And she’d also never again complain about long car rides, not after galloping more than thirty torturous miles on the back of a horse. The heat of the day had parched them, but they’d pressed forward regardless and had only stopped once out of compassion for the horses.
When they’d arrived at Chesterfield Park at dusk, Marian had collapsed onto the ground and hadn’t been able to get back up. Thad had carried her inside. And now he and Sarah and the others rushed around, preparing to leave.
Christina had returned to St. Sepulchre during their absence, but Will’s mother, Lady Felice, had greeted them. Upon hearing the news of Will’s treachery against Wat Tyler, her face had paled, and she’d wordlessly begun assisting Sarah with stowing everything of value they could fit into chests and bags.
“Where are we going?” Marian forced herself up so that she could help, unwilling to sit back any longer.
Thad was shoving large quantities of food into a grain sack, his straight bangs plastered to his dusty face. “The master has entrusted me with seeing you to the coast for your transport to the Continent. You’ll find safety with a friend in Amsterdam.”
Amsterdam? From an aching place deep inside, she couldn’t bear the thought of going to Amsterdam or returning to the present day without making sure Will was all right. “I’m not leaving.”
“You must.” Thad spoke as if the matter was already settled.
“I won’t go anywhere without Will.”
“When ’tis safe for your return, I shall send word.”
“Lady Felice may go with the boys, but I’m staying here and waiting for news of Will.”
Thad halted in his efforts to stuff more food into the already full bag and frowned. “The master gave me explicit instructions—”
“I will not go.” She used her most decisive tone and held his gaze until he dropped his.
He wiped at the perspiration trickling down his temple. “The rebels may come looking for revenge, and if they find you here, they’ll show no mercy.”
It didn’t matter whether she was here at Chesterfield Park or running away to Amsterdam, she would soon be in a coma. She was surprised she hadn’t yet fallen unconscious but was grateful at the same time.
Even so, she couldn’t keep a new worry from sifting through her, the dread that something terrible may have happened to Ellen and Harrison to keep them from going to the crypt. She’d also considered the likelihood that the ampullae had somehow fallen into the wrong hands, that Harrison had retrieved them as planned but had been robbed on his way out of the crypt.
Thad was watching her, frustration etched on his ruddy face. He’d already failed his master once in allowing the rebels inside Chesterfield Park. Even if he’d had no choice but to do so, she’d witnessed his despair in having to let Will down. Now, tasked with seeing to her safety, he was loath to fail Will again.
“If the rebels come looking for me, then you can hide me in the vault and tell them I’ve left with the others. They won’t expect me to have stayed behind.”
“’Tis not what the master wanted. He made me swear an oath I wouldn’t rest until I see you and his sons safely launched at Dover. If you don’t go, word will spread that only Lady Felice and the lads fled.”
“Send Sarah in my stead. She’ll pretend to be me.”
At her words, Thad straightened and glanced at his wife, who was clomping down the stairway.
“She will be safer with them, especially once the rebels learn of your role in aiding the escape of Sir William’s family.”
Thad didn’t respond. Instead, he watched his wife move across the great hall toward the open chests. She placed more items inside, folding them tightly to make room for all they’d need.
In the descending night, the sconces cast a glow across the room, coating everything with a honey-colored glaze. While Marian missed being able to turn on lights at the flip of a switch, she could admit there was a beauty to the simplicity of her life here. In the ease of modern conveniences, she often failed to notice the little things like the violet shadows in a room at sunset or the soft whispers of the wind against the open shutters.
Marian took a sip of the ale Sarah had brought her and found she even relished the bitterness of the watery drink against her tongue. “Sarah is levelheaded and will be able to help Lady Felice take care of the boys.”
Thad lowered his head and stared with unfocused eyes upon the bag before him. Finally he nodded. “The master will cut off my ears for allowing you to stay.”
Will would do nothing of the sort, although she had no doubt he’d be angry, more with her than Thad. “He’ll realize soon enough you could do nothing to sway me.”
Thad smiled ruefully. “You are indeed a strong woman, lady.”
Within the hour, under the cover of darkness, she tucked Robert and Phillip in the back of the wagon next to Lady Felice and Sarah and kissed the boys good-bye. Thad gave her a strict warning not to open the gates for anyone and to stay inside until he returned on the morrow.
After watching them ride away, she made her way upstairs to her chamber, realizing her cheeks were wet with tears and that she already missed the boys. Even though she hadn’t known them long, somehow after the past days of trying to survive together, she’d let them in her heart and allowed herself to love them like they were her own. She would miss them terribly when she returned to her other life.
A different maid attended to her needs, helping her wash away the grit of the past days, brushing her tangled hair, and bringing her a clean shift. Once finished, Marian tumbled into bed and fell into an exhausted sleep.
Marian wasn’t sure how long she slumbered when a commotion outside awoke her and sent fear skittering across her skin. With her pulse tapping a slow drumbeat of dread, she tiptoed barefooted through the corridors. Thad’s warning not to allow anyone inside the gates echoed ominously, especially when she realized the clopping of horse hooves was drawing up in front of the manor—that someone had allowed the visitors to enter, perhaps someone sympathetic to the peasant cause.
Once in the great hall, she picked up her pace, hurrying several frightened women servants ahead of her toward Will’s antechamber.
Before she could reach the room, the thick front door banged open, hitting the wall with a thud that reverberated down to her bones. Marian stumbled. They weren’t going to make it into the vault in time.
A half a dozen men barged through the entryway with the clanking of armor and the heavy tread of boots. In the dim glow of the moonlight streaming through the high open windows, she could see the intruders were heavily armed.
Since she wouldn’t be able to outrun them now, she could do nothing else but face them with dignity. She clasped her trembling hands together and stepped forward into a shaft of moonlight. “Who are you and what do you want?”
At the sound of her voice, the men halted.
“She is here as you predicted,” someone said.
“I am Lady Marian Durham.” She spoke the words with as much authority as she could muster and was surprised at how naturally her new name rolled off her tongue. “Tell me why you are barging into my home in the middle of the night.”
The men didn’t move, except for one, who shouldered his way to the front. Even in the dark, she recognized the outline of his muscular body, the intensity of his demeanor, and the fierceness of his stance.