20
July 20, 1193, after midnight
Elaine’s room, Locksley Castle
Sirsalon, Elaine, and Joanna were still discussing the events of the tournament and Agrub’s death when Gripple knocked on his mother’s door, looking shaken.
“Sir Guy’s in a terrible temper,” he reported. “None of the kitchen maids were willing to take him his supper, so Radley the chamberlain,” (Gripple added the title for Joanna’s benefit) “delivered it. Guy knocked the tray out of his hands and hit him twice with the blunt end of his sword before Radley made it out the door. Everyone who can stay away from the keep is hiding in the hopes Guy calms down by morning. Even Roger’s avoiding him.”
“Now that Walter’s run away, Guy’s afraid the rest of the castle will follow,” Sirsalon surmised.
“Is that likely?” Joanna asked.
“He’s mistreated a lot of people. Some of them believe the sheriff would be a kinder master, but not all of us are that naive.” Sirsalon shared a tired smiled with Elaine. “I’d guess Walter went to the sheriff to accuse Guy of murdering Gwen.”
“But Guy didn’t kill Gwen,” Joanna insisted. “I’m certain of it.”
“That doesn’t matter to the sheriff.” Sirsalon shook his head at Joanna’s naivety. “Guy is a dead man and he knows it.”
Elaine frowned. “You think the sheriff will come here, Sirsalon?”
“I do, and that’s a concern. As steward, Walter knows all the castle’s weak points, including the tunnel. We wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.”
“What would happen then?” Gripple’s face was taut with concern.
“We’d send you to Sherwood,” Elaine replied.
“What about you, Mum?”
“You know me. I always have a trick up my sleeve.”
“Joanna, you should join your sister,” Sirsalon decided. “You wouldn’t be safe with the sheriff here. I saw the way he looked at you at the tournament.”
Joanna shivered. “I’d prefer never to see that man again.”
Elaine took Sirsalon’s hand. “We’ve already sent for Daisy, and she’ll have at least one of Robin’s men with her—maybe even Will. If they’re here when the sheriff comes…”
“We should head them off and keep them at a safe distance from the castle,” Sirsalon suggested.
“Is the kitchen tunnel our only way out?” Joanna asked.
“There’s another exit in the chapel,” Elaine said. “An old Roman tunnel back from the first fortress here seven hundred years ago. But it’s been locked for two years and the key is lost.”
“I could watch for Daisy and Will or whoever’s with her,” Gripple offered. “Then I could come for you when they arrive.”
Sirsalon nodded. “I’ll go with you. Bar the door behind us, Elaine. Don’t open it unless you hear my knock—three raps, then one, then two.”
When the men had gone and the door locked, Elaine and Joanna sat on the bed, pondering the danger now before them.
“I’m sorry I didn’t go with Jill this afternoon,” Joanna said after several minutes. “I thought I could solve the murders, but I’m causing more trouble by staying.”
“Nonsense! By morning, you’ll be free to move about. I have no doubt you’ll uncover the mystery before the sheriff arrives.”
“Do you think Guy will calm down?”
“He’s always been too wise to lose his temper for long. Now Roger, he’s never known when to stop. When he was a boy, the tantrums he threw made me think demons were rising from hell. Lady Marguerite had him beaten soundly after every one of his fits. Why she didn’t throw that child out I’ll never know.”
“So Roger, Guy, and Robin all grew up together?”
“Along with my Will, yes. When Marguerite married the earl thirty years ago, she brought Roger, who I think was five at the time, so a few years younger than Guy, with her as a companion and serving boy to Guy, although I doubt Guy ever cared whether Roger lived or died. Robin was different. From a young age, my Will was Robin’s servant and companion. Robin always loved Will as a friend and brother, despite the difference in their social status. It was that friendship that caused Will to stay with Robin in Sherwood.”
“How did Robin become an outlaw?”
“That’s a story I haven’t had the chance to tell very often.” Elaine sighed. “It was almost four years ago, a few months after Lady Marguerite died. Robin was Earl of Huntingdon, although he left the running of the estate to Guy. Robin was far more content to pursue adventure than the business of his title, a mistake I’m sure he regrets. At that time, Guy courted Gwen and we thought he would marry her. Robin favored Marian, but he wasn’t ready to settle down yet.
“Robin was a great archer and longed to test himself against more challenging game than pheasants or rabbits. Even as a boy, there was something of the outlaw in him because he was always pushing his mother to see how much he could get away with. Nothing too awful, mind you. Just mischievous. Guy understood that about Robin and planted ideas in his head that he wasn’t a fine enough archer to bring down one of the king’s deer. One day, for reasons known only to foolish young men, Robin boasted to Guy that he was going to the forest to kill a stag. Guy warned him against it, but as soon as Robin and Will left for the forest, Guy alerted the sheriff to Robin’s intentions and where he would be to ensure Robin was caught.
“But that wasn’t the worst thing Guy did. Guy—or Roger—it doesn’t matter who actually did it—killed a forester with one of Robin’s arrows. Robin shot a deer, but when he and Will went to retrieve the carcass, they found the dead forester beside it and the sheriff’s men waiting to arrest them.”
“How did they get away?”
“They were better acquainted with the forest than the soldiers since they’d spent so much time there. Robin and Will ran until they came to one of their hiding places they used when hunting. The soldiers lost their trail. Robin and Will tried to return to the castle, but the sheriff was waiting for them at the gate. They slipped away to the hills where they entered the tunnel to the kitchen, but the door in the middle of the tunnel was locked, so they had to turn around and conceal themselves while running another quarter mile to where they could access the tunnel to the chapel. But the door into that tunnel was locked as well, and there was no other way in to the castle. Their only choice was to hide in Sherwood. The sheriff declared Robin an outlaw, stripped him of his title and land, and put a price on his head. Robin and Will joined with some other outlaws already living in Sherwood, and more have joined them since.
“When Robin was declared an outlaw, the old earl’s original will was honored and the title and lands passed to Guy, which was obviously Guy’s plan all along. But he didn’t stop hurting Robin. Guy sent Gwen away, telling her he didn’t love her anymore. He courted Marian and by means I never understood won her affection and married her a few months later. Gwen was heartbroken but eventually married Walter. A sad, sad business it was, and I don’t know that I ever forgave Marian for giving up on Robin.”
“Why did she marry Guy? Didn’t she love Robin?”
Elaine shrugged. “Who’s to say? As far as I know, no promises were made between them, and she was a proud girl. I doubt the idea of marrying an outlaw seemed very romantic or practical to her. Not many women would choose a life of crime or a marriage bed in the forest.”
Thinking of Jill, Joanna nodded. “It’s certainly not for everyone.”
Elaine looked like she wanted to ask something, but she didn’t. Joanna wondered how much Elaine had overheard or been told about the attachment between Robin and Jill. That was Jill’s business, though, and Joanna had no plans to discuss her sister’s affairs with Elaine.
Elaine must have been as lost in her own thoughts as Joanna because she was quiet. Eventually, Elaine began to snore softly. Joanna dozed off as well. Both she and Elaine awoke with a start when they heard Sirsalon’s signal at the door.
“Daisy’s waiting outside the
castle,” Sirsalon informed them.
“Is Will with her?” Elaine sounded hopeful.
Sirsalon shook his head. “No, but that’s safer for him. Come with me.”
The three of them crept through the dark courtyard into the kitchen. Sirsalon removed a floor mat made of rushes from an empty spot in the corner of the room and opened a door in the floor. He lit a candle and passed it to Elaine, motioning for her to enter first. When Joanna followed, she bit her lip as she descended the steep stairs. The narrow tunnel was barely wide enough for Elaine’s bulk, and the ceiling was so low that everyone had to stoop. Joanna fought the claustrophobia that threatened to send her screaming back up the stairs. What if she got stuck? She pushed back the urge to hyperventilate. Passing out would only make the situation worse. If Jill survived jumping off a tower when she was afraid of heights, Joanna could survive walking through this tiny tunnel. She wasn’t about to let her twin outdo her in courage, so she pressed on, making herself as small as possible so she wouldn’t have to touch the sandstone walls and fear the cave was closing in on her.
About halfway through the tunnel, Joanna passed through an even narrower doorway. The door had been propped open with a stone. She paused in the hopes of studying the lock, but the dim light made an examination impossible.
“Come on, now,” Elaine prodded. “There isn’t much time.”
With a deep but shaky breath, Joanna forced herself onward, focused on breathing regularly, and fixed her eyes on Elaine. Joanna had suffered from nightmares of being stuck in tiny spaces since she was a child. She had no doubt, as her panic rose, that this tunnel would be fodder for many nightmares to come. After what felt like a long time the floor of the tunnel sloped upward, eventually widening to an opening in the side of the hill. Joanna breathed a sigh of relief, but she feared having to go back through the tunnel to return to the castle.
The sky was beginning to grow gray with the dawn, and its light was enough to silhouette two men standing in the opening. Joanna recognized the tall, thin figure as Gripple. He spoke to the other, a shorter, stouter man with dark hair, and referred to him as Stutely.
A few feet inside the cave entrance sat a young woman with wavy black hair and a heart-shaped face. With her back against the cool sandstone wall, she hugged her knees. Elaine set the candle on the floor and motioned for Joanna to sit so the light would allow the three women to see each other. Elaine patted Daisy’s knee reassuringly and introduced her to Joanna.
“I didn’t want to come,” Daisy admitted, “but what happened to Bess could have happened to me, and I want the man brought to justice.”
“I’ll do everything I can,” Joanna promised, recognizing how empty her assurances were. “I understand you and Guy had a relationship?”
“I was Guy’s first lover after Lady Marian died. He liked me to dress up in Lady Marian’s clothing and pretend to be her. The whole affair was secret. He never acknowledged me outside the room except to send me little messages through Roger of when to meet him. Guy told everyone the door to Lady Marian’s room was sealed and her room haunted so people would stay away. He laughed at me because I believed in the ghost too, but I swear that sometimes when I went to the tower, I felt eyes watching me, and I was afraid Lady Marian was angry at me. I got tired of living in secret and wanted to be Guy’s wife. He said he would only marry me if I could bear him a son. A few months later when I told him I was pregnant, he seemed happy about the news, but he made me swear to keep it to myself as long as possible. I was afraid of being publically humiliated, but he promised me that if the baby was a boy, he would marry me and I would be the Countess of Huntingdon. I knew Guy had other women, but once I was pregnant, I believed he would give up the others. I took it as a good sign when Roger started following me around the castle.”
“Roger?” Joanna interrupted. “Why was he following you?”
“I assumed it was because Guy wanted me protected. But one night, Roger cornered me in the stables. He grabbed me by the hair and told me he had a right to everything Guy had, including me. I told Roger he didn’t dare touch me because I was pregnant with Guy’s child. Roger got angry and tried to strangle me, but I used a hoe to hit him on the side of the head, and then I ran away. I didn’t stop to take anything or tell anyone where I was going. I ran into the forest until I collapsed. That’s when Robin’s men found me. I wanted to disappear, let people think I was dead. It was the only way I could be sure Roger wouldn’t hurt my baby. Robin found me a place in the convent at Kirklees. That’s where my little girl, Holly, is.”
“What you’ve told me could clear Guy of murder and save his life,” Joanna replied. “Would you be willing to tell the sheriff what you told me?”
Daisy cringed. “No! I want everyone to think I’m dead. It’s the only way my little girl stays safe. I used to dream about Guy coming to us once he discovered I’d had the baby, but he was very clear. He would marry me only if I had a son. I’m dishonored, Joanna. It’s better to be dead.”
Disappointed, Joanna nodded. “I understand. Thank you for coming here and telling me what you did. It helps.”
“Go, now,” Elaine urged Daisy, “and kiss the baby for me. You’re a brave mother.”
Daisy rose quickly and after a word to Stutely, the two of them disappeared into the dawn. Joanna hoped Daisy and her little girl would be safe. The pieces of the puzzle that had swirled in Joanna’s head for the last three days were finally starting to align into a theory of what had happened. But without Daisy, Joanna would be hard pressed to prove it.
Elaine stood. “We should be getting back.”
Joanna nodded, fighting back her returning claustrophobia and forcing herself to follow Elaine into the tunnel. With Elaine in front of her and Gripple behind her, Joanna felt boxed in and even more panicked than she had the first time through because she understood what to expect. She had to use all her powers of concentration to avoid a panic attack and continue through the narrow passage until Sirsalon, who was still waiting at the door, helped her up the stairs into the warm kitchen where two cooks worked over the fire. The two older women nodded at the intruders but said nothing as Gripple closed the door and covered it with the mat.
“We shouldn’t be seen leaving together,” Sirsalon suggested.
Elaine nodded. “Gripple first. Then me, Sirsalon, Joanna. Gripple, you go about your duties as though nothing’s wrong. Joanna, meet back in my room.”
Gripple slipped out and headed toward the stable. Elaine waited thirty seconds before she made her exit. Sirsalon touched Joanna’s arm in a reassuring gesture before leaving a few seconds after Elaine. Joanna counted to one hundred to be safe before she raised her hand in goodbye to the cooks and stepped into the courtyard. The general unrest of the night before seemed to have dissipated with the dawn as the servants went about their morning chores with their normal grim faces although many offered Joanna almost-pleasant looks as she passed. The pink rays of the sun illuminated the top floor of the keep, turning the stones a rosy color. Joanna wondered where Guy was and if he was looking for her. She was nervous to see him, unsure what to say if he asked her where she had been last night.
A trough for washing had been set up near the well in the center of the bailey. Eight soldiers from the castle garrison bent over it, scrubbing themselves in the cold water. All were shirtless. Although she tried not to stare, Joanna couldn’t help but watch the men out of the corner of her eye and admire their physiques. These were obviously fighting men whose arm, back, and chest muscles were highly developed from sword play and drawing bows. When a dark flash among the white skin caught her eye, she slowed to get a better look at it. A three-inch-wide pattern of scabs was clearly visible on the right elbow of one of the soldiers as he scrubbed his head in the trough. The man stood up straight and shook off the excess water like a dog. When he turned, Joanna knew she had found her killer—Roger de la Rouche.
Catching Joanna’s gaze, Roger smiled menacingly, and Joanna felt afraid an
d nauseated at the same time. This must have been exactly how Daisy had felt in the stables.
“Like what you see?” Roger asked, puffing out his chest.
Joanna felt herself disengage from her fear to study the situation. He could kill Joanna if he wanted to, and she had no doubt he wanted to. But he wouldn’t. Not right now. A calm came over her as she took stock of the soldiers standing nearby at the trough and the servants milling throughout the courtyard—an audience Roger would not welcome. When he killed women, he did it in secret. For the moment, she was safe. She would use that to her advantage.
“I was looking at your elbow.”
“What about it?”
“That’s a nasty scrape. How’d you do it?”
While she didn’t expect him to tell the truth, she hoped he understood she knew exactly how he had received the injury. After a pause that indicated too much hesitation on his part, he replied, “What do you care?”
“It looks like it bled a lot. I hope that blood didn’t spill on anything near where Bess or Gwen was killed.”
Roger grabbed her arm and pulled her close to whisper in her ear. “You watch yourself, wench, because if you do anything—and I mean anything—to implicate me in the murders of those whores, I’ll skewer you right between the legs and hang you from the top of the keep.”
Joanna tried to look confident, aware of the many pairs of eyes watching the scene as she whispered back, “Guy will kill you when he finds out what you’ve done.”
“You think so? He’s known me a lot longer than he’s known you. If you force him to choose between us, there’s a loyalty there you can never rival. Do you understand?”
“I understand you killed two women,” Joanna said, her teeth clenched. His grip tightened on her arm, but she would not let him know she was afraid. “And I will make sure you pay dearly.”
With a glance at the soldiers watching them, Roger released Joanna with a laugh. Although she feared tears would erupt any minute, she kept her head high as she walked toward the gatehouse, not stopping until she was inside Elaine’s room. The gauntlet had been thrown down between her and Roger, and the loser would die.