Now he was bringing the wife and child into the conversation again. She was starting to grow irritated.
“I do not care for your wife or daughter,” she snapped. “They are my enemy, as are you. Stop asking me for favors which are not mine to give. You wielded a sword against my countrymen and now you are our prisoner. Accept your fate as an honorable man would and stop trying to play upon my sympathies.”
So, she knew what he was up to. Kristoph could see that he’d offended her. Even so, it was a chance he’d had to take. He was coming to realize that, in all likelihood, he would never again see his wife or daughter and he began to feel sick inside. God help him, his life was in the hands of people whose king had just been killed by his comrades. He’d been part of the murder.
He knew that Death was coming for him, too.
“If I have offended you, then I am sorry,” he said quietly, sincerely. “And for protecting me against your soldiers… you have my deepest gratitude. I realize you have risked yourself for me and I am most appreciative.”
Somewhere off in the darkness, the could hear men’s voices. At first, the discussion was quiet for the most part but it soon began to grow in intensity. Moreover, the voices were growing closer as men with torches were now moving through the trees. It didn’t take a skilled eye to know that they were heading in their direction.
Ghislaine could see the torches moving through the darkness, growing brighter and brighter, and a sense of foreboding filled her. She knew that Alary’s departure had been temporary but what she hadn’t counted on was that he would return so soon. She was hoping he would at least stay away until morning. She turned to Kristoph.
“Remember what I told you,” she said. “Answer their questions or they will not hesitate to kill you. Do not try to be clever and do not lie; tell them what they need to know and you may yet live through this.”
Kristoph was watching the torches grow closer, too. He was certain that he was watching the beginning of his end and it was difficult to suppress his knightly instincts. These men were his sworn enemy and fighting against them was as natural as breathing. But that same thought came the realization that he was in no condition to fight off a mob. He had no weapons and, from the pain in his chest and shoulder area, he was certain he’d broken a rib or two. While there was still time, he turned to Ghislaine.
“My name is Kristoph de Lohr,” he said, his voice low. “My home is in Brittany, south of Rennes in a village called Lohréac. I serve Gaetan de Wolfe. I do not ask you to risk yourself any more than you have already. But if something happens to me, I want someone to know of my ending. You are a brave and gallant lady, and I shall never forget your kindness to me. Mayhap someday, you will send Gaetan a missive and tell him what became of me so that he can tell my wife. I hope that you will tell him that I met my end bravely, for that is what I intend to do.”
Ghislaine could see the steely resolve in his eyes, even in the darkness. He wasn’t afraid of what was coming, not in the least. In spite of her resistance to him, that resolve greatly impressed her. Not only were Normans capable of mercy, but they were capable of great courage as well.
As the mob with torches grew closer, Ghislaine began to regret that she hadn’t let de Lohr run as he’d asked. Perhaps he could have gotten away; perhaps not. Now, they would never know, for as the mob came into view through the weak moonlight, she could see Alary at the head of it.
That could only mean trouble.
Now, that brave Norman knight would never see his black-haired wife again or the daughter with the pretty blue eyes. He would soon be dead all because Ghislaine hadn’t shown enough mercy to spare his life. Now, she was starting to question every decision she’d made until this point where it pertained to de Lohr. A man’s life had been in her hands and she’d failed him.
She’d failed her sense of mercy.
“I see the prisoner is well enough to sit up,” Alary said as he came upon them, flanked by many men. “That is good. We will make use of him.”
Before Ghislaine could ask what that meant, Alary snapped his fingers to his men and they swarmed on Kristoph, throwing him back to the ground and using hemp rope to bind his arms and legs. From what Ghislaine could see, he wasn’t struggling but they were being very rough with him. When she leapt to her feet to try and protect him, Alary intervened and pulled her away, restraining her while his men trussed up de Lohr and carried him off into the darkness.
“Wait!” Ghislaine demanded. “Where are you taking him? I told you that he was more valuable alive! What are you doing?”
Alary still had hold of his fairly strong sister. “I am not going to kill him,” he assured her. “At least, not yet. You were correct when you said he will be valuable to our cause. I am going to see just how much the man knows of the Normans and their plans for our country.”
Ghislaine tried to follow the men who were carrying Kristoph away but Alary had a grip on her. “An abused man will be a burden,” she said, finally yanking herself out of her brother’s grasp. “If you hurt him, he will be of no use at all.”
Alary cocked an eyebrow at his sister. “Watch your manner of loyalty, little sister,” he said, a hint of threat in his tone. “If one did not know better, one might suspect you to have sided with the Normans. Is that why they were able to defeat us? Because they had information on our weaknesses from someone who knew of our movements?”
Ghislaine’s blood ran cold and she yanked her wrist from her brother’s grasp, bringing up the other hand to strike him squarely across the face. But Alary was fast and he was able to block her strike, but just barely. She managed to scratch his chin. Ghislaine glared at him.
“I will never hear such an insinuation come from your mouth again,” she hissed. “I no more contributed to the Norman victory than you did. But in my case, at least I tried to prevent it while you remained at the rear of the army, letting your men go forth to do the fighting in your stead.”
As he insulted her, she insulted him even deeper. Alary’s jaw hardened as he faced off against her.
“I will pretend I did not hear you say that,” he said. “Watch yourself, little sister. Your protection of the Norman knight does not please anyone here. Word may get back to Edwin.”
“As word of your lack of action may get back to him as well. Do not threaten me, Alary. You cannot best me.”