21
Joanna paced in Elaine’s room while Elaine and Sirsalon sat on the bed with wide eyes and open mouths in response to what Joanna shared with them.
“I can’t believe it,” Elaine finally said. “No…I can, but why?”
“That’s what I’m still trying to piece together,” Joanna conceded. “Unless I can prove Roger’s motive, I’m asking Guy to choose between Roger and me. That’s not a choice I feel confident about.”
Sirsalon shook his head. “I don’t see how you can prove motive at all. Roger is completely mad.”
“He wants the women Guy has already slept with,” Elaine ventured. “That’s what ties all our victims together. When the women don’t comply, he kills them.”
Joanna frowned. “It’s not only the women Guy sleeps with. It’s the women he gets pregnant.”
“Was Gwen with child?” Sirsalon asked.
“I doubt it,” Joanna replied. “I think she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had to kill her or she would have exposed him as Bess’s killer. Daisy said Guy promised to marry her if her child was a boy. He might have made the same promise to Bess, even before he knew she was pregnant. Guy is so desperate for a male heir that he’s sleeping with as many women as he can to produce one.”
Sirsalon grunted in appreciation. “That’s one way of keeping your options open.”
“Elaine, you told me that if Guy dies without a son, his estate reverts to the sheriff.”
Elaine nodded. “The only way Guy could inherit was because he was named in the will. You’ll remember I told you the old earl originally designated Guy as heir since he had no son of his own.”
“Except that Robin was born,” Joanna added. “Now that Guy is the Earl of Huntingdon, do you think he has a will? Maybe he’s identified an heir outside the family in case he doesn’t have a child of his own as well.”
“Very possible,” Sirsalon conceded. “Felix would know. He’s been clerk to the Earls of Huntingdon for the last forty years. You’ll find him in the treasury on the fourth floor of the keep.”
A knock sounded at the door—three raps, then one, then two. Gripple.
“Guy believes the sheriff is coming.” Gripple’s eyes were wide. “All soldiers are being called to the battlements.”
Sirsalon nodded to the women. “I’ll have to leave you. But this works in our favor. With Guy and Roger busy, it will be safe for you to visit the treasury.”
Elaine kissed Gripple on the forehead and then shared a passionate kiss on the lips with Sirsalon that made Gripple shuffle his feet uncomfortably and Joanna giggle. When the men were gone, Joanna and Elaine passed unnoticed through the courtyard where Guy was ordering archers to their posts on the castle walls and Roger was distributing weapons. Joanna and Elaine climbed to the fourth floor of the keep and knocked on the last door on the left. The treasury door opened a crack to reveal a cloudy blue eye peering back at them.
“Felix, we need your help.” Elaine’s tone indicated she expected compliance.
“This is no time for clerk’s work, woman!” Felix’s voice was shaky and raspy with age. “We’re under siege.”
Elaine pushed against the door, widening the opening to reveal Felix’s sagging jowls and thick nose. “It’s about the murders of Bess and Gwen. We need to prove Guy’s innocence. If we can, there may not be a siege.”
After a brief pause for reflection, Felix stepped back from the door, allowing them to enter. “I doubt anyone can prove his innocence, but I’ve seen too much bloodshed in my day to want more of it. Come in.”
Like most rooms in the keep, this one was bare except for the plastered walls, wooden floor, and shutters at the window. Besides a locked chest that Joanna assumed held Guy’s money and valuables, she counted eleven baskets stuffed with scrolls of various lengths and sizes. Next to the window stood a chair and an upright wooden desk with a slanted surface that reminded Joanna of a drafting table.
“Now, what is it you’re looking for?” Felix asked.
“The old earl’s will,” Joanna said. “What’s the provision made for Guy and his heirs?”
Felix screwed up his mouth in thought. “Wait a moment. Let me find that.”
He puttered over to a basket and examined the scrolls. “Not many people have ever asked about that document. Just you two, Guy, and Roger.”
Joanna and Elaine exchanged glances as Joanna asked, “Why would Roger care?”
“When Lady Marguerite died, God rest her soul, Guy asked me to go through her papers. I came across an old document, written thirty-one years ago, which had the name de la Rouche on it. I told Roger about it because I thought he deserved to know. It was a contract between the Lady Marguerite and a woman called Emone de la Rouche concerning Emone’s four-year-old son Roger. In the document, Lady Marguerite acknowledges Roger is the illegitimate son of her late husband, Gaston de Gisbourne. She agreed to take Roger into service and provide for him.”
Joanna let this news sink in. “Roger is Guy’s half brother?”
“Illegitimate half brother.” Felix retrieved the scroll he’d been looking for and rolled it out on his desk. “That’s important for legal purposes, of course. The contract between Lady Marguerite and Roger’s mother proves Roger’s parentage, but not in the way Roger wanted. He believed that since Guy inherited the earl’s title and property after Robin’s disgrace that as Guy’s half brother, Roger would inherit everything if Guy had no male heirs.”
“And is this true?” Joanna asked.
Felix laughed. “Of course not! The only reason Guy could inherit was because the old earl listed him as an heir in his will. Legally, Roger could only inherit Locksley if Guy named him heir in absence of a child of his own.”
“And has Guy done so?”
“No. Guy has told me plainly he intends to have a son. He’s always mourned his father’s recklessness that led his mother to marry the old earl in order to keep a roof over their heads. What Guy wants is a son and a legacy to pass on to him—something his own father was never able to do.”
Joanna chose her words carefully to avoid tipping her hand too soon. “I assume Roger was angry when he found out he couldn’t inherit.”
Felix rolled up the parchment. “He was, but I can’t change the law.”
“Does Guy know Roger is his brother?” Joanna asked.
“I told him after I found the de la Rouche document. He didn’t seem surprised.”
Joanna nodded. “Felix, you’ve been extremely helpful. Thank you.”
“Have I averted the siege?”
“I hope so.” Joanna smiled her gratitude.
When the treasury door closed behind them, Elaine asked in a low voice, “Where to now?”
“My room. I need to double check my facts one last time.”
A surprise awaited them when they opened the door to Joanna’s room—the place had been vandalized, probably by someone who had been very angry. Her table had been overturned and the parchment pieces scattered. The jar of ink was cracked and its contents stained the wooden floor. The blankets had been pulled off the bed. The mattress was askew and misshapen, as though someone had used it as a punching bag. It was a good thing Joanna had burned the note concerning the rendezvous with Jill or the perpetrator might have found it.
“I’m glad I didn’t come back here last night,” Joanna said as she picked her way through the mess. “Do you think Guy did this?”
Elaine nodded. “He was obviously mad with rage. Imagine what he would have done to you if you had been here.”
Joanna shivered, grateful she had avoided any romantic entanglement with Guy. Each new fact about him exposed a greater degree of his evil nature. Daisy was better off living in a convent than being Countess of Huntingdon if she had given Guy a son. Joanna could learn a lesson from this. When she got back home, she had other things to do besides falling in love and getting her heart broken—such as writing a book. In fact, possible rejection or critical revilement of h
er literary efforts seemed like child’s play in contrast to the attempted rape and four deaths she had experienced in the last four days.
Joanna and Elaine righted the table, then Elaine went to work straightening the bed linens while Joanna picked up the pieces of parchment scattered across the floor. As she gathered them, she reviewed what she had written on each. What’s this? Joanna’s hands trembled as she read a letter in handwriting she didn’t recognize.
Lady Marian,
It’s time you knew the truth about your husband. Guy killed the forester and led the sheriff to believe Robin had done it. Guy locked the tunnel entrances to ensure Robin couldn’t return to Locksley. But Guy’s greatest deception was winning your affection when he knew your hopes for marriage rested with Robin. You still have a chance for happiness. I found the key to the chapel tunnel in Guy’s room. Take it and go to Robin.
Gwen
Joanna must have gasped aloud because suddenly Elaine was at her side, asking what was wrong. Joanna wordlessly passed the note to Elaine and sat in shock while Elaine read.
“How did you get this?” Elaine demanded.
“When I was in Marian’s room, I discovered a chest under her bed that hadn’t been touched in years. I found this piece of parchment inside and thought it was blank, so I took it with me to use. I never saw the note on the other side until now.”
“It’s a shame you didn’t find the key as well. The chapel tunnel has been locked for two years, and the note makes it sound as though Gwen sent the key along with her message.”
Joanna’s memory flashed back to opening the chest and felt her chest tighten. “What would that key have looked like?”
“It was a circle for your finger. The key stuck out of it and bent off to the side. It was made to wear as a ring if you wished, albeit an ugly, uncomfortable one.”
Joanna tugged at her pocket and rummaged through it until she pulled out the ring key. “Is this it?”
Elaine examined it appreciatively. “It is indeed. What a shame Marian didn’t use it to go to Robin! It would have saved her life.”
“Guy of Gisbourne!” A voice outside the castle wall was yelling at the top of his voice. Joanna recognized it immediately as the Sheriff of Nottingham. “Why is your gate closed?”
Tucking the key back into her pocket, Joanna hurried to the window and looked out to see a hundred soldiers standing in formation outside the front of the castle. Behind the soldiers sat two mounted men. Joanna recognized them both—the Sheriff of Nottingham and Walter.
“Why have you marched an army onto my land?” Guy called back. Joanna couldn’t see him, but his voice carried easily on the quiet morning air.
“I have your constable here,” the sheriff replied. “He says you murdered his wife.”
“He’s wrong. I’ve never killed a woman.”
“Open your gates so I can hear the evidence of this case,” the sheriff ordered.
“I will not open my gates to men bent on my destruction.”
The sheriff laughed. “Will the people of Locksley die for you, Gisbourne?”
Elaine breathed a heavy sigh. “It’s only a matter of time before someone lets the sheriff in.”
“Then it’s time to expose the killer,” Joanna replied.
When Joanna reached the inner bailey with Elaine right behind her, she saw Guy in front of the gatehouse, pointing three soldiers toward the kitchen.
“Walter knows about the tunnel,” Guy reminded them. “The sheriff might be planning an attack through that route at this minute. Guard the door and don’t let anyone in. Do you understand?”
The soldiers nodded and jogged to the kitchen, axes and swords in hand while Guy hurried toward the stairs that led to the wall walk. Joanna called after him.
“Guy, I can help you!”
He turned on his heel and stomped toward Joanna, his face twisted in anger.
“You could have helped me last night.” He bit off the words. “But you weren’t there.”
Even though her knees shook, Joanna fought back her fear and held her ground in the middle of the bailey. “I can clear your name. I know who killed Bess and Gwen—Roger de la Rouche.”
Roger, who had been standing near Marian’s tower, cried out in protest and ran to where Guy and Joanna stood. Using creative terms Joanna hadn’t heard before, Roger made clear to Guy what he thought of Joanna’s accusations. This was going to be a deadly confrontation.
Guy put up his hand to silence Roger. “I want to hear what she has to say. Then you’ll have your turn.”
Sirsalon, now wearing a sword, joined Elaine in the bailey and stood about ten feet from the Guy and Roger. Joanna allowed her eyes to sweep the castle, taking in the servants on the ground, the archers on the walls, and the soldiers who had been ordered to the kitchen turning around to hear what she was about to say. She realized as she stood near the well, with the eyes of everyone in the castle on her, that her nights of stories in the great hall had been preparing her for this moment. Never had her words carried more importance than they did now. With hands trembling, Joanna raised her voice to be heard clearly.
“After Marian’s death, Guy began having affairs with young women in the castle. He spread rumors that Marian’s room was haunted to keep everyone away so he and his lady friends could meet privately. He promised each woman that if she became pregnant and bore him a son, he would marry her, making her a countess and the child his legal heir. Guy had never forgiven his own father for dying without a legacy. So, Guy planned to take Robin’s estate and pass it on to his own son when he had one.”
The people in the castle whispered among themselves in response to what Joanna shared. Guy’s eyes narrowed but he did not stop her.
“For his affairs to be kept secret, Guy needed an ally to pass messages to his lovers and arrange their meetings, and that messenger was Roger. But what Guy couldn’t know was that Roger was not the faithful friend he appeared to be. When Lady Marguerite died, Roger discovered he was the illegitimate son of Gaston de Gisbourne, Guy’s father. Roger believed that if Guy died without a son, he would become Earl of Huntingdon in Guy’s place.”
At this, Guy began to laugh. “Were you really that stupid, Roger?”
“You just discovered I’m your brother, and that’s all you can say?” Roger quivered with anger.
“I’ve known we shared a father since I was ten,” Guy replied. “What difference did it make? Our father died penniless and disgraced. Your mother was a servant. I gave you food and a roof over your head. You didn’t deserve anything more.”
Roger’s eyes darkened with hatred but he did not reply.
“Before Bess died,” Joanna continued, “she revealed to several people that she was in love with someone of a higher rank, and that man was, of course, Guy. Bess knew Guy had another lover—Gwen—so she concocted a plan to get rid of her. Gwen had been in love with Guy for years and no doubt would have killed Walter had she become pregnant with Guy’s son. Bess tried to undermine Gwen by telling Walter of the affair. But Bess had her own secret that put her in danger. She was pregnant with Guy’s child. Roger probably discovered this when he carried messages back and forth between them. If Bess had a son, all of Roger’s hopes of inheritance—however mistaken they might have been—would be dashed. On the night Bess died, Roger told her that Guy wanted to meet her on top of Marian’s tower. When she got there, Roger was waiting for her. He pushed her off the tower, re-enacting Marian’s death in order to frame Guy.”
“But Roger was with us when we checked the tower for Bess’s killer,” Guy interrupted.
“He came down with you,” Joanna corrected. “But he didn’t go up with you because he was already there. You see, there’s a faulty board on the floor of the tower, and when Roger pushed Bess, he slipped on the board and fell backward, injuring his elbow. If this hadn’t happened, he might have been able to run down the stairs before the soldiers arrived. But his injury slowed him down. He had only reached the s
econd floor when he heard the soldiers enter the ground floor. He used his key to unlock Marian’s room where he found Gwen, preparing for her rendezvous with you. His surprise and panic caused him to leave the key in the lock, where I found it the next day.
“Gwen wasn’t threatened by Roger and probably asked for his help unlacing her bodice. He had to kill her to keep his location a secret. After all, Gwen would have told Guy she had seen Roger in the room. When she turned her back to Roger, he strangled her. With all the commotion in the courtyard, no one heard her struggle. When the soldiers came down the stairs, Roger remembered he’d left the key in the door and hid against the wall in case someone saw it and entered. His elbow was still bleeding and some of that blood smeared on the wall plaster. When the way was clear, he slipped out the door and followed the soldiers back to the bailey as though he’d been with them the entire time. His plan was very good—almost perfect. I wasn’t sure he was guilty until this morning when I saw the scab on his elbow and he threatened to kill me if I revealed him as the murderer.”
“Are you going to believe this wench over me?” Roger demanded “I’ve been your loyal servant for over thirty years. I’ve been your partner in all kinds of evil.”
“Silence, Roger!” Guy ordered with a vehemence that caused Joanna to take a step back.
“I will not be silent when you refuse to acknowledge the service I’ve done for you.” The veins in Roger’s neck bulged. “Who killed the forester we used to frame Robin? Wasn’t it me? Didn’t I do it willingly because I’m loyal to you?”
An audible gasp went through the crowd at this news. Guy’s eyes flicked from side to side as he took in the reactions.
“I have lied for you,” Roger continued, his voice wild with anger. “I have cheated, I have stolen, and I have killed for you. I have risked my life more times than I can count out of love and loyalty to you. I’m your brother. I deserve to be treated as more than a servant.”
“Yes, you do,” Guy agreed.
In one swift move, Guy drew his sword. As he pulled it from its scabbard, he slashed to the upper right so quickly that it sliced open a gash across Roger’s chest and cheek. Blood splatter shot Joanna’s direction and she felt the warm drops land on her arm and face. Roger gasped in surprise and pain. Without hesitation, Guy raised his sword hilt above his head and plunged the blade into Roger’s chest. A collective gasp swept the crowd and quickly dissolved into silence as Guy removed his sword and cleaned it as Roger collapsed first to his knees, then with a gurgle and choke, toppled to his side, dead.
After several seconds of shock had passed, Joanna was the first to break the silence when she screamed at Guy in a fury she didn’t know she possessed.
“What were you thinking? You could have turned him over to sheriff alive and saved yourself and everyone else in the castle. He was your own flesh and blood! Does killing really come that easily to you?”
“It does,” Guy replied. “He killed two women I cared about. This was about revenge. You can speak to the sheriff and clear my name.”
“Your name doesn’t deserve to be cleared.” Joanna retorted. “You may not have killed those women, but you’re still a murderer.”
Sirsalon stepped forward. “Guy, I watched you kill Agrub yesterday and Roger today. We all heard Roger testify that you’re responsible for framing our master, Robert Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon, for murder. You stole his land and his title. You deceived and mistreated all of us.”
“And you killed Marian!” Elaine joined Sirsalon. “You stole her from your brother for revenge, and then you murdered her.”
“Now wait a minute,” Joanna interrupted, more from a desire to have the facts rightly understood than to clear Guy’s name. “He’s guilty of a lot of things, but he didn’t murder Lady Marian. Her death was an accident.”
“Can you prove this?” one of the archers on top of the gatehouse called out.
“We can prove Marian knew Guy was responsible for framing Master Robin,” Elaine declared. “We found a note Gwen wrote to Marian, telling her what Guy had done.”
The crowd grew angry, the pitch of their voices rising. Guy looked at Joanna, and she saw in his eyes the despair that comes when a man knows he is going to die.
“I killed Marian,” Guy said softly.
Joanna, Sirsalon, and Elaine all looked at each other in surprise. No one had expected him to admit this.
“I killed Marian!” Guy repeated, his voice growing louder. “Before you turn me over to the sheriff and seal your own ruin, I will tell you the truth. On the night Marian died, we argued. Someone had sent her a letter the day before—I didn’t know it was Gwen—indicating I had framed Robin for murder. Marian was a spirited, passionate woman whose moods were difficult to predict. After she confronted me, she left the room in a rage, and I didn’t know what she was capable of, so I chased her to the top of the tower, trying to reason with her. She told me not to come any closer or she would jump. I didn’t believe her. I came closer and I frightened her. She moved back quickly and slipped on a loose floorboard. She cried out in pain and lost her balance, falling backward. I tried to catch her, but I was too late. She slipped right off the edge, screaming the most awful wail I’ve ever heard, and fell to her death. I still hear her screams in my nightmares.”
His eyes begged Joanna to understand. She crossed her arms, unwilling to give him the comfort he was asking for.
“Murderer!” a male voice rang out from behind Joanna.
Like everyone else, Joanna scanned the crowd to see who had spoken. Finally, back by the keep, she caught sight of Jill first, wearing a hooded cloak. It was easy then to spot Little John and Will Scarlet behind her. But the accusation had come from the handsome, wiry man with curly dark blond hair, a short beard, and flaming blue eyes. This had to be Robin Hood. How long had he and Jill been standing there? Why hadn’t anyone noticed the only four people in the castle wearing hooded cloaks? The answer didn’t matter, though. Jill was here, and Joanna knew somehow everything was going to turn out all right.