Chapter 30
Rafe was still overwhelmed by the news he’d received the day before, and he wanted to tell everyone he’d ever met.
In particular, he wanted to hear more of what Angelet had to say.
He knew that he couldn’t court Angelet, much as he wanted to, until his status was known more generally.
Still, he could talk to her. After hearing that she was awake and working in the orchard he decided to find her, but he was intercepted by Alric.
“Well?” the other man asked bluntly. “What was the news? Rainald can be an oyster when he wants—won’t let a word slip about his plans.”
“He told me about my family,” Rafe said.
The surprise on Alric’s face was completely authentic. “Your family?”
So Rafe shared the story once more. He’d tell it for the rest of life and not tire of it.
Alric sat back in amazement and listened to it all.
At the end, he said, “That’s a marvel. A tragedy for your parents, but still a marvel.
That you should have gone so long without knowing, just because of all the obstacles fate put in the way. ”
“Better late than never.”
“Who else knows?”
“So far, I only told Angelet.”
“Ah.” Alric crossed his arms, and looked intolerably smug.
“What’s the ah for?”
“The woman you insisted was just a client was the first person you told. Interesting.”
“Well…” Rafe didn’t have an answer. “Yes. I did. But it doesn’t mean anything.”
“No? My mistake. Come, you need to tell Cecily what’s happened.”
So Rafe was dragged along to tell Cecily. Then Rainald joined them, and talk turned to the more legal ramifications of Rafe’s new status. Rafe was jolted when servants brought in some food for a midday meal—he’d got lost amid the swirl of discussion about what he should do next.
Alric thought he should petition the king for the privileges that had been his father’s.
Cecily suggested he travel to find his mother’s people.
Rainald also offered a few ideas for Rafe to take advantage of his legacy.
Rafe nodded and listened to them all, but the only thing he could think of was the fact that he was now elevated to a station just high enough so he could ask Angelet to marry him without being rejected out of hand.
Granted, she’d still want to speak to her family and he’d need to prove himself worthy of them.
And they still needed to get her son back to her.
Would Angelet’s being married again actually help with that? Possibly.
He just wished he could feel more certain about Angelet’s response.
She’d seemed a little strange the previous night, especially with the suggestion that—how had she put it?
—he’d resent any choice that wasn’t his own.
Why had she said that? She’d meant that if their relationship became common knowledge, marriage would be the quickest path to restoring reputations.
But why would Angelet think he’d resent her for it?
Even with his parentage known, Rafe would still be the one ascending in rank by wedding her, a truly well-born woman.
Perhaps she just hadn't been thinking clearly when she spoke.
After all, Rafe had done his best to keep her mind occupied elsewhere.
“Rafe?”
“What?” He looked up to see the others watching him. It was Cecily who’d asked him a question. “Yes?”
“Did you want to send word to Luc? To help you craft a petition for the king. You know Luc has the most experience at court—he’ll know just what to say.”
“I need to speak to Angelet,” he said, not quite following.
Cecily glanced at Alric, then they both smiled knowingly. Cecily said, “Perhaps that’s best. I’ll ask for her to come here.”
She called for a servant, then gave the order.
They sat waiting. Rafe tried to ignore Alric and Cecily’s smug expressions, which was difficult, since they sat directly across from him.
Rainald, in the large, padded seat close to the fire, hummed to himself, then said, “That was the song they played at my wedding feast! Never forgot it.”
Rafe rolled his eyes. So he was beset on all sides. “You did tell the servants to bring her here, didn’t you?”
Cecily nodded, but then looked to the door. “I do wonder what’s keeping her. It’s been long enough.”
But Angelet did not come. Another quarter hour passed. Rafe stood up. “Something’s wrong.”
“Don’t be silly.” Cecily rose to her feet. “She’s probably just freshening up. I’ll go to her room and see.”
Cecily left, but Rafe didn’t sit back down. Alric watched him pace. “Aren’t you overreacting? What could possibly happen inside the walls?”
“She could have had another seizure, like the one she was suffering from when she came here.”
“Then we’d have heard about it,” Alric said. “Someone would have come to Cecily immediately.”
Rafe was just about to admit he was right when he heard footsteps. He turned to the door, grateful Angelet wouldn’t hear his worrying.
But it was only Cecily who came in, her brows drawn. “No one’s seen Angelet,” she said. “Not since this morning.”
“She was in the orchard,” Rafe said.
“I’ve just sent someone to look. Perhaps she walked to a different place, to sit under shade or…”
A maid hurried in. “My lady, she’s not in the orchard, but her sewing was under an apple tree. She wouldn’t have simply left it there. She was very careful of her work.”
Rafe’s fists balled up. “Something’s wrong,” he repeated, more vehemently.
Alric put a hand up. “Let’s not jump at shadows. She must have seen something, or been needed.”
“Find Goswin,” Rafe instructed the maid. “He might know what happened.”
The maid nodded and hurried out.
By then, Rafe wasn’t going to sit back down until he knew what was going on. He told Cecily to summon him with any news, then he left the room, followed by Alric. They encountered Octavian almost immediately.
The younger knight didn’t look unduly worried when Rafe explained the situation, but he said, “First things first. She’s likely somewhere within the walls, but I’ll go ask the gatehouse if she’s left. Then we can focus the search inside.” He turned and walked briskly toward the gatehouse.
“So it’s a search now,” Rafe muttered.
“Just a term,” Alric said. “She’ll be under a tree somewhere, and she’ll laugh at all the fuss over nothing.”
But the fuss was not over nothing. Another servant said that Goswin couldn’t be located either. Rafe grimaced. “Jesu, I never thought I’d miss seeing that boy’s face.”
Then Octavian returned with one of the gatehouse guards.
“Listen to this man’s report,” the knight said, then gestured to the guard to speak.
“My lords,” the guard began nervously. “The lady who’s a guest here…she walked outside of the walls this morning.”
“When?” Rafe demanded.
“Um. About mid-morning. She was with one of the men-at-arms.”
“Who?” Alric asked. “I’ll have him summoned.”
“I don’t know, my lord. Peter? No, Peter’s not so tall. Gunter, maybe…” The guard looked confused.
“Did the man come back to the gate?” Rafe asked.
“No. No, they walked west toward the woods, and then…no one saw anything.”
“Angelet wouldn’t have just walked off,” Rafe muttered to Alric. “And certainly not with someone who was a stranger to her.”
“Unless he told her something to get her to go with him. A threat.”
“She was in the manor walls. She would have screamed.”
“Then he tricked her?”
“How?” Rafe burst out.
“Her boy went missing too, you said.” Octavian turned to the guard. “How about the boy? Did he leave the manor this morning?”
“Oh, a whole pack left. But they’re like wild animals, running about and chasing each other. I couldn’t say if he was among them.”
Rafe shook his head. “Goswin and Angelet both left the manor, possibly with a stranger, and now no one has seen them for hours. That’s no coincidence. I have to find them.”
“You’re not going alone,” Alric said.
“You don’t trust me?”
“Of course I trust you, but two swords are better than one.”
“Excuse me, but by that logic, three are better still,” said Octavian.
Rafe regarded the other two knights. “You’re under no obligation. I brought all this here. I’ll deal with it.”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Alric put a hand to Rafe’s shoulder. “We want to help.”
“Yes,” Octavian agreed. “At least, I do. Sir Alric is obligated, because of that oath you three took. I’m just joining you out of Christian duty, and a desire to find a man who seems to have something against the lady Angelet. Who, from what I can tell, nobody could possibly hate.”
“Well, someone does,” Rafe said.
Alric said, “Then let’s go.”
Soon the three rode out of Cleobury, fully armed and wearing chain mail. They had only a vague idea of where to search, and no proof that anything evil had befallen either Angelet or Goswin. But Rafe knew something was horribly wrong.
* * * *
Angelet had been confined for hours in a tiny hut, with the guard Ulmar posted just outside. Somehow, Ernald had found a deserted farmstead not far from Cleobury, and he’d spent the last few days watching the manor to see when and how he could send someone to steal Angelet away.
If only she’d spoken to someone before leaving!
Even a maid. Then they’d know. As it was there was no way Rafe would have any idea where she was, or that she was captured.
“Sweet Mary, please help me,” she whispered.
Then she sighed. Why would she merit help?
She had just spent a night sinning in a church.
If anything, this was a direct punishment for her actions.
She bent her head. “I’m sorry. Forgive me, please.”
“Why should anyone forgive you?”
Angelet’s head snapped up, and she saw Bethany in the doorway. The former maid thrust half a loaf of bread toward her. “Eat.”
She took the bread, ravenous since she’d missed the midday meal.
“Bethany, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here,” Angelet said, trying to reason with the maid.
“God knows I’d rather he never found you,” Bethany agreed with a snort.
“Then help me get away.”
“Help you? Ernald would kill me.”