Page 46 of Knight of Chaos
The crackling fire was the only sound amongst them until Blake at last looked up from his plate to stare upon her. “He will follow, Lady Ingrid. You must know in your heart he would never let you go so easily.”
She raised her troubled eyes to the two men and watched Kingsley point toward the road.
“Does he know where your farm is located?” he asked.
Ingrid shook her head. “Nay. I never mentioned the village by name, only that it was outside of London. He will not find us so easily.”
A sound left Blake’s lips. “You should have more faith in Theobald. As I just said, he will follow—so you must needs be prepared for when he at last catches up to you… and us.”
The two men exchanged a look that said much. Theobald would not be pleased with any of them.
A distant rumble in the sky caused her to look upwards. The clouds were beginning to darken as though they, too, were as gloomy as her mood. Another round of thunder answered her thoughts, and she reached over for her plate to finish off her meal.
Blake ate the rest of his food and threw the bones into the fire. “We are bound to get wet before the morn is over.”
Kingsley did the same. “Best get in the saddle and try to out run the storm that is brewing. Is your farm much further, Lady Ingrid?”
Ingrid nodded before she stood. “’Tis still far enough that we are bound to get wet, but let us try to put some distance behind us all the same. There is an abbey in Northaw where we can find shelter if the storm worsens.”
She began kicking dirt into the fire to douse the flames and she watched the smoke rise into the sky. The two knights made their way to the horses tethered close by and Ingrid gave a heavy sigh. Blake had been correct. This had been a stupid idea on her part, and all because she had let jealousy consume her. Her childish insecurities had gotten the best of her, and she regretted them. So why was she not heading back in the direction of her husband?
She stood staring up at the heavens as if they would provide an answer and yet none were forthcoming. If anything, the farm was close enough that ’twould provide them shelter this night as long as nothing else besides a storm deterred them from arriving there.
Ingrid mounted Valor and hesitated a moment whilst gazing back down the road they had traveled. Would Theobald follow her? How would he know which direction to go? She supposed she would have her answer soon enough. Either he would be living the high life at Calbridge or she would have one furious warrior on her hands when he at last found her at her father’s farm.
She turned her mount to the open road as her mind continued to race with thoughts of the possible upcoming confrontation with her angry husband. She should have stayed with him but there was no turning back now. She had made her decision. For right or wrong, she could only play this out. If she searched her heart, she knew Theobald would somehow find her. She could only pray that once he did, he would forgive her foolishness for leaving him in the first place.
Chapter Thirty-Two
For nigh untoa se’nnights did Theobald and the men traipse the countryside searching one village after another for his missing wife. His sour mood had not changed since he left Gloucester, and he cursed the rain that continued to pound down upon them as if to match his ugly thoughts. Would he ever find her?
He had thought at one point in their journey that they had been close after seeing smoke rising from the treetops off in the distance. By the time they had arrived at a campsite along the side of the road, the rain had washed away any trace of what might have been Valor’s hoofprints. Another dead end but still he had a feeling in his gut he had been close. Now… he was not so sure. Ingrid could be anywhere.
He adjusted the hood of his cloak whilst Buttercup neighed in protest at another day of being soaked to the bone. His companions had stopped voicing their complaints hours ago. He could not blame them. There was nothing more disheartening than leaving another village behind and feeling as though that which you seek is just out of reach. Where was she?
They came to a crossroad and Theobald held up his hand to halt their progress forward and to study the choices before them. Left, or right? ’Twas only a guess on which direction to go and he muttered a curse beneath his breath knowing one way might only take him farther from Ingrid.
The four knights sat on their horses side by side in silence. Each man was lost in his own thoughts until Reynard spoke first.
“I fear, brother, if we do not find Ingrid soon that I will need to leave you to search without me. Time is running out for when I must return to the Empress as she demanded.”
Richard pulled his cloak closer around his neck. “Aye. Another day, mayhap two, at the most, and then Reynard and I will need to depart back to Gloucester as well. Elsewise, we shall incur the Empress’s wrath, and I care not to be on her bad side. She is dealing with enough knowing her half-brother is being held in exchange for Stephen.”
Oswin spoke his thoughts. “I can continue to travel with you, Theobald, for as long as you need me.”
Oswin was the last person Theobald would have thought could stay. If anything, Theobald assumed his brother might be the one to stay with him the longest. “The Empress gave you permission.” ’Twas a statement, and Theobald was thankful he would not need to travel alone.
“Aye… until your wife has been found,” Oswin replied before pointing toward the open road. “Which way now?”
Which way?Theobald mulled over the two choices before him until some instinct inside him made his decision. “We have been searching the countryside south of London for days. I have the feeling if we continue forward in this direction, we will only be getting farther away from my errant wife,” Theobald stated whilst rubbing his eyes to focus on the road again.
“She still may be in this direction,” Richard proclaimed.
“We take the road leading to the left,” he ordered pulling on Buttercup’s reins to lead them in the northern direction. “’Tis a good a choice as any.”
“But this way will almost be retracing our path,” Oswin complained bitterly.
Theobald muttered a curse knowing Oswin was right. “I stand by my decision. We can look at some of the other villages closer to the outskirts of London just in case she lived closer to town than what I thought. Let us proceed, men.”
