
Terric turned in his saddle and shot Edwin a quelling look. “That will be enough out of you.”
Edwin chose to ignore the warning and edged his horse between Terric and Beth. “I told him we should return to Carisbrooke, but he would not listen to me.”
Having heard enough of his squire’s criticisms, Terric let his horse slowly fall back from the other two. With Edwin still off on his ranting, Terric gathered up his reins and slapped his squire’s horse on the rump.
The horse shot off as if all the demons from hell nipped at its heels. The look on Edwin’s face was quite comical. He had been in mid-sentence when his mount took off at a gallop. One moment he conversed with Beth, then the next he hollered as his horse shot down the road.
Terric moved his horse back up alongside Beth and smugly smiled. She wagged a finger at him. “Naughty, naughty, Terric.”
“He had it coming. I did give him fair warning.”
Beth laughed, then looked up the road. Edwin’s horse was still in mad flight. “Should you not help him?”
“Nay.” Terric said. “Trying to bring his mount back under control will keep him from wagging his tongue. Plus, it gives me a chance to speak to you alone.”
“Well, you have me all to yourself. For the moment, at least.”
“I just thought I would ask if Lady Elizabeth is upset with me. She has every right to be.”
Beth reached over and reassuringly patted Terric’s hand. “That is not the case at all. She will be most pleased at your return.”
Terric breathed a sigh of relief. “I have much respect for that lady. I would not like to displease her.”
They broke off their conversation as Edwin came pounding back down the road toward them. He seemed completely flustered and out of sorts. He pulled up in front of them and shot Terric a disgusted look.
“What is wrong, Edwin? All not well with your mount?” Terric asked nonchalantly.
“As if you had nothing to do with it,” Edwin replied with a sneer.
Beth interrupted. “Edwin, why do you not ride on my other side? That way you will be safe from Terric. I suggest you be a little more circumspect with your comments.”
Properly chastised, Edwin nodded and moved to where Beth indicated. The rest of the day he wisely kept his mouth shut.
* * * *
The following day they arrived at Carisbrooke. Terric felt as if he had come home—something he would not have expected. All the time he had spent there had not added up to much.
Sir Guy, who had been up on the castle walls, must have noticed their arrival and met them in the bailey. He hurriedly helped Beth dismount. “I see your quest was a successful one, lass.” He gaze rested pointedly on Terric.
“Aye, very. It did take some doing to convince him, though. Now he is calling himself three times a fool for not thinking of it on his own. See to them and I will inform Lady Elizabeth of Terric’s arrival.”
Terric took up his mount’s reins and led it to the stables. “So the time of reckoning has arrived.”
Sir Guy chuckled. “Nay, lad, more like a time for rejoicing. My lady will be most pleased. Let us get these horses bedded down. We should not keep the ladies waiting.”
* * * *
Sir Guy, Terric, and Edwin sipped from tankards of ale when the two women descended from the solar.
Coming to greet her guests, Lady Elizabeth gave Terric, and the startled Edwin, a kiss of peace on the cheeks. “I am so glad to see the both of you again.”
Terric found himself deeply touched by the warm welcome. “As I am to see you once more, my lady. I just wish it was for better reasons that I returned.”
“Nonsense,” Lady Elizabeth said. “You being here gives me renewed hope. You will give us the added advantage we need to discover Jacqueline’s whereabouts.”
“That is my hope.”
“I know so. You can go where we cannot. Finding where the earl is should be our first priority. Tournaments will be the perfect place for you to ascertain where to locate him as they are always rife with court gossip.”
Terric nodded. “The next tournament is in a few days. I can start searching for the earl then.”
While they spoke, the servants had laid out a light midday repast. Lady Elizabeth brought the conversation to a close. “I suggest you take advantage of your few days of respite from the list and rest.” She motioned them toward the trestle table. “Now let us enjoy this meal. There will be time enough later to make all the necessary plans.”
Allowing Lady Elizabeth to link her arm through his, Terric let himself be led to the table.
* * * *
Nunney Castle was built in the small Somerset village of Nunney some three miles south-west from the market town of Frome. From Sir Guy’s teachings, Jacqueline knew the castle was designed in a French style rather than solely for defensive purposes. A tall four-story rectangular structure with large corner turrets surrounded by a moat made up the castle form. The moat was known for being one of the deepest ever made, which was a landmark for the castle as Carisbrooke’s deep well was to it. As such, they had deemed it unnecessary to have a portcullis.
Jacqueline had been living at Nunney for a month. Surprisingly, she settled into her new life. She found she had a talent for the running of such a large household. Not all of her mother’s lessons had fallen on deaf ears, or so it would seem.
Since her father’s departure the morning after her marriage, she had been virtually left to her own devices. Her husband had nothing to do with her.
The wedding night she had so dreaded ended up being very uneventful. Forwin had not come to her chamber that night, or any since. For a man who had only married her so she could provide him with an heir, he was set on avoiding her. He kept to his chamber, even taking all his meals there.
On this morn Jacqueline walked to the ground floor where the kitchen was located. It was what she did every day. Not wanting to take her meals alone in the hall, she ate in the kitchen.
At first, the servants had been aghast that the countess would lower herself in such a way, but Jacqueline soon won them over. At Carisbrooke, she had never used her station in life to belittle those beneath her. Once the servants at Nunney realized she only wished to have their friendship, they readily welcomed her into their fold.
After reaching the kitchen, Jacqueline stood at the threshold and watched the bustling activity. The thirteen-foot fireplace was already roaring, heating the wall ovens beside it. Cook would have been awake for hours, preparing the bread to be baked for the day.
Jacqueline stepped into the warm room and took a deep breath, smelling the scent of fresh-baked bread. The cook, Mabel, was a large woman of middle years. She managed a well-run kitchen. Today, she had all those who worked under her moving at a brisk pace, which was not usually the norm.
“Mabel, why this flurry of activity?”
Mabel looked up from the worktable where she busily chopped vegetables and smiled warmly. “Your lord husband sent word down this morn. He is expecting a visitor. He wants a grand feast made for the evening meal.”
Jacqueline was a little dismayed that Forwin expected a guest. He would, of course, be leaving his chamber now. “It must be someone important for him to order a feast.”
Mabel snorted disgustedly. “Not likely. It is just a minstrel my lord has here to entertain him. He comes once a month. If you ask me, he is received better than a minstrel should, but my lord will have it no other way.”
Intrigued, Jacqueline asked, “How long has this minstrel been coming here?”
“Ever since my lord’s last wife passed. It must be four years.”
Jacqueline pulled a stool up to the worktable and accepted the plate of bread and cheese Mabel handed her. Lost in thought, she started to eat.
When a minstrel arrived at a castle, it was usually marked as a festive occasion. Visits could be few and far between, but to have the same one come to a castle once a month was far from the norm. Jacqueline had to wonder if there was more to this visit than just a minstrel coming to entertain the lord of the castle. This evening could very well prove interesting.
* * * *
Forwin left his chamber shortly before his guest was due to arrive. Finding Jacqueline already present in the hall, he called to her. “Come to me, wife.”
She gritted her teeth and stepped away from the table where she had been overseeing the setting and walked to Forwin. He stood a few paces away, observing her. “My lord?”
Before he spoke again, he took the time to look at her. He nodded. “The guest I am expecting, I want you to treat with the utmost respect. I will not tolerate any mistreatment of him by your hand. Do you understand me?”
“Aye, my lord.”
“Good. The man is Nicholas Talbot. He will entertain us after the feast, and then you may retire to your chamber.”
“As you wish.”
Forwin waved her away. Jacqueline eagerly complied. She had no inclination to be in his company any further than she had to be.
She saw to the last-minute details before the minstrel arrived as Forwin paced. His anticipation was palpable. She noticed something else. He had changed in the last couple of weeks, and not for the better.
His face, usually flushed and pasty, was now sickly white. Each breath he took seemed to rasp in his chest. Occasionally, Forwin would rub his left arm as if it pained him. It was all too apparent that her husband was a very ill man.
Nicholas Talbot made his grand entrance a short time later. He fawned over Forwin the instant he clapped eyes on him. Jacqueline found it as sickening a display of currying favor as she ever had seen. He went so far as to take Forwin by the elbow and assist him in sitting at the lord’s chair. What surprised her the most, though, was that Forwin allowed this.
Being ignored by both men, Jacqueline used it to her advantage and took a closer look at their guest. The minstrel was exceptionally handsome. She had to give him that. He had blond shoulder-length hair and flashing gray eyes. He stood around six feet and had a well-toned body—broad shouldered and with enough muscles in his legs to show off the hose he wore. A well-defined jaw, straight nose, and nicely sculpted lips completed the package.
Now that he was comfortably seated, Forwin motioned for Jacqueline to come to him. “Nicholas, this is my new wife, Jacqueline Montacute. Her father is the Earl of Salisbury.”
Nicholas took her hand and brushed a lingering kiss upon it. “An honor to meet you, my lady. I look forward to getting to know you better.”
Jacqueline snatched her hand away and then wiped it on the skirt of her gown. She did not at all like the knowing smile the minstrel wore.
Not missing what she had done, Nicholas chuckled. “I see the lady has a mind of her own.” He turned back to Forwin. “Do you think you can handle such a one as she, my lord?”
Forwin smiled. “Have no fear, my friend. I know how to control her. What do you think of her?”
Nicholas turned his attention back to Jacqueline and nodded. “You chose well, my lord. I find her very agreeable.”
“Good, good. Now let us eat, then you can entertain us.”
Not taking his gaze from Jacqueline’s face, the minstrel replied, “As always, my lord. I will do my best.”
Jacqueline shivered. She had a very strong suspicion the minstrel was not just talking about his planned performance that evening.