Mystique

Chapter 12

Elation crashed through Hugh with the force of a great sea wave when he felt Alice soften against him. He had been correct in his assessment of the situation. Passion was the key to unlocking this sweet, well-defended keep, he thought.

Alice wanted him. Her womanly desire was the richest, most intoxicating of rare spices.

He fitted his hands to the curves of her firm, rounded buttocks and lifted her up high against his chest. He felt her arms tighten around his neck and heard her whispered gasp. Deliberately he crushed her to him, letting her feel his fully aroused manhood.

"My lord, you have the most astounding effect on my senses." Alice kissed his throat. "I vow, I do not comprehend it."

"This is what the poets call love." Hugh tugged the woven mesh net from her hair, allowing the red tresses to spill over her shoulders. "Myself, I have always believed that passion is a more honest word for such emotion."

She raised her head from his shoulder. For a moment her eyes met his. He thought he would drown in their emerald depths. "You are wrong, my lord. My mother's experience taught me that passion by itself is not love. But I begin to believe that the two may be bound together."

Hugh smiled wryly. "I confess that I am beyond engaging in a reasoned argument about the subject at the moment, Alice."

"But, my lord, I think the distinction between the two is very important."

"Nay. 'Tis not at all important." Hugh silenced her with his mouth.

He did not release her until her lips had parted beneath his and she clung to him so tightly he knew she could not, of her own accord, let go. Only then did he ease himself away from her long enough to unbuckle his sword belt and remove his black outer tunic.

She watched with brilliant eyes as he set the scabbard down close by. He was wryly chagrined to see that his hand shook slightly. He took a deep, steadying breath and then he spread his tunic on the stone floor of the cave.

The simple task seemed to require an enormous degree of concentration. When he was finished he straightened and looked at Alice from the other side of the makeshift bed.

He saw the shadows in her eyes and a terrible fear clawed at his guts.

Then, with a tremulous smile, she gave him her hand.

Hugh breathed a silent sigh of satisfaction and overwhelming relief. He lowered himself onto the black tunic and gently pulled Alice down to join him. Her skirts frothed around his thighs as she sprawled, warm and inviting, across his chest.

Her eyes widened with concern as she settled into place. "My lord, you will surely be mashed against the hard stone."

He chuckled. "I have never had a softer quilt."

She touched his cheek with her fingertips and wriggled into a more comfortable position. Hugh groaned as her gently rounded thighs pressed more firmly against his rigid shaft. Without warning the desire that smoldered within him flared into a searing blaze. He felt the flames devour the last vestiges of his control.

Alice wanted him and she was his betrothed wife. Nothing stood in his way. Nothing else mattered.

Hugh surrendered to the firestorm that he had ignited. He caught Alice's face between his hands and kissed her with an urgency he could no longer conceal. To his soaring delight, she responded enthusiastically, if awkwardly, to the bruising kiss. He heard a muffled mmmph and then he almost laughed aloud as her teeth clinked against his own.

"Easy, my sweet," he said into her mouth. "There is no need to swallow me whole. You shall have all you want of me before we have finished."

She moaned and buried her fingers in his hair.

He cradled her head in place with one hand and reached down to raise the hem of her skirts. His palm slid along the length of her bare thigh all the way to the gentle curves above. He found the valley that divided the luscious hillocks and followed its course to the hot spring that awaited him.

"Hugh."

He stroked her carefully, preparing her for his entry. He wanted her delirious with need so that she would not feel pain, if there was any, when he claimed her. He wanted everything to be perfect.

Thunder shook the skies. The rain was a gray curtain in front of the cavern mouth.

When Hugh fumbled with his undertunic and loosened his braies, Alice raised her head briefly to gaze down at him with passion-clouded eyes. For a few heart-stopping seconds he thought she was going to ask him to halt the lovemaking. He wondered, with an odd sense of detachment, if doing so would kill him on the spot.

"Hugh."

The sound of his name on her lips made his blood pound. Excitement tore through him. She was thoroughly ensnared by their mutual passion, he told himself.

It would be a fine stratagem indeed, if Alice were to believe herself in love.

With a groan he crushed her mouth against his own and moved his hand between her thighs. Her murmurs of longing were sweeter than honeyed dates, more potent than an alchemist's elixir. The more he tasted of her, the more he hungered. Hugh was engulfed with a seemingly insatiable need.

He pulled Alice's skirts up to her waist and eased her legs apart so that she straddled him. The scent of her dewy body filled him with an overpowering eagerness.

He freed himself completely from his braies and probed until he found the plumped, moist petals that hid the entrance to the secret citadel. He entered her with a care that strained his self-mastery to the limit. Her body was impossibly tight around him. It was as though he tried to ease himself through the narrow entrance of a cave passage.

It was as he had thought. She was a virgin.

He must be careful, Hugh told himself. He must not take this keep too quickly.

His jaw clenched with the effort to control his own need.

He stormed the fragile gates slowly, steadily, until both of their bodies were damp with perspiration. Alice's nails bit through the fabric of his undertunic.

"You are well guarded," he whispered hoarsely. "Am I hurting you?"

"Aye, a little."

He closed his eyes, gathering himself, seeking restraint. "I would not have it so. Do you want me to stop?"

"Nay."

Hugh breathed a small sigh of relief. In truth, he had not been certain that he possessed the will to halt what had been begun. "I shall proceed slowly," he promised.

Alice eased aside the neck opening of his undertunic and nibbled gently at his shoulder. "I do not want you to proceed slowly. I would have done with this business quickly."

He groaned. "This is supposed to be a pleasurable task, not one that requires fortitude."

"Will you finish it when I give the command?"

He flexed his hands on her hips. "Mayhap you are right. It would be less painful if it were done swiftly."

"Do it now then." Without warning Alice sank her teeth into his shoulder.

"Blood of the devil." Startled by the small, sharp, and wholly unexpected pain, Hugh instinctively tightened his hold on Alice, sucked in his breath, and surged upward.

Alice gave a muffled squeak but Hugh could not have retreated if he had wished. The last remnants of his self-mastery gave way as surely as the delicate barrier that had guarded Alice's chastity.

Loosed from the bonds that he had used to govern himself for most of his life, Hugh drove deep into Alice. She clenched fiercely around him, snug and hot.

Outside the cave the storm reached its peak. Lightning flashed in the distance. The rain roared on the stony cliffs. The world shrank down to the cavern in which Hugh lay with Alice. Nothing else mattered, he thought. Nothing.

He heard Alice moan softly. He reached his hand down between his own body and hers, found the taut little nubbin of womanly flesh, and stroked.

She tensed and cried out. The delicate shivers rippled through her.

Hugh lifted himself again and again, thrusting deep into the tight passage until the world spun around him. Thunder shook the cliffs as his release rolled through him. It was a release far different from any he had ever known. For the first time in the whole of his thirty years he knew what it was to be consumed by passion. He understood why the poets wanted to give this intense sensation another, more glorious name.

For a brief, fleeting instant, he thought he comprehended at last why they wanted to call it love.

Alice stirred a long while later. She was aware of a distinct soreness between her legs but she felt strangely content. A part of her looked into the future and knew a cautious hope.

She had traveled to a fascinating new land with Hugh this day. Surely the experience that they had just shared would bind them together.

She opened her eyes and found him watching her with an unblinking, shuttered gaze. Some of her joyous anticipation faded. She saw at once that the indications of softness and vulnerability she thought she had discovered in him had already vanished. The dark knight had resumed the mantle of his own legend.

A wistful regret dimmed her newly formed dreams for the future. She told herself she must have patience. Hugh was not the sort of man who would change overnight.

She tried to think of something truly brilliant and fascinating to say, something that a woman in her position, a woman who had just shared a passionate interlude with a legendary knight, might say. Something that would touch his heart. Something magical.

She cleared her throat delicately. "I believe that it has ceased raining, my lord."

"Are you all right?"

So much for finding memorable words. Alice scowled. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be perfectly all right? What a silly question."

His hard mouth kicked up a little at one corner. "It seemed the appropriate thing to ask under the circumstances."

It occurred to Alice that he might not be any more skilled at conversations of this sort than she. The thought warmed her. "Rather like my comment on the rain?"

His expression softened slightly. "Aye." He eased her to a sitting position beside him. He frowned when he saw her wince. "Alice?"

" 'Tis nothing, my lord." She fumbled with her gown.

Before she could get her skirts arranged he reached out to touch her inner thigh. She blushed with embarrassment when he withdrew fingers that were stained with a reddish moisture.

Hugh stared at his hand. "Alice, we must talk."

"About the rain or my health?"

"About marriage."

Alice paused in the act of adjusting her gown. "This is too much, sir. 'Tis one thing to be called Relentless. 'Tis quite another to feel compelled to live up to the title at every single opportunity."

"Alice—"

"How dare you spoil such a pleasant, intimate interlude by returning to our old argument before I have even righted my skirts?"

"A pleasant, intimate interlude? Is that all this was to you?"

She flushed. "Nay, my lord, but I assumed that was likely all it meant to you. Surely you do not intend to tell me that this is the first time you have made love to a woman?" She paused. The possibility that they had shared this experience for the first time together sent a bright shaft of happiness through her. "Or is it?"

His eyes narrowed. " 'Tis the first time I have made love to a woman to whom I am bound by a vow of betrothal."

"Oh." Of course he had been no true virgin, she thought. He was thirty years old. And a man. His honor was not bound up with his chastity. "Well, I do not see that it makes a great deal of difference."

He caught her chin on the edge of his fist. "Most women in your position, madam, would be pleased to discuss marriage at this moment."

"I would rather talk about the weather."

"That is unfortunate, because we are going to discuss marriage."

Not until you learn to love me, she vowed silently. "Sir, I would remind you that we made a bargain."

"That bargain has been altered by what just happened here, Alice. There is a question of honor at stake."

She caught her breath at the sight of the determination gleaming in his golden eyes. There was no tender emotion in him, no talk of love or even of passion. Hugh was, as always, simply proceeding along the most direct path to his goal. Nothing, least of all a woman's heart, would be allowed to get in the way. Her stomach clenched.

"Sir, if you thought to use lovemaking as a stratagem to force me to marry you, then you have made a grave error."

He appeared startled. Then anger flashed in his eyes. "You were a virgin."

"Aye, but that changes nothing. As I never intended to wed, I had no duty to save my virginity for my husband. I am as free as you yourself, sir, and I have chosen to exercise that freedom today."

"Damnation, you are the most stubborn female I have ever encountered," he exploded softly. "You may be free, but I am not. I am bound by my honor in this matter."

"What has honor to do with this?" she demanded.

"You are my betrothed." Hugh moved one big hand in a gesture of masculine outrage. "We have just consummated this marriage."

"Not to my mind. Canon law is not at all clear on this subject."

"Bones of the devil, woman," Hugh roared. "Do not talk to me as though you had studied the finer points of law in Paris and Bologna. We are speaking of my honor here. I shall make my own judgments in this thing."

Alice blinked. "Really, sir, you are behaving in a most distraught fashion. I'm certain that when you've had an opportunity to settle your nerves—"

"My nerves are just fine, thank you. 'Tis my temper with which you had best concern yourself. Hear me well, Alice. We have crossed the river that separates a betrothal from a marriage. There are no longer any grounds to distinguish between the two."

"Well, as to the legality of the thing," she countered primly, "I just told you, canon law is a bit vague."

"Nay, madam, it is not in the least vague. Furthermore, if you think to drag this matter through the Church courts, I promise you that there will be the devil to pay."

"My lord, you are clearly overwrought."

"What is more," Hugh added with an ominous gentleness, "the devil will receive his due long before the Church gets around to dealing with your case. Do I make myself plain?"

Alice's resolve wavered in the face of the blatant threat. She swallowed and tried to gather her courage. "Sir, I warn you, I will not be intimidated or coerced into marriage."

" 'Tis too late to go back, Alice. We must go forward along this new course."

"Nay, our bargain holds. I have not yet made up my mind. What is more—" Something moved in the gloom at the far end of the cave. Alice stared past Hugh's broad shoulder.

Her spirited protest died in her throat. For a terrible instant stark fear froze her tongue. "Hugh."

He was on his feet in the blink of an eye. Steel whispered against leather as he slid his sword from its scabbard and whirled to face whatever threat had materialized behind him. An invisible cloak of battle-ready tension flowed around him.

Alice scrambled to her knees and peered past Hugh. A cowled figure emerged from the darkness of a concealed tunnel. He held a nearly extinguished torch in his hand.

"Greetings, Lord Hugh," Calvert of Oxwick said in his rasping voice.

Hugh slammed his sword back into its scabbard. "What the devil are you doing here, monk?"

"I was at my prayers." Calvert's eyes burned in the shadows. "I heard voices and came to see who had invaded these caverns. I feared thieves or robbers."

"You were at your prayers?" Hugh pulled his tunic over his head and buckled his sword belt in place with a swift, practiced motion. "In a cave?"

Calvert seemed to retreat deeper into his cowl. "I have found a place deep within these caverns where a man may pray without distractions from the outside world. A humble chamber of stone that is well suited to the mortification of the flesh."

"Sounds an enjoyable enough place," Hugh said dryly. "Myself, I would prefer a garden but to each his own. Fear not, monk. My betrothed and I will not intrude further on your prayers."

He took Alice's arm and led her out of the cavern with the same arrogant grace he might have used to escort her out of a royal audience chamber.

Calvert said nothing as he watched them leave. He remained where he was in the shadows. Stern disapproval emanated from his skeletal body in an almost palpable vapor. Alice could feel his gaze, feverish with righteous indignation, as it seared her spine.

"Do you think he saw us making love, my lord?" she asked anxiously.

"It matters not." Hugh's attention was clearly focused on the task of choosing a safe path down the hillside. He appeared completely unconcerned about Calvert.

"But 'twould be most embarrassing if he were to spread gossip."

"If the monk has any wits, he will guard his tongue." Hugh led Alice around a clump of scrubby bushes. "But even if he were to speak of what happened between us, who would take note? We are betrothed. Difficulty would arise only if you refused to take the final wedding vows."

"You never lose an opportunity to pursue your goal, do you?"

"I learned long ago that determination and will are the only true means of securing my ends." He steadied her with a sure grip as her soft boots skidded on a patch of loose pebbles. "By the bye, I must journey to London on matters of business. I shall be gone for a few days, no more than a sennight at most."

"London?" Alice stopped short. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Alice experienced an unexpected pang of disappointment. A whole sennight without Hugh stretched out ahead of her and it promised to be quite dull. There would be no fiery quarrels, no stolen moments of passion, no excitement.

"As my betrothed, you shall be in charge of affairs here at Scarcliffe while I am gone."

"Me?" She stared at him in amazement.

"Aye." Hugh smiled at her expression. "I leave everything in your hands. You will be safe enough. I shall leave Dunstan and all but two of my men here to guard the keep and the lands. Julian, my messenger, will also stay here. You may send him to me in London if you need to convey a message."

"Aye, my lord." Alice's head was reeling with the sudden, unexpected weight of her new responsibilities. Hugh trusted her to look after his precious Scarcliffe.

"As we shall be married upon my return," Hugh added casually, "you may as well spend the time preparing for the celebration of our wedding."

"By the Saints' eyes, sir, how many times must I tell you that I will not be wed simply because you find such a marriage efficient and convenient?"

"Believe me, madam, efficiency and convenience are not proving to be your strongest points. Oh, there is one more thing."

"What is that, my lord?"

Hugh came to a halt. He removed the heavy black onyx ring from his finger. "You will take this. 'Tis an emblem of my authority. In giving it to you, I would have you comprehend that I trust you and rely on you as I would a true wife—"

"But Hugh—"

"Or a sound business partner," he finished wryly. "Take it, Alice." He placed the ring in her hand and folded her fingers firmly around it. He held her small fist for a moment. "I would have you remember something else equally important."

Her heart leaped. "Aye, my lord?"

"You are never to go into those caves alone. Do you understand?"

Alice wrinkled her nose. "Aye, sir. Allow me to tell you that 'tis just as well you chose a career as a knight. You would not have been a success as a poet or troubadour. You have no talent for graceful words."

Hugh shrugged. "If I ever need such words, I shall employ a skilled poet or troubadour."

"Always employ the most expert craftsman, eh, my lord? Is that not your favorite rule?"

"Alice, there is one thing I wish to ask you."

She glanced at him. "Aye?"

"A short time ago you said that as you had never intended to wed, you did not feel obliged to save your virginity for a husband."

Alice studied the landscape of Scarcliffe. "What of it?"

Hugh's harsh face was fixed in an intent frown. "If you saw no reason to avoid such intimate embraces, why did you do so until now?"

"For the obvious reason, of course," she said gruffly.

He looked blank. "What is the obvious reason?"

"I had not encountered a man who appealed to me until now." She strode off down the hillside, leaving Hugh to follow in her wake.

Alice turned the heavy green crystal over and over in her hands. For the hundredth time she watched the way the light from her study-chamber window moved across the heavily faceted surface. As always, she sensed that there was something she did not comprehend about the stone. It was as if it harbored a secret, one that awaited her discovery.

She had the same feeling about Hugh.

She told herself she should be glad that she would be free of his overwhelming presence for a few days. She would be able to consider her situation in peace and tranquillity. Mayhap she would be able to come to an intelligent decision.

A brusque knock on the door of her study chamber roused her from her thoughts. "Enter."

"Alice?" Benedict stuck his head around the door. His face was alight with excitement. "You will never guess what has happened."

"What is it?"

"I am to travel to London with Lord Hugh." Benedict's staff tapped eagerly on the floor as he came into the chamber. He had Hugh's abacus tucked into his belt pouch. "London, Alice."

"I envy you." It occurred to Alice that she had not seen such glowing pleasure on Benedict's face for several months. Hugh was responsible for this sudden change in her brother, she thought. "You are most fortunate. 'Twill be a wonderful experience."

"Aye." Benedict balanced on his staff and rubbed his hands together with satisfaction. "I am to assist Lord Hugh with his business dealings."

Alice was astonished. "In what way? You know nothing of business."

"He has said he will teach me the ways of the spice trade. I am to be his assistant." He tapped the abacus. "He has already begun to instruct me in the use of this amazing instrument. One can add and subtract and even multiply and divide on it."

"When did Lord Hugh tell you that he would take you with him to London?" she asked slowly.

"A short while ago while we were dining in the hall."

"I see." A thought made Alice pause. "Benedict, I would like to ask you a question. You must give me an honest answer."

"Aye."

"Has anything been said about the fact that I do not dine in the great hall?"

Benedict started to speak and then appeared to change his mind. "Nay."

"Are you certain? No one has suggested that my failure to eat with the others is a mark of disrespect to Lord Hugh?"

Benedict shifted uncomfortably. "Sir Dunstan told me that one man made such a comment yesterday. Lord Hugh heard it and ordered him out of the hall. Sir Dunstan says no one else will dare to speak of it again."

Alice tightened her mouth. "But they are all no doubt thinking such thoughts. Hugh was right."

"About what?"

"Never mind." Alice got to her feet. "Where is he?"

"Who? Lord Hugh? I believe he is in his chambers. He said something about dismissing the new steward, Elbert, from his post."

"He said that?" Alice forgot about her intention to apologize to Hugh for any humiliation she might have caused him. "He cannot do that. I will not allow it. Elbert will make a perfectly good steward."

Benedict grimaced. "Today he himself served Lord Hugh and managed to drop an entire flagon of ale in his lap."

" 'Twas surely an accident." Alice rounded the edge of the desk and went to the door. "I must set matters straight."

"Uh, Alice, mayhap you should leave well enough alone. Lord Hugh is master here, after all."

Alice ignored her brother's warning. She picked up her skirts and hurried down the hall to the staircase. When she reached the level below, she turned quickly and went straight along the corridor to the chamber where Hugh conducted his business affairs.

Alice came to a halt in the doorway and looked into the chamber. Elbert stood in front of Hugh's desk. The young man was trembling. His head was bowed in utter dejection.

"I pr-pray your forgiveness, my lord," Elbert whispered. "I have tried very hard to per-perform my duties as Lady Alice instructed. But something seems to happen whenever I find myself in your presence."

"Elbert, I do not wish to dismiss you from your post," Hugh said steadily. "I know that Lady Alice selected you personally for the position. But I cannot tolerate your clumsiness any longer."

"My lord, if you would gi-give me one more chance," Elbert began.

"I think that would be a waste of time."

"But, sir, I want very much to be a steward. I am alone in the world and must make a career for myself."

"I understand. Nevertheless—"

"This keep is the only home I have. My mother came here to Scarcliffe to live after my father died. She wished to enter the convent, you see. I found a place in this household with the last lord, Sir Charles. But then he was killed and you came here and—"

Hugh broke into the rambling explanation. "Your mother is in the local convent?"

"She was, but she died last winter. I have nowhere else to go."

"You will not be forced to leave Scarcliffe," Hugh assured him. "I shall find another position for you. Mayhap in the stables."

"The st-stables?" Elbert was clearly appalled. "But I am af-afraid of horses, my lord."

"You had best overcome your anxiousness quickly," Hugh said with no sign of sympathy. "Horses sense fear."

"A-aye, my lord." Elbert's shoulders sagged. "I shall try."

"Nay, you will do no such thing, steward." Alice picked up her skirts and stalked into the chamber. "You have all the requirements to fulfill your present post and you shall do just that. You merely need some practice and experience."

Elbert turned to her, a desperate plea in his eyes. "Lady Alice."

Hugh eyed Alice. "I shall deal with this matter, madam."

She walked to the desk and curtsied so low that her gown puddled on the stone floor. She bowed her head in graceful supplication. "My lord, I ask that you give Elbert time to adjust to his present duties before you dismiss him."

Hugh picked up a pen and absently tapped the tip of the quill against the desktop. "I don't know why it is, lady, but for some reason I am most cautious around you when you are displaying your most graceful manners. The last time you did this, I found myself making a bargain that has brought me nothing but trouble."

Alice felt her cheeks burn. She refused to be disconcerted. "Elbert merely needs time, my lord."

"He has had several days to adjust to his post and there has been little improvement. At the rate things are proceeding, I shall need to order several new tunics to last the winter."

"I shall see to the new tunics, if necessary, sir," Alice said. " 'Tis Elbert's desire to please you that makes him awkward, my lord." She rose from the deep curtsy. "I feel certain that all he needs is some instruction and a bit more practice."

"Alice," Hugh said wearily, "I do not have time for this. There is too much to be done around here. I cannot afford an ill-trained steward."

"Sir, I ask that you allow him to become comfortable with his responsibilities while you are in London. I myself shall instruct him in those duties. When you return, you may judge him again. If you still find him lacking, you may dismiss him then."

Hugh leaned back slowly in his chair and studied her from beneath half-lowered lashes. "Another bargain, madam?"

She flushed. "Aye, if you wish."

"What have you to trade this time?"

She caught her breath at the sight of his gleaming eyes. Outrage swamped her fine manners. "I am offering to produce a good steward for you, sir. I should think that would be enough."

"Ah." Hugh's mouth curved. "That sounds more like the lady I have come to know. Very well. You shall have the next few days to turn Elbert into a master of his craft. When I return, I shall expect to have this household supervised by an expert. Understood?"

"Aye, my lord." Alice smiled confidently.

"Elbert?" Hugh prompted.

"A-aye, my lord." Elbert bowed several times. "I shall practice very hard, sir."

"Let us hope so," Hugh said.

Elbert fell on his knees in front of Alice, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and kissed it with fervor. "Thank you, my lady. I cannot describe to you how grateful I am for your confidence in me. I shall exert every effort to succeed in my quest to become a great steward."

"You will make a fine steward," Alice assured him.

"Enough," Hugh said. "Take yourself off, steward. I wish to be private with my betrothed."

"Aye, my lord." Elbert shot to his feet and bowed himself toward the door.

Alice winced when he accidentally backed into the wall. She saw Hugh raise his eyes toward the heavens but he did not say anything.

Elbert straightened abruptly and fled.

Alice turned back to Hugh. "Thank you, my lord."

"Try to keep him from demolishing the entire keep while I am gone."

"I'm certain that Scarcliffe Keep will still be standing when you return, sir." Alice hesitated. "I am told that you intend to take my brother with you."

"Aye. Benedict appears to have a talent for numbers. I can use an assistant with such skills."

"I had intended that he study the law," Alice said slowly.

"Do you object to his interest in accounts and business matters?"

"Nay. In truth, I have not seen him as happy as he is this afternoon for a long while." Alice smiled. " 'Tis your doing, my lord."

" 'Tis no great thing. As I said, it suits me to encourage his skills. They will prove useful." Hugh ran the quill through his fingers, aligning the feathers. "Will you miss me while I am in London, Alice?"

Sensing a trap, Alice took a quick step backward. She summoned a brilliant smile. "That reminds me, I must send word to Prioress Joan. I wish special prayers to be said at mass tomorrow morning before you leave."

"Special prayers?"

"Aye, my lord. For your safe journey."

Alice turned and hurried out of the chamber.

That evening, Alice paused in the act of moving one of the heavy black chalcedony chess figures and frowned at Hugh. "You do not appear to be paying attention to the game, sir. I am about to claim your bishop."

Hugh gazed down at the inlaid black crystal board with a brooding eye. "So it would seem. A clever move, madam."

"It was child's play." Alice studied him with growing concern.

Hugh was acting oddly in her estimation. He had invited her to join him for a game of chess in front of the hearth and she had accepted with enthusiasm. But it had been evident from the opening move that his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Let us see if I can recover." Hugh rested his chin on his hand and studied the board.

"Your preparations for the journey are all in order. You will be able to leave directly after mass tomorrow. What troubles you, sir?"

He flicked her a startled glance and then shrugged faintly. "I am thinking about my liege lord."

"Sir Erasmus?"

"I intend to visit him while I am in London. Julian tells me that he went there to consult some more doctors."

"I am sorry," Alice whispered.

Hugh's hand curved into a fist. "There is nothing to be done, but God's teeth, he seemed so strong and healthy only a few months ago."

Alice nodded sympathetically. "I know how much you will miss him."

Hugh sat back and picked up his cup of spiced wine. He gazed into the flames. "All that I have today is owed to him. My knighthood, my learning, my lands. How does a man repay such a favor?"

"With loyalty. And the whole world knows you have given Erasmus that, sir."

" 'Tis little enough." Hugh sipped from the cup. His face was shadowed in the firelight.

Alice hesitated. "What are his symptoms, my lord?"

"What?"

"The symptoms of his grave illness. What, precisely, are they?"

Hugh frowned. "I'm not altogether certain. Some are vague. He startles easily, as though he were a wary hart rather than a trained warrior. That is the thing I noticed most when I was last in his presence. He is always anxious now. He cannot sleep. He has grown thin. He told me that at times his heart pounds as though he were running."

Alice grew thoughtful. "A man of Sir Erasmus's renown must have known a great many battles."

"He has seen his share, beginning with the Crusade he undertook when he was barely eighteen. He once told me that his journey to the Holy Lands was the worst event of his entire life even though it brought him glory and wealth. He said he saw sights there, terrible sights that no decent man should see."

Hugh's words stayed with Alice until late that night. Unable to sleep, she got out of bed and slipped into her night robe.

She lit a candle and let herself quietly out of her bedchamber. Then she padded down the cold hall to her study chamber and went inside. Setting the candle on her desk next to the green crystal, she reached up and plucked her mother's handbook from the shelf.

She pored over it for an hour before she found what she wanted.