Finale by Anna Markland

Author:Anna Markland [Markland, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-04T06:00:00+00:00

Slipping Away

Tuesday, December 29th 1170

The next morning, Hollis chivvied her nephews to get ready to descend to the Great Hall to break their fast. She’d slept deeply—thanks to exhaustion and worry—and, as a consequence, risen later than usual. “We’re going to be late,” she scolded.

John and Arthur were dear to her, but they weren’t her children and she resented being an unpaid nanny. Hugh seemed to care little for their upbringing. Her unmarried state was a convenience for him.

She chastised herself. Continually harping on the same grievances would turn her into a crotchety old maid. The prospect brought her close to tears.

Finding Sir Ranulf seated alone at the head table in the hall came as a surprise. William and Martin FitzRam sat below the dais with other young men who appeared to be squires. Ranulf rose immediately and greeted her. “Good morrow,” he gushed. The stern set of his jaw belied the cordiality of his words.

“Good morrow,” she replied.

“Where’s Papa?” John asked, looking around.

Sir Ranulf chucked the boy under the chin. “Don’t be concerned about your father,” he said in a false tone that convinced her she should indeed worry. “He and his companions have already left with instructions for you and your aunt to go to Barham Court today.”

“To the home of Reginald FitzUrse?” she asked. “Is that where they’ve gone?”

“Er…yes,” he replied. “From thence you can take the north road to Cumbria.”

She narrowed her eyes, sensing he was lying. “And how are we to proceed?”

He gestured to the FitzRams. “They’ll be your escort. I’ll assign an ostler to drive the wagon.”

Her first reaction was one of relief. At least Hugh hadn’t involved the twins in his scheme. “Why did my brother not wait to take us himself?” she asked.

She felt a momentary pang of pity for Sir Ranulf. He was obviously an honest man whose wrinkled brow betrayed his discomfort with the lies. “Er…he and the others have important matters to discuss.”

Dread threatened to rob her of breath. “Do these matters have to do with the Archbishop of Canterbury?”

She recognised her mistake instantly when his face took on a stern, threatening demeanor. Women did not question the actions of men.

“Don’t worry your pretty head,” he hissed. “Help yourselves to ham and bread from the servery. Then you can be on your way.”

She bowed graciously, all the while muttering curses under her breath. Her brother seemed hell-bent on the road to perdition. She had to think of some way to stop him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.