The Good Knight by Sarah Woodbury

Author:Sarah Woodbury
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Medieval
Published: 2011-09-20T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

“I don’t understand it.” Gareth paced around the confined space of his cell, intentionally kicking at the wooden bucket in the corner as he passed it. Pace, pace, pace, kick; pace, pace, pace, kick. If he kept it up much longer, Hywel would have his head, but the crunch of the wood under Gareth’s boot was eminently satisfying just now. “I knew it wasn’t like her to keep herself away from me all day, despite what I told her. Has nobody seen her?”

Hywel braced his shoulder against the wall just inside the door to Gareth’s cell and folded his arms across his chest. He watched Gareth pace with what looked like amusement on his face—perhaps at Gareth’s admission of his and Gwen’s friendship—though, admittedly, that was Hywel’s usual expression. Hywel rarely showed his true thoughts to anyone, much less to Gareth.

“Nobody,” Hywel said. “I didn’t see her at breakfast, though I didn’t notice that I hadn’t until later. My men and I rode out before noon, and we didn’t return until just before the evening meal when I went looking for her.”

“And you’ve questioned the garrison?” Gareth said, knowing that it wasn’t his place to tell Hywel his job but unable to help himself. “Nobody saw her leave?”

“No,” Hywel said.

“The castle isn’t very big; she can’t have gone far. Is she in the bath? Could she have slipped and fallen?”

“It’s not running today,” Hywel said. “But yes, I looked there.”

Gareth pursed his lips, taking that as Hywel meant it: he, himself, along with his men and squires, had looked thoroughly throughout the castle. None had found her and if Hywel hadn’t found her, she wasn’t here to be found. Gareth cursed himself for his blindness, for not seeing that something like this could happen if Gwen continued to pursue the murderer without him. “This tells me she got close to the culprit without knowing it.”

“I would have to agree,” Hywel said. “Although you have to admit that she could have left on her own, without telling anyone.”

“Gwen wouldn’t—” Gareth stopped. He and Hywel studied each other and Gareth guessed Hywel’s thoughts mirrored his: She wouldn’t leave Aber without telling me, would she?

Hywel nodded. “We are in agreement that she could have left without telling one of us—even both of us—but I don’t think she would have left her family overnight without their knowledge.”

Gareth eased back against the wall, mirroring Hywel. “She cares too much about Gwalchmai to want him to worry. She might have lied, but she would have told him something.”

“And she did not.” Hywel stepped to the open doorway, looked through it, and motioned to someone beyond that Gareth couldn’t see.

“Yes, sir?” Evan.

“We’re done here.” Hywel held out his hand for the key.

With a wary expression on his face, Evan handed it to Hywel, who pulled the door shut behind him, locked it, and handed it back. He strode away. Gareth poked his nose through the small window in the door.

“You’re not the only one who’s angry, Gareth,” Evan said, his voice low.

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