Raymond. He was dressed as a knight and carried himself with confidence.
The other one was quite different.
He was taller and broader than his companion, with short, dark hair and brooding eyes. He moved with a natural grace and wore his clothes with casual ease. His dark eyes seemed to pierce her soul with a ruthlessness unlike she’d ever known. This man frightened her—and yet at the same time, she felt drawn to him in some inexplicable way. Mayhap it was the sadness he wore, draped about him like a cloak that drew her to him.
The dark one held his hands out, palms up, no weapon in sight. “We wish you no harm, my lady. We would but render you aid. What brings you to the middle of nowhere at night with only a lute for protection?”
Madeleine detected a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Mayhap these weren’t noblemen after all but highway swine who’d stolen the very clothes they wore. No, she was certain they must be nobility, simply by the arrogant air of the dark-haired man. No ruffian could mimic that.
She thought quickly. Henri was to meet a Lord Montayne while they were in London. He’d carried on about what a ruthless reputation the man had in business and how he planned to get the upper hand with the English nobleman in a bargain he hoped to strike with the man. Madeleine prayed that these men before her might know of Lord Montayne’s unforgiving nature and launched into her lie.
“I am lady to Lord Montayne, good sirs. Mayhap you have heard of him.”
The two men exchanged a glance and then continued to stare at her without speaking.
“Yes, I know my husband’s very name can bring even the bravest of men to utter silence.” She paused. “That’s how I frightened our attackers.”
“Your attackers?” the dark stranger asked.
“Yes, the men who waylaid us on our way to London.” She sighed audibly and then teared up, getting more into her performance now.
“Poor Simon. Lord Montayne’s valet, you know. He was escorting me to our London residence when we were attacked. Oh, ’tis all my fault,” she told them as a single tear cascaded down her cheek. She wiped it away briskly. “I took far too long to finish my tasks at hand. We should never have started out so late.”
“And when was this, my lady?”
Always the dark-haired devil, she thought, never a word from his companion. She shot a look at the fair-haired gentleman, her eyebrows raised. Ignoring the dominant one, Madeleine asked, “Would you like to know how we fared, my lord?” she asked the silent man.
He flushed slightly, but managed to reply, “And then what happened, Lady Montayne?”
Madeleine placed a palm over her heart as if to still it. “’Twas horrible. Three men rushed into the road, daggers raised. Simon’s horse reared and he fell from it. He struck his head and did not move.”
At this, her eyes widened. “I think it frightened the robbers badly. They ordered me to remove the few jewels I wore, but they were all shaking. Then I told them who my husband was and that put the fear of our Lord in them.” She smiled and leaned forward as if sharing a confidence. “It does help sometimes to be married to such a man known for his terrible temper and black moods.”
“I’m sure,” both men muttered at the same time.
She stamped her foot suddenly, allowing her fury to shine. “They will pay, I tell you. My husband will see to it.”
“And you were unharmed, my lady?” Again the darker man spoke, his tone conveying an insolence while his face remained a mask of propriety.
“I’m a bit shaken,” Madeleine admitted. “The brutes tossed Simon’s body off to the side of the road and took my jewels and our horses. All they left me was my lute.” She had lowered the instrument by this time and stroked it fondly.
The stranger asked, “Why did you leave the scene, my lady? Surely you must have feared the men who robbed you. Why would you push forward and possibly have to confront them again?”
Why indeed? Madeleine had gotten so worked up over poor Simon and her missing jewels that she hadn’t quite decided that part of her story yet.
“Mayhap I was more upset by the event than I imagined, my lord,” she ventured weakly. Let them think her a silly, simple woman without a brain in her head.
“Then,” the menacing stranger said, “my friend and I must escort you