"Belwain will be the bait, wife. I believe he will lead us to the one in hiding. I have a plan," he added, "and you will give me your word that you will cooperate."
"But who else stands to gain, husband?" Elizabeth asked, unable to keep her silence a moment longer.
"There is another," Geoffrey said. "Though I will not speak his name to you yet. I could be wrong. You will have to trust me in this, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth didn't respond but continued to look at her husband and wait.
"I now ask a most difficult thing from you," he said. "It will require courage."
"And what is that?" Elizabeth asked.
"You saw what happened, and you remember what those who didn't wear masks looked like," Geoffrey said. "Tonight the troops of Belwain will be allowed inside."
Elizabeth 's eyes widened but Geoffrey continued on. "Do not worry, we far outnumber his soldiers. There will be no danger. I will have you beside me at dinner, and you will have a chance to see if any of his men were part of the attack."
"Belwain will sit with us?" Elizabeth asked.
"He will sit with us," Geoffrey acknowledged. "I want him to think he is innocent in my eyes, Elizabeth. If he feels secure, he will slip."
"You ask a great deal," Elizabeth whispered. "I do not know if-"
"Can you be content with Belwain's death and live with the thought that there is another just as guilty?" Geoffrey argued.
Elizabeth took a long time to answer. "No, I could not be content. I would know all of the truth."
"Can you do what I ask?"
"Aye," Elizabeth answered, wondering inside if she really could or not. She honestly didn't know. "But could we not ride to their camp outside the walls instead of allowing them entrance?"
"No," Geoffrey announced. "It is safer for you here."
Elizabeth squared her shoulders and stood. "There is much to be done before tonight. I will instruct the cook," she said. Her hands were trembling. There was so much to think over. Elizabeth felt overwhelmed with confusion.
"Come here, Elizabeth," Geoffrey ordered, his tone gentle.
Elizabeth nodded and slowly walked over to stand at her husband's side. Before she could so much as blink, Geoffrey pulled her onto his lap and kissed her soundly on the lips. His breath was warm and mint-tasting. Elizabeth began to respond when Geoffrey ended the kiss. "I did not hurt you last night?" he asked in a quiet voice, smiling at the becoming blush his question spurred.
"Not overly much," Elizabeth answered, turning her gaze to his chin. She felt him chuckle and glanced back up to look into his eyes. There was tenderness there now. "I did not hurt you, my lord?" she asked innocently.
"Not overly," Geoffrey answered when the surprise of her question receded. He found he liked it when she teased him, liked to see the hint of a sparkle come into her eyes. God, but if he could end her torment over her family's deaths as soon as possible, he would. He wished to see only joy in her expression, hear her laughter.
He lifted her off his lap and stood up. "This is not the time for loving, wife. It is daylight," he explained.
"We may only show affection during the night?" Elizabeth asked. She had meant her question as another jest, but her husband was vigorously nodding his head in agreement. "You are serious?" she asked, all but laughing.
"Of course I am serious! Do not mock me, Elizabeth," Geoffrey said in a firm voice. "It is unseemly to show affection in front of my men. You would do well to learn that," he admonished. "Know your place, woman!" His tone did not sound angry to Elizabeth but reminded her of an elder instructing a younger one in the ways of the court. She found herself furious over his attitude.
"And where is my place, husband?" Elizabeth let her anger show. She placed her hands on her hips while she waited for an answer.
Geoffrey walked to the door and opened it before turning back to his wife.
"I asked you, where is my place, husband? Where do I stand?"
Geoffrey found himself confused by the obvious anger in his wife's voice. She acted much like his stallion when a burr was caught under his saddle.
"Where do you stand?" he repeated, frowning. "What is your meaning?"
"Aye, where do I stand?" Elizabeth all but shouted. "Do I stand beside you or behind you, husband? Answer me that."
"Why, behind me, of course. It is the way of things." From his wife's expression, Geoffrey gauged his answer had not pleased her. He slammed the door before she could reply, shaking his head. Aye, she had much to learn, this new wife of his. Much indeed!
You are wrong, husband mine, Elizabeth thought as soon as the door slammed. I'll not be hovering behind you, she vowed. Like my mother, I will stand beside you in this marriage. Oh, he had much to learn, this new husband of hers. Much indeed!
Chapter Six
Guyton, the bailiff in charge of the entire manor, had been slain during the attack, as had Angus, the reeve, a first tenant in charge of cultivation of the lord's land. And there were others missing, unaccounted for, Elizabeth knew. New appointments had to be made, and soon, for Elizabeth could all but feel the chaos and confusion in the atmosphere.
Although her husband was in charge of all that transpired, Elizabeth knew it was also her responsibility to help in any way she could. Her mother had ruled with her father, at his side, and often remarked that it was her lot in life to ease the burden of leadership. Elizabeth could do no less.
The first thing she would do was what she had promised her husband. She searched out and found
Sara and placed her in charge of the arrangements for dinner. She felt confident that she could trust Sara to see that her orders were carried out, and when the servant had repeated each instruction back to her mistress, Elizabeth was content that all would go as planned.
"The fare will be meager by Belwain's standards, Sara. There would be sufficient quantities of shoulder of wild boar with pheasant pasties and pigeon pie, but no delicacies such as roasted peacocks or swans, nor poultry either. "Make sure that there is more than enough sweetmeats for dessert, and have the servants include cloves and ginger after that."
"We'll need plenty of ale, my lady, for the sweetmeats and the spices will make the men ravenously thirsty."
"That is the plan, Sara. Tell the servants that no cup is to be left unfilled. Enough ale will muddle their minds and loosen their tongues."
Sara nodded vigorously. "I see your plan, mistress, and I tell you I am greatly relieved. At first I could not understand how that… man could be allowed to sit at your father's table. Why, I thought it was sacrilege you encouraged," she added in a whisper.
"There is reason." Elizabeth found herself comforting the old woman. "You must continue to have faith in me, Sara. Do not doubt my motives. Trust me." Familiar words, Elizabeth thought. Easily asked but quite difficult to give.
Elizabeth patted the woman on the arm and left the room. Her destination was the courtyard, where her husband was holding court. The villeins, those who worked for her father but had some rights of their own to the land, and the cotters, those who usually had no rights to any property but served the lord faithfully, had all been informed that Geoffrey would hear their disputes and offer decisions. Elizabeth was anxious to observe her husband, to see how he questioned, to have some insight on how he reached his decisions.
Geoffrey's back was to Elizabeth when she started down the steps. A long wooden table had been placed a little distance in front of the steps, and her husband sat in the same high-back chair that her father had used. Roger stood behind Geoffrey, his hand resting almost absentmindedly on the hilt of his sword at his side. There was a crowd gathered, all men, split into two sides in front of the table, with a cleared space in the middle. A lone man, Elizabeth recognized him as one of the leatherworkers, stood in the center, his head bowed.