Chapter Twenty
“You sent for me?” Zora asked. “What do you want?”
She met Ansel in the bailey of Berwick, a massive place that was busy with soldiers and servants and people coming to do business with the castle.
The trades were going full swing, two smithy stalls sending acrid smoke into the midday air, and on the wall walk above, soldiers went about their rounds.
Ansel had sent Zora a message about an hour earlier, using a servant from the knights’ quarters who gave the message to a house servant.
All it said was to meet him in the bailey, and Zora had taken her sweet time doing so.
She was dressed in a blue brocade gown on this day, hoping she might see Titus at some point.
Instead, she was faced with Ansel.
“Has your father returned to you yet?” Ansel asked.
Zora shook her head. “He attended a gathering with Berwick this morning,” she said. “He’s not come back. Why do you ask?”
Ansel motioned for her to walk with him. “Because I was at that meeting, too,” he said. “I learned a great deal this morning about what, precisely, is happening with our king and the warlords who oppose them. It has given me an idea.”
“What idea?”
“About what to do with my sister.”
Up until that point, Zora had been ambivalent to the conversation, but now, he had her interest. “Oh?” she said. “What is your idea?”
They were heading for the western wall, which was attached to another wall that ran all the way down to the river. It was a little treacherous, but it was private.
And Ansel wanted to make sure they had complete privacy.
Putting his fingers to his lips in a silencing gesture, he led Zora to the wall walk that went down to the river. It was too steep for her, however, so she balked a few steps into it, but Ansel didn’t push her. They had enough privacy where they were.
“It seems that the House of de Wolfe and her allies intend to side with the king against Lancaster and Warwick,” he said. “That has given me the idea.”
“You still haven’t told me your idea.”
Ansel leaned against the wall, his gaze moving out over the river and watching the birds fly overhead.
“The House of de Wolfe has an enormous army,” he said.
“All of the armies from all of their properties will make one giant army, something not even Lancaster can match. He’ll try, but the de Wolfe family has allies all over England.
They can bring ten or fifteen thousand men to a field of battle with hardly an effort.
Up until now, they’d been neutral when it came to Lancaster and Edward, but because Lancaster is taking matters into his own hands, they’ve decided to give their loyalty to Edward. ”
“And?”
“And what do you think Thomas of Lancaster would pay if he had the wife of a de Wolfe son?” Ansel said. “Lancaster is the richest man in England. Everyone knows that. I can imagine he would pay extremely well to have a de Wolfe wife as a hostage.”
Zora was intrigued. “For what purpose?”
Ansel looked at her as if she were a completely stupid creature.
“Think,” he said. “If he has my sister as a hostage, he can threaten to kill her if de Wolfe marches against him. Don’t you see?
He could neutralize their entire army. They wouldn’t dare go to war against him if he holds one of their women.
I think he would pay extremely well for such a privilege. ”
Now, Zora was catching on, and her eyes widened. “You could take her away, and I would show great concern to Titus and help him search for her when he realizes she has disappeared,” she said. “It would endear me to him greatly if I help him search for his wife.”
“Who will end up a hostage of Lancaster.”
Zora was in support of the plan. “She would be,” she said. “But Titus… It is quite possible he would fall in love with me instead. I would be so good and kind and helpful to him, concerned for his loss. How could he help but fall in love with me?”
She was dreaming at that point. Even Ansel knew that. But he needed her help, so he went along with her.
“His wife would still be alive, I suppose,” he said. “It is possible that Lancaster would not kill her.”
“Why not?” Zora said. “Do you really think the entire de Wolfe army will stay away because of one lone woman?”
Ansel shrugged. “I have no way of knowing,” he said. “Mayhap he would kill her, mayhap not. In either case, she would be his prisoner, and Titus would be alone and grieving.”
Zora lit up with glee. “It is a brilliant idea,” she said. “Titus will not grieve alone—he’ll have me.”
“And I have the money Lancaster has paid me for Katia.”
“We shall both come out on top.”
Ansel nodded. “Indeed,” he said. “But we must move quickly. I cannot remain at Berwick much longer, and I have no way of knowing when I will see my sister again. It is not as if she will ever come to Callerton to visit me, so I must take advantage of the situation now, and I require your assistance.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Bring my sister to me.”
“She will not come if you send her a message like the one you just sent me?”
Ansel shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “Titus has her well protected, and you surely realize there is no love lost between my sister and me. She will not come if I summon her. But she will if you do.”
“What shall I do?”
Ansel’s attention turned toward the castle, his gaze moving to the enormous keep with its many rooms. “Send her a missive,” he said. “Have a servant deliver it to her. Are you housed in the keep?”
Zora nodded. “My father and I are.”
“Then use one of the servants to send her a note,” he said. “Ask her to join you. Tell her you want to thank her for the invitation and whatever else you need to tell her that will have her thinking that you want to be friends. I do not care what it is. Tell her to meet you in the kitchen yard.”
Zora had thought his suggestions were good ones until he mentioned the kitchen yard. She frowned. “Why would I want her to meet me in the kitchen yard?”
“Because I will be there,” he said. “More importantly, there is a postern gate. I saw it yesterday because the kitchen yard is next to the great hall. I can take her from that gate, but you must bring me my horse. I cannot get him through the postern gate, so you must walk him from the gatehouse and bring him around to the side. I will take it from there.”
Zora looked at him as if he’d gone completely daft. “You do not think anyone will think it strange that I am leading your horse out of Berwick?”
Ansel thought on that. “You may be right,” he said, quickly re-planning his strategy.
“I will take the horse out and leave him in the trees to the north. But I cannot bring my baggage or my weapon—it will look as if I am leaving, so anyone who may see me later in the kitchen yard might think the whole thing odd. I do not want to attract any attention.”
“Then what will you do?”
He looked at her. “I will put you in charge of my possessions,” he said. “You will bring them all to me.”
“Why can you not take them when you take your sister through the postern gate?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Because I will more than likely have a fight on my hands with her,” he said. “I cannot carry my bags and wrestle her at the same time.”
Zora wasn’t so certain. “Then leave them outside of the postern gate and collect them when you can.”
“Bring the damnable bags to me, Zora. Do you want Titus or not?”
Zora sighed heavily. “Very well,” she said. “But I am doing enough simply by getting your sister to the kitchen yard.”
“And you will reap the benefits when Katia disappears and Titus needs consoling.”
He was right. With a shrug, Zora agreed, and Ansel knew he had to act quickly. Time was of the essence.
“Good,” he said. “Now, go back to the keep and send my sister a note of gratitude and ask her to meet you. Even if it is not in the kitchen yard, have her show you the place and end up in the kitchen yard, but give me about an hour. I’ll be there, waiting.”
“Where?”
“In the back, by the postern gate,” he said. “But my sister cannot see me. I’ll be hiding. You simply need to get her there.”
Zora nodded. “And you’re sure this will work?”
“It will work if you do what I’ve told you to do,” Ansel said. “Fail and we shall both end up in a good deal of trouble, because if de Wolfe doesn’t punish you, I will.”
The last few words were most definitely a threat. Zora had known Ansel long enough to know that. The man meant every word of it.
She fled the wall.
*
Titus had disappeared.
Katiana wasn’t sure where he’d gone, but he left her shortly after Kristiana came looking for her sewing kit.
She and Kristiana had sat and talked for a while, looking over Titus’ hole-filled tunics and deciding that it would be better to make him some new ones rather than try to salvage the old.
Kristiana had some fabric that would work, but her mother called her away to attend to something more pressing, leaving Katiana alone.
Not that it mattered.
She wanted to see the great hall.
In truth, Katiana was very excited about being put in charge of the center of activity at Berwick.
It was also a way to get her mind off Titus’ leaving.
The more she thought about his departure, the more concerned she became, but she’d already set the tone by telling him she would not worry.
They’d made love all morning, content in each other’s arms, until Kristiana banged on the door and Titus had been so startled that he’d fallen out of bed.
They’d laughed uproariously about that as they quickly found their clothing, and Kristiana, realizing she had broken up a tryst, had been embarrassed.
They’d laughed about that, too.