Chapter Two
Julia had no intention of wedding Lord Eustace, especially now that she’d met him.
She knew all the reasons Galfrid had refused to run away with her and didn’t care.
It would have been far better to spend her life in hiding with Galfrid than to spend one moment with the pompous wretch the Queen Dowager had matched her to.
Somehow, she had to find a way to escape before the sun set, and then Galfrid would come for her. He had to. He might not have believed it himself, but his valor, his loyalty, and his love would prevail in the end.
Either that, or she would perish at the hand of the Moonlight Marauder all alone on the moors. A shiver ran down her spine. As much as she loved ghost stories, it was best not to think too hard about that eventuality.
Her maid Sarah narrowed her brown eyes, making her crow’s feet crinkle as she wove ribbons into Julia’s hair. “I know that look, my lady. You’re plotting something.”
Sarah understood her all too well. “What makes you think that?”
Stepping back, Sarah folded her arms over her ample chest, a frown fixed on her usually cheerful face. “I’ll say this once, and I won’t say it again. It would be madness to run away.”
Putting on her brightest and most disarming smile, Julia forced a laugh. “Run away? Whyever would you think such a thing?”
Shaking her head, Sarah sighed. “I’ve known you since you were a babe. You think I don’t know what it looks like when you’re plotting something?”
Julia was caught, and she knew it. “Very well. Will you help me? I cannot marry that man.”
“No, my lady. While I sympathize greatly with your plight, I cannot risk it. Lord knows what they would do to me if someone found out or even suspected I aided you.”
Sarah was right. Julia couldn’t possibly put her in that position. This Eustace seemed a vengeful type and would likely punish Sarah harshly. That meant she had to find a way to keep Sarah well clear of her scheme.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that of you. Forgive me. It is only that I am distressed.”
Sarah gave her a sympathetic look. “Let me go down to the kitchens for you and get a bit of something to calm your nerves. It’s only natural to be anxious on your wedding night.”
“Yes,” she exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm even to her own ears. That would offer the perfect opportunity to escape. “I mean… Yes, that would be lovely,” she said in the most staid and demure voice she could summon.
Pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes, Sarah tucked the final braid into place and pinned it. “And I can trust you to stay put while I’m away?”
Not in the least. “Of course, Sarah.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Very well, my lady, but you had better be here when I get back.”
“I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.”
Please leave. Please leave. Please leave.
With a final warning glance, Sarah headed through the door and out into the dimly lit hallway.
The moment the door closed behind her, Julia sprang to her feet and rummaged through her trunk, pulling out her shabbiest traveling cloak.
There was no time to change clothes. She was stuck in her blue silk wedding dress, but the gray wool, floor-length cloak should be sufficient to hide her finery with a bit of luck.
Then she reached into the very bottom of the trunk for the dagger she’d stowed there before leaving home.
A woman couldn’t be too careful traveling through unknown countryside.
It was best to be prepared for any eventuality.
She would have preferred to bring a sword, but there was nowhere to hide one.
Besides, proper young ladies weren’t meant to know anything about swordplay.
It was only because her brothers didn’t care a whit for propriety that she had learned to wield one.
Attaching the dagger to her belt, she threw the cloak over her shoulders and pulled the hood low over her head. She didn’t have a clear plan in mind, but this might be her only opportunity to flee. If she could only get to the stable and find her horse, Raven, she was certain she could get away.
Listening at the door, she strained her ears for any sound of passing footsteps. Nothing. She opened the door and peered out. The hall was dim and empty. Thank heavens!
She slipped out, heart pounding, and hurried down the hall toward the steps to the entryway. Then the sound of footsteps behind her made her freeze.
“Pardon me, but are you Lady Julia?” A man’s voice.
She turned slowly, keeping her face hidden in shadow. Before her was a young man in servant’s livery. “I was just looking for the garderobe. Can you tell me where it is?”
“Why are you wearing a cape to go to the garderobe?”
There had to be a way out of this. She needed an excuse, and quickly. “It’s the chill in the air. I can’t get warm this time of year, even inside.”
It wasn’t particularly convincing, but it was the best she could do.
The servant shrugged. “It’s down the hall to the left.”
The opposite direction she wanted to go. Curses! But it wasn’t as if she had much choice. Or did she? “I beg your pardon, but could you get me a bit of bread and some cheese? I’m absolutely famished after our journey. Please, bring it to my room and leave it for me.”
“Right away, my lady.” The servant turned and hurried down the stairs, just as she had hoped.
As soon as he was out of sight, she followed, tiptoeing to attract as little notice as possible.
Her heart raced as she reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around the entry hall. There were four guards at the door, two on either side. She could never distract so many. Was there another way out? There had to be, but in a strange castle, she was as likely to get lost as to escape.
She was going to have to come up with another ploy. “Excuse me, good sirs, I am Lady Julia’s maid. She has a silver belt she’s planning to wear for the wedding, and I left it in her saddlebag. Can you point me to the stables?”
Holding her breath, she hoped against hope that none of these men had seen her arrive. Otherwise, her doom was sealed. No one who had seen them would ever mistake her for Sarah.
“The stables are right over there, good mistress.” The guard pointed across the bailey at a low stone building in the shadow of the battlements.
“Thank you.” She took off as fast as she dared, careful to keep her blue silk skirt hidden beneath the gray cloak.
A dreary, frigid drizzle had begun to fall, and her shoes were caked with mud by the time she reached the stables.
She eased her way in, looking for Raven in the meager light.
Now came the most difficult part of all—escaping the castle gates on horseback without arousing suspicion.
Perhaps she could pretend to be a maid again?
That ruse had worked so well the first time.
This would all have been so much easier with Galfrid by her side.
He always knew what to do, and he was so brave and decisive.
The thought of him growing up in such a miserable place made her heart ache.
She could only hope that he took some comfort in returning as a mighty warrior.
The way Lord Eustace had recoiled when he took off his helm made it clear the man wasn’t expecting such a fearsome visage.
Galfrid could be terrifying when he wanted to be… at least to others. Never to her.
He was tenderness itself any time they were together.
When he first arrived to foster with her father, her kitten had gotten stuck up a tree, and he climbed right up and rescued her.
She’d nearly swooned as he handed the tiny creature back to her.
Her heart had been his from that moment forward, and she’d kissed him on the cheek.
It was the first of many stolen and forbidden kisses, which Galfrid stubbornly put a stop to when she reached an age to marry.
But she dared not think about that while she was trying to escape.
As she scanned the dimly lit stalls for her beloved palfrey, she spotted spare horseshoes hanging on a peg and thought of the Moonlight Marauder.
If ever there were a time for a bit of supernatural assistance, it was now.
She grabbed a horseshoe as a talisman and hooked it to her belt.
It would remain hidden beneath her cloak.
With any luck, the ghost would keep her safe until Galfrid found her. And he would find her. He had to.
A shiver ran through her as the cold iron rested in her hand, as if she’d entered into some sort of otherworldly pact by picking it up. But that was silly. She shook herself and squared her shoulders. Clearly, she’d listened to too many ghost stories back at home by the fireside.
She kept her eyes open for stable hands as she strode down the narrow corridor between stalls.
It was nearly time for supper, though, and none were about; still she remained cautious and moved stealthily.
She spotted Raven at last and hurried to saddle her.
The horse whickered with recognition when she arrived.
It was good to see a friendly face here, even if it belonged to a horse.
Determined not to waste a moment longer, she mounted and headed for the gate.
“Who are you?” a guard in full armor demanded as she approached.
“I’m Lady Julia’s maid, Mariah. We forgot to pack the ribbons for her hair, so I’m heading to the village to buy some.” She’d never been the most convincing liar, but she put every ounce of will she possessed into her performance. She could only pray that they believed it.
“The sun’s going to set soon, and we’ll be closing the gates for the night. So, you’d best be quick about it.”
Julia didn’t need to be told twice. She headed off down the muddy road to the village at a steady trot, resisting the urge to break into a full gallop. That would have raised too much suspicion, and she needed to get away without pursuit.
The thatched houses in the village cast ominous shadows in the waning light, and few people were out and about in the miserable weather. No one looked up as she passed, and a chill entered her veins that had nothing to do with the weather.
But she had to do this. She would have Galfrid or no one.
Leaving the town behind, she passed a handful of rundown farms before the wilds of the moors stretched out before her.
For a moment, a ray of the setting sun broke through the clouds, illuminating the dappled purple and gold of heather covering rolling hillsides.
The dazzling sight warmed her heart as she rode along the muddy road.
Galfrid would come after her, and all would be right in the world.
And then the clouds closed, covering the countryside in shadow, and rain began to pour down in earnest. It was not a night to be out traveling alone on the moors.
The exhilaration of her successful escape was starting to wear off, overtaken by the cold realization of just how alone she was here.
There was no one to turn to if Galfrid didn’t come for her.
She could very well die alone on the moors.
She reached to touch the horseshoe beneath her cloak. “Guide me, Ghost. Help me reunite with my true love.”
Thunder tore through the air, and lightning struck in the distance, illuminating the landscape around her in an otherworldly glow. Was that a horseman she spied in the distance? Or was it merely a bit of mist?
Despite the warning in her heart, she was drawn to it. Raven tossed her head and snorted, but Julia patted her neck to calm her and urged her on. Together they left the road, following the unearthly pale-blue light, Julia’s ears straining for this distant echo of hooves.
This was madness. She was following a murderous spirit to almost certain death, and yet she could not turn back. The Moonlight Marauder was her only hope of finding a safe hiding place until Galfrid came to her rescue.
He would come. He would find her. His love was true, and she was willing to risk everything for it.
The ghost flickered in and out of her sight, drawing her on more by the tug in her gut than by any visible means.
A black shape grew in the distance. Was it a boulder, a building, an altar upon which the Moonlight Marauder sacrificed his victims?
Shaking with cold and more than a little fear, Julia rode forward.
Lightning pierced the sky once again, revealing a cottage with half the thatched roof caved in.
But it was shelter, and inside, she would be well hidden from any pursuit.
Her ghostly guide evaporated as she approached, and the tug in her gut went slack. For better or worse, she had arrived.
Shaking head to toe, she dismounted and led Raven through the door into the darkened space where she huddled in a corner on a disintegrating straw pallet, grateful for a respite from the rain. Now all there was to do was wait.
The coming hours would either bring her fondest hope or her doom. All she could do was pray that love would win the day.