Hugh stared at the door his wife had just gone through, his mind filled with his last vision of her. Worry gnawed at him. Willa was obviously unready to accept that her own father wished her dead. Hugh knew she was hurting and he ached for her. He wished he'd thought of a way to prevent her from reading the letter. He wouldn't have her hurt this way.
"Hugh?" Lord Wynekyn's voice drew his attention.
"Aye?" he asked. His eyebrows rose when Wynekyn jerked his eyes between him and Baldulf several times, then began nodding his head in the soldier's direction.
When Hugh merely stared at him in confusion, his uncle's friend clucked his tongue impatiently. "Did you not have something you wished to ask Baldulf?" he asked meaningfully.
The question merely added to Hugh's bewilderment. "Did I?"
"About the cottage and whom he might have told - "
"Oh!" Hugh moved to the bed and scowled down at the man. "Did you tell anyone that Willa and I intended to go to the cottage?"
"Nay!" Baldulf appeared surprised at the very question; then his forehead wrinkled and he said, "Well, not really. I mean I did, but - " He glanced sharply at Hugh. "You are not thinking - Were you not followed to the cottage?"
"Nay," Hugh assured him. "The wolves did not act skittish or growl. They would have known had someone followed us would they not?"
"Aye." The soldier nodded slowly. "So whoever set the fire had to have come later. Which means they knew you were at the cottage."
Hugh nodded, his expression stern. "Whom did you tell?"
"Gawain and Alsneta," Baldulf answered promptly. "When the nooning hour came and you did not appear, Gawain apparently went to ask Alsneta if you were eating in your room today. She had no idea. She and Gawain came to ask me if I thought all was well and what they were to do about the meal. I told them that you and Willa had gone to the cottage and probably would not be back for a while."
"Gawain and Alsneta," Hugh murmured, mulling this over. Then he straightened and glanced at Eada. "Have a bath brought up for Willa. She needs to wash away the soot ere she does anything else." When Baldulf promptly began to struggle upright, Hugh waved him back to a reclining position. "Nay, Baldulf. Stay here. I shall watch over her. When she is finished, I shall return her here for you to guard while I talk to Alsneta and Gawain."
"Do you wish me to fetch Gawain and Alsneta for you?" Lucan asked.
"Nay. Not yet. I may be a while with Willa, but I should appreciate your finding them and keeping an eye on them in the meantime." Hugh waited for Lucan's nod, then strode out of the room. His thoughts were troubled as he hurried to his chamber. Willa had shown some affection for the cook. That being the case, Hugh did not like any suspicion cast on the woman. He would have to see to this matter quickly. Right after he saw to his wife's bath and getting her to bed.
Hugh grinned to himself, then quickly banished the expression. This was a serious business: Willa had endured a long and terrible day. As her husband it was his duty to help her through this troubled time. And he knew exactly how to do it. He would relax her with a nice leisurely soaking, helping her with the chore. Perhaps even joining her in it. That thought made him smile again. It had been little more than a few hours since he'd bedded his wife at the cottage, but the very idea of having her warm and wet in her bath was enough to perk him up greatly.
Hugh's smile remained in place until he opened his bedchamber door and strode in to find the room empty. Stopping dead, he searched every corner with his eyes, then opened his mouth and bellowed, "Willa!"
There was an immediate flurry of stomping feet from the hallway. Hugh turned to find Lucan, Jollivet and Lord Wynekyn standing in the doorway looking into the room with concern. Behind them, a swaying Baldulf was being held up by Eada. All of them had responded to his roar.
"Where is she?" Jollivet asked with alarm. "Where would she go?"
"She said she was going to lie down," Baldulf grumbled.
Hugh started to shake his head in frustrated bewilderment, then paused. "Willa did not answer my question," he realized suddenly.
"Which question was that, son?" Lord Wynekyn asked.
"When I asked her if she had seen who hit Baldulf. She started to answer, but then you discovered the letter and - Alsneta and Gawain," he breathed in sudden horror. "The kitchens."
Hugh nearly trampled the men in the doorway in his rush to get to his wife. He was positive she'd seen who had hit Baldulf. He was equally positive that she would not have told him who it was, not if it had been Alsneta. The mother of Luvena, the dear childhood friend who had died in her place. Uncle Richard could write that the child's death was not her fault, but Willa's very dislike of discussing the matter told Hugh the guilt weighed heavily upon her. She would not blame Alsneta for wishing her dead. Willa would empathize with her.
"I don't - I would never - " Alsneta floundered, then fell silent, guilt twisting her time-worn features.
"I saw you hit Baldulf, Alsneta," Willa told her solemnly. "And the scroll had the distinct scent of onions about it. I presume you have been hiding it in here somewhere?"
Alsneta's shoulders sagged.
Aware of the silence surrounding them, Willa glanced around the kitchen. Every last servant had stopped working and gone still as all strained to hear what was being said. Taking Alsneta's arm, Willa urged her to the door, leading out into the garden behind the kitchens. When she paused to face Alsneta then, the woman's eyes were awash with tears.
"I'm sorry," the cook blurted before Willa could speak again. "I never meant to harm you. I mean, of course I did at first. But I was just so angry. I had thought you - that day - they told me that both you and Luvena were dead. I had spent ten years grieving you both. You and Luvena were so much together, I had begun to think of you as my own. I lost my two babies that day." She turned and paced away, her hands twisting in her apron. "My babies."
"Alsneta." Willa followed and touched her arm sympathetically.
The cook turned, but shook her hand away. "Don't touch me. Don't be nice to me. I don't deserve it. And I won't be able to explain if you are kind and make me cry."
Willa withdrew her hand, her own eyes filling with tears. The woman did not appear to know it, but she was already crying. Silent tears were streaming down her face. "Very well."
Alsneta nodded, then blurted, "I wanted you dead."
Willa flinched, but remained silent, allowing Alsneta to continue.
"That's not true," she countered herself, then appeared confused and shook her head. "Nay. Not at first. When I thought you dead, I grieved for you as much as for Luvena. I had nothing more to live for. Days passed like years. Life was interminable. I considered suicide, but the priest said I would go to hell and never be with my Luvena and you again. Then Lord Richard's health began to fail. I spent most of my time in the kitchens, but the servants began talking about a beautiful young woman visiting him in his chamber. I was curious, but had no idea 'twas you.
"I was the one who found him. I had been bringing his meals up to him in his chamber since his health had begun to fail. I took his breakfast that morning as usual. I walked into the room and set the tray on the chest next to his bed. When I turned to look at him, I knew at once he had passed. His face was gray and slack, empty. He was clutching a scroll, and the name Willa was written on the outside. This bewildered me. Why would he die clutching a letter to a child who had died ten years earlier? I could not resist reading it.
"I could not believe what I read in the letter. He was addressing you as if you still lived, yet I knew you were dead. He had told me so himself. Then I read what he said about that day, that my Luvena had died in your stead, and that he thanked God for it." Her bitterness was obvious, and Willa's heart ached for the woman. But Alsneta lifted her head and continued determinedly. "Another servant entered then and I hid the letter in my clothes. I told her that the lord was dead and to send for Lord Wynekyn. Then I collected the tray I had brought and left, taking the letter with me. I read it countless times. Over and over. And each time I read that she had died in your place and he was grateful for it, I - "
She paused and took a deep breath, then gave her head a shake as if to clear away her anger. "Lord Wynekyn left to inform Lord Dulonget that he was now earl. I meant to return the letter while he was gone, but could not seem to let it go. Then Dulonget arrived and Lord Wynekyn behind him. I was quite busy with the wedding preparations, and every time I had a moment to slip away and return the letter, Lord Wynekyn was up there searching the room for it. Then you came." Her hands clenched at her sides. "I wasn't sent to help you that day; one of the young maids was. But I set her to work in the kitchen and went in her place. I had much to do, but I had to see for myself that you lived. I thought perhaps the letter was merely the rambling of a sick and dying man."
Her eyes returned to Willa, filled with a mixture of anger, grief, regret and sadness. "You had grown up to be so lovely... and now you were to marry the earl. While my baby lay rotting in a cold grave. I - " Her voice choked and Willa could stand it no more. She stepped forward, reaching out to comfort her. Alsneta quickly backed away.
"I hated you at that moment," she confessed with shame. "You lived while my child had died. You were lovely and happy and about to marry. I wanted you dead beside my daughter where you belonged. Where I had thought you had been all those years while I grieved for you. 'Twas all I could do to keep from choking you with my bare hands as I helped you dress. I had to smile and admire your lovely gown and your lovely hair and your lovely good fortune while inside the bile was eating me alive. It ate at me through the wedding, and the first part of the celebration, until I could stand it no more. I - " Her voice broke.
"You filled a pitcher with meade and poison and set it in our bedchamber." Both women gave a start as Hugh said what Alsneta could not.
"Husband!" Willa cried in alarm, then managed to force a smile. "I - "
"You are supposed to be in your room."
Willa flinched at his sharp tone. He was most definitely displeased with her. "Aye, but I came down to - "
"Confront the very person who has been trying to kill you since your arrival," he finished harshly, then turned on the cook. "Who was the man who attacked me in the clearing? Your lover?"
"The man in the clearing?" Alsneta asked with bewilderment. "I do not - "
"And who was it who set the cottage on fire today? Your lover was dead, so I presume it must have been you. Unless you have dragged your nephew into this mess?"
"Set the cottage on fire?" Alsneta gaped at him in horror for a moment, then drew herself up. "I know nothing of an attack in a clearing or setting a cottage on fire. I poisoned the meade that first night, aye. But..." She met Willa's eyes. "I regretted it the moment I saw you go above stairs."
"Not enough to rush up and keep her from drinking it," Hugh snapped.
Alsneta ignored him, her attention focused on Willa. "I nearly followed to confess all, but I was afraid. My only hope was that you would not be thirsty and would not drink it. I passed an awful night."
"Not as awful as mine," he muttered with disgust.
"I could not sleep, and what little sleep I got was haunted by Luvena berating me for harming someone she loved like a sister. I was glad when you came through alright, grateful it had not worked. I have not tried again to harm you, I promise. Though I could have. I have cooked every meal you have eaten here and could have seen you dead long ago had I wished it," she added in her own defense.
"Only it would have seen your nephew dead, since I made him the taster after the first poisoning," Hugh commented dryly.
Alsneta waved her hand in disgust at this suggestion. "Bah! Gawain. I have no affection for him. The possibility of his dying would hardly stop me had I wished Willa dead. He was an annoying little brat as a boy and is just as annoying as a young man. Gawain is spineless and greedy, a bad combination. He is always looking for the easy route, that one. I suggest you keep your eye on him. He would stab you in the back for a pair of shoes."
Hugh was silent for a moment, then said. "So you deny having anything to do with the fire at the cottage today, or the man in the clearing?"
"I started no fire. I would not even know my way to the cottage and clearing you speak of. I did not know the cottage existed." The cook drew herself up to face her misdeeds. "Nay. I had naught to do with either incident. But I am responsible for the poison. And taking the letter... and hitting Baldulf."
She looked chagrined and Willa asked, "Why did you hit Baldulf?"
Alsneta bit her lip. "I am sorry about that. I am sorry for everything. I shall have to apologize to Baldulf, as well. I did not mean to hit him so hard. I was just in such a panic. I had gone to the room to return the letter and finally found the chamber empty. I was attempting to find a spot to put it that Lord Wynekyn might not yet have looked. I had opened the shutters to see better, but they began flapping about, making a horrible clatter. I was rushing to close them when I heard you call out for Lord Wynekyn. I knew you must think him in the room and that you would come. I gave up on the shutters, tossed the letter on the bed and dashed to hide behind the door. I thought I was safe when you entered and headed straight for the shutters without spotting me. I was about to slip out of the room when I heard Baldulf calling your name. I feared I was lost, then. He would come in, the two of you would find the letter. One of you would see me." She shrugged. "I panicked. I grabbed a candle holder off the table beside me and the moment Baldulf was far enough into the room, I koshed him over the head and fled."
"Whom did you steal the letter for?" Hugh asked.
Willa glanced at her husband in surprise, then realized that he must have arrived after Alsneta had explained about the letter.
"I stole the letter for myself."
"Do not lie to me!" Hugh said harshly. "Whom did you steal it for? Is it Garrod you work for?"
Alsneta drew herself up stiffly. "I did not steal it. Certainly not for the man who killed my daughter. I took it to read myself."
Hugh was staring at the cook with uncertainty. Suspecting she knew the source of his confusion, Willa said, "Luvena was schooled with me when we were children. Papa Richard allowed it so I would have company. 'Tis how we became friends." Hugh looked at her questioningly. "She... we used to teach Alsneta what we learned each day while she fed us sweet treats in the kitchen. Alsneta can read."
"I see." His shoulders lost their tension. He rubbed wearily at his neck, then turned his gaze to Alsneta, his expression was grim. "So you did not steal the letter and try to kill my wife for Garrod?"
Willa winced at the anger she heard in his voice. Stepping forward, she placed her hand on his arm, giving him a pleading look. "She was upset, my lord. Alsneta thought I had died with Luvena. The letter revealed that Luvena died in my stead. She was..." Willa gave a helpless shrug. "Alsneta was overcome by grief. Her thinking was unclear. She is sorry. No harm was done. You cannot punish her for - "
"No harm was done?" Hugh gaped at her. "She nearly killed you! You vomited all over my lap. We could not manage the bedding until the following night."
Willa rolled her eyes at these complaints. At least the last two. "Aye, my lord, I nearly died. But I did not. And - " She paused, then asked, "I vomited in your lap?"
"Aye." His grimace told her that it had been a most unpleasant experience and Willa felt herself blush with embarrassment. Then she shrugged such trifling concerns away and repeated, "She is sorry."
Hugh stared at her with bewilderment. "Willa, she - How can you forgive her so easily?"
Willa let her hand slip away from his arm and ducked her head, then said, "Because Luvena did die in my place. I was the one who wished to sneak out that day. It was a beautiful spring day. Luvena would only agree if she could wear the new gold gown Papa Richard had given me before he left for the coronation. She died in my place and I have borne the guilt of that for more than ten years. I have even, on occasion, wished I had been the one who died that day."
Hugh grabbed her hands in a painfully tight grip, drawing her gaze to his face. Willa managed a sad smile. "You heard the letter, my lord. Papa was grateful that it was Luvena and not me. How then could Luvena's mother not be bitter for the same reason? All these years she thought we had both died. She grieved for us. Then, quite suddenly, she learned that I lived, her daughter had died in my place, and I was to marry and be her mistress. How could she not wish me dead, too? If only for a moment?"
His hold on her eased and he let his breath out. Then he released her altogether. When he spoke, it was to Willa. "I am sorry. She tried to kill you. At the very least, I cannot allow her to continue to work here in the kitchens where she might poison us all. I shall have to replace her."
Willa nodded her head in resignation, knowing that he would not be dissuaded.
"I shall have to think on how else to punish her. I cannot allow her behavior to go by unpunished, Willa. You nearly died." He turned to Luvena's mother. "For now, you will stay away from the kitchens, and you are not to go above stairs. I want you nowhere near Willa or the food. But I want you to stay in the castle until I have decided what to do with you."
Alsneta nodded and removed her apron. Her movements were slow and weary. She seemed to have aged twenty years in fewer seconds. Willa felt pity stir in her. She watched sadly as the woman turned to walk back into the castle through the door by which they had exited. Then she paused and walked around the castle instead. Hugh had ordered her to stay out of the kitchens and she was taking him at his word.
Once Luvena's mother was out of sight, Willa glanced at her husband. She immediately wished she hadn't. He wasn't watching Alsneta, he was watching her, and his mouth was starting to turn down with displeasure again. Willa supposed he was recalling that she'd come below to the kitchens to confront Alsneta, when she'd said she was going to lie down.
Sighing, she awaited the lecture sure to come. She watched him opened his mouth, and tried to prepare herself, but whatever he'd intended to say died on his lips as the castle door swung open.
"Oh, good, you found her," Lucan said from the kitchen door.
"Aye." Hugh hesitated, then said, "I should like to speak to you and Lord Wynekyn. I shall be along shortly."
Lucan nodded. "We will wait for you at the high table."
Hugh waited for the door to close, then took Willa's arm and marched her between the herb and vegetable gardens to the apple trees behind them. Once he'd taken her deep enough into the trees that no one could possibly overhear or interrupt their conversation, he turned her to face him and promptly began to shake his finger before her nose.
"You have disobeyed me three times today."
"Nay. I have not, my lord," Willa interrupted before he could say more.
"Aye. You did. I told you to go to our room when we returned to the castle."
"And so I did," she quickly pointed out.
"Aye. But I also said you were not to leave that room until Baldulf arrived."
"I did not intend to," she said apologetically. "But I heard a sound and thought only to investigate. I - "
"Left the room. Without waiting for Baldulf."
"Well," she agreed reluctantly. "I suppose I did, but - "
"And then you did not go lie down after reading the letter from your uncle, but came below," he went on.
"You did not tell me to lie down," Willa protested indignantly. "I am the one who said I was going to lie down."
"Ah ha! Then you lied to me. That is even worse!"
Willa grimaced, then heaved a deep sigh and Hugh's eyes immediately dropped to her chest. She noted with interest that some of his anger seemed displaced by a different heat. Curious, she took another deep breath and heaved it out too. Hugh's eyes watched her chest rise and lower with distracted interest. Willa found herself beginning to grin.
"You have every right to be angry with me, my lord," she began appeasingly. "I behaved very badly. I - Oh!" She paused abruptly to slap at her leg.
"What is it?" Hugh asked with concern.
"Something bit me," she lied, bending and beginning to tug her skirt up.
"Where?" Hugh was immediately on his haunches at her side. He helped her to lift the long skirt.
"A little higher, husband," she murmured when he paused with the skirt pushed up to her knee.
Hugh dutifully lifted the skirt higher, squinting at her pale leg and running one hand over it. "Here?"
"A little higher." Willa bit her lip and felt her toes curl as his splayed hand slid further up her leg, pushing the material of her gown before it.
"I do not see anything." His voice had that husky tone that Willa was learning to love, and she felt herself quiver in anticipation.
"Are you sure? 'Twas a definite sting."
"I thought you said 'twas a bite." He glanced up, his eyes meeting hers. Something in her expression made him pause; then the small sparks in his eyes burst into flame and his hand began to move again. "Perhaps I should kiss it better."
"Aye. Please. Kiss me better," Willa whispered, her own voice husky now, too.
Still watching her, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the skin of her outer leg, then his tongue slid out and tasted the pale flesh.
"Better?" he asked.
"Oh, aye. Much better," Willa breathed.
"Good." He straightened so abruptly, Willa found herself quickly stepping back to avoid being knocked over. Hugh grabbed her arm to steady her and grinned. It was a rather evil smile, in Willa's opinion. "Now. If you had gone to our room as you had said you were going to, we could have indulged in what I can see you wish. I went to the room to join you with the same thoughts in mind, but then I discovered you had lied to me and were not where you should have been."
Willa grimaced; her first attempt to seduce her husband had ended in failure. She almost gave up the attempt to distract him, then reminded herself she was not one to give up so easily, and smiled apologetically. "I apologize, my lord. However, before you lecture me as I deserve, might I ask a question?"
Hugh's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he gave a slight nod of acquiescence and Willa smiled sweetly. "I merely wondered... That thing you do to me, can it be done to you? And if so, would you enjoy it?"
"That thing?" He appeared uncertain.
"Aye. When you..." She hesitated and blushed, then pressed on, "Could I kiss you here?" She reached down to press her hand against his hardness. It surged against his braies in reaction, almost seeming to try to jump through the cloth and into her hand. Willa waited expectantly, watching with interest as expression after expression flew across his face. When his face settled into stern lines and he cleared his throat - presumably to try to return to his original topic - she squeezed experimentally. Then she rubbed her hand over him, because it was something that felt good when he did it to her.
The sternness left his face as he groaned; Hugh grabbed for her, but she dropped out of reach, landing on her knees before him. He blinked down at her in bemusement. "What are you - " The question died an abrupt death as Willa quickly removed his belt, letting his sword drop to the ground with a clatter. She then began to untie the lacings of his braies. When his hand suddenly covered hers, she glanced up to see him peering wildly about.
"Someone might see," he hissed worriedly.
Willa brushed his hand away so that she could continue to undo his ties, and reassured him, "Nay. You chose a good spot, husband. We will not be seen."
Her words seemed to recall him to the reason he'd dragged her out there, and he drew himself up and gave her a steely look. "This is not going to work, wife. You - Damn," he groaned as she finished with his ties, and his braies slid down his legs, allowing his erection to pop out and wave gaily at Willa. She stared at it uncertainly for a moment, unsure what to do, then decided there was only one way to find out, and began to experiment. She started out by grabbing it in one hand. When Hugh gasped at that, sucking in great gulps of air, she decided it was a good start. She wrapped her other hand over the first so that she was holding him two fisted, with the tip sticking out. She promptly began to press kisses to that tip.
"Jesu!" Hugh exclaimed with a pained half-laugh. "Willa - "
"Tell me what to do," she said, pausing to look up at him with wide, pleading eyes.
Hugh met that gaze for a moment, then let his breath out in defeat. "Touch it, kiss it, lick it, fondle it, take it in your mouth and - "
"All at once?" Willa interrupted with dismay.
"Nay. Just - God's teeth!"
Willa had slid her hands along the shaft, rubbing them over the tip, but looked up now at his curse. She wasn't sure, but she thought he liked that. His expression was pained, but he'd grasped at two branches of the apple tree and was holding on as if caught in a stiff wind. Willa was emboldened to try some of his other instructions... which had been rather vague, in her opinion. It would have helped if he'd explained just how she was supposed to touch him, and whether there was an order she need be concerned about. Did she touch first, then kiss, then lick, or was there another order to this business? Since he hadn't bothered to be precise, she decided to just do as she pleased. Since she enjoyed it so much when he put his mouth on her, that was what she tried next. Willa took him into her mouth. After a brief hesitation, she began to slide her mouth down his shaft. A groan from above her head told her that this was satisfactory and she began to move her mouth with enthusiasm. Remembering that he'd mentioned licking, she began to lave him with her tongue as she slid her mouth back and forth. She was most pleased with the grunts, groans and "arghs" her husband was issuing.
Willa had only been doing this for a few moments when she became aware that Hugh was moving upward. Or his staff was, and it was forcing her to crane her head to keep him in her mouth. Glancing upward, she saw with some exasperation that he was practically climbing the tree. If she were not doing this right, all he need do was say so and give her further instruction. There was no need to try to climb away from her, she thought, disappointed that she might not be doing as well as she'd thought.
Removing her mouth, she glared up at him. "Husband, pray stop climbing the tree. I cannot - Oh! " She was taken by surprise when he let go of the tree, dropped back flat on his feet and grabbed at her arms to haul her upward. The next moment, Willa found her back against the tree and her husband against her front as his mouth devoured hers. She did not try to protest this end to her experiment. His hands and mouth were everywhere, moving with lightning speed and stirring up all sorts of sensations that quickly erased her exasperation.
Willa was more than ready when he began tugging her skirt up. She was panting heavily, and slightly stunned as she glanced down to see that her gown was unlaced and hanging off her shoulders, leaving her breasts bare for his pleasure. She hadn't even been aware he'd done that, Willa thought a bit dazedly. Then she was distracted from this revelation by Hugh's hand grazing lightly up her inner thigh as he dragged her skirt above her waist. Anchoring her dress there with one hand, he dipped the other between her legs. She thought she heard him thank God when he found her wet and ready for him. Then he caught her behind the legs, pulled them up around his hips and slid into her. Willa cried out as he filled her. Hugh kissed her again as he withdrew, then drove himself into her again.
The tree was hard and ungiving at her back, but Willa hardly noticed; her body was filled to bursting with Hugh and the sensations he was causing in her. She could feel the tension building inside her. Her muscles were starting to clench and Willa knew she was about to find that blissful release she enjoyed so much. He thrust into her a third time, then suddenly stiffened and cried out.
Willa clutched at his shoulders, confusion reigning, as she felt him pour himself into her. It wasn't until he sagged against her, holding her up with his weight against the tree that she realized it was over. He'd finished and she... had not. Well that was bloody unfair, she decided. Just as Willa was trying to decide if she shouldn't punch him in the arm and demand that he fix this, Hugh released a contented sigh and eased her to ground. He then stepped back to peer at her.
"Did you - No, you didn't." He answered the question himself as he glimpsed her vexed expression. She brushed her skirt down, then tugged her top back into place, and he said, "I am sorry. You excited me so much, I - "
Willa did not stick around to listen. Sniffing her disgust, she started away, working on her lacings as she went.
"Willa! Wait I - Oomph!"
A glance over her shoulder showed him face down in the dirt, his braies tangled around his ankles. It served him right, she decided spitefully, then began to move more quickly as he started to struggle back to his feet. He would come after her, Willa knew, but she had no interest in talking to him. In fact, she had no interest in talking to anyone, she realized, as she neared the edge of the small grove of trees. She was suddenly in a foul mood. Her decision was made quickly. After a glance back to see that Hugh was busy trying to pull his braies back up, Willa ducked quickly to the right. She wove her way deeper into the trees in search of some much needed time alone. It had been an exhausting day. So much had happened.
"Willa?"
She glanced around at that call, and ducked behind a tree as she watched Hugh hurry toward the door into the kitchens. He was tying his braies as he went. She watched until he slipped inside, then began to wander through the trees again. She moved slowly back toward where they had been, thinking that the orchard would surely be the last place he would look for her.
Only a few minutes had passed when she heard the snap of a branch. The hair at the back of her neck prickling, Willa paused and turned in a slow circle, her gaze searching the trees. She didn't see anything, but suddenly felt uncomfortable. Deciding that perhaps she would return to the castle, after all, she started to turn in that direction, only to pause as she spied Hugh's sword lying on the ground ahead. It was in its sheath, attached to his belt, lying where she'd let it drop when she'd removed it earlier. He'd been in such a rush to chase after her, he'd apparently forgotten it. Tsking in exasperation, she moved quickly forward, intending to retrieve it for him.
Willa had almost reached the sword when the sound of another twig snapping underfoot reached her. It sounded closer, much closer. And this time she was afraid to look around. A shot of panic raced through her, and she ran the last few feet to the tree she and Hugh had used earlier. She glanced over her shoulder then, her panic turning cold in her belly as she spotted someone charging at her. Bending, she grabbed up Hugh's sword and started to turn to face her attacker, but the sword was much heavier than Willa had expected and lifting it as she turned put her off balance. She staggered against the tree, the sword half-raised as she found herself confronting Gawain.
Alsneta's nephew didn't say a word. His expression appeared slightly frantic as he raised his own sword. Willa felt her heart stop as she watched it come down toward her, then she heard a shout and was suddenly thrown out of the way of the falling sword. She landed on the ground on her stomach, but quickly rolled onto her back and stared at the tableau behind her. Gawain stood gaping, his sword lodged deep in his own aunt. It was Alsneta who had pushed her out of the way.
Gawain stood frozen for a moment, then seemed to regain himself. He pulled the sword from Alsneta, watched her slip to the ground, then turned again on Willa.
