Desmond of Ashendown.” The words seemed
forced from Magnus’ lips. As if he knew what her next question
would be, he added with obvious reluctance, “Desmond is my twin
brother.”
“Merciful heaven! No wonder you’re so
distressed.”
“I won’t discuss Desmond,” Magnus said,
closing the subject with chilling firmness.
“You should be asleep,” he added without
turning his face from contemplation of where they had been.
“Tomorrow will be a long and trying day.”
“How can I possibly sleep? I have too much on
my mind.”
“Do you regret helping us?” He took his gaze
from the misty horizon to look at her.
“Not so long as you keep your promise to find
out where my brother is.”
“I always keep my promises.”
“I wasn't implying that you don't,” she said
hastily, uncertain of his mood and not wanting to irk him. “It's
just that I worry about Gilbert every day and every night.
Especially at night, when I have no distractions and when I know he
must be lying in the dark, wondering where and how I am.”
“You understand, don't you, that since your
uncle is Gilbert's guardian, he has the right to dispose of the boy
as he wishes?”
“I do understand. It's the word, dispose, that frightens me,” Lilianne said. “You see, my
father was Uncle Erland's only brother, which means Uncle Erland is
Gilbert's heir. If anything -” She couldn't go on. While she stood
blinking back tears, Magnus's big hand covered hers where it rested
on the railing.
“Aye,” Magnus said quietly, and went on to
finish her frightened thought. “If anything dire should happen to
Gilbert before he has a son of his own, Erland will inherit Manoir
Sainte Inge. King Louis will doubtless confirm Erland in the
inheritance. Erland is useful to him, there at the seacoast and so
near to Calais.
“Gilbert doesn't even have to die,” Magnus
continued. “He just has to remain tucked away somewhere, so Erland
can claim the boy is too weak or too ill to carry out his duties as
lord of Sainte Inge.”
“It would be far more convenient for him if
my brother were dead.” Lilianne uttered the stark fact in a
trembling voice.
“Gilbert should be safe so long as we hold
Erland,” Magnus said. “For obvious reasons, we will prevent him
from sending messages to France.”
“What if he has already given an order? What
if that's why Norbard is away from Manoir Sainte Inge? Norbard
boasts that he always obeys Uncle Erland's commands without
question or hesitation.” Lilianne couldn't control her emotions any
longer. Her voice cracked on a sob. Not wanting to weep in front of
Magnus, she gripped the rail more tightly, forcing back the tears
and transferring her despair to the solid wood..
“Oh!” She had all but forgotten about the bit
of wood caught in the base of her thumb, until the movement of her
hand on the railing drove it deeper into the tender flesh. When she
sucked at the sore spot, Magnus took her hand and turned it over to
look at it.
“In this light I can't see what's wrong,” he
said. “Come with me to the hatch, where the lantern is.” Gently but
firmly, he drew her away from the rail.
“It's just a splinter.” She wished her voice
wouldn't quaver so. She wished she could prevent the tears from
falling. Most of all, she wished Gilbert were safe and their father
were alive again, so her brother could be a child rather than a
nobleman, and she could stop worrying all the time.
“Just a splinter?” Magnus said, turning her
hand toward the lantern light. “A large piece of the rowboat is
jammed into your thumb. Will you trust me to remove it?”
“What a ridiculous question.” To her own
ears, Lilianne sounded much more like her usual self, strong and
firm-minded, with the momentary weakness gone. “In the last few
hours I have entrusted you with my life and Alice's, with her honor
and mine, and with my brother's life and future. Why should I
hesitate over a mere splinter?”
“Splinters have
forced from Magnus’ lips. As if he knew what her next question
would be, he added with obvious reluctance, “Desmond is my twin
brother.”
“Merciful heaven! No wonder you’re so
distressed.”
“I won’t discuss Desmond,” Magnus said,
closing the subject with chilling firmness.
“You should be asleep,” he added without
turning his face from contemplation of where they had been.
“Tomorrow will be a long and trying day.”
“How can I possibly sleep? I have too much on
my mind.”
“Do you regret helping us?” He took his gaze
from the misty horizon to look at her.
“Not so long as you keep your promise to find
out where my brother is.”
“I always keep my promises.”
“I wasn't implying that you don't,” she said
hastily, uncertain of his mood and not wanting to irk him. “It's
just that I worry about Gilbert every day and every night.
Especially at night, when I have no distractions and when I know he
must be lying in the dark, wondering where and how I am.”
“You understand, don't you, that since your
uncle is Gilbert's guardian, he has the right to dispose of the boy
as he wishes?”
“I do understand. It's the word, dispose, that frightens me,” Lilianne said. “You see, my
father was Uncle Erland's only brother, which means Uncle Erland is
Gilbert's heir. If anything -” She couldn't go on. While she stood
blinking back tears, Magnus's big hand covered hers where it rested
on the railing.
“Aye,” Magnus said quietly, and went on to
finish her frightened thought. “If anything dire should happen to
Gilbert before he has a son of his own, Erland will inherit Manoir
Sainte Inge. King Louis will doubtless confirm Erland in the
inheritance. Erland is useful to him, there at the seacoast and so
near to Calais.
“Gilbert doesn't even have to die,” Magnus
continued. “He just has to remain tucked away somewhere, so Erland
can claim the boy is too weak or too ill to carry out his duties as
lord of Sainte Inge.”
“It would be far more convenient for him if
my brother were dead.” Lilianne uttered the stark fact in a
trembling voice.
“Gilbert should be safe so long as we hold
Erland,” Magnus said. “For obvious reasons, we will prevent him
from sending messages to France.”
“What if he has already given an order? What
if that's why Norbard is away from Manoir Sainte Inge? Norbard
boasts that he always obeys Uncle Erland's commands without
question or hesitation.” Lilianne couldn't control her emotions any
longer. Her voice cracked on a sob. Not wanting to weep in front of
Magnus, she gripped the rail more tightly, forcing back the tears
and transferring her despair to the solid wood..
“Oh!” She had all but forgotten about the bit
of wood caught in the base of her thumb, until the movement of her
hand on the railing drove it deeper into the tender flesh. When she
sucked at the sore spot, Magnus took her hand and turned it over to
look at it.
“In this light I can't see what's wrong,” he
said. “Come with me to the hatch, where the lantern is.” Gently but
firmly, he drew her away from the rail.
“It's just a splinter.” She wished her voice
wouldn't quaver so. She wished she could prevent the tears from
falling. Most of all, she wished Gilbert were safe and their father
were alive again, so her brother could be a child rather than a
nobleman, and she could stop worrying all the time.
“Just a splinter?” Magnus said, turning her
hand toward the lantern light. “A large piece of the rowboat is
jammed into your thumb. Will you trust me to remove it?”
“What a ridiculous question.” To her own
ears, Lilianne sounded much more like her usual self, strong and
firm-minded, with the momentary weakness gone. “In the last few
hours I have entrusted you with my life and Alice's, with her honor
and mine, and with my brother's life and future. Why should I
hesitate over a mere splinter?”
“Splinters have
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