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  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I know. I was just thinking that Raine will have my hide for doing this.”

  Miles’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, he will.”

  “You’re hurt!” Elizabeth suddenly announced, her hand running over a dirty bandage about his ribs. There wasn’t much of his shirt left but what there was, Elizabeth had been exploring under.

  She leaned away from him. Only moonlight came into the little room but even in that light, as she parted his shirt, she could see all the scars. Running her fingertips along one, she spoke, “You had no scars when I first met you and you’ve received all of them through me.”

  He kissed her palm. “I’ll put a few scars on you—scars you get from bearing twenty of my children. Now I want both of you to rest because I imagine morning will bring…new events.”

  Elizabeth’s main concern in life had been seeing Miles safe again and now that she leaned against him, knew he was strong and well, she was content. She closed her tired eyes and slept instantly.

  Not so Alyx. She had not been traveling as long as Elizabeth and wasn’t as tired. She closed her eyes and was still but her mind raced.

  After an hour, when the cell was barely growing light, Miles gently moved the women off him and went to stand before the window. With half-shuttered eyes, Alyx watched him, saw his awkward movements.

  “Come join me, Alyx,” he whispered, surprising her that he knew she was awake.

  Alyx stepped over a sleeping Elizabeth and as she drew near Miles, he pulled her to him, his front to her back. “You’ve risked much to save me, Alyx, and I thank you.”

  She smiled, put her cheek against his wrist. “I’m the one who got us caught. The duke had seen me play in England somewhere, remembered me and also remembered that he’d heard I’d become a Montgomery. What do you think Bronwyn said when she saw Roger on the roof instead of you?” She turned in his arms. “You do think they got away, don’t you? No guards were waiting for them at the bottom of the ropes, were they? Raine will come?”

  With a smile he turned her back toward the window. “I know they got through. Look there, far to the west.”

  “I see nothing.”

  “In the haze, see the little sparkles?”

  “Yes,” she said excitedly. “What are they?”

  “I could be wrong but I believe they’re men in armor. And there, more to the north.”

  “More sparkles! Oh Miles.” She turned, hugged his ribs tightly then suddenly let him go. “You’re hurt worse than you told Elizabeth,” she said accusingly.

  He tried to smile but there was pain in his eyes. “Will you tell her and give her more to worry about? She was brave dancing for all those strange men, wasn’t she?” he said proudly.

  “Yes,” Alyx said, turning back around. Together they stood there as the day began to dawn, watching the little pinpoints of light as they grew nearer and nearer.

  “Who are they?” Alyx asked. “I know there are Montgomerys in France but there must be hundreds of knights approaching. Who are the others?”

  “I doubt if there are any others,” he answered. “There are Montgomerys all over France, and in Spain and Italy. When I was a boy and first earned my spurs it bothered me that I could go nowhere that I didn’t have an uncle or a few cousins breathing down my neck, but now I believe every one of my relatives to be beautiful.”

  “I have to agree with that.”

  “There!” he said, pointing straight ahead. “Did you see it?”

  “No, I saw nothing.”

  He grinned happily. “It’s what I’ve been waiting to see. There it is again!”

  Briefly, for less than a second, Alyx saw a different flash.

  “It’s my Uncle Etienne’s banner. We’ve always joked about the Montgomery banner he carries. It’s nearly as big as a house, but Etienne says just the sight of those three gold leopards will send most people running—and he wants to give them time to leave.”

  “I saw it!” Alyx gasped. On the horizon had appeared three flashes of gold, one above the other. “The leopards,” she breathed. “Who do you think—?” she began.

  “Raine will be leading Uncle Etienne. Stephen is coming with the men from the north and Gavin will arrive from the south.”

  “How can you know that?”

  “I know my brothers.” He smiled. “Gavin will wait a few miles away for his brothers and all three armies will attack at once.”

  “Attack?” she said through her teeth.

  “Don’t worry.” He ran his hand along her temple. “I don’t believe even the Duke of Lorillard will try to stand against the combined forces of the Montgomerys. He’ll be given a chance to surrender to us peacefully. And besides, his fight is about Christiana, not with the Montgomerys.”

  “Christiana. The girl Roger Chatworth rescued? What has happened to her?”

  “I don’t know but I’ll find out,” Miles said with such feeling that Alyx was silenced. She knew better than to try to argue with one of the Montgomery men about something he planned to do. Together they watched the approaching armies of knights and when Elizabeth awoke, Miles held her also.

  Trying to cheer them, he made a bawdy jest about Elizabeth’s garish clothes.

  “If Judith and Bronwyn liberated Roger Chatworth and the three of them went for help, which brother do you think they reached first?” Alyx asked.

  Neither Miles nor Elizabeth had an answer for her.

  “I pray it wasn’t Raine,” Alyx whispered. “I think Raine would strike first and listen second.”

  In silence, they watched their rescuers approach.

  Chapter 21

  RIDING NEXT TO RAINE AND ETIENNE MONTGOMERY WAS Roger Chatworth, his mouth set in a grim line, his right arm—his sword arm—bound tightly but still bleeding, and next to him was Bronwyn sporting what promised to be an extraordinary example of a black eye. Roger’s arm was the result of Raine’s first sighting of his enemy and Bronwyn’s eye came about when she placed herself between Raine and Roger. Judith would have joined the fracas but John Bassett leaped from his horse, knocked her to the ground and pinned her there.

  It took four men to hold Raine and keep him from tearing Chatworth apart but he did finally calm somewhat and allowed Judith and Bronwyn, who was nursing her swollen eye, to tell him what had happened. All the Montgomerys were remounted halfway through the story. When Judith told of Alyx being thrown in the cell with Miles, Raine once again leaped for Roger. Roger held him off with a sword held in his left hand while Raine’s relatives calmed them both.

  They were all quiet now as they approached the old Lorillard castle.

  Gavin Montgomery sat in steely silence atop his horse, three hundred armed men behind him, and watched the approaching Montgomerys. Beside him sat Sir Guy, the giant’s scarred face immobile. Guy didn’t like to remember Gavin’s explosion when he found out Judith had come to France with the men.

  “She has no sense in these matters!” Gavin’d roared. “She thinks waging war is like cleaning a fish pond. Oh Lord,” he prayed fervently, “if she is still alive when I find her, I will kill her. Let’s ride!”

  Stephen ordered his men to the eastern side of the castle while he and Tam rode toward where Gavin waited on the south.

  “Women?” he bellowed long before he reached Gavin.

  “None!” Gavin answered so loudly his horse lifted both forefeet off the ground.

  In a cloud of dirt, Stephen and Tam turned west and headed for Raine. When Stephen saw Bronwyn, he nearly cried with relief, then frowned at her swollen eye. “What happened?” he shouted over the sound of the horses, not touching her but eating her with his eyes.

  “Raine—” was all Bronwyn got out before Stephen let go with a bellow of laughter. He looked fondly at Raine’s big form held rigidly in the saddle.

  Bronwyn didn’t bother to look at her husband again but moved to the far side of Tam.

  “Stephen,” Judith called. “Is Gavin with them?” She point