Raoul and Hugh. Have you forgotten so soon why Osborn is coming here, to find his brother's murderer? To find you!'
'But I can't have. I only dreamed —'
Yadua cannot lie. You saw yourself doing it and you have certain proof that you did it, for both men are dead. You killed them, and you know full well you would have murdered your son also, had you not begged me to take him to safety. If Osborn discovers his runaway serf has murdered his own brother, a man of noble blood, he will not just hang you; he will have you executed for treason. You will burn to death and you will taste such agony as you have not even imagined. You will scream to die, but they will not let you. It is you or Osborn. It's only a matter of time before he discovers the truth.'
Elena was pacing the room frantically, almost dashing herself against the walls in a frantic attempt to escape Gytha's words.
'No, no! It isn't true. I didn't kill Hugh or Raoul. They will find the real killer. God won't let me die for something I didn't do. He protects the innocent. That's why I was able to escape from the manor, because God knew I was innocent.'
'My grandam was innocent and God did not protect her,' Gytha said savagely. 'Once Osborn discovers you here, that will be all the truth he needs.' She rose, towering over Elena. 'Listen to me. You can deny it to others, but you know in your heart you have already killed twice. Osborn is an old man compared to Hugh. You can do it again easily enough. You are strong. Think about how he tried to hang you, without a second thought.'
'But I wasn't hanged. He was angry. Maybe . . . maybe in the morning he would have shown me mercy. Perhaps he just meant to frighten me to test whether I was telling the truth. And if I can show him my son, prove to him that I didn't kill him, then he will believe I am telling the truth about Raoul and Hugh too.'
Gytha clamped her hands on either side of Elena's face, forcing her to look up at her. You think Osborn would have shown you mercy, do you, lass? Like the mercy he showed Athan, when he discovered you'd escaped?'
A cold bubble of fear shot upwards through Elena's spine. 'What. . . what did he do to Athan?'
Gytha's face was impassive.
'What?' said Elena, frantically. This time it was she who was trying to force Gytha to look at her. 'Tell me, what did he do? Did he beat him? Fine him? What?'
'Osborn hanged him,' Gytha said quietly.
'No.' Elena's legs gave way beneath her and she crumpled to the floor. 'No, no, he can't have. Athan is at home waiting for me. I know he is. Raffaele would have told me ... he would have told me. Athan can't be . . . dead. He can't. . .'
Gytha crouched down. 'Osborn hanged him in place of you, because he thought Athan had helped you to escape. He was your lover, after all. Athan denied it, but Osborn wouldn't listen. Do you still think he will listen to you, lass? Osborn murdered Athan, an innocent man. Can you really tell me you don't want to kill that devil for what he did?'
Elena's teeth were chattering uncontrollably, but she was too shocked to cry. She still couldn't take it in. It had been so long since she'd seen Athan. All this time she'd been imagining what he was doing each day, who he was with. Every morning she'd looked up at the little square of sunshine or rain or cloud above the courtyard, thinking that soon that cloud would drift across
Athan, or that rain would fall on him. It had almost been a way of touching him. She'd pictured him scrubbing the sweat from his face with a twist of hay, or sitting at the fireside plugging his leaking boots with wisps of sheep's wool, or shovelling down his pottage as if he'd been starved for a week. She could see him turning towards her with a bashful grin as she called out his name. In her head he was still doing all these things, and being told he was dead couldn't stop her seeing him alive.
Elena didn't even notice that Gytha had crossed the room and was standing by the door.
'Kill him, lass, and the debt will