Page 304 of Historical Hotties
“A few, but they have been subdued. Let me in because I bear a message for Lady Stafford.”
The sergeant peered at him. “I don’t know you,” he said. “Are you one of de Reyne’s royal soldiers?”
It took a split second for the man to realize that was the answer he should use. “Aye,” he said. “Iama royal soldier.”
The sergeant boomed for the portcullis to be lifted.
Rotri slipped in.
He had only been to Stafford once, for his niece’s wedding, and that had been many years ago, so he didn’t know the place at all. Even though Dordon wasn’t too far from Stafford—perhaps a two-day ride—he’d never had any reason to go to Stafford.
Until now.
Now, he had every reason.
“Where is the lady?” he asked the sergeant. “She will be expecting this message.”
The sergeant pointed to the keep high atop the hill. “There,” he said. “Tell the gatehouse sentries that you come with a message. They will send for her.”
Rotri thanked them and quickly moved toward the road that led up the motte. Stafford was lit up this night, awaiting their army’s return, so he had plenty of light to find his way to the upper gatehouse.
I am a royal soldier.
It seemed strange that the sergeant had believed him, given that he wasn’t wearing a royal standard, but he wasn’t going to question the man’s lapse. For once, he didn’t let his pride lead the way. Normally, he would have announced himself as Lord Dordon, brother to the Earl of Tamworth, and demand to be admitted, but this time he didn’t.
He didn’t follow his instincts.
He was following his heart.
That greedy, small thing in his chest. The one that was shriveling, almost as dead as his son back at Millford. Domnall had told him to come, after all, and Domnall would have been clever about it. He would have scolded his father for not using any opportunity to gain access to Caledonia. That elusive niece, a woman they’d tried to snare for two solid years, was finally within his grasp because Rotri lied about being a royal soldier.
I’ll claim her, Domnall. Wait and see.
He would make his son proud.
Up the narrow road to the upper bailey went Rotri. He had a good view of Stafford as a whole at this elevation, and it was an impressive place. Much more impressive than Dordon Castle. He could see now why Cristano wanted it. Truthfully, he didn’t know Cristano well, and even though the man had promised himTamworth, he could change his mind. Rotri would have to think about leverage, something forcing Cristano to honor his bargain. Perhaps he’d withhold the marriage to Caledonia until he had Cristano’s promise in writing.
He was too close to his goal not to demand a guarantee.
The upper gatehouse loomed ahead, and the guards here had even less concern for Rotri’s appearance than the sentries down in the lower bailey. They let him through with hardly a word, indicating the keep and telling him that they would send for a servant to summon the lady. No one seemed particularly interested in him, but they were concerned about the events happening in the town to the east. No one was sure what had happened other than a fire, and they didn’t even really know which village had sustained damage yet, but their focus was on the event. Rotri could hear them talking about it. That only worked to his advantage because they weren’t focused on him. They had believed him when he said he’d come with a message for Lady Stafford.
It was as simple as that.
In fact, no one had sent for a servant yet. They were still standing by the closed gate, talking about the distant action and the return of Stafford’s troops. Hearing this, and realizing he wasn’t being watched, Rotri began to casually wander toward the keep. It was dark and cold out this night, with a gust of wind every so often lifting the dirt and debris of the bailey. It was almost ghostly, as if the specters of Stafford were dancing around him. He could hear noises everywhere. Little by little, however, he edged closer to the keep.
Then he heard it.
A door opening.
Looking up, he could see that it was the entry door to the keep. A small child was coming down the steps. He stopped his advance, watching the child come to the bottom of the stairs.Dressed in what looked like a sleeping shift, she began to walk toward the eastern side of the bailey, but her gaze abruptly fell on him and she stopped. For a moment, they simply looked at one another until the little girl pushed her hair from her eyes and headed in his direction.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
Rotri didn’t know what to say, and scrambled to come up with something. He wasn’t entirely sure that if he didn’t give the right answer, the child wouldn’t raise an alarm. He briefly considered smothering her, but he held off. There was no need at the moment. But he would be ready to cut her off if he needed to.
“I… I am looking for Lady Stafford,” he said. “I bear a message from her husband. Do you know where she is?”
The child nodded. “She is inside, sleeping.”
