"Aye, my lord," Roger replied. He turned and headed toward the hut at a fast pace.

Elizabeth stared after Roger until she felt Geoffrey's hand on hers. Looking down, she watched almost as a third person, as her husband pried her fingers loose, one by one, from the dagger. Only when he had possession of it did she react. "I must have my dagger…"

"You will not need it. You will stay in our room." His order was hard. He pulled her to him, held her secure with one arm, and lifted her chin with his other. "I will have your word on this, Elizabeth."

"And you would believe my word?" Elizabeth asked. She was trembling and knew her husband could feel it.

"I have no reason to doubt you," Geoffrey countered, looking deep into her eyes.

"I do not know if I can give it," Elizabeth answered. "First you must tell me what you will do with Belwain."

Geoffrey was not angered by her order as he could well understand her hesitancy. "I need not explain my actions to you, wife. Remember that." He softened his tone and added, "Trust me."

"And if I do not?" Elizabeth asked.

"Then I will post guards and lock you in our room," Geoffrey answered. "Until I talk with your uncle, hear his side-"

"He has no side, only lies," Elizabeth said.

"Enough! I will have your word."

"Aye, husband. I will give you my word. I will wait until you have spoken with Belwain." She relaxed in his hold but her gaze continued to be defiant. "But hear me well, husband. I will trust you in this matter. And if you do not deal with Belwain, then I will."

" Elizabeth!" Geoffrey raised his voice and felt like shaking her into understanding his position. "Do not threaten me. Your uncle will have a fair hearing. It is William's law I follow. To hear all sides of an issue before rendering judgment. And you will abide by my decision."

Elizabeth could not answer him. She knew in her heart that she would be unable to accept any decision other than total guilt for her uncle. Yet she did not voice this admission because she believed that Geoffrey would find in her favor. He believed her, had said as much when they talked at the waterfall and she told him what had happened.

"I will go to my room now," Elizabeth said, hoping to end the conversation.

Geoffrey decided not to press her. The approaching soldiers would be at the gates in bare minutes. Still, he did not wish to end the discussion in such a harsh manner. "I have promised to protect you and your brother. Remember that."

"Aye, husband," Elizabeth said. She kept her expression neutral and started toward the doors. When she reached the top step, she turned back to her husband, found that he watched her, and nodded. "I trust you, my lord." To herself, she added, Do not fail me.

Chapter Five

As soon as Elizabeth was safely inside teh castle, Geoffrey turned his attention to the waiting men. "Harold, double the number on the walls," he said to one knight. To another he announced, "Only Belwain will be allowed entrance this day." Roger caught his glance and he stopped his orders while he watched the older knight carry little Thomas, like a sack of grain under his arm, toward the castle doors. Without turning back to his soldiers he said, "Send Belwain to me when he arrives. I will be waiting inside."

Geoffrey started toward the great hall when he was intercepted by his loyal squire, Gerald. He ignored him until he reached the handle to the heavy doors. Roger, finished with his duty of delivering the boy to his sister, almost collided with the eager squire, who had lunged ahead of his lord to open the door.

"Stay outside with the men," Geoffrey told the squire.

"I would stay near you, my lord," the squire argued, a worried frown on his freckled face.

"For what purpose?" Geoffrey asked.

"I would protect your back," the squire stated.

"That is my duty," Roger all but barked at the lad.

The reprimand had the desired effect on the squire. He seemed to shrink considerably before his lord's eyes. "You two believe that my back needs protecting?" Geoffrey asked.

"From what is being said, my lord," the squire answered before Roger could open his mouth.

"Then Roger will see to the task," Geoffrey announced. "Today you will protect my walls," he added. "Your duty is to watch and listen. And learn."

The disappointment of not being in on the interview with his new mistress's uncle showed on the squire's face but Geoffrey was in no mood to appease. He had too much on his mind. "Follow my orders without question, Gerald. There are no second chances if you are to become a knight. Is that understood?"

The squire placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head. "Aye, my lord. I will follow your orders." He glanced up, saw the nod from his leader, and quickly turned to leave.

"He needs to learn to hold his tongue, that one does," Roger told Geoffrey as they walked side by side into the great hall.

"Aye, and to cover his emotions. But he is still young-only fifteen, if I remember. There is still time to mold him properly." Geoffrey smiled at Roger and then added, "He is quite skilled on the battlefield, always there to hand me whatever weapon I desire, seemingly fearless of injury to himself."

"But that is his duty," Roger protested.

"True, but he does it well, does he not?" he asked his companion.

"Aye, he does, and he is loyal," Roger admitted.

"Perhaps I will assign him to you, Roger," Geoffrey decided. "You could teach him much."

"No more than you, my lord," Roger stated. He sat down on the bench and leaned his elbows on the wooden table. The linen cloth had been removed and the scratches in the wood were visible. "Besides, the lad would drive me to the brink with his eagerness. I'm too old to waste what patience I have left."

Geoffrey chuckled. "You are not that much older than I, Roger. Do not give me such paltry excuses."

"If you order it, I will see to the boy's training," Roger conceded.

"I will not order it, my friend. The choice is yours. Think on it and advise me later."

"Think you Belwain responsible for the murders?" Roger asked, changing the subject.

Geoffrey's face lost its smile. He leaned against the table's edge and rubbed his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "I do not know," he said after a minute. "My wife believes him guilty."

"And so do the servants I spoke with," Roger added. "They all remember the argument the two brothers had and how Belwain made many loud threats."

"That is not enough to condemn a man," Geoffrey answered. "Foolish men say many things in anger that they later regret, and an angry tongue does not mean one is guilty. I will hear what he has to say before I decide."

"It would seem to me that he is the only one to gain from his brother's death."

"Not the only one," Geoffrey contradicted in a quiet voice. "There is another."

His scowl stopped Roger from asking more. He would have to be content to wait and see what happened. He had no doubt that his lord would get to the bottom of the riddle, find the one responsible. Having been in Geoffrey's service for so long, Roger had come to understand how his lord thought, how he reasoned. The Hawk was a careful man, given to logical inclinations, and did not make rash judgments. He believed in fairness and rarely based his decisions on hearsay. In truth, Roger acknowledged with pride, his lord was a fair and reasonable ruler.

Would his lord's reasoning be affected or influenced by his new wife? Roger considered. Geoffrey certainly was taken with her, Roger knew, though he tried mightily to act quite indifferent when she was about. But then Roger was also taken with her. No, whether it be his wife's family or not, Roger felt sure his lord would proceed as he always had in the past. He would not kill without just cause.