Kenneth passed a glance at Toby, who was now rising from the bench. Tate caught the implication and turned to his wife.
“Where are you off to now, sweetheart?” he asked casually.
Toby stepped over the bench and smoothed out her surcoat. “The store room,” she said. “I need to see the state of our stores. I am sending Althel and his servants to the living chambers above to start cleaning out those rooms. Everything needs to be scrubbed.”
“Aye, General.”
She smirked at him and he kissed her on the forehead, sending her along her way. He watched her luscious figure as she went to the corner of the hall where the door was cut into the floor. She lifted the hatch and carefully disappeared down the ladder. When she was out of sight, Tate looked at Kenneth again.
“What in the hell is going on?” he asked in a low voice.
Kenneth lifted an eyebrow. “Our spies have located de Roche’s army, camped about six miles to the south.”
“And?”
“And they are entrenched into the site. They have even built temporary structures. Our spies seem to think that they are waiting for something.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he meant. Tate cocked an eyebrow. “Reinforcements?”
Kenneth nodded. “Mortimer’s army from Wigmore Castle, perhaps? It would be the most logical assumption. That is where he keeps the bulk of his army.”
Tate’s mind shuffled through all of the possibilities. As he turned back towards the fire, pensively, Stephen entered the keep and joined the huddle. Kenneth told Stephen what he had just told Tate and the two knights watched their liege closely for his reaction.
“If that is the case and they are truly waiting for reinforcements, then that puts us in a precarious position,” Tate finally muttered. “Warkworth remains but I would suspect Mortimer would bring twice their numbers. Harbottle is marginally repaired but I do not believe it can withstand an onslaught from a thousand men, which means we either dig in or we flee.” He turned to look at his men. “If Alnwick has not arrived by now, I suspect that they are not coming. Something must have happened to the messenger.”
Stephen and Kenneth did not disagree. “What would you propose?” Kenneth asked.
Tate pursed his lips thoughtfully and began to pace. “We need to face the fact that Mortimer has located Edward,” he said. “We no longer have the luxury of traveling incognito. With this threat upon us, we need to make it to a larger fortress that can handle such an assault. Harbottle is not strong enough at the moment.”
“Where do we go?” Stephen asked.
“Alnwick. It is the closest and largest.”
“When?” Stephen asked again.
“Now,” Tate told them. “We will waste no more time here. And we take Warkworth’s army with us for escort. Ken, you organize the wagons, supplies, weapons, and get Harbottle’s army prepared to move out by dusk. Stephen, you have a plethora of wounded that you must mobilize. I suggest you decide your immediate course of action and get to it. I will deal directly with Warkworth and tell them our plans. By nightfall, this place will be empty.”
The knights were on the move, a strong sense of urgency filling them. Tate went to the last place he saw his wife, preparing to tell her as gently as he could that their trip to Cartingdon was not to take place. He was dreading her reaction but it could not be helped. He could hear her voice as he descended the ladder into the storage basement.
It was dark and dank, smelling of dirt. Two torches burned against the south wall, sending black soot to the ceiling. Tate spied Toby standing several feet away, speaking with young Edward. The lad had apparently gone into the basement when Tate had chased him out of the hall and now stood with a large piece of cheese in his hand, his cheeks full to bursting. He looked like a chipmunk. Tate cocked an eyebrow as he walked upon the two, his gaze on the fat-cheeked youth.
“You are going to choke if you keep eating as you do,” he told him.
Edward’s answer was to take another bite. He grinned at Toby, who grinned back. Tate rolled his eyes.
“Enough foolery,” he snapped without force. “Edward, go into the hall and wait for me. I have something very important to speak to you about. Do not wander away; I will be up in a few minutes.”
Edward’s brow furrowed. “You keep chasing me from room to room.”
“And I shall be kicking you from room to room if you do not do as I say.”
Edward made a face but dutifully did as he was told, grumbling all the way. When he was gone, Tate looked to Toby.
“Now,” he said softly, “I must speak to you.”
He looked serious and she grew concerned. “What is it?”
He sighed, trying to put it as delicately as possible. “It appears as if our situation has gone from bad to worse. We think that a massive siege may be imminent and I have orderedKenneth and Stephen to prepare to move out. We are leaving for a more fortified haven.”