Connie Mason (26 page)

“But, my lady—”

Suddenly a light appeared in the stable yard. “Lady Mariah! I know you’re out here somewhere.” The light swung in a wide arc.

“Go,” Mariah hissed as she stepped aside to allow her men access to the horses. “I’ll keep the guard occupied while you lead the horses out of the stable. Make as little noise as possible.”

The men melted into the darkness. Mariah heard movement in the stalls as she strode off to waylay the guard. She met him in the courtyard. He grasped Mariah’s arm, hauling her back toward the inn.

“You have caused me a great deal of trouble, lady,” he growled. “What are you doing out here?”

“I felt in need of some air,” Mariah fabricated.

He shook his shaggy head. “I must have fallen asleep; Sir Osgood will have my head for this.” His grip tightened on her. “Did that old witch you call a healer give me something to make me sleep?”

“Do not blame my friends for your incompetence.”

The guard stopped abruptly beneath a tree, his face red with anger as he turned to confront Mariah. “We will both suffer for this, lady.”

Mariah knew a moment of fear as the guard’s rage escalated. Would he strike her? Then something behind the man caught her eye. A shadowy figure moved stealthily toward them. She watched in disbelief as the figure hovered behind the mercenary, lifted something large and heavy and brought it down on the man’s head.

The rush light dropped from his hand as he made a slow spiral to the ground. Mariah snatched up the torch and lifted it high. Stunned, Mariah saw Dame Helen standing over the mercenary, a heavy iron skillet dangling from her hand.

“Are you all right, my lady?” Helen asked.

“Aye, and I thank you, Dame Helen. But you shouldn’t have done that. You could be in serious trouble.”

“Nay, my lady. The brute here”—she nudged him with her toe—“didn’t know what hit him. I heard him stumbling down the stairs, grabbed my skillet and followed.”

The sound of horses’ hooves pounding away from the inn brought a smile to Mariah’s lips. Her guardsmen had gotten away; help would be on its way soon.

Helen must have heard them, too, for she said, “You must leave with your men before the guard awakens.”

“I cannot. The people at Mildenhall will suffer if I leave.”

“Don’t be foolish, my lady. Leave now, while you still can. Robbie needs you.”

Mariah was torn. “I cannot leave Sir Martin and the servants to face Osgood’s wrath. I fear he will kill them.”

“You must leave regardless. You alone, can petition the king for help. If you are imprisoned, there will be no one
to make Sir Osgood pay for what he has done and may yet do.”

After much soul-searching, Mariah agreed to leave. She could do more for her people if she was free than if she was locked up inside the keep.

Falcon drove his men relentlessly toward Mildenhall. When darkness made travel unsafe, he called a halt a short distance south of the village and led his men through the forest to a clearing well back from the road. They took care of their horses and ate a cold meal of bread and cheese. Then everyone but the guards posted as lookouts rolled up in their cloaks on the ground, resting their heads on their saddles.

Falcon did not join them just yet. Strapping on his sword, he set off to scout the immediate area. He had no idea why he felt uneasy. Perhaps it was Mildenhall’s towers, which rose like sentinels against the night sky, that drew him from the safety of the campsite. Or perhaps it was thoughts of Mariah imprisoned inside the keep, at Osgood’s mercy.

No matter how long or hard Falcon thought about it, he could not figure out what had made Mariah leave his bed and flee to Mildenhall. Her actions did not make sense. What did she think she could accomplish on her own?

Falcon paused when he emerged from the forest onto
the road. The little-traveled dirt track was deserted, just as it should be at this time of night. He knew he should return to camp and try to sleep, but being this close to Mildenhall and Mariah made him anxious to do something . . . anything. Sighing in resignation, he decided to return to camp, but stopped in his tracks when he heard what sounded like a horse carefully picking its way down the rutted road.

Falcon melted back into the shadows, eager to learn who would risk life and limb traveling on a moonless night well after Matins. The horse and rider approached from the village, that much Falcon knew. When the horse drew abreast of him, he unsheathed his sword and stepped in front of the startled animal.

“Halt!”

Fright pounded through Mariah’s breast when she realized she was being challenged. She had no idea Osgood had posted guards this far from the keep. For a moment she considered digging her heels into her mount and risking injury or worse to escape her challenger. But the man holding the sword looked big and burly enough to drag her from the saddle as she dashed past him. When he grasped the horse’s reins, Mariah knew she had hesitated too long. She had been caught. Her fate was now in Osgood’s hands, for she would not lead Walter to Robbie no matter what they did to her.

“Dismount!”

Mariah hesitated, but in the end had no choice but to obey. She slid from the horse’s back. When she turned to confront her nemesis, she heard a loud gasp. And then the man whispered her name.

“Mariah?”

Mariah’s heart pounded furiously as the man slowly lowered his sword.
Nay, it couldn’t be
. “Who is it?”

The man grasped her arm and dragged her against him. She recognized his scent as a familiar heat enveloped her, and nearly collapsed in relief. What was Falcon doing here? How did he know she had returned to Mildenhall?

Mariah clung to him; a myriad of emotions raced through her brain, a hundred questions were on the tip of her tongue. But she could do naught but repeat his name, over and over.

“It’s all right, Mariah,” Falcon soothed. “I’m here. You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Mariah opened her mouth to ask how he’d known where to find her but the words froze in her throat when Falcon claimed her lips. His kiss stole not only her words but her senses. Her arms circled his neck as he pulled her closer, his mouth ravishing hers with such passion, Mariah feared her bones would melt.

When Falcon finally broke off the kiss, Mariah went limp. His arms tightened around her and he held her close to his heart.

“Foolish woman,” he said. “You cannot begin to know how worried I was about you. Why did you leave my bed without a word of explanation? Why did you leave London before I had time to muster my men? I thought you understood that I would help you reclaim Mildenhall.”

“I hoped you would, but realized it was a foolish dream after I spoke with Rosamond.”

“You called on Rosamond?”

“Aye. I didn’t know where to find you and hoped she would tell me where you were.”

“ ’Tis too dangerous to stand in plain sight, even though it is the middle of the night,” Falcon said as he grasped the horse’s reins and led Mariah and her mount into the forest. When they came to a small clearing, he tethered the horse to a sapling and grasped her hand. Then he seated her on a grassy mound, unbuckled his sword, leaned it against a tree and dropped down beside her.

“What did Rosamond tell you?”

Mariah hesitated. Though she didn’t feel comfortable in disparaging Falcon’s wife, she didn’t want to lie to Falcon. “She told me about your marriage.”

Falcon cursed beneath his breath. “Go on. What else did Rosamond tell you?”

“She said you intended to join the king in France.”

“That much was true. Did she tell you where to find me?”

“Nay, she refused. She told me to stay away from you.”

“But you did find me. We met outside my lodgings.”

Mariah sighed. “Our meeting was a coincidence. I happened to be on my way to my own lodgings at the time. With the king away and unable to help me, and you married, I realized I had to depend upon myself to outwit Osgood and reclaim Mildenhall for Robbie. I left Robbie with Becca in London and returned to Mildenhall.”

A slim beam of moonlight pierced through an opening in the clouds, revealing Falcon’s features. His expression was hard, angry. Shivering, Mariah leaned away from him.

His arms circled her shoulders and brought her closer against him. “You’re cold.”

“Nay. Your expression is . . . frightening. Are you angry at me?”

“When I awakened and found you gone, I was furious. I couldn’t imagine why you would sneak away like that. I had no idea where to find you, or what I’d said or done to make you angry.”

“You did naught, ’twas I. I realized I had no right to burden you with my problems. You are wed; you owe me and Robbie naught.”

“Damn Rosamond! She lied. I didn’t marry her, Mariah. I decided I couldn’t live the way she wanted me to.”

Joy surged through Mariah. He wasn’t married! Then another thought occurred. “Oh, Falcon, how could you give up everything Rosamond had to offer, everything you’ve ever wanted?”

“ ’Twas easy. I’ve gotten along just fine without land or wealth. Forgive me for not telling you in London, but I assumed you’d know I wasn’t wed when you found me in my bachelor lodgings. I searched for you after you left, and would have continued the search if Becca hadn’t come to me.”

Shock shuddered through Mariah. “Becca came to you?”

“Aye, she brought Robbie to my lodgings. Being alone and friendless in London terrified her.”

“I knew she didn’t like London, but she assured me that she and Robbie could fend for themselves for a while. I did what I thought best to keep Robbie safe. I’m on my way to rejoin them now.”

“There’s no need, Mariah. Becca and Robbie are staying at the Traveler’s Inn in Cambridge. I took them there myself. Cambridge is a small, quiet town; they will be
safe until things are settled at Mildenhall. I left a man to guard them, so you have naught to worry about.”

Mariah nearly collapsed in relief. “Thank you. Now I can concentrate on reclaiming my home without worrying about Robbie.”

“Tell me everything that’s happened since you left London.”

Mariah hesitated a moment to gather her thoughts. “I reached the village without incident and stayed at the inn a few days to formulate my plans before confronting Osgood.” Then the rest came tumbling out—how she’d gained freedom for her men and sent them to fetch help. She tried to gloss over the part where she’d promised to bring Robbie back to Mildenhall, but Falcon would have none of it.

“You what?” Falcon gasped. “Repeat what you just said.”

“I lied to Osgood. I would never place Robbie in Osgood’s keeping. I lied to free my guardsmen. I needed them to fetch help from Edmond’s neighbors.”

“What did you think would happen to you when you refused to return your son to Mildenhall?”

“I hoped Sir Maynard would return with help before I had to admit that I’d lied.”

“Finish your story. You said Osgood’s mercenary was ordered to keep you imprisoned in your chamber at the inn until Walter arrived. How did you escape?”

Mariah related all the details to Falcon’s satisfaction, including her meeting with Sir Maynard and her instructions to him. She also related Dame Helen’s part in her escape.

“Good for Dame Helen,” Falcon said.

“I didn’t want to leave,” Mariah said. “Osgood threatened to kill Sir Martin and the servants if I tried to trick him. I shouldn’t have listened to Dame Helen. Fleeing as I did places my people in danger.”

“Have you any idea what Osgood might have done to you when you refused to reveal your son’s location?”

Mariah shrugged. “It didn’t matter as long as Robbie was safe. And I held to the hope that Edmond’s friends and neighbors would come to my defense. I know the king would have intervened if he was in London, but I didn’t have the funds to remain in the city until his return. His absence could have been a lengthy one.”

Falcon glared at her. “Your thinking was faulty, Mariah. Your first mistake was leaving my bed without telling me where to find you. Everything you did after that placed your life in danger.”

Mariah bristled. “You should have told me you weren’t married before we . . . before we . . .”

“Before we made love? I had no idea you’d spoken with Rosamond. I intended to tell you that Rosamond and I had parted ways, but my need for you was immediate. Forgive me, Mariah. We both did things we shouldn’t have; neither of us was thinking clearly that day. Admit it—you wanted me as badly as I wanted you.”

“Mayhap I did, but I suffered for it. I believed I’d made love to a married man. Guilt weighed heavily upon me.”

He touched her face, letting his fingers slide down her cheek and lower. The pulse in her neck jumped when his fingers lingered there.

“It will be dawn soon,” Falcon murmured. “We have so little time.”

He rose and spread his cloak on the ground, then grasped Mariah’s hand. “Lie with me, sweeting.”

“Here?”

“I can think of no better place.”

He knelt on his cloak and pulled Mariah down beside him. She resisted but a moment before following her heart’s desire. Refusing Falcon anything was impossible.

Gently he laid her down and covered her with his body. A pale sliver of moonlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the tense, drawn lines of his face. Mariah was surprised to realize just how deep his concern for her had been.

She melted into his kiss, stroking his cheek. His stubble of beard rasped against her palm. How dearly she loved this man. How desperately she wanted to tell him the truth about Robbie—that he was Robbie’s father.

Falcon couldn’t get enough of Mariah’s kisses. Her mouth tasted sweeter than honey; her body, so familiar to him, was dearer than life. Why had it taken him so long to realize that everything he’d ever wanted rested right here in his arms?

He wanted her naked, but the night was too cold. Danger surrounded them, he could smell it in the air. Come dawn, he would take Mariah to Cambridge, where she would remain safe while he won back Mildenhall for her and Robbie. But tonight, before dawn parted them, all he could think about was making love to her.