Once a Bride by Shari Anton Page B

her, had declared her brazen, an unfit mate for his brother.
    She slipped out from under his hand.
    “I will see to Isolde,” she managed to say, then silently, alone, made her way to the keep.
    On a thickly wooded hill nigh on half a league away, Sir John Hamelin sat atop his gray palfrey and studied the stronghold he considered the jewel of his holdings.
    Lelleford. So close and yet so far.
    Damn, but he wanted to sleep in his own bed this night instead of on the hard ground. Not possible. And if he thought too much on to whom Eloise had given over the use of his bed, with its thick feather mattress and warm wool coverlet, he’d become angry. A luxury he couldn’t afford right now.
    If he didn’t keep his wits calm and keen to avoid Kenworth’s trackers, he’d be sleeping in his own damp, dark dungeon soon enough. Edgar with him.
    Damn Kenworth. The man should have given up the search after that first day. But nay. The wily old fox hadn’t fallen for the ruse of a false trail. Instead, he’d settled in to enjoy fine wine and crackling fires—and a soft bed—sending out patrols to scour the countryside.
    John smiled and admitted a bit of admiration for his foe. The two had tangled hard and often, knew each other well. The next time they met face-to-face, he’d have to compliment William, one knight to another, on a campaign smartly executed.
    Edgar finally came out of the thicket, adjusting his scabbard over his tunic. All of six and ten, on the verge of manhood, the squire had taken to this competition of hide-and-seek like a fish to the stream.
    John had dismissed the twinges of guilt over bringing the lad with him. Edgar had proved his worth several times over, was both loyal and good company. He’d earned his spurs, and when the time came for the actual knighting, John intended to gift the lad with the finest arraignment, armor, and horse he could find.
    First they had to get out of this mire of a legal mess. And he wasn’t about to think too hard on that matter, either, or he’d become furious.
    Edgar swung onto his horse, adjusted the reins in his gloved hands, and shot John a smile that lightened his heart.
    “Where to now, milord? Shall it be the mill tonight?”
    “Nay. ’Twould probably be safe enough, but we should not spend the night in the same place twice.”
    Edgar glanced up through the canopy of treetops swaying overhead. “ ’Twill rain tonight. We will need shelter. I know you hesitate to involve innocents, but not one of the villagers would turn you away.”
    “I will not risk it.”
    “The caves, then?”
    A possibility, but John had another destination in mind. He disliked the necessity, but the situation being what it was, it seemed the only reasonable course of action.
    “Think you we could make The Fox and Dove by nightfall?”
    Edgar’s smile faded. “You have decided to leave Lelleford lands.”
    Not an easy decision.
    John disliked leaving his daughter, though most capable, to get by as best she may. She had Simon and Marcus to aid her, and perhaps Julius would soon return from Italy and relieve Eloise of the enormous responsibility for overseeing the whole of the family holdings while their father fought the charge of treason.
    He yearned to get his hands around clumsy Brother Walter’s neck until the wretch turned blue and revealed all that he knew.
    Most of all he hated Kenworth’s knowing he’d won this opening skirmish. Giving ground to the earl tore at John’s innards, but damn, he saw little choice if he intended to win the war. And he would.
    Besides, only in London could he enlist the aid he needed to fight the charges. Who to approach? He knew several men who might be willing, but hadn’t yet decided who to trust.
    He had time yet, but not much.
    “Aye. Leaving seems the only way to draw Kenworth out of my castle. I want that bastard out of my bed.”
    Edgar’s head turned to take in the hilltop view, and John saw the lad’s yearning for home. Then worry,