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“It will not be force, my girl. I am quite persuasive.”

Elizabeth put herself between her dearest friend and Bannaster. She would allow no harm to come to Anne, even if it meant confessing her identity. Bannaster impatiently grabbed Elizabeth’s arm, but before he could push her aside, Anne started screaming. She was impressively loud, and full of enough terror to bring anyone within hearing distance running.

“Shh!” Bannaster said, thrusting Elizabeth aside. “I wasn’t going to hurt you, girl!”

Elizabeth tripped and fell to the floor.

“A kiss is all I ask!” he shouted.

Anne continued screaming.

“One kiss and you’ll see that I can make the best husband!”

Even as Elizabeth stood up, she could hear the sound of pounding feet coming up the stairs. The door burst open and the two soldiers spilled inside. Anne started sobbing, Elizabeth threw her arms around her, and Bannaster swayed and put a hand on his soldier’s chest.

“A misunderstanding,” Bannaster said. “I was just leaving.”

Anne calmed down until her sobs were hiccups. Elizabeth continued to pat her back as Bannaster backed down from whatever he’d planned. She could not be satisfied, though, because he could try again another time. And who could stop him from what he truly wanted to do?

When Bannaster and the soldiers had gone, Elizabeth and Anne hugged each other.

Elizabeth gave her a handkerchief to dry her tears. “You know I would never have let him touch you. This is growing too dangerous. Let me take back my life.”

“Nay! I knew you were going to say that. That’s why I was crying, trying to make him leave before you did something foolish!”

Elizabeth sighed. “You did a fine job scaring him off.”

Anne shook her head, her expression worried. “For now, Elizabeth, only for now. His meeting with the king did not go at all as he’d planned. He seems a bit desperate.”

“Mayhap it was only the drink in him talking. If he’d have wanted to take you, he could have tried it a sennight ago. I promise I will have more of our people keep watch on him and the tower. We’ll make sure he never has a chance to sneak up here.”

Anne nodded, but she looked unconvinced. How vulnerable she must feel! Elizabeth felt terribly guilty, but she knew Anne would reject the offer to switch places.

“Let me bring you up a supper tray,” Elizabeth said. “Food always makes you feel better.”

Anne gave a shaky smile. “You make me sound like a glutton.”

“Nonsense. But surely you’re hungry. I’ll be right back.”

Elizabeth left the solar, closed the door behind her, and began to hurry down the stairs. She’d only taken a few when something rose out of the shadows in front of her. She gasped and fell back against the wall, catching herself.

Lord Bannaster smiled at her, the torchlight gleaming across his teeth.

Oh God, what had he heard? If he’d listened at the door, he knew who she was.

“Anne, you’re a beautiful girl,” he said.

She told herself to relax, that he didn’t know the truth, but something in his gaze made her fear rise instead.

“And I want company tonight,” he continued pleasantly.

He sounded like they were going to spend the evening playing Tables in the great hall, but she knew that wasn’t what he meant. Without a word, she turned and tried to run back up the stairs, but he caught her arm, and she fell onto her knees on the cold stone.

“There, there, you’ll hurt yourself,” he said. “You must be careful. It’s a nasty fall down.”

There was no railing. The tower stairs were made for hand-to-hand combat, where one knight could pitch the other over the edge.

Bannaster helped her up. “Come, let me show you the bedchamber I use here. It was the earl’s, and ’tis magnificent.”