then speak to her straight away.” Madeleine scanned the area, plotting for a way to get out of this impossible situation.
She could not accompany these men into London. With no idea where the Montaynes lived, she could not direct them to her supposed residence. Even if she pointed out a random house and tried to shake them off, good manners would insist that these gentlemen see her safely inside the abode.
Madeleine hobbled toward the cottage as Garrett made his way to the shed. She didn’t take time to rap on the wooden door. Instead, she opened it and quickly slipped inside. She needed as much time as possible to put her scheme into action.
The smith’s wife was bent over, stirring the fire on the opposite side of the compact room. She started when she caught sight of Madeleine.
Before the older woman could address her, Madeleine crossed the distance between them and took the woman’s gnarled hand in her own. Her eyes met those of the peasant and she blurted out, “You must help me. Please,” she begged. “I have been taken from my father’s house.” Madeleine burst into tears as she began to spin a new set of lies.
Uneasily, the woman gave her a cautious pat.
Madeleine did her best to look distraught. “My father refused to give me in marriage to one of the men outside,” she told the wife. “He is desperate to marry a fortune, having gambled his own away. He is mean and cruel, and he has taken me from my home.”
She glanced over her shoulder and turned back to the woman. “It’s the dark-haired one who’s a devil. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and stole me from my very bed. We ride to London as soon as his horse has been shod. Will you help me? I beg you.”
The woman studied Madeleine carefully. Her eyes lit up as Madeleine slid the coins Sir Garrett had given her from her pocket and offered them to her.
“Help me hide and these are yours. After they leave, I can find my way to my brother. He lives just inside the southern gates of London. He will protect me.”
Madeleine’s lips trembled as she felt the desperation she tried to portray.
After a moment, the older woman finally spoke. “I will help you,” she agreed, taking both coins and placing them under a pot. They spoke briefly and hatched a quick plan.
Opening the door, Madeleine saw the blacksmith hard at work, Ebony’s hoof in his hand as he attached a new shoe. The two knights appeared deep in conversation, both men facing the smith, watching him. Madeleine nodded and stepped back as the smith’s wife approached her rescuers, two cups in her hand.
“Welcome, my fine gentlemen. I have brought you some refreshment. You are parched, I am sure, from a long ride. Come, have a bit of ale.” She circled around them so that both men turned away from the smith to face her.
“Many thanks,” Sir Garrett said.
“We are most obliged,” Sir Ashby told her.
As they held the cups up and tilted the cool contents to their dry mouths, Madeleine sneaked quietly from the doorway and went to the back of the shed. As promised, she found the loose board. She lifted it and slipped through the tight space, hearing the woman’s noisy conversation in the distance.
Mother of God. She is loud enough to awaken the king in London. Gratefully, though, Madeleine found herself at the far end of the shed, where the hay was plentiful. She remained low to the ground, covering herself with the dry stalks until she was hidden from view.
*
Garrett could feel the slight tinge of a headache as the woman prattled on.
“’Tis a great day when two such fine lords visit our humble establishment. Many ride on to London but my husband does a better job than any smith around. May I get such important gentlemen some bread? More ale, perhaps?”
Garrett replied, “Bread and more ale would be nice. And I know our traveling companion would like some, too.”
The woman stared blankly at him. “My lord?” she asked, her brown face wrinkled in puzzlement.
“The lady with us,” Garrett insisted. “She went to ask if you would provide us a small meal.”
The smith’s wife shook her head. “I spoke to no one.”
Garrett instantly knew that the unknown woman had fled their company. He might never discover her identity. Despite her lies, something about her spoke to him. Touched him. He needed to find her now. Learn