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sound more prestigious than she was.
     “For
a short time our family was glorified and respected, but when the end came, we
became social outcasts,” she told him. “When it came time for me to marry, my
father had to beg or bribe a suitor for no one wished to be associated with the
disgraced de Montforts.  I was finally promised to a lesser baron’s son, Garber
Serroux, after much negotiation.  We knew something of his family, but not too
much.” Her eyes moved across the dark and crumbling fortress. “I suppose you
can say the joke was on us. Garber Serroux was as undesirable a marriage
prospect as I was only we did not know it at the time.  He was a foul, abusive
liar with a penchant for gambling. He had no inheritance because he had wagered
it all away. Erith did not always look like this; it was still a moderately
decent place ten years ago.  But my husband sold everything we had to pay his
debts, sold off our servants, and when he was drunk, he used our walls as
target practice for the trebuchets my grandfather left behind. He left Erith as
you see it.”
    By
this time, Braxton expression had darkened. “And then proceeded to get himself
murdered for a gambling debt, leaving his family destitute.”
    “He
left us destitute long before that.”
    The
words were softly spoken, but their impact could not have been greater. 
Braxton had wanted to know the lady, but he had gotten more than he’d bargained
for. Though he’d only known her a matter of hours, he could not imagine anyone
abusing this gentle, noble and angelic creature. The mere thought made anger
burn in his chest.
    “I
am sorry for your trouble,” he said after a moment; he wasn’t sure what more he
could say. “Life has not been kind to you and I find that grossly unfair. You
deserve far better.”
    Gray
took a closer look at him; as always, his manner was honest and sincere. To
speak kindly of her grandfather was a rare thing indeed. Be it the wine or the
conversation, she was growing more comfortable with him.
    “Where
are you going when you leave tomorrow?” she asked.
    He
casually shifted in his seat, moving closer to her. His elbow was brushing
against her knee. “I have a contract to fulfill in Kendal.”
    “What
kind of contract?”
    It
was usual that he did not speak of contract terms with anyone other than the
party soliciting his services and it was habit to be evasive with those who did
not need to know the details.
    “My
military services for money, my lady. That is how I make my fortune in life.”
    She
gazed at him seriously. “Do you like being a mercenary?”
    “I
make a great deal of money fighting other people’s battles. The life has done
well for me.”
    “Who
are you going to fight a battle for this time?”
    He
looked at her; she was very close to him now, her sweet face and amber eyes
illuminated by the warm blaze.  Being this close to her made him feel strangely
dizzy. He did not see any harm in telling her one small detail. 
    “A
man named Wenvoe,” he said. “He has a fortress a few miles to the northeast of
Kendal called Creekmere. It is probably less than a day’s ride from Erith.”
    As
Braxton watched, Gray’s drunken amber eyes widened to the point where he
thought they might pop from her head. 
    “God’s
Bones…,” she breathed. “What are you to do for him?”
    “Why
would you ask that? Do you know him?”
    She
nodded, all of the color gone from her face again. Even in the moonlight, he
could see it. “Aye,” she said.
    “Then
what do you know? Why do you look so?”
    Her
mouth worked as if searching for the correct words.  She finally shook her
head, unable to do anything more than simply spit it out.
    “He
is the man who murdered my husband.”
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
    CHAPTER
FOUR
     
    “He
was a gracious guest,” Constance told her daughter. “’Tis a fine man who would
be so generous to a host. Our stairs are repaired, a new portcullis hung, and
the man left food