“Nyet! Nyet!” She shook her head passionately in a fierce denial and hurried to state her mind. “Avar, if I could, I vould have Ladislaus as my husband, but they say he must go to Moscow now, maybe to be hanged.”
“From all accounts ve’ve been hearing, it iz the justice Ladislaus rightly deserves, Alyona. I cannot stop it.”
“Maybe there iz no help for him, Avar, but I still yearn to take him as husband an’ give our child a name.”
Avar pressed his lips briefly to her brow. “I’m sorry, Alyona.”
With an imperceptible nod, the young woman stepped away and, mounting the stairs again, went inside the house. The door closed slowly behind her, and in the silence that followed, they could hear her mournful weeping.
Avar approached his commander, who was applying a cold compress to Synnovea’s bruised brow. “Colonel, I’ve just now seen a curious thing, an’ I’d like permission to ride out vith a pair of men to see vhat might be happenin’.”
Tyrone peered at him askance as he continued his tender ministering. “What do you think it is?”
Avar glanced around and took a casual count of their soldiers. Then he stroked his chin thoughtfully as he lifted his gaze to meet the curious blue eyes. “I think, Colonel, it may be a full regiment of soldiers passin’ near here. Though each vears the garb of a peasant, they ride in line like an organized troop. Only the leader is vearing a cloak that looks familiar. Another is garbed richly in the clothes of a boyar.” Avar lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “If I vere to venture a guess, Colonel, I’d say they’re Polish soldiers on the move.”
“This far inland?” Tyrone stepped back from his wife and stared at the scout in amazement. “Where do you think they’re headed?”
“They now ride fast after hearin’ cannon, Colonel. Toward Moscow, maybe, or in that same general direction.”
“We must stop them!”
“We should, Colonel, but how? They outnumber us two, maybe three to one. Besides that, they have two batteries o’ cannons.”
Tyrone beckoned a young corporal forward and pointed toward the horse that Ladislaus had ridden in on, the same which the thief had once stolen from him. “Strip that stallion, Corporal, and put my saddle on his back. And be quick about it! I’ve got to ride out with Avar and have a look around.”
Stepping back to Synnovea, he lifted her carefully and carried her into the house, drawing a teary-eyed gaze from Alyona, who had curled up on a corner of the bed to cry. In some embarrassment, the small woman rose to her feet and, sweeping her hand toward the place she had just vacated, encouraged him to lay Synnovea there.
“I vill take care of yur wife, Colonel. No need to fear.”
Tyrone lowered Synnovea upon the mound of wolf pelts covering the bed and leaned down to brush a snarled tress from her brow. “I have to ride out with Avar, my sweet. I may be gone for a while. If you’re able to rest, do so. I’ll return as soon as I can.”
Synnovea and Alyona watched in silence as he crossed to the door. At the portal, he cast a backward glance at his wife before making his departure. In a few moments the women heard the rattle of hooves as the two men rode out together.
“I’m too filthy to rest,” Synnovea complained, wincing as she braced herself up on an elbow. “I’d like to wash, if I may.”
Alyona indicated a large kettle of simmering water hanging from a hook in the hearth. “I was goin’ to vash clothes today, but if yu’d like, I’ll fill a tub for a bath. Maybe yu’ll feel better after a good, varm soak.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sweeter proposal in all my life.” Synnovea slowly pushed herself to her feet, grimacing sharply as she did so. All she could remember from the fall was hitting the ground and feeling as if every bone in her body had been broken or at least jolted unmercifully by the impact. Beyond that moment, it seemed as if she had stared at the world through a stunned stupor, her breath frozen in her lungs. Moments after Tyrone had lifted her, she had lost consciousness and known nothing more until she had heard his muffled weeping.
With considerable care, Synnovea stood upright and was of a mind to think that she had accomplished a great feat. Before long she was soaking in a warm bath that the two of them had prepared. Some of the tightness began to leave her muscles, and she became a little more hopeful that she’d survive. She washed her hair, found appropriate clothing to wear from the large satchel which Ladislaus had hurriedly packed for her, and was in the process of helping Alyona empty the tub when the woman gasped suddenly and clutched a hand to her belly.
“It’s time,” Alyona announced in a tight voice when the pain began to subside. “The baby is comin’.” She looked up at her guest and saw the sharp concern in her widened eyes. “Do yu know vhat to do, my lady?”
Synnovea nearly panicked. “Not even a notion!”
“There iz an old woman who lives in a small house down by the creek. She knows vhat to do. If yu vould go and fetch her, I vill lay out vhat she vill need.”
“Of course!” Despite the pain that her movements caused, Synnovea was already flying toward the door.
It was nearly an hour later when Tyrone returned with Avar and found Ladislaus pacing restlessly about within the small area allowable by his heavy shackles. Tyrone hardly had time to consider the reason for the man’s plight, but when he strode toward the door, the lieutenant informed him of the camp’s current events.
“I’m sorry, Colonel. Ladislaus’s woman is inside having her baby. Your wife told us all to stay outside. I would presume, sir, that her order also includes you.” The young man’s forehead crinkled in sudden concern. “Of course, sir, if it’s a matter of choices, I must respect any command you give me.”
“Rest easy, Lieutenant. I’ll not countermand my wife’s authority in this instance.”
A sigh of relief slipped from the officer’s smiling lips. “I’m glad to hear that, sir, because I would hate to disappoint Her Ladyship, since I assured her that I’d keep everyone who wasn’t needed out of the house.”
“Carry on, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir.”
Glancing back at Ladislaus, Tyrone soon became convinced that the brigand was genuinely distraught over what was presently occurring in his house. To see the unruly rogue deeply concerned about the girl caused him to wonder if he was now viewing a side of the man’s character that had never been glimpsed before by anyone.
“Watch him carefully,” Tyrone bade the lieutenant, taking no chances. “Ladislaus has the strength to break any post you chain him to, so be warned.”
“You can count on me, sir!”
Grigori came across the yard and braced a foot on the bottom step as his commander turned to face him. “What did you and Avar find?”
“At least a full regiment of spies or Polish-trained mercenaries,” Tyrone answered bluntly, descending a pair of steps to speak with him. “There’s a strong possibility that they’re Polish soldiers masquerading as peasants.”
“What are we to do when we have less than a third that number of men here?” Grigori asked in sudden worry.
“We cannot hope to reach Moscow and regroup with the rest of the regiment in time to return and attack them in the field. Besides, before our departure, the good general was demanding that he be given command of my other men during my absence. We both know he has some wild notions, so he has probably dispatched them on some urgent mission of his. I regret now that I didn’t have the foresight to bring the whole regiment when we came.”
“Your plan was to avoid discovery before we took up our position on the hill, colonel,” Grigori reasoned. “We did just that, and your goal to capture Ladislaus and his bandits has been concluded successfully. Not one of us expected this foreign intrusion into our land. Still, I find it hard to imagine that these mercenaries intend to attack Moscow with less than a full army.”
“I’m sure you’re cognizant of the last two attempts of the Poles to put their own men on the throne. Perhaps the mercenaries are hoping t
o catch Moscow by surprise again and kill the tsar, which they may well do if General Vanderhout has been foolish enough to strip away a portion of the city’s strength and defense.”
Ladislaus had paused in his restless pacing when he overheard the men talking, and now hunkered down on his haunches near the edge of the porch as he continued to listen. Peering at them thoughtfully, he finally gained their attention and gave the colonel a grin that was no less than cocky. “You need more men, eh, Englishman?”
Arching a brow, Tyrone fixed the man with an impassive stare. “If you intend to gloat, Ladislaus, be warned. I’m in no mood to accept it graciously.”
“I wouldn’t dare gloat, Colonel, not when I’ll likely be executed soon after I’m taken to Moscow.” Ladislaus shrugged his broad shoulders. “With a babe of mine ready to be born, I can’t help but wish things had been different, that I might’ve done something better with my life.”
“It’s a bit late for remorse now, don’t you think, Ladislaus?” Tyrone asked with rampant sarcasm. “You must be as old as I am, give or take a few years, yet I bet you’ve never considered doing an honest day’s labor in your whole life. So you say now that you’re feeling put out by it all, no doubt because you’ve been caught. Well, go weep on someone else’s shoulder, my lawless friend. I don’t have time to listen to your laments.”
“I only beg a moment of your time, Colonel. That is all I ask,” Ladislaus bargained. “You just might be interested in what I have to say.”
“I’m running short on patience,” Tyrone retorted tersely.
“What do you think those mercenaries are up to anyway?” Ladislaus pressed, deliberately ignoring the other’s lack of enthusiasm.
“No good! Just like you!”
“Now, Colonel,” the leader-thief smilingly cajoled. “Didn’t I promise you that you’d be interested in my proposition? But if you’re so damned certain that you and your men can force a whole regiment of foreigners to retreat, then perhaps I’m wasting my breath.”
A weary sigh clearly expressed Tyrone’s growing irritation. “What do you have to say, Ladislaus? I’m listening.”
The rogue leader was most eager to voice his suggestion. “Suppose, Colonel, that my men and I joined forces with you and yours to turn back the foreigners…” He glanced at the Englishman and then grinned in growing enthusiasm when he realized that he had managed to gain his full attention. “If they’re up to no good in Moscow, and my band and I help to send them back to wherever they came from, perhaps the tsar would consider giving me and my fellows a pardon…if we make solemn pledges that in the future we’ll apply ourselves diligently to honest labors.”
Tyrone stared at Ladislaus in disbelief, unable to consider the plausibility of such an offer. It seemed rather doubtful the man could alter his whole way of life at this late date. Indeed, trusting him could prove as disastrous as believing a leopard could amend its natural inclination for devouring its prey.
“What would you do?” Tyrone scoffed. “Milk a herd of goats? I’m sure you can understand why I have difficulty imagining you working at some menial trade. You’ve become too well acquainted with giving commands and having them promptly obeyed.”
“The same as you, Colonel,” Ladislaus countered and lifted his broad shoulders in a casual shrug. “Perhaps I could be a soldier like you. If His Majesty can hire foreigners to teach his soldiers to fight, why can’t he recruit Russians who can fight already? We don’t expect to be outfitted in grand uniforms like the rich boyars I’ve seen, but we could still fight in the tsar’s service and keep the Russian borders secure from invaders.”
Tyrone cocked an incredulous brow at the thief. “And once you have your freedom, you would not use it to loot and murder again?”
Ladislaus spread his hands, appealing to the Englishman’s sense of justice. “I’ve been a warrior a good many years, Colonel. Men have attacked me, and I’ve defended myself as best I can, but a murderer I’m not! I’ve never killed anyone who hasn’t first tried to take my life.”
Tyrone fixed him with a narrowed gaze. “And should I believe you’ve never lashed a man between two horses?”
“I did but jest, Colonel!” Ladislaus protested with a chuckle. “At times I must intimidate my foes into believing that they’ll be as good as dead if they fool with me. I see no harm in that. Such vivid threats have been known to deter men from violence. Besides, you owe me a favor for saving you from that scoundrel Aleksei. ’Twas his most earnest intent to see you gelded.” He tossed a grinning glance toward the interior of the house, and then stroked his chin musefully as he reasoned further with his captor. “I think, Colonel, you have much to be grateful for. Your wife seems most appreciative of the fact that you’re her husband. She wouldn’t let me touch her and swore with great tenacity that she’d kill herself before allowing me to take her. If you consider the whole of it, Colonel, she was probably better off with me than that rat Aleksei. The good prince hired me to kidnap her, but bade me to deliver her straight to him. Consider further, Colonel. Had I ignored his summons, he’d have found someone else, perhaps one of low esteem, to steal her away. That one probably would’ve served the prince’s intentions far better than I.”
Grigori laid a hand upon his commander’s arm, drawing his attention. Together the two men walked away to where they could talk privately. Ladislaus eyed the pair closely, hoping fervently that they’d allow him the opportunity he had asked for.
“What are you thinking, Colonel?” Grigori asked. “Do you really believe Ladislaus can be trusted?”
“I may never know that, but under the circumstances, I’m willing to take the chance.”
“What if he joins with the other regiment against us?”
Tyrone frowned sharply. “Then we’ll likely be killed, but I’ll make him rue this day for the rest of his brief life. That much I can promise.”
Grigori accepted his superior’s decision with a nod and then followed behind as that one strode back to the porch.
“I have no idea why I should consider giving you a chance, Ladislaus, in light of all the trouble you’ve personally caused me,” Tyrone stated curtly. “Aleksei can certainly attest to the fact that you cannot be trusted, but his experience with you only whets my willingness to grant you a few concessions…if you prove yourself worthy of them. Let this be known beforehand. Whatever the outcome today, you’ll return to Moscow with me and allow Tsar Mikhail to decide whether to grant you and your men a reprieve. If you clearly demonstrate your sincerity in helping us turn back the enemy forces, I’ll personally address my plea to His Majesty for your immediate release, but be warned, I’m in no mood to be tricked. If you make me regret giving you this opportunity, you’ll be the first among your followers I will shoot. Do you understand?”
“Quite clearly, Colonel.”
“Now, are you absolutely sure your men will follow you in this endeavor?” Tyrone queried as a last consideration toward caution.
Ladislaus chuckled briefly in amusement. “Since they have a fervent desire to live out the hour, I’ll venture to say, positively!”
Tyrone accepted the rogue’s word and bade the lieutenant to free the prisoners. As Ladislaus and Petrov rose to their feet and stretched, the colonel urged them to hurry. “Get to your mounts and gather yourselves and your men together in front of the house here. We’ll have to race ahead of the mercenaries in order to position our cannon and spread our forces on the hills in front of them, so we need to leave here at once.”
Ladislaus hesitated as he glanced toward the door and dared to ask the Englishman for another request. “Colonel, I’d like to speak to Alyona for a moment. If I don’t come back, I want her to know that I’m at least trying to make a better way for the two of us and our child.”
Tyrone approached the portal and, opening it, beckoned for Synnovea and the midwife to come out on the porch for a few moments. Ladislaus dipped his head in a nod of appreciation before slipping inside. Tyrone closed the door behind him
and extended a hand toward Synnovea. She smiled in response and, laying her own within his, allowed him to draw her to the far end of the porch. Unable to find the words to tell her that he’d be leaving again and might not be coming back alive, Tyrone gathered her close against him and held her with a growing sense of gloom that immediately conveyed itself to her. She had only to glance around at the soldiers readying their gear to know what was coming.
“You’re riding out again?” she queried worriedly, leaning back in his arms to search his face. When she looked past his arm, she realized that weapons were being given to the highwaymen. “What terrible thing has happened to set you in league with thieves?”
“We’ve sighted a renegade regiment nearby. They seem to be riding hard toward Moscow, for what end I’m not as yet certain, but ’tis my earnest belief that they plan to enter by stealth into the Kremlin and either kill the tsar or take him hostage. It isn’t the first time they’ve tried to seize control of the country by such a plan.”