Bertram moved towards her, his arms outstretched. “Derica, my love, you must….”
She slapped her father’s hand away; it was sharp movement that strained her bad arm and she winced as pain shot through her.
“Answer me. Where is Sir Garren? Why is he in here?”
Bertram glanced at his brothers, undeterred from putting his arm around his daughter. She pushed against him, but he was insistent.
“Derica, you needn’t worry about Sir Garren any longer. There will be no forced marriage and you will be free to marry a man worthy of you. I am so sorry you had to….”
Derica pulled away from him sharply, looking at her father as if he had gone mad. “No marriage? What are you talking about?” Her father tried to hold her again and, this time, she roughly slapped his hand away. “If you do not tell me what is going on here, I shall pummel each and every one of you until I have my answers.”
Alger tried to comfort her. “Derica, you’re ill and distraught. ’Twould be better if you retired to your chamber and allowed us to do what needs to be done.”
Derica could see that she would receive no answers. With a growl of frustration, she pushed past her father and uncle and moved towards the cells. Her brothers tried to stop her and she fought with them, too; it seemed that no one wanted to answer her or help her find Garren. Even rational, gentle Daniel wouldn’t help her. When she finally pushed past Donat after threatening to restructure his nose, she caught a glimpse of a large body chained to the wall of one of the cells.
It was Garren. He looked as if he had been thrashed within an inch of his life, blood on his face and matted in his hair. His arms were bruised and bloodied, and the iron cuffs that held him to the wall had chaffed huge red welts around his wrists.
Derica suddenly felt very ill and weak. Bertram didn’t try to stop her as she entered the cell.
“Dear God,” she whispered as she surveyed Garren’s wounds. “What have they done to you?”
Garren hated for her see him like this. She appeared weary and exhausted, and he knew she shouldn’t be here. Nasty dealings were afoot and he didn’t want her bearing witness. But he was glad to see her nonetheless.
“It took several of them to capture me,” he was trying to lighten the grim situation. “Your father, uncles, brothers, and a few soldiers for good measure. One moment I was in the stables, and in the next I was being set upon. Without you there to protect me, the alligators snared the ibis.”
Derica could not give into his attempt at humor. “But why? I do not understand.”
Before Garren could reply, Bertram answered. “He is a spy, Derica,” her father said quietly. “You must not interfere in what needs to be done.”
Confusion flickered across Derica’s face. “Spy?” she repeated. Her focus remained on Garren. “What are they saying about you?”
Garren took a long, deep breath. “They believe I mean to destroy them.”
“Destroy?” Derica mouthed the word as if she had never heard it before. “Why in the world would they think this?”
Garren shook his head. “I was not given the courtesy of being told their reasons. They seem more intent on beating a confession out of me.”
Derica’s confusion faded and her fury returned, worse than before. She whirled to her father. “You’re mad,” she hissed. “I have known you to be suspicious and belligerent, but this accusation against Sir Garren is pure madness.”
Bertram remained calm. “We know this for truth, daughter.”
“From whom?”
“A reliable source. Suffice it to say that….”
“Who told you this?”
“It does not matter. What matters is that I trust this word.” He nodded towards Garren. “Your intended is sent from William Marshal to spy against us. He comes to destroy everything we have, including you.”
“That is not true,” Derica turned back to Garren. “What insanity would cause them to say this against you? Tell them they are lunatics!”
“I am not here to destroy you,” Garren said softly. “When I came through the gates of Framlingham five days ago, my only intention was to gain wealth and status through marriage. Now my only intention is to marry you, wealth or no. You are the only wealth I will ever want.”
Tears filled her eyes. She reached up with her good arm, touching his battered face, feeling his lips against her fingers. Anger such as she had never known filled her.
“Release him, father.”
“I cannot. He must be punished.”