Page 387 of Historical Hotties
Le Foix shook his head. “I do not want Sir Bastian,” he said, looking around the room. He noticed the floor with its Roman tiles but his gaze returned to Collins. “Where does the man keep his possessions?”
Collins was confused. “He took his weapons with him,” he said, unsure what the man was asking. “He did not leave anything behind.”
Le Foix shook his head. “Not his weapons,” he said. “His possessions. Money and other personal effects. Did he take them with him?”
Collins shook his head. “I do not know,” he said. “I was not involved with what the man took with him to Wallingford.”
Le Foix sighed heavily, turning to look at the men behind him. They were prepared to tear Braidwood apart in their quest for riches as well as the Maid’s relic. After a moment of gazing at his anxious men, le Foix scratched his head and returned his attention to Collins.
“Who is left here at Braidwood?” he asked. “We saw a great many knights leaving, but who is left behind?”
Collins could only pray that Lady de Russe had already escaped the house after having heard the alarm.
“Lady de Russe and her companion are here,” he said. “As is Sir Bastian’s father.”
Le Foix turned to the men behind him. “The father,” he hissed. “Find him. Mayhap he knows. And if he does not, I will take de Russe’s wife to sport. Find her! We will use her!”
The men scattered as le Foix turned to Collins and brained the man over the skull with the hilt of his sword. As Collins dropped to the floor, le Foix headed up the stairs to the upper floor of Braidwood.
*
Gisella had heardthe alarm, that faint but frantic ringing of a bell. It had awoken her from a deep sleep and as she struggled to sit up in bed, Sparrow came pounding on her door.
“Gigi!” she shrieked. “Open the door!”
Spurred into action, Gisella flew out of bed and unbolted the chamber door. Just as Sparrow ran inside, Braxton entered through the connecting dressing room, for he had been sleeping in the chamber next door.
“Bolt the door!” he hissed. “Hurry!”
Gisella and Sparrow threw the bolt against the heavy door as Braxton raced as fast as his sickly body would move to the windows overlooking the courtyard and gardens below. Hecaught a glimpse of men running through the gardens under the cover of darkness and saw clearly when they fought with the servants near the kitchen, making their way into the house. Once he saw that, he came away from the windows and grabbed the women.
“With me,” he said. “Now.”
Gisella and Sparrow had no choice but to follow the man as he dragged them into the dressing room, cluttered with cloaks and garments, cabinets and vessels for water and washing. There were shoes on the floor and a saddlebag that Bastian had left behind. Braxton dragged them over to a section of the dressing room that held pegs supporting cloaks on it.
Running his fingers along the wall, he came across a knot in the wood, except that it was not a knot at all– it was a lever that, when pushed, released that portion of the wall to reveal a small room behind it. It was a hidden room, a safety measure for just this purpose. Braxton shoved the women inside.
“Stay there and do not utter a sound,” he whispered quickly. “You will not be trapped, as there is a release on the interior of the door, but do not open it for any reason, no matter what you hear. Stay in this room and do not make a sound. Is that clear?”
He went to shut the door but Gisella grasped him. “Wait!” she cried softly. “Come with us, Braxton!”
He shook his head, kissing her hands sweetly before pushing her back into the room. “It is not big enough for me,” he said. “I will be safe, trust me. You must stay quiet!”
With that, he shut the door and the women heard it lock. The sudden silence was terrifying and Sparrow stifled a sob, so very fearful. It was also pitch-black except for two small holes in the wall. One of them peered into the room where Braxton had been sleeping and the other hole peered into the corridor outside.
Gisella went to the hole that opened into Braxton’s room and saw the man lumber across the chamber, moving for a big chestat the foot of the bed. As she watched, he opened the chest and pulled forth an enormous broadsword in a leather sheath. As he pulled the broadsword forth, it glistened in the weak light, wicked and deadly.
“God’s Bones,” she whispered. “He intends to fight. He cannot fight! He is too sickly!”
Sparrow shoved her out of the way so she could take a look. “He is mad!” she breathed. “He cannot fight!”
Gisella pushed Sparrow aside so she could watch Braxton. She was absolutely terrified for the old man but she was smart enough not to make any noise or try to call out to him. She was safe and she would survive unless those who had broken into the manse burned it down over their heads, but she was terribly frightened for Bastian’s father. As she watched him move to the head of his bed, back to the wall as he faced the chamber door expectantly, Sparrow hissed at her.
“Men!” she murmured. She was peering out of the hole that opened into the corridor. “Armed men!”
“Shush!” Gisella warned her. “Not another word!”
Sparrow bit her lip, watching the strange men with big weapons kick down doors and ransack the sleeping rooms, and that included her room across the hall. She held Gisella’s hand in the darkness as Gisella continued to peer into Braxton’s room, waiting and watching to see what would happen next. It wasn’t long in coming.
