“Of course, darling. But first . . .” Mother was the picture of calm as she laid her embroidery across her lap and smiled up at Margaretha. “Lord Claybrook asked if you would go riding with him this morning. He said he would wait for you in the Great Hall. I told him you would be awake soon.” Her face clouded. “What is amiss? You look pale.”
“Mother.” Lady Margaretha took her hand and knelt before her. “I have discovered something about Lord Claybrook.”
She was speaking quietly, and Gisela moved closer to listen. How she hated to frighten them all, especially when Gisela was so near her time. Even Kirstyn and Adela turned their attention to Margaretha as she went on. “He is not the man he pretends to be.”
“He’s not Lord Claybrook?”
“He is Lord Claybrook, but he isn’t the harmless person he would want us to believe him to be. He intends to use his men to attack Hagenheim.”
Her mother drew back slightly while her sisters gasped. “How do you know this?”
“I overheard him telling the captain of his guard. They were making plans to attack while Father is away. He will pretend his uncle, the Earl of Keiterhafen, is attacking us, but it was his plan all the time. And I never would have known if not for this man.” She turned and looked at Colin. “He is from England, from the same region as Lord Claybrook, and he knows of Claybrook’s treachery there, where he actually murdered a young lady. He came here to warn us. He warned me, but I didn’t believe him at first.”
Mother’s eyes were round and her face had turned pale. “Are you sure?”
“Mother, I heard Lord Claybrook with my own ears. He is plotting to take over Hagenheim. Believe me when I say that we are not safe. Our family must flee, and we must send word to Father and Valten about the danger. It is Lord Claybrook’s plan to kill them both.”
Gisela stood. Adela began to cry, and Kirstyn rasped, “That can’t be true. What kind of person would do such a thing?”
Colin stepped forward and said in English, “We need a plan, and we must not let Claybrook know we are suspicious of him.”
“What is he saying?” Her mother rose from her seat, her embroidery falling to the floor.
“He doesn’t speak much German, Mother. He says we need a plan and we must not let Claybrook know we know his plans.”
Colin kept speaking and Margaretha translated his words to her mother, Gisela, and her sisters. “We must get the family out of the castle, but quietly, so Lord Claybrook does not become suspicious. We must alert the guards who are still here at the castle and in Hagenheim, and we must send a message to Father and Valten alerting them of the danger.”
“We can go to the house beside the river,” Gisela said with a grim set to her mouth, “where Valten and I stayed for a few days after our wedding. It’s in the forest. I doubt Lord Claybrook or his uncle even know it exists.”
“Yes, that is a good idea,” Mother agreed.
Margaretha translated their conversation to Colin, who said, “But they must not all leave the castle at once. It will attract too much attention.”
Margaretha translated his words to Mother and Gisela.
“I am assuming it is far enough away that they will need horses?” Colin asked.
“Yes.”
Looking grim but determined, Colin went on. “They should go in two groups, an hour apart. If they are asked where they are going, one group will say they are going on a picnic by the stream. The other group will say they are going for a ride, or to visit . . . someone, and will return in a few hours. Make up a likely story. By nightfall Claybrook will probably realize they have escaped him, but by then it will be too late.”
Mother and Gisela agreed, while Kirstyn tried to comfort and reassure Adela.
“In the meantime,” Colin went on, “you and I will alert your father’s guards to what Claybrook is planning, and find one of them to take a message to your father. But we must be careful.” Colin pinned her with his blue eyes. “Some of the duke’s guards may not be loyal to your father anymore. Claybrook may have bribed them or otherwise won them over to his side.”
Margaretha nodded. She was surprised she felt no fear, only excited energy surging through her. It was good to have a plan of action, and Colin seemed to know what to do.
When they were ready, Margaretha embraced first Gisela, then Kirstyn and Adela, kissing their cheeks. Her mother hugged her, then looked into her eyes. “I will be praying for you. You will not be afraid, but you will do whatever you have to do to stay safe.” Her look was fierce, even with tears in her eyes.
“I love you, Mother. God will keep us safe.”
She and Colin hurried away down the stairs.
Chapter
12
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lord Claybrook entered the Great Hall only a few feet in front of them. She shrank back, instinctively throwing her arm back as though to hide Colin, who flattened himself against the stone wall. Lord Claybrook walked confidently through the doorway, never glancing in their direction.