Choose the Sky: A Medieval Romance (Swordcross Knights Book 2) (37 page)

The urge to cry against her fate made her gulp back tears. “Oh, Joscelin, I don’t know what to do. I shouldn’t have run away, but how can I go back, now that I know what he thinks of me?”

Joscelin pulled her into an embrace. “Oh, Domina. Just be calm, cousin. Let me consider what options are open, and then the answer will present itself.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’ve lived my whole life by that principle,” he said smoothly. “It’s served me well.”

Mina sighed. She’d never lived like that. She’d always strained against the options presented to her.

Perhaps Joscelin was right. He was her cousin, after all. She could trust him.

At Trumwell, Luc was growing
increasingly frustrated at the lack of news. No one knew a thing, which seemed insane. How could a noblewoman and her escort simply vanish without anyone seeing them?

He wandered into the great hall. After ordering the nearest person to bring him some food, Luc sat and ate what appeared without tasting it at all. He glanced at the maid Margery, who was sitting at one of the lower tables, mending something. Her motions were steady as she stitched up some tear with a patient hand.

He refilled his cup of ale from the clay pitcher, but when he put it back down, he missed the edge of the table. The pitcher fell to the floor, shattering into a mess of broken clay and frothy ale.

Luc cursed at his own clumsiness even as Margery put aside her task and sprang to her feet.

“Never mind it, my lord,” she said hastily. She sank her knees to pick up the broken pieces of pottery. “The handle must have been loose.”

Luc sighed. “No, that was my fault. I can’t keep my mind on something as simple as eating or drinking.”

The maid looked up at him, sympathy on her face.

  “Fear not, my lord. If she’s at Pencombe, Joscelin will surely bring her back. He can convince anyone of anything.”

“Pencombe?” he asked, puzzled. “Is that a nunnery around here?”

“Oh, no, sir,” said Margery. “It’s her manor. My lady inherited it from her mother.”

Luc frowned, looking more carefully at the woman. “What are you talking about? I’ve read over every property this family holds. I’ve been to most of them. Pencombe is not on that list.”

The maid looked nervous now. “Well, it’s not part of the de Warewic holdings. It was a private gift to Lady Domina from her mother. Godfrey never owned it and never shall. Did my lady never even mention it?”

“Never. Where is it?”

“About four days’ ride to the north, toward the hills. I can give you directions. Joscelin asked for them before he left, so I remember them well.”

“Joscelin asked how to get to Pencombe?”

“Why, yes, sir. He thought it likely she was there.”

“He told me he intended to inquire at local nunneries.”

An expression of disbelief crossed Margery’s face. “Oh, Lady Domina would never beg shelter at a holy house, not when she had her own refuge available.”

“Refuge, is it?”

“She loves Pencombe. That’s why a family lives there to maintain it, even though she’s not been able to go since her father took ill.”

“Tell me where it is, and tell someone to saddle my horse. I’ll ride out today.”

He told Octavian he’d have charge of the castle for a few days, which inevitably brought up a few questions.

“You suspect Joscelin now?” Tav asked, astonished. “The priest?”

“He’s not a priest yet, and he may never be, if he’s responsible for anything that’s been happening around here.”

“Just because he’s going to a manor instead of a nunnery doesn’t mean he’s up to something nefarious.”

“Then why not tell me where he intended to go? It wasn’t a whim. He had to ask how to get there before he left. No, Joscelin wants to reach Mina before I can, and not out of a sense of family pride.”

“You’re sure?”

“Think about it. It fits what we know. Until the marriage, Joscelin was next in line to inherit Trumwell if anything happened to Mina. He was not overjoyed by news of the wedding. I think it disturbed his own plans, whatever they were.”

Drugo overheard what happened as well, and he insisted on accompanying Luc to Pencombe, much to Luc’s surprise. Luc nodded curtly. “As long as you’re ready to ride in an hour. I’m not waiting for you.”

He waited until Drugo left to get ready, then said to Octavian, “Will you stay here and see to the castle’s defenses? I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, and there’s no one else I trust to do it. Though I’d rather have you accompany me instead of Drugo, there’s no chance I’ll leave him here.”

Tav nodded. “You can count on me. Send word if you can, though. The people of Trumwell will want to know what’s happening.”

Luc agreed. “With luck, it won’t be long. Margery said the manor is four days’ ride. I intend to go faster than that."

Indeed, Luc rode like the devil the moment he left the castle gates. Drugo, despite being twice Luc’s age, kept pace. On the second day, they traded their horses for a fresh set, courtesy of a local lord who promised to keep Luc’s horses in his stables until they returned.

They slept a few hours each night, but kept pushing onward, determined to make four days’ ride into half that.

Joscelin had too much lead time, but perhaps he was too pleased with himself to rush. Luc would kill him when he found him. If Mina was safe, he would kill Joscelin quickly. If she was not…well, then Luc would have nothing left to live for other than vengeance. He could go very slowly indeed.

Why had Joscelin lied? What was his game? Why should he want to keep Mina hidden from Luc? The young man was bound for the priesthood, and in all likelihood a bishopric, or higher. Why meddle in such a mundane, worldly affair as this spat between husband and wife?

“If this young man is up to something nefarious,” Drugo said at one point, “it seems likely that he is the one called the Swan, not Godfrey or Domina.”

“Yes,” Luc said. “He was a member of the family. He knew the family’s secrets, and he would have known why Domina wanted to keep quiet about her father’s condition. In fact, he probably encouraged her in it. It suited his plans, because neither Domina or Godfrey knew anything of what was happening, and neither of them could defend themselves.”

“So does that mean Haldan was working for Joscelin?” Drugo asked. “They appeared not to know each other, but that may have been an act.”

“I think so. I expect Joscelin is behind Haldan’s death, though I’m not sure how. He was away from the castle at the time.”

“He paid someone,” Drugo guessed.

“Perhaps.” Luc wasn’t so sure. The Swan didn’t reveal himself to many people. Who would he trust to kill another loyal associate?

They discussed a few other matters along the way, but for Luc, the only thing that mattered was reaching Domina in time.

On the morning of the third day, Luc spied the manor of Pencombe, the outer fence exactly as Margery described.

“Wait,” said Drugo. “We can’t just ride in. If Joscelin is here, he’ll be alerted.”

“The longer we wait,” Luc said, “the more chance he’ll hurt Mina. I won’t risk that.”

Domina had spent most of
the morning inside the manor, alongside Joscelin, who showered her with attention as he tried to distract her from her misery and help her decide what to do next. He kept telling her to eat, pointing to a covered dish he said he requested especially for her. But Mina’s stomach rebelled at the mere thought of eating. She might be able to keep something down after noon, but for now, she refused each time.

A breath of fresh, cold air would probably help settle her stomach and her nerves. She asked for Constance to fetch her cloak.

“Where are you going?” Joscelin asked, rising as if to accompany her.

“I need to walk outside. Don’t get up. I’ll only circle the garden a few times, then come back in.”

She left Constance and Joscelin in the main hall. Constance worked at mending a gown, and Joscelin had an open bible on his lap.

Outside, the crisp air made Mina feel better immediately. In fact, she ranged further than the little herb garden just beyond the kitchen, walking along the inner side of the fence that marked the boundary of the main yard.

She almost felt like her old self when a shadow crossed her path.

“Mina.”

She froze. Luc was less than an arm’s length away. He was dressed for the road, in a heavy cloak lined with fur. His sword was strapped to his back rather than at his side, but he looked as if he was ready for battle anyway. He also looked more handsome than she wanted to remember. His vivid blue eyes watched her carefully, and it was all she could do not to reach out and touch his face, now partly covered in stubble from days of travel. Despite everything, she wanted to lose herself in the warmth beneath his cloak.

Instead, she forced herself to step back. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you,” he said bluntly.

“How did you know I was here? I told no one. Joscelin was able to guess…”

“Joscelin. He’s here now?” Luc broke in. He moved closer, reaching for Mina. “Where?”

“Why does it matter? You intend to punish him for not telling you where I was?”

“In fact,” Luc said, “I intend to turn him over to the king.”

“For
what
?”

“For conspiring with the empress’s forces. For stealing your fortune. For murdering Haldan. For endangering you, and possibly for harming your father. I won’t know about that until we can interrogate him.”

Mina just stood there for a moment, unable to reconcile Luc’s accusation with her gentle cousin.

“Joscelin? My cousin Joscelin? Joscelin who will soon be an ordained priest?” she asked. “Have you gone mad?”

“No. I finally have proof of the traitor I was seeking. It’s not you, Mina. Nor your father. It was Joscelin.”

“You’re lying,” she said. “I don’t know why you’re saying all this, but this can’t be true.”

“It is,” Luc insisted. “I’ll make Joscelin explain how he did it all, but I need to know you’re safe first. Away from him.”

“I won’t listen to this.” She tried to turn away, but Luc blocked her.

“Mina, you must listen. What you do afterward is up to you, but please listen to me for a little while. I know you don’t trust me anymore—”

She tried to jerk away at that, but it was impossible to escape him.

“—but please. This isn’t just about you. It’s about Trumwell and your father and your family.”

Mina stilled. “What of Trumwell?”

“Joscelin plans to claim it for himself, partly by discrediting both your father and you. Tell me where he is right now so I can question him.”

“That’s all you’ll do to him?” she asked.

“For now.” Luc’s expression softened then, as he looked her over. “I’m glad to see you. I was worried.”

“Why should you want to see me?” Mina asked.

“Because I love you. Did you think I’d not look for you?”

Her heart fluttered, but she tried to ignore it. “Yes. But it’s my cousin you were chasing after, and that’s what brought you here.”

His eyes hardened again. “Where is he?”

“I left him in the house.”

“Let’s go then.”

Luc kept hold of Mina’s arm as he turned. She was annoyed to see Luc hadn’t come alone. The horrible Drugo was there too, walking with two horses in tow.

“Oh, mercy,” Mina said. “Did you not return to London yet?”

“Not without seeing this traitor first, so I can bring him back with me.” Drugo gave her a perfunctory bow.

“You believe what Luc’s saying?”

“Enough to ride nearly three days with almost no sleep.”

Something in Drugo’s face convinced her of the seriousness of Luc’s announcement. “Is it possible that Joscelin is truly at fault for all you say?”

“That’s what I want to be sure of,” Luc said.

“Oh. Oh, no. He’s with Constance right now.”

“Take us there,” Luc said.

She led Luc and Drugo into the small manor house, and down a short hall to where she’d left the others.

Constance was sitting in a chair by the fire, her back straight and her eyes on the doorway. She gasped when Mina came in, for good reason.