“Shall we set up the chessboard?” Margaretha smiled cheerfully.
While Anne spoke with Lord Claybrook, Margaretha tried not to look nervous, but her eyes seemed to dart without her consent to the doorway, and her hands shook slightly as she clumsily set up the chess pieces. At the same time, she found it extremely difficult to look Lord Claybrook in the eye without shuddering. She could only hope he didn’t notice.
Anne played the first game with Lord Claybrook. She took a lot of time in selecting her moves, but she still lost to Lord Claybrook fairly quickly. She complimented him in his great wisdom and skill. As they were setting up the game again for Margaretha to play with Lord Claybrook, the guard by the door seemed to be watching someone in the corridor, then slipped out. A few minutes later, a loud scuffle, along with shouts of “Halt!” and “I have you!” and “Cease or you die!” came from the vicinity of the library and corridor.
Margaretha tried not to show understanding. Instead she tried to appear shocked and confused. Meanwhile, Lord Claybrook’s face went hard as he stood and strode to the door. He stopped abruptly and turned back to stare at Margaretha.
She tried to imitate Anne’s blank but curious expression. “Who is that? What is happening?” Anne asked innocently.
Margaretha shook her head. “I don’t know.” Her voice sounded breathless.
Another of Lord Claybrook’s guards ran past the open doorway. There was scuffling. Claybrook disappeared through the door. A few moments went by and he reappeared, his face red.
Behind him, Colin stumbled forward as a guard shoved him. He met Margaretha’s eye for the briefest moment, then looked down at the floor. The guard held his hands behind his back.
Lord Claybrook ground out between clenched teeth, “Do you know this man?”
Margaretha’s breath seemed to leave her entirely. She concentrated on breathing and shrugged. “A stable boy?”
“What was he doing in the library, meeting with one of your father’s guards?”
“I do not know, and I am astonished at your using that tone of voice with me. What is the meaning of this? You only need to send for the stable master and he will come directly and take this man back to his duties and punish him, if suitable.”
“I have a better idea.” Lord Claybrook turned to Colin. “Why don’t we ask him?”
Claybrook slammed his fist across Colin’s face. Margaretha cried out, then pressed her hand over her mouth to silence herself.
Bright red blood oozed from Colin’s lip as he glared at Claybrook.
“You’ll be sorry,” Colin growled in English.
Claybrook laughed, then clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Not before you are sorry.” He also spoke in English as he stepped forward menacingly. His guard still held Colin’s hands behind his back as Claybrook stood nose to nose with Colin. “What does Lady Margaretha know? If you told her anything you shouldn’t have, then I may have to kill her.”
Margaretha pretended not to understand their English, even as she trembled at Claybrook’s words.
Colin tried to focus his thoughts in spite of his blurred vision and ringing ears. “The lady knows nothing. I’m just a raving lunatic to everyone in Hagenheim. No one here speaks English.” He could only hope Lady Margaretha would pretend not to understand them.
“If everyone believes you a lunatic, why did the duke’s guard come into the library to speak to you?”
“I don’t know what he was doing in the library. He couldn’t have been coming to speak to me. I don’t speak German.” Colin licked his lip and tasted blood.
“I thought I killed you already. Why didn’t you die?” Claybrook stared at him. Then he motioned to his two guards. “Take him into the woods and kill him. And make sure he’s dead this time. I don’t want to have to deal with him again.”
The guard began dragging him, wrenching his shoulders.
“Wait!” Lady Margaretha’s voice was shrill. “What will you do to him?”
Claybrook turned his attention on Margaretha.
Without divine intervention, Colin would soon die, and if Margaretha wasn’t careful, Claybrook would kill her too.
Claybrook smiled like the serpent he was. “Do not worry, Lady Margaretha. My guards will take him back to his stable master.”
Lady Margaretha looked panic-stricken. Would she give away the fact that she did know who he was and that she did speak English? That she knew Claybrook was lying and was sending Colin to be killed?
“If he was in the library, then — then he should be punished. No stable boy should be lurking in the library. Obviously he was up to something wicked. You — you must throw him in the dungeon. Yes, right away. Throw him in the dungeon until my father returns home. He will be able to decide a proper punishment for him.”
Claybrook narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps you are right.”