Page 107

Now, she was over by the steps leading into the great hall with her nurse standing behind her.

It was clear that Adelaide was terribly upset, brushing at her yellow skirt that had become dirty when she fell back.

She was talking to the nurse, waving her hands around when she wasn’t batting at her skirt, but the sight of Thomas emerging from the armory had her rushing towards him again. She put herself right in front of him.

“Wait!” she shouted. “You are not leaving Wark until we settle a few things, Thomas. The priest will be here this evening and you and I shall be married. And I want an honor guard assembled for my father so we may…”

Thomas walked right past her without acknowledging her and she whirled around as he moved past, her fists clenching as the man soundly ignored her.

She was beyond fury at that point as her betrothed refused to listen to her in any fashion, consumed with going to his father based on what he’d been told.

But Adelaide would not be ignored and she would not be brushed off. Grabbing a small dirk that she kept in the purse hanging from her waist, she lifted it and began to scream.

“This is all your fault, Thomas de Wolfe!” she screamed as she dragged the blade across her forearm and immediately drew blood.

“You have caused my suffering and your father’s injury is God’s punishment!

I hope he dies so that you may feel my own pain at my father’s death, do you hear me? This is your punishment !”

She was shrieking like a madwoman, slicing the blade across her other forearm as the blood began to flow.

In truth, the only reason Thomas stopped and turned around was because of only one thing she said– I hope he dies .

Thomas lost all self-control at that moment, spinning in Adelaide’s direction and charging.

He was fully intent on killing her. But Desmond was there, putting himself between Thomas and Adelaide because he knew, for certain, that Thomas was going to murder the woman for what she’d said about William. There was no doubt in his mind.

Markus, seeing his uncle being restrained, jumped in to help, all the while confused and disgusted by the woman who was cutting up her arms in the middle of the bailey.

He had no idea who she was, but based on family gossip, he suspected he was seeing Adelaide de Vauden. It was a horrific, chaotic scene.

“Nay, Thomas,” Desmond hissed, struggling against Thomas’ strength. The man was like a raging bull. “Ignore her, do you hear? She is attempting to get a reaction out of you. Do not give it to her!”

But Thomas couldn’t seem to hear him. All he could see was Adelaide, standing there with her arms bleeding, gazing at him with nearly as much hatred in her expression as he felt for her in his heart.

At that moment, lines were crossed– it was no longer Thomas and his clear disdain for Adelaide, but now Thomas and his abject hatred for the woman.

Even though both Desmond and Markus were restraining him, he still managed to get an arm free, pointing at Adelaide as she stood there and loudly wept.

“Bleed out into the dirt and die, you bitch, for if you do not, when I return, I will kill you myself for what you have said,” he growled. “I am at an end with you.”

Desmond managed to get a hand on Thomas’ head, turning him away so he wasn’t looking at Adelaide. With Markus’ help, they began to steer him back towards the horses that were being loaded with shields and weapons. Thomas was so shaken, so angry, that he could barely walk.

“Des,” he said hoarsely, “have that woman thrown in the vault with her father’s body. She can sit there and rot alongside him until I decide to release her.”

Desmond looked at him, somewhat shocked by the brutal command but not completely surprised. “Thomas…”

“ Do it .”

It was an order, not meant to be disobeyed. Desmond sighed faintly. “It will be done,” he said. “Anything else?”

“Aye,” Thomas said as he reached his horse. “Lock her in and keep her there until I return. If anyone lets her out, or if anyone opens the cell door before I return, I will personally kill the man. Is that clear?”

Desmond knew he meant every word. “It is clear, Thomas.”

As Thomas mounted his war horse, Desmond relayed quick but succinct orders to the gate sergeant, including the arrest of Lady Adelaide.

As Thomas turned his steed for the gatehouse, the next sounds he heard were those of Adelaide’s screams as she was set upon by a dozen Wark soldiers.

Crying his name, she was dragged off to the vault.

Her screams of terror were like music to Thomas’ ears and perhaps the only thing that settled the murderous rage in his heart.

Thundering out of the gatehouse with Desmond, Markus, and about two dozen Wark soldiers behind him, he turned for the road north, the one that would lead him to Northwood Castle.

With every step his horse took, Thomas could feel his fury cooling.

It was a forced cooling, because if he didn’t force himself to calm down, he would go on a murder rampage.

With a few deep breaths and distance between him and Adelaide, it became easier.

He wasn’t so blinded by his rage any longer but, now, fear took hold.

Fear for his father, fear for what had happened.

Markus knew nothing more than what he’d already told him, so there was a greater fear of the unknown.

If Garr Ellsrod had ridden in the dead of night for Castle Questing, that told Thomas that the injury his father suffered must be very bad, indeed.

But he couldn’t panic, not yet.

He was hoping it wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

He could get to Northwood and William could be up and moving with nothing more than a bump on his head, or he could get there and find his father dead.

At this point, any scenario was possible, and Thomas found himself praying that it wasn’t all that bad.

His father was immortal, wasn’t he? A man who was elderly, but incredibly healthy and active.

Truly, William was ageless, and a foolish accident wasn’t going to steal away England’s greatest knight.

The Wolfe of the Border…

Nay, an accident wasn’t going to take him away.

Thomas refused to believe it.

Up ahead was the bridge that Wark guarded, the one that crossed the River Tweed.

But instead of going over the bridge, Thomas intended to take the road that veered to the right and ran along the river.

That road would take them straight to Northwood Castle, which was easily less than an hour’s ride.

They would be there quickly. In fact, Thomas was so focused on the road turning east that he failed to see a tiny figure crossing the bridge, running as fast as the little legs would move.

In fact, Desmond saw it first and he threw up a hand, catching Thomas’ attention as he reined his excited horse to a halt.

“Thomas!” he shouted. “Look!”

Thomas did. He wouldn’t have thought anything of a lone child except for the fact that she was dragging a dark, heavy cloak and he happened to recognize the fabric on the child’s tunic.

The blue fabric his mother had donated to Edenside.

Shocked, Thomas pulled his horse to a halt, directing it back towards the bridge as the soldiers accompanying him nearly crashed into each other at his swift change in direction.

Thomas found himself thundering over to the bridge where the child dropped the cloak and tried to climb onto the railing, terrified of the big horses.

When Thomas saw that, he reined his horse to a halt and vaulted off the saddle, landing on the ground with his feet running.

He ran straight up to the child, seeing that it was the tiny little girl, Dyana.

He fell to his knees in front of her.

“Dyana?” he said, great concern in his voice. “What are you doing here, sweetheart? Did you wander away?”

The little girl realized that it was Thomas, the man she had been looking for. She was so cold that her lips were blue and, somewhere, she’d either lost her shoes or never had them on because her feet were filthy, bloody, and cold. She let go of the railing on the bridge and came towards Thomas.

“Tibelda is sleepin’,” she said, sounding frightened. “She told me tae tell ye that bad men came and took them away.”

Thomas was trying to make sense out of it. “Bad men?” he repeated. “Who was taken away?”

The little girl was pale with exhaustion and fear from her night on the road, but she knew that Thomas was safety, as was Desmond, whom she also recognized. She went straight to Thomas and put her little arms around his neck.

“Everybody,” she said. “The men came and they were screamin’. They took everyone away.”

Thomas was seized with dread. “Everyone at Edenside was taken away?” he clarified, realizing that he was starting to tremble. “Men came and took them away.”

The little girl nodded as she tried to climb on Thomas.

As he put his arms around her and picked her up, something fell out of her hand and onto the dirt of the bridge.

Thomas found himself looking at the wolf’s head dagger he’d lost at Coldstream when battling the reivers, something he thought was forever lost.

Until now.

Horror such as he’d never known swept him. Bending over, he picked up the dagger.

“Oh, God,” he breathed, looking at it in shock. He held it up to the child. “Sweetheart, where did you get this? Did… did someone give this to you?”

Dyana was finally safe, so her manner had eased considerably. She petted the top of the wolf’s head as if it were a living animal. “Pretty,” she said, pointing at the bejeweled eyes. “See? Pretty.”

Thomas was trying very hard to keep his composure in the face of a weary, frightened child, but Desmond wasn’t so calm. He put his hands on the little girl, trying to force her to look at him.

“Where did you get the dagger, lass?” he demanded. “And where is Lady Bowlin? Where is my sister?”

The little girl looked at him with her big, blue eyes. “The bad men took her,” she said. “Tibelda is sleepin’.”

Desmond and Thomas looked at each other over the top of Dyana’s blonde little head. The child wasn’t making much sense, but what she was saying was wholeheartedly alarming.

“I must go to Edenside,” Desmond muttered, his voice trembling. “I must see for myself what has happened.”

Thomas was struggling desperately not to panic alongside Desmond.

He was overwhelmingly worried for his father, and now his fear for Maitland was exploding.

What in the hell had happened at Edenside after he’d left?

He’d only just left there and he’d inspected the entire place for threats. There hadn’t been any sign of hazard.

Not one…

Was this his fault? Had he missed something?

Clearly, something had occurred. He could only imagine that there was some level of truth to what the little girl was saying because Maitland would have never let the child out of her sight if she could help it.

Thomas felt as if he were being pulled in all different directions and trying so very hard to keep his wits about him.

It was a nightmare.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to evaluate his priorities– his father was crucial, but so was whatever happened at Edenside.

He had a frightened little girl that told him something very bad had happened.

He wanted so badly to go with Desmond to Edenside but, in the same breath, he knew he had to go to his father first. The man was badly injured, perhaps even dying, and Thomas would never forgive himself for not being there when his father needed him.

It was a horrible choice to have to make, but he made the only one he could– he had to go to Northwood.

He prayed that Maitland would understand, wherever she was and whatever had happened.

I’m so sorry, Mae.

It was a choice that broke his heart.

“Go,” he barked at Desmond. “Take some men with you and go. Find out what has happened and then send someone to Northwood to inform me of your findings. I will take the child with me.”

Desmond was already running for his horse, shouting at the soldiers and taking at least six with him.

Thomas handed Dyana up to Markus, who took the child until Thomas could mount his horse.

Then, he handed the little girl back to Thomas, who then tore off down the road, heading for Northwood, as Desmond took off in the opposite direction for Edenside.

Even though Thomas wasn’t heading for Edenside, his focus was with Desmond, wondering what in the hell had happened at Edenside that a tiny little girl had wandered miles away trying to find help.

The more he thought about it, the more his heart sank because he knew, over and over again, that Maitland would have never let Dyana wander away from Edenside had she been able to help it.

Unless the child simply slipped out and wandered off when everyone was sleeping…

but no . He stopped himself from thinking that because he knew it wasn’t true.

Something very bad had happened.

Something very bad, indeed.