Page 72 of The Sword and the Damsel

“I’ll be fine, but thank you,” Alais said, giving her little sister a reassuring look.

As they settled into their meal, the men talked of nothing but plans for the visit to Canterbury and how to capture Sir Robert. To her dismay, Alais was ignored once again. Everything was back to the way it had been. She was the invisible middle child once more.

When Carenza chimed in, they all listened to her, but then, she was Carenza. Her sister had always had an air of authority that made her impossible to ignore, even as a child.

“We can spare ten men for the traveling party and Winchelsea,” Carenza said in a voice that brooked no dissent. “I won’t leave Winchelsea undefended while we’re away.”

“I think—” Alais began, hoping for once they would listen.

“Ten men should be sufficient,” Daniel said at the same moment, drowning her out. “Any more and we’ll alarm the archbishop.”

No one noticed her, or so she thought until Victor took her hand beneath the table and cleared his throat.

“Alais, what do you think of the plan?” he asked, loud and clear.

Everyone paused and turned to her.

“Do you need me to explain it again?” Carenza offered. “I know you weren’t listening.”

Victor squeezed her hand harder and said, “Yes, she was. She’s always listening. I’d wager she knows as much about the plan as you do.”

Oh, Alais loved this man so much. He’d noticed!

“It’s true,” Alais said, laying her eating dagger beside her trencher. “I’ve always listened. You’ve just never taken notice. I agree that ten men should be sufficient. We should include a few archers in the mix in case they are needed. I recommend we take eight knights from Winchelsea and two men from the Watch. Their skills at finding and apprehending criminals will come in handy as we lure Sir Robert out.”

Daniel nodded slowly. “I was thinking the same.”

“As for the archbishop,” she continued, “I think you should consider a hefty donation to the Church with a promise of ongoing contributions, in exchange for a halt to his ambitions to expand within our territory. His spending is extravagant, and he wants his coffers full more than he wants another parcel of land to tend.”

“I’ve heard that too,” said her father, looking at her with new respect.

“I recommend that we send a knight ahead to announce our visit to the archbishop and then spread word of it as far and wide as possible within the city of Canterbury. We want Sir Robert to take the bait when we come to town. A member of the Watch should accompany the knight to spy on Sir Robert and learn as much as possible before we arrive.”

“Good thinking,” said Carenza, giving her a puzzled smile. “Who are you, and what have you done with my sister, Alais? I always thought you were too preoccupied with dresses and troubadours to pay any mind to these sorts of things.”

“I am the same sister you’ve always had,” Alais said with a laugh. “You just never appreciated me properly. I’m more than a breathtakingly gorgeous face, you know.” She winked at Carenza.

“Ah, there’s the Alais I know. Even with a purple lump on your forehead, your vanity knows no bounds.” Carenza rolled her eyes, chuckling.

“Sisters,” Daniel said to Victor, shaking his head.

“Mm-hmm,” Victor answered with that irresistible sideways grin of his.

“So what else do you have to say about our plan for Canterbury?” Daniel asked, turning to Alais.

“I’m so glad you asked,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It took twoweeks of planning and another five days of travel to reach Canterbury, but they were there at last. Victor was relieved to pass through the tall, crenelated towers of the archbishop’s palace.

Daniel sent messengers ahead informing Archbishop Richard of their visit, so they were expected. Sir Elias came striding out in a velvet and fur cloak to greet them in the courtyard as servants led away their horses and guided their knights away to living quarters. He gave Victor a long, piercing look, then turned to Daniel.

“My Lord, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” he said with a bow. “The archbishop asked me to welcome you to Canterbury and bring you to join him for dinner as soon as you are settled in. Follow me.”

He led them into an entrance hall with an impossibly high ceiling and a grand staircase leading up to four stories of gallery landings. Banners hung from the galleries with the archbishop’s symbol, a white Y filled with black crosses on a field of blue with yellow accents. Servants were dressed in the same light blue shade as the banners. It was a forbidding space, lit by torches that failed to spread their light to the far reaches of the hall. Sir Elias led them up two flights of stairs to rooms on the third floor, inviting them to join him in the entrance hall as soon as they were ready.

Victor and Alais had a room that overlooked the front courtyard. The narrow, arched window allowed them to watch as people came and went through the enormous palace gates. The room itself was comfortable with a roaring fire in the hearth and luxurious, carved wood furnishings. The bed was covered in a rich blue brocade coverlet with matching curtains and canopy.

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