“Wait! You must wait!”
Rose. She was pushing her way through the crowd, her chestnut hair glowing in the morning sun. Hildy followed as the press of people parted to allow them to get through.
Rose reached the front of the crowd, two feet from the platform. She turned and let Hildy pass. Even from across the square he saw the determination on Rose’s face. Hildy was deathly pale, and she swayed on her feet. O God, don’t let her faint now. Gunther might be dead by the time she came to.
“If it please you, sir, may I speak?” The crowd was so quiet, Hildy’s soft voice carried even to Wilhelm.
Gunther lifted his head. A pained look of love infused his features, as though he had both dreaded and expected this moment.
“What is it, maiden?” The bailiff stared down at her from the platform, curiosity as well as a bit of annoyance in his tone.
She raised her voice, as though her courage had returned. “I wish to invoke the ordinance of redemption—to wed the accused to save his life.”
Murmurs erupted from the spectators.
Confusion creased Gunther’s face as a look of surprise crossed the middle-aged bailiff’s. He wrinkled his forehead and cleared his throat, either waiting for the crowd to quiet down or trying to figure out what to say.
“The ordinance of redemption? No one has spoken of that ordinance in years. I’m not certain…that is, perhaps we should consult His Grace, the duke—”
“That won’t be necessary.” Wilhelm tapped Shadow with his heels to start him forward. Wilhelm stared straight at Bailiff Eckehart as the crowd parted.
The bailiff’s jaw went slack, as though he was relieved to see him.
Wilhelm avoided looking at either Gunther or Hildy. He was careful not to look at Rose, either. “Bailiff Eckehart, you are familiar with the ordinance of redemption, are you not?”
“Yes, my lord. I have never seen it invoked. That is…yes, my lord.”
“The law states that any unmarried woman of marriageable age may invoke the ordinance to save a condemned man. Please proceed.” Wilhelm gave the man an intense stare.
“Yes, my lord.” The bailiff reached out his hand to Hildy. “Come here where everyone can see you.”
Hildy took his hand and climbed the steps. Her eyes were fixed on Gunther’s. For the first time, the hopelessness left his face.
Bailiff Eckehart asked, “What is your name?”
“Hildegund, daughter of Hezilo the chandler, now deceased.”
“Very well. Do you now, of your own free will, offer yourself in marriage to redeem this man, Gunther Schoff?”
“I do.” Hildy’s eyes glistened with tears.
The bailiff turned to Gunther. “Do you, Gunther Schoff, accept Hildegund, daughter of Hezilo, as your wife?”
“With all my heart.”
Bailiff Eckehart lifted the noose from Gunther’s neck. Next, he pulled a dagger from his belt and sawed at the thick rope around Gunther’s hands until they broke free. Then he did the same at his feet. He straightened to his full height and sheathed his knife.
Facing Gunther, he said, “I charge you now to take this maiden to the priest forthwith and make her your wife.”
Several cheers erupted from the crowd.
Wilhelm let out a pent-up breath. Thank God he had remembered the old ordinance, put into place centuries before. If he had not, how different this scene would have been. Instead of watching Gunther sweep Hildy up in his arms and kiss her—much to the delight and enthusiasm of the crowd—Gunther would be strangling to death.
He finally stole a glance at Rose. Joy radiated from her face, her eyes seemingly as wide as her smile. His heart raced and he had to swallow the lump that was caught in his throat. She waved to him, and her eyes shone with tears just before the crowd closed around her and blocked her from his view.
Thank you, God, for getting me here in time. How close he had come to being too late. But he had made it, and Gunther was safe. Thank you, God.
The joy of making Rose happy, of saving Gunther, of saving Rose’s friend Hildy from heartbreak and pain, welled up inside him. He turned away from the crowd as they talked over the event in astonished tones.