Chapter 3

Carrion was gone. Claiming he’d needed council, he’d left the church and stolen my family’s silver on his way out of the keep. Taking all of his men with him, he’d escaped into the night through a secret tunnel that fed out into the forest. His betrayal had left Bailliot even more vulnerable than it already was, proving him the worm I well knew him to be. 

Tanner and I were atop the battlements looking down at the invading army below. Still wearing my wedding finery, I once again asked, “How long?” 

The hardened warrior scrubbed a tired hand across his stubbled jaw. “They’ve breached our outermost battlements. We won’t last another night.”

I sighed, the weight of this truth washing over me. “What are our options?”

“The way I see it, we have three. We can send a runner to Lord Farnsworth’s castle asking if he’d be willing to act as an intermediary between ourselves and the Normans.”

I snorted. “We both know that Farnsworth won’t come. He doesn’t do anything that doesn’t directly benefit him.” My amber eyes burned from the smoke of the fires and the fatigue of this seemingly endless day. 

Tanner didn’t comment. “We can place our remaining troops around the bailey. Hold them off for as long as possible and fight to the death when they get in.”

“Or,” I pressed, knowing the third option was really the only viable one left.

“We can surrender.”

Turning to Tanner, I posed, “What if there were a fourth option?”

“I’m listening.”

“What if we combined the first and third plans together? Ran for help as we seemingly sued for peace.”

Lifting a curious brow, Tanner asked, “Run to whom?”

“Do you remember that nobleman who tried to negotiate the marriage contract with my father a few years back? Count Simon Godfrey.”

He snorted. “The one older than your father who liked young girls?”

I blew out a weary breath. “That’s the one. He has twice as many men as Bailliot and Carrion told me he befriended the Normans early on. Godfrey’s become a trusted man of theirs. His castle is nye but a week’s ride to the west. What if I offered to marry him? Do you think that would incentivize the count to assist us?”

Tanner walked closer to the wall’s edge, staring down at the writhing mass of men. “Tis possible but...,” 

Moving beside him, I placed my hand on his shoulder. “We’ve no choice, Tanner. Our people are about to die. I can’t give up before I’ve exhausted every option.”

“And that means marrying the pedophile count? Why fight off Carrion, milady, if you were just going to offer yourself up to someone even worse?”

Blinking back the tears, I swallowed them down my throat where they belonged. “Carrion had nothing to offer me or my people. And now, I have nothing to offer them. As a woman, my title is all that I hold of value in this world. The count has an army and the king’s ear. I will trade whatever I possess to protect those who depend upon me.”

We stood in silence for a while. The wind, blowing plumes of smoke and ash, covered our faces and hid our fears. It was also a sobering reminder of what was to come. Especially if we did not act fast. 

Letting my plan play out in his head for a bit, Tanner finally relented. “I’ll send Moore with the missive at dawn.” 

“No. You’ll go yourself, and you’ll leave tonight. I don’t trust anyone but you with a task this important.” 

“Milady, you will not negotiate alone! I will be by your side. Your father would-,”

“My father is dead,” I interrupted his chivalrous speech, “but my people aren’t. Not yet. Leave now. Take all but five of our men.”

Face mottled with rage, Tanner spluttered, “What? Why would I leave you so vulnerable? That’s insanity!”

Smiling without joy, I said, “That’s a man’s logic. Not a woman’s. Go,” I pressed, pushing him toward the keep. “I have a plan.”

Rolph de Dronis watched the woman with the long, dark hair staring down at him from atop the battlements. From where he was standing, he could see her, but she was oblivious to him. She was beautiful. An ethereal thing. Even from this great distance, he could see that. He could also see her strength and fierce determination. Twas written all over her proud face. 

Rolph must admit, he’d been shocked to learn from the villagers twas a woman defending Bailliot. But he hadn’t been disappointed. Far from it. He’d been intrigued. And after catching a glimpse of the tantalizing maiden, he decided he needed to know her better. To be in her presence. To grip that long, silky mane in his fingers as he explored her ripe curves with his hands. Yes, he would have her. Make her his. Conquer her body as he intended to conquer this very keep.

“Rolph!” Uber, his second in command, called out.

Rolph adjusted his throbbing erection, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the beautiful woman. “What is it, Uber?”

“We’ve had reports from our men on the west end of the village. They’re claiming they’ve spotted Saxon soldiers fleeing into the woods.”

Frowning, Rolph wondered for what reason they were leaving Bailliot. Was it to seek assistance? Or to abandon a lost cause? Twas an important question. And, until they answered it, a dangerous one.

“There must be a secret tunnel in that keep. We need to find it immediately.” If they did, they’d not only stop the Saxons from escaping, but they’d be able to steal into the holding in the dead of night without any of the castle inhabitants knowing about it. 

Such a find could put an end to the battle before it even had a chance to begin. An outcome that was exactly what Rolph was looking for. When this skirmish was all over, this was to be his demesne. King William had promised it to him. If, that was, he managed to bring it low. He had no desire to burn it to the ground or kill his future people. The quicker this siege ended, the better for them all.

Uber spit onto the ground, ridding his mouth of the taste of smoke and ash. “I’ve sent ten of our best trackers out to scour the woods. See if they can retrieve some of the Saxons who’ve managed to escape the keep.”

“Good. I need to know what their purpose is. The answer will inform my next move.” 

Glancing back at the battlements, Rolph noted a soldier walking toward “his” woman. Unexpectedly, primitive instincts to protect the lady rose and burned in his chest with an intensity he’d never known before. 

Rolph wondered who the man was to the lady. From his inquiries, he’d learned that Elsbet of Bailliot was unwed. But he knew better than to believe that meant she was an innocent. 

A growl rose to Rolph’s lips at the thought of Elsbet in another man’s bed. After all, William had promised him the spoils of this demesne if he conquered it. And, as was the custom, those spoils would include the castle and all those who dwelled within. That meant the lady, by right, was his! Rolph meant to make use of her ample “spoils” as soon as he entered the keep’s steel gates.

Uber’s voice broke into his thoughts then. “Do you want me to give the order for the archers to volley over another round of flaming arrows? The first seemed to have all been extinguished.”

Rolph shook his head. “Not yet. I wish to wait. Observe what her next move will be.”

The flaming arrows had been used to merely scare the castle inhabitants. They weren’t meant to burn the place down. Rolph’s tactical move had called for sending them in short bursts. The goal was to overwhelm the people living within the keep so that they would surrender out of exhaustion. Not to do them irreparable damage.

As they discussed the issue further, a third man joined their ranks. “Milord, we have tracked down all the villagers who were causing trouble earlier. Efron had me corral them in the shell of a barn in the center of town.”

“Ferret out the leaders of the group, Caine. I have a few questions about their mistress I’d like to pose to those who are most knowledgeable.”

A few hours later, Rolph was interrogating those exact villagers when Uber found him. “You must see this, milord. A missive from Bailliot’s mistress has arrived for you.”

Electricity began to pump wildly through Rolph’s veins. “Let me see that.”

Uber handed him the sealed missive. Snapping the still-warm wax, Rolph unfurled the letter. To his surprise, the message was in French. His eyes scanned the document and he smiled with delight.

“Lady Elsbet wishes to parlay with us.” The idea of meeting with the girl one-on-one caused Rolph’s cock to stiffen almost painfully.

“Do you think she desires to surrender?” Uber asked, hopeful that this siege would end peacefully. They had been fighting non-stop for years now. The men were weary and needed a break from so much blood and death.

Rolph grinned. “Tis exactly what I intend to find out.”