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.He had come into Lord Talbot's services more thanfive years ago, though a bit more than three of those had been asthe sheriff.It had been a guise both of them had laughed about,but it had helped to lead suspicion away from him.It had been hisown idea to burn the east wing of the manor after EdmundSaxton had ridden into their camp by accident and recognizedhim among the raiders.Talbot had heartily agreed with the deed,of course, for he had hated the Saxtons from the first and covetedtheir wealth and lands.Some score years ago his lordship had ledhis own raid on Saxton Hall and had slain the old lord when hisaccusations of treachery against Broderick Saxton had beendismissed as having no merit.Though Talbot had friends at Courtstill pleading for his cause to cast the Saxtons from their lands, itseemed that that family also had acquaintances just as powerfulworking to reestablish the Saxton house and honor.Despite all of Talbot's efforts, however, things were going swiftlyawry.Christopher Seton was to blame for much of it.It seemedhe had no more than touched feet on the soil of these northernclimes but that he began to thwart and torment them.He hadfrightened Timmy Sears near to death, and Timmy, the big manthat he was, had come blubbering of all he had confessed to thenight rider.He had held back the names of the leaders andtherefore had to be slain before he also spilled that information.Ben Mose had also known more than he should have, and it wasfor that reason he was killed.Now, with Seton free to wreakvengeance for the taking of his woman, their woes were sure toincrease.Claudia would be the first one of those to surmount.Parker stepped over the inert bodies of his men in the tower andtook the stairs three at a time.He stepped into the cell cautiouslyand frowned at the scene that greeted him, most of all at theblack-garbed figure beside the table.With saber drawn, heapproached carefully from behind and quickly snatched theleather helm free.The curled coiffure of Claudia Talbot greetedhim before her head turned and her glare came upon him.Hereyes fairly crackled with rage.He loosed the gag but realized hismistake as she launched into a venomous tirade. You fools! Could you not see that Christopher was playing agame with you?! He is Lord Saxton!The sheriff's surprise dwindled readily as the full realizationdawned.Of course! Why did he not think of it himself? TimmySears had whined that the night rider was the lord of Saxton Hallwho had returned from the dead to haunt him.Fool! he thought.You let that many-faced man deceive you withhis tricks!Claudia was not timid about placing the blame on someone else,quickly forgetting that she had also been duped.As he labored atthe knots that held her imprisoned, Allan heard his reputationbesmirched nay, flogged and slain his parentage reviewedwith rampant speculations as to its legitimacy and content ofhumankind, and even a few choice epithets leveled at her sire.Bythe time he freed her, he was of the firm opinion that his ownwell-seasoned soldier's adjectives had just been put to shame.Claudia threw off the long black cloak and grabbed up theiridescent blue gown Erienne had left.As she pulled it over herhead, she spoke through the cloth,  I want to see that bastarddrawn and quartered before this day is through!The skirts settled over her petticoats, and Claudia reached up topull the bodice together.Her eyes widened and her face flamedas the two edges refused to meet around her waist, leaving a gapas wide as the breadth of a large man's hand.Allan choked as he tried to subdue his laughter and won a heatedglare for his effort. Help me to fasten it! she barked. I fear there's no time, he replied and refrained from indicatingthat it would be a hopeless task.He had often observed the trim,well-curved form of the Saxton wench, and though the twowomen favored somewhat in looks (though there, too, Claudiawas wanting), that had not been true of their shapes.A moment later they were striding across the courtyard towardthe Talbot carriage, and as Claudia struggled to keep fromstumbling over the long ends of Lord Saxton's black cloak, Allanstrenuously stressed the need for her to return home. 'Twill be no place for a woman, he argued. I insist! I want to see Erienne's face when you cut down herhusband.Allan sighed wearily.He already knew that neither of theTalbots were the forgiving sort and were rather bloodthirsty whenthey set to the path of revenge. You have your coach.I cannotstop you, but your father will deal with me harshly if some harmcomes to you.Claudia's head raised slightly as she looked past his arm, then shesmiled smugly. The blame for this at least needn't be placed onyour head.My father is coming now.He will take me with him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]