Chapter 7

Alice ran for the storage shed. Her only hope was to reach it before the two dagger-wielding thieves caught her. If she could get through the door she might be able to barricade herself inside.

"Stop her," the man with the eyepatch yelled to his companion. "If we lose that damned stone this time we'll never get paid."

"The wench runs like a hart," the other man panted. "But she won't escape."

The frightening thud-thud-thud of her pursuers' booted feet behind her was the most terrifying sound Alice had ever heard. The storage shed seemed very far away. She was hampered by the weight of the heavy green stone and by her own skirts.

The two thieves closed on her.

Alice was ten paces away from the small outbuilding when she heard the thunder. It shook the very ground beneath her feet.

Some part of her awareness registered the fact that the sun was still shining. There was no sign of a storm.

The thunder was an ominous drumbeat behind her.

And then she heard one of her pursuers scream.

The horrible cry brought Alice to a stumbling halt. She whirled around in time to see the thief with the toothless grin go down beneath the hooves of a black war-stallion. The beast seemed not to notice the slight obstacle. It surged forward, seeking fresh prey.

Alice recognized the great war-beast and the unhelmed knight astride it. The black manes of horse and rider alike snapped in the wind. Steel flashed in the sun.

Alice clutched the stone and stared at the awesome sight she beheld. She had seen knights and war-horses enough in her life but she had never seen anything so fearsome as this.

Hugh the Relentless and the black juggernaut he rode came forward as one, a great engine of battle that nothing could stop.

The one-eyed man yelled and veered sharply from the chase, seeking refuge in the bushes that bordered the stream. He did not have a hope of outrunning the stallion. Apparently realizing that he was doomed, he turned helplessly to face his fate.

Alice started to close her eyes against the inevitable scene of death and destruction. But at the last instant the highly trained war-horse, obedient to its rider's unseen command, altered course. The huge creature brushed past the thief, leaving the one-eyed man untouched.

The big animal came to a shuddering halt, swung around on its haunches, and paced back to where the one-eyed man cowered. The stallion tossed his head, blew heavily, and stomped one massive hoof as though to protest the end of the chase.

The one-eyed man fell to his knees in terror.

Hugh glanced at Alice. "Are you all right?"

Alice could not find her tongue. Her mouth had gone dry. She nodded quickly.

Satisfied with her response, Hugh turned his attention to the thief. When he spoke his voice was terrifyingly soft. "So, you would hunt the lady as though you were a hound in pursuit of a hare."

"Do not kill me, m'lord," the one-eyed man pleaded. "We meant no harm. We was just frolicking with the lass. Only wanted a good tumble. Where's the harm in that?"

"The lass," Hugh said with exquisite care, "is my betrothed wife."

The thief's eye widened as he saw the ground open beneath his feet. Hell clearly awaited him. He made one more stumbling effort to defend himself.

"But how was we to know that, m'lord? She looks like any other wench. Found her comin' out of the bushes, we did. Naturally, we assumed she was looking for a bit of sport."

"Silence," Hugh commanded. "You are still alive only because I have inquiries to make of you. If you do not watch your tongue I may well decide that I don't need your answers."

The thief shuddered. "Aye, m'lord."

Dunstan came pelting around the corner of the old stone wall. Benedict, moving with the surprising speed he could affect with the aid of his staff, followed close behind him. Both men were out of breath and red in the face.

"Alice," Benedict yelled. "Are you unhurt?"

"Aye." Alice realized that she was trembling. She did not look at the man who had fallen beneath the war-horse's hooves.

Hugh glanced at Dunstan. "See to the one on the ground. He went down beneath Storm's charge and is likely dead."

"Aye, m'lord." Dunstan ambled toward the fallen man. He prodded the still body with the toe of his boot and spat casually into the grass. "I believe you're correct in your assumption, sir." Dunstan bent down to take a closer look at the object that lay beside the fallen man. "He carried a nice little dagger."

" 'Tis yours if you want it," Hugh said as he dismounted. "Along with anything else you can find on him."

"That will not amount to much."

A collective shout went up in the distance. The sounds of the latest clash on the jousting field were borne on the wind. Dunstan and Benedict both looked back in the direction of the tournament grounds.

Alice was conscious of an acute tension.

"I believe Vincent of Rivenhall has taken the field," Hugh said after a moment.

"Aye, sir." Dunstan heaved a sigh of regret. "That he has. 'Twould appear he has gone against Harold of Ardmore. That won't be much of a contest. Vincent will ride straight over the top of young Harold."

Hugh's jaw tightened but his voice remained as calm as though they had all been discussing the latest farming techniques. "I regret that you must content yourself with whatever booty you find on these two thieves today, Dunstan. 'Tis plain that due to certain recent events we will not have the opportunity of taking more lucrative victories in the jousts."

Dunstan shot a hooded glance toward Alice. "Aye, m'lord."

Hugh tossed the reins of the war-horse to Benedict. "Summon the sheriff and tell him that I will wish to question this man later."

"Aye, sir." Benedict seized Storm's reins. The stallion gave him a flat stare.

Hugh looked at Alice with unreadable eyes. "You are certain that you are unhurt?"

"Aye," Alice whispered. For some idiotic reason she felt as if she were about to burst into tears. She had the most ridiculous desire to throw herself into Hugh's arms. "You saved my life, my lord."

"That would not have been necessary had you obeyed my instructions to attend the jousts." Hugh's voice held no inflection.

Alice went cold. Mayhap it was true what they said about him, she thought. Mayhap Hugh the Relentless lacked all the warmer feelings. The weight of the rag-wrapped stone was suddenly very heavy in her hands. Belatedly she remembered that she held it.

"I have discovered the green stone, my lord," she said, hoping that knowledge would break through the invisible steel hauberk he wore over his emotions.

"Is that so?" He gave the object in her hands a cursory glance. "I am not pleased with the price you very nearly paid for it."

"But—"

"I had already made inquiries concerning the whereabouts of Gilbert the troubadour. He was to have entertained certain knights and their ladies this evening. The stone would have been safely in my hands by morning. There was no necessity for you to risk your neck for it."

Alice's precarious emotions underwent a sudden shift. She was outraged. "You should have told me of your scheme before you went off to the jousts, my lord. We are partners, if you will recall. We made a bargain."

"Our bargain, as you term it, has nothing to do with the fact that when I give instructions, I expect them to be obeyed."

"By the Saints, sir, that is most unfair."

"Unfair?" He started toward her. "You think I lack a sense of fairness merely because I object to your taking foolish risks?"

Alice stared at him in amazement. "You are angry."

"Aye, madam."

"I mean truly angry," she breathed. "Simply because I put myself in danger."

"I do not consider that such a simple matter, lady."