“In that case, surely he’d have grabbed you and taken you away to safety. You’d be in Otto’s presence when Ernald gives his account.”
“True!” Her eyes lit up. “And Otto will certainly ask me what happened. Ernald and he have crossed words often enough that he won’t trust Ernald’s account alone. If I can’t be found, the whole charge might fall apart.”
“Where can you hide?” Rafe asked. “Especially if Ernald raises a fuss and asks for a search?”
“I know a few spots where I’ll be quite safe,” she said, smiling. “Listen. Should there be a search,someoneought to find me. If it happens, come to the chapel with one of your companions. You both can meet me there—I’ll keep an eye out for you from my hiding spot—and I’ll say I was in prayer the whole time. Then it will seem that Ernald made the whole thing up.”
“Good enough.” He touched her hand. “By the way, I wasn’t in the hallway by chance. I do have questions for you about this journey.”
“Then we’ll talk more. Later. I don’t want to be found by Ernald or his lackeys just now.” She paused. “Why did you intervene? You could have walked away.”
Rafe said, “Let’s just say that I like you better than Ernald. And he needed a reprimand.”
Her fleeting smile felt like a spring breeze. “Find me in the chapel. Good luck!”
* * * *
Angelet knew of many hiding places around the manor of Dryton, because over the years she learned it was better to be forgotten than noticed. Thus, she had favorite spots to dash to no matter where she was, whether on the grounds or in the manor house itself.
When Sir Rafe left her, she slipped down another hallway and hid in a shadowed alcove when she heard two other people walking toward her. She held still, scarcely breathing. From the tone of their conversation, it was only two servants. But she knew Ernald would be out to find her very soon.
So Angelet kept moving whenever she was alone and unwatched, making her way toward the chapel. Ernald probably would send men to the chapel looking for her, but she had a hiding place there too, a nook behind a curtain where Father Mark kept extra candles and oil. From there, she’d be able to see anyone who entered the space. When she saw Sir Rafe, she’d reveal herself again.
The chapel was empty when she got there. Father Mark went to sleep quite early, since he rose during the night to observe Matins and Lauds, the holy offices that took place during the hours before dawn.
Angelet entered the quiet chapel and moved to the hiding place. She took a few deep breaths, thinking of what an odd day she’d had. First Sir Rafe arrived, disturbing her placidity like a stone thrown into a pond. Then there was Otto’s surprise announcement, and Ernald’s display of dominance. Thank goodness Rafe appeared to thwart him. Angelet didn’t think Ernald would have gone beyond a kiss, but that was bad enough. She never liked Ernald, even when she first came to Dryton. Hubert had been sincere and sweet. Ernald was the opposite, selfish and calculating.
In fact, Ernald first ignored her completely, until she was widowed. After her affliction began to plague her, he teased her for her visions and her strangeness. But then Ernald also began to press Otto to let him marry her. Otto always turned down the idea, but Ernald revived it often.
Despite her words to Rafe earlier, she was well aware that Ernald watched her. How had Rafe put it? Like a wolf watches a sheep. Yes, it was time to get away from Dryton, even if a nunnery was her only other option.
If that’s the price I pay to see my son again, then I’ll pay it, she thought. And she’d pray for the saints to intercede with a better ending, if they chose to. Either way, she’d get free of Dryton and the Yarboroughs.
She felt lighter as she thought of leaving Dryton at last. She’d been stuck here for far too long, within the dreary walls and the dour lands around. The journey, at least, would be new. She would see new vistas and new towns. Perhaps she’d get to meet a few interesting people along the way.
If she was lucky, maybe they’d travel along a route that would let her see a spectacular sunset, like the ones she remembered as a child. Dryton, confined in a wooded valley, never had sunsets like the ones she dreamed of, all gold and red beams in the sky, opening up as if it was heaven itself.
Closing her eyes, she imagined the scene, hoping to make it real. The colors seemed to burst in her mind, and she felt lighter and lighter, more joyous every moment. She could almost touch the sky…
Angelet drew in a shuddering breath. Too late, she realized what was happening. This was no idle dream, but the start of another fit. She scrambled out of her little hiding place. She had to run to find some sort of help before the seizure worsened, leaving her unable to move.
As she reached the altar and turned to the door of the chapel, she saw the same bright colors of her sunset, but now the color streamed in through the doorway, dazzling her. And in the midst of the vibrant, violent burst of light was the black outline of the figure she had seen so often before. Her angel.
“Help me,” she said, reaching out to it. Pain stopped her from going any further. Her arm struck something at her side, and then she was falling, falling, falling, and everything went dark.
Chapter 6
After warning Angelet to remainhidden until the corridor was silent, Rafe had left her. He went to the dormitory, a long, low roofed room where male guests could stay. There were several mattresses laid directly upon the floor. No walls divided the space—it was little more than a barracks. Rafe was quite familiar with the set-up, after serving as a soldier and a knight.
His new companions were settling in. Simon, Laurence, and Marcus all took beds in a row. They were sitting on the middle one, about to start a friendly game of dice, so Rafe joined them.
The group was just starting the betting when a local guard walked in with the news: Otto wanted to speak to Angelet, but she could not be found. Ernald must have given his own account of the incident, just as expected.
Rafe told Laurence and Marcus to start searching near the outer walls of the manor, while he and Simon would begin with the buildings.
“Won’t the residents know where to look?” Laurence asked. “We’re strangers here.”
“Then perhaps we’ll see something that they’ve overlooked,” Rafe countered.
