The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale #2)(60)

“The men.” Endlein motioned toward the west wing and looked worried and confused. “I think they did something with Annlin.”

“Men?”

She gestured for Avelina to come closer. Avelina limped into the corridor. “You seem kind,” Endlein said. “Come with me. You will help me, won’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

Avelina followed Endlein—slowly and with the woman holding to her elbow and helping her along—through the corridor toward the west wing.

Avelina heard footsteps and voices as they neared the chamber where Lord Thornbeck’s brother had died. Endlein placed a finger to her lips and led Avelina in through an open doorway. They stood listening as footsteps approached, passed the doorway, and entered the room near the end of the corridor.

Avelina peeked out, and when she did not see anyone, she walked up to the door where the voices were coming from and placed her ear up to the keyhole.

“I brought you all here,” a man’s voice said, “because I fear Lord Thornbeck’s mind is addled. He has chosen a . . . servant girl . . . for his wife instead of one of our daughters. And there is still the suspicion that he is the one who caused the death of the previous margrave so he might take his place as lord of this region.”

Who was speaking? Who would dare say these things?

“He also is responsible for the lack of game in the forests of Thornbeck, the king’s forests, allowing poaching of the king’s own deer. His chancellor actually married the notorious poacher who was killing all the deer in Thornbeck Forest.”

What? Odette was a poacher? That couldn’t be true, although she had seen Odette and Jorgen just after the wolf attack, with a faint memory of Lord Thornbeck instructing them to go after the wolves.

Other men’s voices murmured, but nothing she could make out. Who else was there? She stuck her eye up to the keyhole but could only see the men’s backs.

Someone said, “What do you propose we do? All of these things are only gossip, hearsay.”

“We will capture the margrave, subdue his guards, and look into this gossip, as you call it.”

She could hear the sneer in his voice. Her heart started pounding. Wouldn’t someone protest? But there was only silence.

“I have brought my guards, knights, and soldiers with me to assist. We cannot allow any dissention of this sort. We must uphold our alliance to each other and the king, and ensure the safety and security of the Holy Roman Empire. We cannot allow sedition and murder to abound in Thornbeck. This is an important border and must be guarded. A margrave who intends to marry a servant and appoints a chancellor who consorts with a poacher—it is a disgrace.”

Avelina listened, but again, no one protested what he was saying. No one spoke on behalf of Lord Thornbeck—the traitors!

She had to open the door and see who was there, who was speaking against Lord Thornbeck, and who was going along with it. She had to warn Lord Thornbeck.

“All of you must pledge your loyalty to me. You must tell your guards to join with mine in the fight against Thornbeck. He must be stopped. If you are loyal to our king, you must join me in this fight.”

How dare he say such things? She pulled the iron door handle, as carefully as possible, while the men were talking. She opened the door just a crack and put one eye up to it.

Geitbart stood in the middle of the group. Several noblemen who had come to take their daughters home were there, probably seven or eight men, though she could not see very well through the tiny crack. Her heart was pounding. If she was caught . . .

“We are all agreed, then.” Geitbart was turning in her direction.

Avelina stood and darted down the corridor toward an open door, ignoring the pain in her ankle. She hurried silently in her stockinged feet into the next room, but she was not sure Endlein was following.

Behind her, men’s footsteps entered the corridor.

“What are you doing here?” The men must have encountered Endlein standing in the corridor.

“It is only the lack-witted woman Lord Thornbeck lets roam the castle—another reason to doubt his sanity.”

They seemed to be ignoring Endlein and walking on by, as Avelina plastered herself against the wall inside the room so they wouldn’t see her.

The men were soon gone, their footsteps growing fainter.

Where would Lord Thornbeck be at this time of day? “Please let him not be in the Great Hall.” She didn’t want to face all those people.

Endlein was staring at her.

“Don’t tell anyone about those men and what they said.” Avelina looked into her eyes to make sure she understood. Those men would kill her if they thought she might tell someone what they were plotting.

“Very well.” Endlein stared back at her with that vacant look.

Avelina turned and took two steps before pain shot from her ankle up her leg, reminding her to walk slower.

She limped, her heart still pounding, heading toward the stairs. Perhaps she should tell Magdalen so she was not the only one who knew of this treachery. The two of them could split up and find Lord Thornbeck faster.

She limp-hopped through the long, winding corridor, making her way from the west wing to Magdalen’s door and knocked. She waited. Then she pushed the door open and called softly, “Magdalen. Magdalen, are you here?”

No one answered, and there was no sound.