“Fear not, my lady,” he called, then turned the destrier and returned to camp.
The drums continued, and the sun sank below the horizon in that moment, as if to punctuate Amaury’s promise. The bonfire blazed brightly against the shadows, an orange orb against the night.
“How much will he risk for you?” Faydide sneered. “Naught at all, I wager. He desires Marnis, no more and no less. He will have neither the holding nor his wife.” She leaned closer to leer at Isabella. “And I can tell you which one he will regret more.”
She seized Isabella by the shoulder then and hauled her toward the stairs so hard that Isabella stumbled and fell to her knees. Realizing how she could obstruct her step-mother, she let herself go limp, as if she had fainted again. Faydide tugged at her with rising frustration, then kicked her hard and shouted for Mallory.
Isabella wondered what this night would bring, hoping that she was yet alive and hale when Amaury charged the gates.
She could only pray that he did not risk all for naught.
CHAPTER 18
Roland had never seen his older brother so resolute or quiet.
Amaury had always been a competent fighter and one who readily accomplished his objectives, but it was his gift to make any feat appear simple. There was always a twinkle in his eyes and a charming ease to his manner, one that might have led another to believe that he was less responsible than he was.
Not so on this night. The brothers moved in silence and stealth, circling around Château Marnis to the side furthest from their camp. On this side, there was the dark stillness of the moat against the keep’s walls and very few lights. Unoccupied land stretched into the distance, hilly and so heavily forested that few lived there.
Roland had thought their quest was one of reconnaissance, though when his brother shed his dark cloak, it was clear that Amaury wore no hauberk. His tunic was deep red, the red of Marnis, and it was only then that Roland guessed his true objective.
Amaury was assessing the distance to the summit of the lowest wall, and eying the few darkened windows high above. Heunwound the rope that he had wrapped over his shoulder, with a grappling hook secured to one end.
“I will come with you,” Roland said, but Amaury shook his head. They conferred very quietly, so quietly that no one could have overheard them.
“In this moment, you are the heir to Montvieux,” Amaury reminded him. “You will defend the future by remaining out of peril.”
“But…”
“And I am yet the Lord de Montvieux, and thus you will follow my instruction.” Amaury granted his brother a look so fierce that Roland’s protests were silenced. “I intended to make you Captain of the Guard, but in my absence, you will be lord yourself. If and when Sebastian returns, a responsibility will do much good for him. He may make a good Captain of the Guard in your stead.”
Roland frowned at the ground. He did not want to even think of Montvieux without Amaury.
Amaury continued. “The Count has four fine daughters and an alliance between our houses would be welcome. I intended to speak to him about a match between you and one of those daughters, but in my absence, you will have to initiate that discussion. I believe you will find him amenable, and his daughters, as well. Go there for a week and choose wisely.”
“As you have done?”
“As I have done,” Amaury agreed, acknowledging no accusation. “Though not through any scheme of my own, it must be said. I have been fortunate. You should contrive your own luck.”
Fortunate? Roland could not believe that Isabella had brought his brother aught but strife, but Amaury continued quietly.
“I also intend to award Philip with his spurs at Easter. I ask you to see that done in my stead. You might train with him more over the winter as he has not engaged in as much hand-to-hand combat as would be ideal. And when the masons arrive, confer with Oswald about the plans for the construction. He has been the one most like to discuss the possibilities with me. You can always rely upon the advice of Stefan, the miller. He is a most sensible man, and one with a long memory of village events and precedents. You know where the seals and the treasury are hidden.” This last was accompanied by a piercing glance.
Roland nodded.
Amaury weighed the hook, then stepped back to spin it and cast it upward.
It caught on the edge of the wall on the first attempt. Of course, it did. All aligned with Amaury’s desires and vexed his own. Roland felt his lips thin.
Amaury tugged the rope to test it and nodded satisfaction. Then he turned to offer his hand to Roland.
“You say farewell, but you will return,” Roland said, hearing the fear in his voice. “You must!”
Amaury shook his head. “My lady says I will not leave this place alive if I pursue her, and in matters of Marnis, she is invariably right.”
Roland’s throat tightened. “Do not do this, Amaury,” he entreated. “She bade you not to do this.”
“And yet, there is no choice. I cannot abandon her.”