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“Yes, why would I kill my own man?” the baron asked. “On the other hand, I know you never liked him.”
“But what would I have gained from letting him die? The only possible reason would be to spend less time patching up serving girls who got in his way and making sure they wouldn’t have to suffer any other consequences from his actions.”
“So it was revenge!” the baron shouted. “You heard her. That’s a confession.”
“Quite the opposite,” she said. “It sounds like you’re the one who’s desperate to pin the killing on someone so no one will look for the real killer.” She looked up at Maxen. “Do you really think I would kill someone or even allow someone to die, merely because I didn’t like him?” She met his gaze and held it, forcing him to look at her, really look at her, as he considered. She thought he looked torn. Or perhaps confused. A thought struck her—the baron had to have had a potion or poison to kill the knight, and he’d hired a wizard to track her down. Had he also used magic to cloud Maxen’s mind?
“Of course she didn’t!” a voice called out. Sara Smith approached, her market basket over her arm. To Elwyn, she added, “So, this is why you were in such a hurry this morning.”
“What is this?” Maxen demanded.
Sara glared up at him. “She would have made it well out of the village before you arrived, but I came to her in need of help. My husband had taken ill. Instead of escaping, she came to his aid. Even after she saved him, she probably could have left and made it safely away before you got here, but she waited to be sure he wouldn’t take another bad turn, and she took the time to give me the medicines I’d need to treat him. She sacrificed her freedom for us, and she has no reason to care about us. We’ve made her life miserable since she got here. We’ve tried to drive her away. Her life would have been easier without us. So, if she would risk everything to help people who’ve been awful to her, why would she kill someone she didn’t like when she had nothing really to gain from it?”
Elwyn had to blink rapidly to keep the tears that had come to her eyes from falling. Sara was the last person she would have expected to come to her defense, and that made her defense all the more effective. The question was, would it work?
Chapter 18
For a moment, Elwyn thought Maxen might see reason. The cloud that seemed to cover his features cleared, and he turned toward the baron, but then he swayed slightly in the saddle and turned back to Elwyn. “That is no evidence,” he said coldly.
“He has you under a spell, doesn’t he?” Elwyn accused, saying it more for Bryn’s benefit than to get the duke to think. Bryn might be an incompetent wizard—or thought he was—but maybe he could break a spell if he tried. If the magic came from his master, he might be familiar with it. Hoping he picked up on what she needed him to do, she added, “He’s admitted he worked with a wizard to find me. Maybe he got the potion that killed Sir Aled from a wizard, and that might explain your disloyalty to me.”
“But why would Vaughn bother?” Maxen asked. “You asked what you had to gain by killing Aled, but he has even less to gain from killing his own man.”
She had an idea, but it would mean airing the full extent of her relationship with Maxen. They’d been discreet, so it hadn’t been general knowledge at court. Most people knew only that she had his ear and that he trusted her counsel. She hadn’t told anyone in the village, not even Mair or Bryn, that they had been lovers. Mair had probably assumed, since that was how her mind worked, but she hated to think of how Bryn would take it. It had happened before they met, and she and Bryn were not involved romantically, beyond some feelings and that one kiss, but she still felt odd about him finding out, especially this way.
She faced the baron. “You have a sister, don’t you? And you had plans for her. You wanted to make her a duchess, and then you’d be connected to the duke in a way that would ensure your rise. But that would only work if the duke became lonely enough to seek companionship. That meant getting his closest companion out of the way—not just eliminated, but discredited, so his heart wouldn’t go with her.”
“You’re lying, making things up,” the baron said, but she ignored him, turning to watch the duke instead. He’d frozen completely.
“That is what happened,” Maxen said, frowning. “Soon after you left, his sister came to court, and she began spending time with me. We were to be married at the next full moon.” Turning to the baron with a frown, he asked, “Did you arrange that?”
“It takes no arranging for my sister to visit me at court,” the baron insisted.
While the duke and the baron were distracted, Elwyn glanced toward Bryn. He was mumbling under his breath and frantically wiggling his fingers. She hoped he was working on a spell, and she hoped it didn’t do something horrible to everyone in the market.
“You love my sister,” the baron said, stressing every word. Elwyn noticed that as he spoke he placed his hand on a pouch that hung at his belt. Maxen’s expression clouded again. She was now certain Vaughn was using magic.
“Bryn!” she called out, catching his gaze and directing it to the baron’s waist.
At the same time, the baron shoved his men aside and grabbed her, holding his sword across her throat. It appeared that he didn’t plan to take any chances that he might lose his influence over the duke. “She lies!” he shouted. “She’s the one who had you under her malign influence, ever since she came to your court. She snared you in her web of seduction from the very beginning. In fact, are you certain that she wasn’t the one who caused your children’s illness, so that she’d have an excuse to spend time with you and get you under her spell?
The children’s illness had been the reason Elwyn was brought to court in the first place, and they’d been ill before Elwyn ever met the duke, so it would have been impossible for her to be responsible. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure Maxen would be able to recall this while he was under Vaughn’s enchantment, and she didn’t dare speak with the baron’s blade at her throat.
She caught a glint of sunlight on metal out of the corner of her eye, and the next thing she saw was Bryn rushing toward her, his sword out. She groaned inwardly. Although she appreciated the effort, he didn’t stand a chance against the baron and his men. His blade flashed through the air and slashed somewhere on the baron’s right side. The baron couldn’t block the blow while holding Elwyn, and the soldiers didn’t seem to know what to do. Bryn backed away out of their reach before they could react.
The baron made no sound of pain and didn’t loosen his hold on Elwyn. Bryn must have missed him somehow. She heard a soft thud, then something slid across the ground, landing at Bryn’s feet, as though someone behind the baron had kicked it. Bryn bent to pick it up. It was the pouch that had been on the baron’s belt. Bryn must have picked up on her cue and cut it off. When he opened it, a small stone fell out of it into his hand.
“Aha!” he said. “I recognize this.” He mumbled something over the stone, and Maxen’s expression cleared.
“What is this?” the duke demanded.
“He had you enchanted to influence you, your grace,” Bryn said. “This is my master’s work. I know my master worked with him to find Elwyn, and I’ll wager he had something to do with the potion that killed your knight.”
“Seize him!” the duke shouted to the soldiers, pointing at the baron.
“He lies!” the baron insisted, tightening his grip on Elwyn. She felt the edge of his blade digging into her throat. “That rock is no charm. It’s merely something I carry for luck.”
“Then why do I feel so different now that you no longer have it? And why do you feel the need for a hostage? Release her and let’s discuss this like men.”
