Page 33 of Raven's Rise
“No. I just meant I should have told you…thank you. For saving my life.”
He looked surprised for a moment, then gave her a half-smile. “Live to serve.”
She retreated into the carriage, sinking into the cushioned seat. She reached out only to pull the curtains closed. She needed to be alone and unobserved for a little while, so she could recover her normal calm demeanor.
Lord, someone tried tokillher last night, and here she was dreaming of Rafe as though nothing had changed. Yet, despite everything she knew about his personality, Rafe was the one person she felt she could trust.
Chapter 11
Angelet enjoyed the relative peacethat riding alone in the carriage offered her, though nothing dulled the monotony of travel, especially as the surroundings grew wilder, with almost no villages or farms along the way.
That evening was the first time they were forced to make a camp. The road had become lonely, with no hint of any village or manor in the vicinity. Laurence had ridden on ahead of the group just to be sure, and brought back the news that the group would have to make its own shelter.
The men all worked to set up the camp, relying on Sir Rafe’s instructions for nearly every element. The single large tent was set up for Angelet and Bethany. There were several more smaller, simple ones for the men, although the sky was clear and fine, and the air quite warm, even with the sun sinking low.
Angelet was contemplating the effect of the setting sun through the young leaves, thinking it looked just like the stained glass windows in a church, when Bethany interrupted her.
“Where is the chest?” Bethany demanded. “I looked in the carriage and it wasn’t there!”
Angelet said, “After what Dobson tried to do, Sir Rafe thought it best to move the chest.”
“Moved to where?”
“That is hardly your concern.” She looked the maid over. “It is quite safe, and there the matter ends.”
“I’ll tell Lord Otto you disobeyed him!”
“You mean after I’ve gone to a nunnery, where I’ll be subject only to the rules of the Church? Carry your tales to whomever you wish. It matters not to me.” Angelet laughed. For years, the greatest threat anyone at Dryton could offer was to alert Otto that something might displease him. Such a threat was meaningless now.
Bethany realized the same thing. She pursed her lips, then said, “How do you know Sir Rafe isn’t going to steal it himself?”
“At this point, I’d give the chest over to anyone who came to take it,” Angelet said wearily. “It’s brought us nothing but trouble.”
The maid nodded. “Who knew Dobson would be so vicious? He’s Otto’s man, after all, here on the lord’s orders. Otto asked him special. Excuse me, my lady. I have to take care of something before it gets dark.”
Bethany hurried off. Angelet watched her go with idle interest, since she had nothing better to do. But when she saw Bethany actually leave the camp and walk purposefully off into the woods in the direction of a large hill to the north, she wondered just what the maid was up to. Surely she didn’t want to climb a steep slope simply for a call of nature.
Without telling anyone else, Angelet began to follow the maid. The underbrush was more or less completely leafed out now, obscuring much of the ground, and Angelet had to move quickly to keep on Bethany’s trail.
She clambered over a few rocks and tried to keep pace, although the path was fast turning from dirt to rock and making her progress more difficult as she slowly got closer to the hill’s summit.
She paused from time to time, listening for the crash of Bethany’s steps up ahead. She was fairly certain she was still on the right path—she hadn’t seen any other trails diverge from this one.
The trail flattened out for a short stretch, along a natural clearing, and she got an unimpeded view of the rapidly darkening eastern sky. The valley below was already in shadow. In a few minutes, the woods she just passed through would be much harder to navigate. Perhaps she ought to return…
“But where did Bethany go?” she muttered, looking ahead once more.
All of a sudden, she felt someone grab her hand from behind. She whirled, about to scream, when she saw it was Rafe. A very annoyed Rafe.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Rafe demanded. “After what happened, you should know better than to be alone. Ever.”
“There’s no one around but us!”
“You don’t know that,” Rafe said tersely. “Until you’re safely to Basingwerke, my lady, we have to assume that you’re in danger.”
“You think like a soldier,” she said.
“Iama soldier.”
