Nicola, Janet, and Hermenia began yanking pieces of clothing off the boy– the inadequate gloves, his shoes, a stiff wool coat, and a wrap around his head. It all came off, all frozen and wet, and Janet laid it on the hot floor in front of the hearth. Nicola shoved the lad upon his stool closer to the blaze and he, as well as his clothing, steamed as the warmth began to saturate through the wet and ice.
“Hux?” Nicola asked again, helping the lad drink the hot wine because he was having difficulty holding on to the cup. “What happened? How did you get back into the compound? Did the soldiers see you?”
The young man who had seen sixteen hard years shook his head. “They did not see me, m’lady,” he assured her, teeth chattering. “I came up by way of the river and into the postern gate. Hermenia saw me first, through the gate, and chased the soldiers away so she could open it.”
Nicola was glad the boy hadn’t been caught entering by Kenton’s eagle-eyed soldiers. “De Birmingham has men all over the walls,” she muttered, thinking on the soldiers she had seen from her chamber window. “It is truly a miracle that you were not seen by them when you left the first time and now when you have returned. God must be on our side.”
As the serving women nodded, Hux’s pinched face grew very serious. “Where is le Bec, my lady?”
Nicola held the boys trembling hands, keeping them wrapped around the warm cup. “He left more than a week ago,” she said. “He left for Rochdale and Manchester. I do not know what has happened, exactly, because I’ve not asked, but I heard that he took Rochdale with ease. He must be at Manchester by now.”
“Then he is not here, my lady?”
“Nay.”
The young man coughed and choked down another swallow of warm wine. “How many men and knights are here?”
Nicola was somewhat puzzled by the question. “Only one knight was left behind,” she said. “Conor de Birmingham. There are mayhap two hundred men. Not very many at all. Le Bec took almost all of his men with him.”
“And how many men do we have that are loyal to you and to Lord Gaylord?”
Nicola was increasingly puzzled by the questions. “As many as were here when le Bec took over the castle,” she said. “Two of my husband’s knights, the old pair, and thirty-seven men. That is all we had. Hux, why do you ask so many questions? What has happened?”
The young man took another long drink of wine, slurping it now that he was getting some feeling back into his lips. “Brome St. John of Conisbrough Castle sent me back to you with a message,” he said. “He says to tell you that he is taking mento engage Kenton le Bec but that he needs your help to regain Babylon for Edward. There are men from Conisbrough waiting in the woods to the south and they want to enter the castle. They want to take it back.”
Nicola looked at him, both surprised and fearful by the information. “What do they want me to do?”
“Let them in, my lady.”
Nicola rocked back on her heels, absorbing the request. She was being asked to open the gates to Conisbrough’s garrison, to admit men that were loyal to Edward. They wanted to take the castle back, to restore it to its rightful self. Wasn’t that what she wanted, too? To restore Babylon to Tab, as the rightful lord of Babylon? Kenton le Bec was a usurper, a common thief for stealing what did not belong to him. Now that he was away, it was a perfect time to gain it back. He would return to Babylon and find that it no longer belonged to him. She couldn’t imagine that he would let it go so easily, but with seasoned soldiers inside her walls to stave him off, surely the walls would hold this time. Surely he would be the one leaving in defeat. That was what she wanted.
… wasn’t it?
Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn’t. Nicola couldn’t seem to summon her courage at the moment. She had sent word to Conisbrough to betray Kenton but somewhere over the past few days, she had wavered on that stance. That was never more obvious than at this moment. But she couldn’t waver. Kenton wanted nothing more than to betray her. She had heard it from his own lips. But those same lips had told her that he loved her.
God, she was so confused!
“I cannot let them in through the gatehouse,” she said. “The postern gate would be the only way and it will only allow one man in at a time. If someone were to see them….”
She trailed off, shaking her head, gazing back at the young man with some trepidation. But the young man seemed to have the courage and conviction she lacked.
“It can be done, m’lady,” he assured her. “I must go back to them and show them the way. They can come in through the kitchen yard and into the keep through the kitchens. Those at the gatehouse cannot see the kitchens from where they are. It will be too late when they realize we will regain the castle.”
The wheels were in motion and Nicola could not stop them. Men were here, ready to help her take back her castle, and she could not hesitate. She had to think on her sons and their future; they would not have a future if le Bec were to regain Babylon. Their legacy and wealth would belong to Kenton.Think of your children!She told herself.Stop thinking with your heart and think with your head, you fool!
“Very well,” she finally said, but it was difficult to spit the words out. “Go back to Conisbrough’s men and lead them to the postern gate. We shall try to get them into the kitchens unseen. How many men are there?”
“About forty, my lady,” the young man replied. “Enough to make it to the gatehouse and open it.”
“But there are at least two hundred men here.”
“They will not be an issue if they are distracted.”
Nicola’s eyebrows lifted. “Are the Conisbrough men setting up a distraction for those on watch?”
The young man nodded. “I believe they are, but I do not know what it is, my lady,” he said. Then, he set the cup aside and grabbed at his shoes and coat. “I must return. I must tell them our plans.”
Nicola helped the young man dress in his wet, warm clothing, her manner now somewhat hesitant. Plans were in motion and she felt as if she were being swept along with evil by her own design. Of course, it was by her own design. She had sent word toConisbrough and they had responded. Soon, Kenton le Bec and his men would be a memory at Babylon and nothing more. Soon, the nightmare would be over and her recollection of Kenton le Bec would be those of a man who had helped her to feel more, to understand more about herself, than anyone had ever done for her. If nothing else, she was grateful for what he had done for her. Betrayal or no, enemy or no, he had done this for her.