Chapter Six
Though she was supposed to be with Caroline, Alixandrea ended up in her chamber. Caroline wanted to sit before her massive loom and continue her needlework, a giant cohesion of color and birds and other creatures, but Alixandrea had no talent in such things. She found it boring.
She did, however, have some talent with drawing, mostly the flowers that she had grown in her garden at York.
So she went up to her chamber, a floor above Caroline and Mark’s, and went in search of her drawing case.
All she could find were clothes and other assorted items and realized that not all of her cases had been brought up.
It was a small chamber and it appeared as if only the necessary cases had been brought up and placed in the small alcove off of the chamber.
She would have liked to have asked Jezebel where her drawing supplies were, but the woman was missing.
Still. Frustrated, bordering on angry, she went in search of her maid.
There was another small chamber across from hers with a bed and other clutter in it; it was empty of human life.
Down the flight of stairs was Caroline’s chamber and Adam’s right across from her.
Still no maid. Descending to the second floor, the great hall was to her left and she could see Matthew seated with his brothers at the great table.
She stood there a moment, watching his strong profile from a distance, hardly believing she was married to him.
She did not feel married. Tearing her eyes away from him, she peered into the small room off to the right, a solar with a massive table in the center of it and a well-worn map spread out across it.
The room was empty. Puzzled, wondering where to start looking next, she suddenly caught movement out of the corner of her eye.
She had barely seen the twitch, but it had been unmistakable.
Nearly out of her line of sight was the large gallery that lined the upper portion of great hall.
Tall, tapering lancet windows were embedded in the wall all around the room, hanging just above the gallery to allow ventilation and light into the chamber.
Alixandrea took a couple of steps towards the entry of the great hall, watching the gallery above. The balcony-like protrusion was built of wood with wide guardrails lining it. However, there was just enough room to be able to see between them. And she could see someone on the walk.
The narrow staircase to the gallery was just inside the hall.
Silently, quickly, she darted to the entrance and slipped up the first two steps.
Matthew hadn’t seen her, but John and Luke did, as they were facing the stairs.
She put a finger to her lips to silence them.
Then she pointed the same finger at them and twirled it in a couple of circles, indicating for them to turn away from her and put their focus back on their brother before he turned around, too.
Like obedient children, they did as the lady told them, but she could tell they were uncertain about it.
When she was sure they would not look back at her and give her away, she shimmied up the steps until she reached the top. Down on her hands and knees, she peered around the side of the guardrail and had a clear vision of whatever might be on the gallery.
It was Jezebel, down on her knees, watching the men through the slats in the railing.
Alixandrea’s heart sank; if she ever had any doubt of what Matthew had told her, it was quickly dashed.
Her maid, the woman she trusted, was spying.
She had probably been there for some time.
Though Alixandrea would allow the woman to explain, she could see no other explanation.
She thanked God that Matthew hadn’t shown her any affection when she walked in the room, for it would most likely be filling Strode’s ear right now.
Matthew had known exactly what could have happened and had made sure they were careful. Their lives had depended on it.
Anger filled her, so much so that she stood up. She was not going to hide from this affront. The only way off the gallery was the stairs she had just mounted, so there was nowhere for Jezebel to go. She began to walk towards her maid.
“Jez,” she said in a normal speaking tone. “What are you doing up here?”
The little maid turned to her, startled. From her angle, she’d never seen her mistress mount the stairs. Her wide brown eyes were huge with shock and she leapt to her feet.
“M’lady,” she stammered. “I… I was looking for ye. I haven’t seen ye this morn and I thought.…”
Alixandrea walked right up on her. It was an effort not to reach out and strangle her. “So you look for me, hiding up here in the gallery?”
“I did not want to bother the lords, m’lady. I thought you might come in to join them.”
“Then if that’s true, you already saw me in here a few minutes ago. Why did not you announce yourself?”
Jezebel’s face turned red. By this time, the men below had heard the voices and had turned to see where they were coming from. Matthew was actually on his feet. Alixandrea caught his movement out of the corner of her eye and when she turned to look at him, Jezebel suddenly pushed past her.
In her panic, the maid misjudged her own strength; an intended brush against the lady pitched Alixandrea right over the thigh-high railing. Only the quick reflex of grabbing the banister as she went over the side saved her from falling twenty feet to the cold, hard floor below.
Alixandrea shrieked with terror as she dangled high above the floor.
Matthew bolted faster than he had ever moved in his life, running for the gallery stairs like a madman.
Luke followed him while Mark and John rushed over and positioned themselves underneath the lady, hoping to break her fall if she lost her grip.
They held out their arms, waiting, hoping to God that no one would be killed.
Jezebel ran right into Matthew as she tried to escape down the stairs, screaming as he grabbed her and practically tossed her onto Luke.
Luke roughly took the maid as Matthew raced onto the gallery.
It wasn’t a long gallery, but Matthew swore it was the longest run of his life.
It seemed to take forever, knowing he was running as fast as he could yet hardly appearing to make any ground.
He could see Alixandrea’s fingers around the top of the railing and he aimed for them, reaching out, finally coming upon her and grabbing her wrists.
“I have got you.” He almost pitched forward himself in his haste but managed to hold his balance. “It is all right, I have got you.”
He effortlessly pulled her up, straight into his arms. Alixandrea grabbed hold of him, panic in every breath, every movement. When she finally realized that she was safe, the tears came. Matthew held her tightly.
“Is she all right?” Mark called up.
Matthew took her face between his two hands, looking into her wet eyes. “Are you well?” his voice was shaking.
She nodded. He pulled her back into his powerful arms. “She is well enough,” Matthew said to his brothers. “Simply scared.”
By this time, Luke had Jezebel down on the floor. The maid was weeping uncontrollably. Over the top of Alixandrea’s head, Matthew caught sight of the woman.
“Take her in the solar,” he growled. “Do not let her out of your sight. I shall join you shortly.”
Luke nodded, yanking the woman out of the hall and listening to her cries echoing against the walls.
Luke wasn’t hurting her in the least; she simply knew she was in a great deal of trouble.
Matthew listened to her cries fade as he rocked Alixandrea in his arms gently. The woman was shaking terribly.
“Are you truly all right?” he asked into her hair. “You did not hurt anything?”
She sniffled, struggling for calm. “Nay,” she said, her nose stuffy with crying. “I am well enough.”
He pulled back just long enough to look her in the face, just to make sure she wasn’t lying. When their eyes met, he smiled bravely at her. “Then why don’t we get down from here?”
She wholeheartedly agreed, clinging to him even as they descended the stairs. She was unsteady and Matthew directed her to the nearest bench. Mark and John crowded around them.
“Did she shove you, my lady?” John asked anxiously. “Did she do it a-purpose?”
Alixandrea shook her head as Mark shoved a chalice of ale at her. She took a long drink even though she did not much like ale.
“She was trying to escape me,” she gasped. “I don’t believe she purposely tried to shove me over the side.”
Matthew was sitting next to her, straddled across the bench. His blue eyes were soft with concern. He watched her hands shake as she took another drink of ale.
“As long as you are all right, that is my utmost concern.”
Alixandrea’s bronze eyes fixed on him. “But she knows that we suspect her now. Why else would she try to run?”
Matthew shrugged casually, his big hand reaching out to clasp her arm comfortingly. His voice was deep, rich, reassuring. “All she knows is that you caught her spying. I doubt she knows the extent of our knowledge and how it relates to Strode and the army.”
“Then what are you going to do with her?”
“Throw her in the vault as punishment for nearly killing you. After that, I do not know. But we can at least keep her isolated from your manservant in the vault and he will have no further source of information. Your little maid has just given us an excuse to cut out the eyes and ears of those inside Wellesbourne who have been sent to do us harm.”
She sensed that he thought this event, such as it was, had a positive side. Slowly, her shaking lessened and she began to feel better, though still exhausted. The past few days had been most taxing. With Matthew’s strong hand still on her arm, she finished the ale and set the empty cup aside.
“If you will excuse me, I think I should like to rest a while,” she said. “It has been a busy morning.”