Both men looked up in astonishment.
‘Now.’
Pamarchon opened his mouth to reply, then changed his mind. ‘Antros? Perhaps we can continue this later?’
Once the young lieutenant had left, Pamarchon eyed the unkempt, unwashed but determined-looking youth who stood before him. ‘You have your wish. Pray tell me how your sleep went? I hope it was kindly, and full of...’
‘Oh, do stop that nonsense. I slept perfectly well. Whether it was kind or not I could not say. I am here to talk about the one you call Lady Rosalind. Were you saying the truth last night, or was it just the sort of guff you people always seem to spout?’
‘Guff? Spout?’
‘Do you love her?’
‘As my life. Do not doubt me for an instant. I have never loved anyone or anything—’
‘Enough. I’m glad to hear it. I have an offer.’
‘Which is?’
‘You can have her.’
Pamarchon stared.
‘Lost for words, for once. I’m glad. By have, I mean to marry. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for ever and ever. Worship her with your body, if you see what I mean. Are you interested?’
‘I... of course. It is more than my dreams—’
‘Leave the dreams out of it. Will you love and cherish, be faithful and all the rest? No doubts, hesitations or backsliding. No fancy stuff when no one is looking. Nights at the pub where you get carried away. No coming home drunk and bad-tempered.’
‘I don’t really know what you are talking about, but I will make her the happiest woman in the world.’
‘Even if she turned out to be penniless?’
‘Especially so. We would then be equal, she and I.’
‘Good answer.’
She smiled hesitantly at first, then more broadly.
‘I knew who you were, you know,’ he said.
‘I thought you did.’
Then he went down on his knees and took her hand in his.
‘Oh, that’s really nice,’ Rosalind said. ‘But do stand up. I’ll start blushing again.’
He did and they looked at each other nervously awhile, until Rosalind remembered why she had come.
‘That will have to wait,’ she said with renewed purpose. ‘Call Jay, if you please, and that servant of his. I want witnesses.’
‘What for?’
‘Do as you are told. Oh, and get that Antros chap back as well. He might as well hear this too. The more the merrier. Can I have this bit of bread? I’m starving.’
Within half an hour the area outside Pamarchon’s tent had four people sitting on the ground and one standing up in front of them. The seated ones were watchful, the one standing looked like someone having second thoughts about the wisdom of an undertaking begun in haste.
‘Right,’ Rosalind said, addressing the others. ‘This is the problem. Pamarchon here wants to marry me. It seems like a good idea if I am stuck here, but I don’t want to spend my life skulking in a forest. I will not marry a murderer, and he cannot marry someone properly if he is under the accusation of murder. It seems that either he or Catherine of Willdon murdered Thenald. Each believes the other to be the person at fault. Have I summarised the situation properly?’
Pamarchon nodded cautiously. The others did not move.
‘You all seem terribly keen on oaths and words of honour here. That’s why I want the audience. Pamarchon. Answer a few questions. Do you love me?’
‘You know I do. I love you like—’
‘Yes or no will do. If I ask a favour, will you grant it?’
‘Anything.’
‘If I ask you to protect someone with your life, will you do it?’
‘Anyone who is a friend of yours, I will gladly help.’
‘Look after them as well as you look after me?’
‘Yes,’ he said, a little impatiently now.
‘In that case, I want you to swear before everyone here that you will look after servant Kate. You will in no way molest her, harm her, or cause or allow anyone else to harm her. You will treat her as an honoured guest and protect her with your life.’
‘Very well,’ he said, puzzled.
‘You swear?’
‘Yes. I swear on all my ancestors and on the Story itself.’
‘That’s a good swear, is it?’
He smiled despite himself. ‘The strongest there is.’
‘Excellent. Now we will see how strong.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Stand up, please, Lady Catherine. Do we need more introductions?’
Pamarchon felt both humiliated and confused about what he should do next. Jay was terrified at the possible consequences. Catherine felt betrayed.
The only common point was that all were furious at Rosalind.
‘Stop!’ she shouted after a few minutes’ denunciation. She had heard enough. All this ‘false traitor’ nonsense. She wasn’t having it.
‘Stop it,’ she repeated. ‘Pamarchon. There she is. What are you going to do? Remember what you stand to lose.’
He stared at Lady Catherine with utter loathing, then spat out the words: ‘I protect you with my life and offer you the hospitality of my house.’
‘Bravo!’ Rosalind said. ‘That wasn’t so hard. Now then. This was getting too complicated, so I decided it was time to simplify things. I take it both of you insist you are innocent?’
‘I am,’ they both replied.
‘How do you know someone else didn’t kill him?’
‘Like who?’ Catherine asked disdainfully.
‘How should I know? You need a proper investigation and trial. Go through all the evidence, take statements, investigate the scene of the crime. That sort of thing.’
‘There’s been a trial already,’ she said.
‘You must have appeals. To see if it was done properly.’
‘No.’
‘There must be some way of deciding. Obviously you are not both guilty and you can’t both be Lord of Willdon.’
‘At the moment, neither of us is,’ Catherine said.
Rosalind glanced at her. ‘Why not?’
‘You don’t understand anything, do you? This is the period of Abasement. I am stripped of my rank for three days, then reinstated. That passed yesterday. There is now a vacancy, and the natural successor is Gontal unless I get back quickly. The thing Henary and I were trying to avoid when this man murdered his uncle has come to pass.’
‘I didn’t murder him,’ Pamarchon said, but everyone ignored him.
‘What thing?’
‘Anterwold is carefully balanced between the towns, the domains and the scholars, traders and farmers. None is powerful enough to dominate the others. But Gontal is heir to Willdon and head of the council of colleges. He will fuse the two together, and that will overwhelm the whole land. It is the disaster people have long feared. That’s why I needed to escape. It was another reason we moved so quickly when Thenald died.’
‘There you are!’ Rosalind said. ‘Prime suspect, if you ask me. Gontal would be the obvious person who stood to benefit from your husband’s death if Pamarchon was got out of the way.’
‘No one ever suspected Gontal. He is a scholar of the highest reputation.’
‘All the more reason. It’s always the unlikely ones. Trust me. How much time do you have?’
‘The vacancy would have been declared last night. I assume it will take Gontal a few days to hear the news. He will hurry, though. There is no time for any nonsense like a trial. I have to leave immediately.’
‘Hospitality has its limits,’ Pamarchon said. ‘I cannot possibly allow you to return to power, even at the risk of Gontal taking over. At the moment we are equals. If you were reinstated, you would command any appeal.’
‘There must be some way of clearing this up fairly,’ Rosalind said.