Page 65 of Never Love a Lord
“What kind of nonsense is this?” the soldier demanded. “You expect me to believe that this old corpse is a baby’s nurse?”
Sybilla raised her eyebrows at the man. “Would you agree, sir, that it is a fact that Lady Lucy’s original nurse, a girl named Murrin, is no longer at Fallstowe?”
The man frowned. “Yes, that is true, I suppose, but still—an old man?”
“Graves is the most trusted servant Fallstowe has ever known.” She looked to Graves and hoped that the love she felt for him was evident in her eyes. “There is no one better to protect Lord Griffin’s child in his absence.” She nodded toward Julian. “Go on, Graves,” she ordered softly.
It took the old man a moment to walk to the dais steps and gain the platform. Then he laid his sword down carefully upon the lord’s table and turned to Julian, his wrinkled and knobby fingers outstretched.
“Would you come with me, please, Lady Lucy?”
The baby stared wide-eyed at the old man and shrank back against Julian for a moment.
“Graves . . .” Julian said in a choked voice, and then halted as if unable to speak further.
Sybilla barely heard the old man’s query to Julian.
“Think you this is the first precious daughter placed in my care, Lord Julian?”
Julian kissed Lucy’s head firmly three, four times and then handed the baby to the old steward.
Graves turned away, the baby still regarding him with wide eyes. “Let us go find a nipple, shall we?” he said soothingly, and his eyes met Sybilla’s when he passed her.
Sybilla hoped he would hear her.Send him after me tonight.
He nodded once at her, the motion so slight that no one save Sybilla would ever have noticed.
And then he was gone.
Julian turned to face the hall aggressively as the king’s man stepped forward with chains. Erik refused the pair offered to him, obviously intended for Julian.
“Never,” Erik said, his chin lifted. “Not under the threat of death.”
Sybilla did not look at Julian again as her dagger was removed from her side, the cold bite of chain fastened around her ankles and wrists.
There will come a time, and you will see.
The time had come. And Sybilla saw.
Within moments, the men who followed Erik had laid hands to Julian’s trunks and his thick leather portfolio, filled with the history he’d collected about the Foxe family. He and Sybilla had waited in the hall, both shackled in a primitive manner on opposite sides of the room. She would not meet his eyes. And she spoke not another word to anyone.
Outside the hall, though, the bailey was in pure chaos.
Word had spread quickly from the household that Madam was being taken from them, although Fallstowe’s soldiers made no move to attack the tight ring of the king’s men who made a living corridor for the prisoners to walk through.
The servants and villagers felt no fealty to the king’s men, however, and they pushed against them in a mighty, furious wave, shouting obscenities, hurling eggs and dung at the royal soldiers. Sybilla did not acknowledge them with the slightest glance, only walked calmly between her personal guards—one to each side and one to the fore and aft. Julian noticed that none of the men dared touch her.
Likely very wise.
Julian followed, an officer to either side of him. At the end of the avenue of soldiers, a strange, fortified conveyance waited, with a soldier posted on each side of the open door. It was a wooden carriage of sorts, but the planked sides had been bolted over with close strips of thick iron, the windows barred. A team of six sturdy horses had been harnessed together tightly to pull the monstrosity. Julian had to laugh out loud when he saw the crucifixes fastened to each face of the imposing-looking rolling dungeon.
Then Sybilla did glance over her shoulder at him. “Flattering,” she said with a smirk.
“No talking,” the man to her left shouted, and made the mistake of shoving Sybilla’s shoulder roughly.
She did nothing more than pivot her head quickly toward him, but in the next instant the man was lying on his back in the dirt. Fallstowe’s citizenry went mad, pelting the man with rocks and manure until he cried out in a panic and was helped to his feet by his fellow soldiers.
Sybilla ignored it all, stepping up into the carriage awkwardly, no man daring to give her assistance after what had just happened to their comrade.
