Knave's Honour

“He may be a terrible man, but he is the king,” she replied, “and rebellion will only lead to more death and destruction.”

“You’ll get no argument from me there, my lady,” he said. “It’s always the poor who suffer most when the nobles go to war.”

Lady Elizabeth suddenly came to a dead halt and turned to him with the fire of resolve in her lovely eyes. “I’m not going to that convent. I’m going to help you get into Lord Wimarc’s castle.”

She couldn’t be serious—or else she didn’t appreciate the danger there.

“No, you’re not,” he replied with equal conviction, while her maid turned as white as washed fleece and Garreth’s mouth fell open. “I’m not going to let—”

“I’m not asking your permission,” the lady interrupted. “To protect my family and prevent war, I’ve got to find out what Wimarc’s up to. I’ll need some proof of his plans, too. He must have powerful allies if he thinks he can overthrow the king, so my word may not be enough to convict him or even have him arrested.”

She fixed Finn with her steadfast gaze. “You need to get into Wimarc’s castle to rescue your brother. Together, we can do both.”

He felt a surge of hope, until reality intruded. “Just like that, eh, my lady? We’ll just walk up to the gates and ask to be allowed to pass? You’ll demand to know what Wimarc’s planning, and I’ll go to the dungeon and order my brother freed. Then we’ll all saunter out the gates as easy as you please.”

Lizette drew herself up, not the least dissuaded by his mockery. “We won’t walk up to the gates. We’ll ride—if you can steal some horses. I hardly think Lord Gilbert and his wife would arrive on foot.”

As Finn stared at her, she continued, clearly growing more enamored of her harebrained notion. “Gilbert’s wife said they haven’t actually met Wimarc, so he doesn’t know what they look like. I know enough about Gilbert and Helewyse that we should be able to fool him.”

“It’s still daft and far too dangerous,” Finn declared. “Even if we could fool Wimarc, what about Gilbert’s escort? They’ll likely notice the difference.”

“Aye,” Garreth reluctantly agreed. “If it was just you and Finn—”

“Oh, my lady, you mustn’t! You’ll be killed!” Keldra wailed.

“You’ve no better plan, have you?” the lady countered, ignoring both Garreth and her maid. “As for their escort.”

She fell silent and as she puzzled over that problem and her plan, Finn was sure she would reconsider—until her eyes lit up like a torch bursting to life in the dark.

“You and Garreth can pretend to be a new escort sent from Wimarc. Tell Gilbert Wimarc doesn’t like any soldiers but his own on his estate. He should send his men home.”

“As if Gilbert would believe that!”

“If he’s on Wimarc’s land, why would he need his own soldiers? And we could say that Wimarc’s a suspicious fellow who doesn’t like unknown soldiers in his fortress. That would make sense, wouldn’t it?”

Finn blinked, amazed at the rapidity with which her mind worked, and the way she dealt with his rational objections … a way that just might be viable.

A nobleman and his wife. Without an escort … They could claim they’d been set upon by thieves and their escort … fled. The louts. He’d deal with them when he got home!

“If you aren’t willing to take the chance,” she said, interrupting his ruminations, her expression fiercely determined, “I shall find a way inside that castle by myself. No doubt Wimarc would welcome a pretty serving wench.”

“Aye, he would,” Finn retorted, horrified by that suggestion. “And when he’s done with you, he’ll pass you around to his men.”

Her gaze faltered for a moment, but then that stubborn, determined gleam returned to her beautiful eyes. “With or without your help, I must do whatever I can to find evidence of Wimarc’s treachery. My family’s safety, and the welfare of the entire kingdom, could depend upon it. And would you let your brother die in that man’s dungeon although I offer you a way to prevent it?”

“Oh, my lady, you mustn’t try such a thing!” Keldra pleaded, her hands clasped like a supplicant before a shrine. “It’s too dangerous! You could be killed! And what would your sisters say if you were?”

“I would hope they would be proud of me,” she answered without hesitation, and with the merest hint of wistfulness that suggested she didn’t believe her family had much cause to be proud of her now.

He understood how painful wounded pride could be; he’d had his own pride injured many times by the taunts of village children when he was a boy. He knew how much a person would want to heal those wounds by proving himself. He’d done that every time he tricked someone into believing he was a nobleman, and never more than when he was at the king’s court.

Why else had Ryder picked those fights, except to assuage his wounded pride?

So she must prove her worth by exposing Wimarc for an evil, plotting traitor. Yet her need would be putting her in danger … although her rank would surely offer her some protection, whereas if he were caught …

“Finn, we could do it,” she persisted. “I know you can act the noble. I’ve seen you do it, and I can tell you things about Gilbert to avert any suspicion. As for playing the man’s wife, it won’t be very difficult. I am a lady, and this marriage is recent, so any ignorance or awkwardness between us can be easily explained—and most important of all, Wimarc has never met them.”

“That isn’t the only problem,” Finn said, still hesitant to put her life at risk. “It may take time to find out where Ryder is as well as get the evidence of Wimarc’s treachery. We’d have to keep Lord Gilbert and his wife imprisoned all that time, which would be risky—or kill them,” Finn concluded, loath to murder. He was a thief, not a cold-blooded killer.

“I know where we could keep ‘em,” Garreth eagerly offered. “That deserted charcoal burner’s hut we stayed in a few days ago. It’s in a lonely spot and nobody’s likely to come near it.”

“Yes, we can keep them imprisoned until we’ve succeeded,” the lady agreed with obvious relief, if no appreciation for the additional risks that would entail.

“And if they escape?”

“They must be watched.”

Finn’s gaze instinctively went to Garreth, who frowned and shook his tousled head. “Not me! You need me, Finn. How can you rescue Ryder and get out of there without me?”

“We were never going to be able to fight our way out,” he replied, which was true. That had been one of the reasons he’d not been able to come up with a plan of rescue. “Who else can I trust with such a responsibility? All will be lost if Gilbert or his lady escapes and reveals us to Wimarc. It’s you or no one, Garreth.”

The young man reluctantly nodded.

“Keldra can help guard them, too,” Lizette suggested.

Finn didn’t disagree. If they did attempt this, it would be best to keep the girl away from Wimarc, and not just because of Wimarc’s reputation. Finn was unfortunately sure Keldra would betray the ruse by a slip of the tongue or other mistake.

“I don’t need some sniveling girl’s help,” Garreth protested, a mountain of scorn in the word girl.

Keldra ignored him and looked beseechingly at Lizette. “You’ll need me, my lady. A lady always has a maid. Who will dress your hair? Who will help you with your clothes?”

“I daresay Wimarc will have women servants who can do such things,” Lizette replied. “Besides, Garreth can’t watch Lord Gilbert and his wife all by himself. He’ll have to sleep sometimes. And then there’s Lady Helewyse. She’ll suffer with no maidservant to help her.”

Lizette put her hands on the girl’s shoulders and regarded her with confidence and respect, as if they were equals. “Keldra, I need you to do this for me, and for Adelaide and Gillian, too.”

The girl’s shoulders slumped, but she nodded her agreement nonetheless. “Yes, my lady, for your sake and your sisters’, I’ll do what you ask, even to putting up with that stupid boy.”

“Boy? I’m not a boy, you … you girl! Finn, tell her I’m in charge!”

It seemed the plan had been agreed upon, with or without his consent. Yet what plan had he come up with since Ryder had been captured that had any less risk, or more chance of success?

It was this, or … what?

He walked over to the maidservant and gave her a companionable smile. It was troubling to think of their fate in the hands of these bickering young people, but if they were to have any chance at all, they had no choice.

“Keldra,” he said, “it’ll be an ease to my mind if you stay with Garreth. As Lady Elizabeth says, he can’t keep watch all the time. He must sleep.

“However,” he grimly continued, “in any battle, there must be a general, and in this case, it has to be Garreth. He’s been through tricky situations before, so if trouble comes, I ask that you defer to him.”