"Do not humiliate me before them all!" the lady said through her tears.

"I would not, though I've strong cause," Sir Spenser said, his face stony. "Wouldst thou be so cruel, youngling?"

"Nay," Magnus said slowly. He straightened, sheathing his sword, but turning so he could keep an eye on the guardsmen. "Dost thou wish satisfaction of me, then?"

Sir Spenser's eye kindled, but he said with regret, "I've had what I may. Get thee gone."

"Why, so I will," Magnus said slowly, "yet I hesitate to leave this lady to thy revenge."

She moaned and clutched at his sleeve.

Sir Spenser gave them both a look of disgust, then said, "I will visit her with no punishment."

The lady went limp, sobbing.

"Yet I'll not keep her by to shame me more," he added, his voice grinding. "Back to thy father, lady! And do not think to tell him lies, for I and all my men will meet him in Sterling Meadow in two days' time, to tell him of thine infidelity."

"No-o-o-o," she moaned. "Not my father! And how should I face my mother? The shame.. ."

And the punishment, Magnus realized-but within the family. It was no concern of his.

"Thou hast forfeited thy place by me," the older knight growled. "I shall not divorce thee, for 'twould shame me as much as thee, and thou shalt have thy dower lands again, to dwell on in what comfort thou mayest-but we cannot live as husband and wife more, for thou hast broke that bond." He looked up at Magnus, and his voice was a whip crack. "Take her hence! I wish thee joy of her!"

Magnus knew very well that he would have no joy of such a woman-he wouldn't be able to trust her for a second. On the other hand, he couldn't just leave her in the forest alone. They came out of the castle, to find two grooms holding their horses. The grooms helped the lady to mount her palfrey, and she and Magnus rode off into the forest, he silent, she weeping.

But as soon as the leaves closed about them, she turned on him. "And a fine knight-errant thou art! Couldst thou not defend me from his anger? Thou, who didst seek to seduce me, and would have forced me had he not burst in upon us?"

The unfairness of the lie struck Magnus speechless. He could only stare at her for the moment.

" 'Tis thine advances have left me bereft of house and place!" she said hotly. "Nay, I am therefore thy charge now, to house and feed! Thou must needs take me to the altar!"

The horror of the prospect jolted Magnus out of his stupefaction. "Why, what a lying shrew art thou! 'Twas thou didst bend thy wiles to seduce me, and hast brought this coil upon thyself!"

"Liar!" she screamed, and her hand swept around for a ringing slap. "I am a lady bred! Never would I stoop to such indignity!"

Cold rage cleared his head, and Magnus narrowed his eyes, probing with his mind.

She must have been mildly telepathic herself, for she screamed, clutching at her head, and he felt her horror at the mind-probe. "Thou art a witch!"

"A warlock." He barely glimpsed her memory of the event, but knew that she was aware that he had seen it. "Warlock or witch, thou art surely no gentlemen, thus to peer among a woman's secrets! Nay, thou art wholly undeserving of knighthood, for thou art most unchivalrous!" She bowed her head, weeping bitterly, a broken woman.

But Magnus knew better now than to trust appearances. "I am no knight, but a squire only; I have not sought higher rank. Thou hast the right in that, if in naught else. Surely there is no truth in thy claim that I am in any wise beholden to thee for thy welfare, for thou hast played this game with many men before me."

"Mine husband lied, in saying . . ." Her hot accusation trailed off as she looked into Magnus's eyes. "Nay, thou wilt seek within my mind to prove thy contention again, wilt thou not?" she whispered.

"Nay." Magnus's lip curled. "Yet there are witnesses, I doubt not-the servants and, though thou mayest not have thought, the Wee Folk. Hast thou kept thine hearths clean, and left them their bowls of milk?" He paused, long enough to see in her face that she had not. "They owe thee no debt of gratitude, and will not lie for thee. Shall I call them to testify?"

She hesitated just long enough to realize that a warlock probably could do just that, and be answered; then she took refuge in anger again. "Thou canst not know the shame and horror of forced marriage! Of maidenly dreams of love, torn asunder by a forced coupling with an aged partner who doth inspire in thee naught but disgust!"

Magnus did feel a stirring of sympathy; he had experience that enabled him to imagine.

"I, but a lass of sixteen!" she cried. "Nay, canst thou be amazed that I found no delight in him? Can it astound thee that I took my pleasure where I might?"

Magnus did feel sorry for her, but realized it was the course of folly to admit it. "Yet thou didst take that pleasure with no thought for the hurt or shame thou didst heap upon thine husband, or even on thy lovers."

"What concern had they for me?" she demanded. "What concern hadst thou? Did any of thee care for aught but the pleasure of my body? Nay, if thou hast had shame, thou and they, thou hast had naught but thy just desserts!" She glared up at him. "Or wilt thou tell me thou hadst true concern for me?"

"Nay," Magnus admitted, "yet I do pity thee. Therefore will I conduct thee to thy father's house, and see thee safely there-yet no further."

"Oh, valiant man!" Her words dripped scorn. "O squire worthy of knighthood! Hast thou no thought for the shame that shall be mine? Aye, my father may yet grant me my dower house-yet there he will be sure that I shall live alone, apart from all folk of any degree, the jest of the other ladies, and never again to know human company-for a castoff wife is better dead!"

That, Magnus knew, was true. Medieval society was hardly generous to those who were divorced, especially females.

"It falls to thee," she snapped. "Thou wast the final cause of my humiliation. 'Tis for thee to give me place and station among my peers! 'Tis for thou to call for annulment, and to marry me! Come, carry me off! Steal me away! For there is no man but must have a woman in his charge!"

"Wherefore I, and not one of these other young men who have shared thy bed?" Magnus snapped.

"For that they have fled!"

"Why, then, so shall I. Lady, farewell!" Magnus turned his horse into the underbrush, but the crashing of scrub growth couldn't drown out her scream of rage.

He didn't go far, of course just a dozen feet off the road, just out of sight but not out of hearing. He shadowed her as she rode on down the track, weeping as though she were heartbroken. Magnus felt pity stir within him, but told himself sternly that she was not his care. Nonetheless, he followed, wanting to be sure of her safety. He endured listening to her rail against all men, cataloguing their duplicities and wickedness; he heard her vicious cries of hatred, and rejoiced that he had turned away. Nonetheless, under the circumstances, he found that he could blame himself as much as her.

Then suddenly, five men burst out of the trees, surrounding the lady and catching her horse's bridle. The palfrey reared, neighing in alarm, but the men wrestled it back down. The lady screamed, but the biggest man clapped a filthy hand over her mouth and laughed. They were all slovenly and unkempt, crusted with dirt and reeking of grime. They brayed, chortling:

"Why, what a prize is here!"

"Thou dost hate men, dost thou, sweetling? Nay, we'll give thee greater cause!"

"Thou dost wish a husband, dost thou? We'll give thee five!"

The leader took his hand from her mouth, letting forth a tearing scream that was cut off as he clamped his own mouth over hers, pricking her throat with a dagger. She froze, wideeyed in fear, not daring to close her teeth.