An Uncertain Choice(70)

While the guards were fending off Sir Bennet, Derrick swooped to retrieve his halberd. In one motion, he grabbed the weapon and swung it against the heels of the closest guard, sending him to the ground with a cry. Derrick spun and chopped into the swinging arm of a guard ready to stab Sir Bennet.

Sir Bennet repaid the deed by plunging into a guard who came roaring toward Derrick. Within minutes, the two knights had injured or felled the rest of the guards. When they were finally unopposed, Derrick grinned up at Sir Bennet, whose horse snorted and stamped sideways.

Another crash came from the church entrance, and two more warhorses barged into the nave — ?the duke and Sir Collin, who were both winded but wielding weapons and prepared for battle.

“Thanks for finally showing up,” Derrick said wryly.

“You know us. We like to make things as exciting as possible whenever we can.” The voice hinted at humor and belonged to Sir Collin.

“A few key bridges on the return trip had been destroyed by the abbot in an effort to keep us from returning.” The refined statement came from Sir Bennet.

“Bennet was right about not needing to free you from the dungeon,” Sir Collin said with a laugh. “I should have known you’d make your own way out of prison when the need arose.”

The duke remained silent. He sat regally upon his horse. I could see through the eye slit in his helmet he was taking in the scene of battle in one sweep. When his gaze came on me, he stopped and stiffened.

I’d been watching the whole fight without moving. I’d hardly dared to breathe, much less speak, with the blade still pressed against my throat. Throughout the melee before us, I had waited for the abbot to strike, to punish me for the knights’ actions, but the knife had not moved. I had a terrible feeling he was saving his wrath until Derrick’s full attention was focused on me once more.

“Let Lady Rosemarie go,” the duke called. “We’ve found evidence that proves you were behind the murder attempts you blamed on Sir Derrick, and have arrested the marksman you hired to shoot Sir Collin. We also have in custody a soldier who works for the neighboring Lord Witherton, who claims you paid him to kill and cut out the sheriff’s heart.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” the abbot said, taking a step back but keeping the knife against my throat. “I’ve got her ladyship now. And nothing you do will make me hand her over. There are only hours left until she’s mine anyway. You might as well admit defeat when you’re faced with it.”

“We also found the liquid you had the sheriff pour into the ale that was distributed among the poor, a poisoned liquid that was causing everyone who drank it to fall ill. We located the man who sold it to you and have him in custody as well.”

“It’s my word against theirs,” the abbot said.

Although my hope had been rising with each new piece of evidence against the abbot, it quickly came crashing down. The abbot would only need to perpetuate lies. All he had to do was tell my people that the duke wanted control over me and was making up the charges to keep me from fulfilling my sacred duty to the Ancient Vow. Who would dare oppose the abbot, at least without fearing for their lives?

Fresh hopelessness seeped into my chest.

The duke exchanged a pointed glance with Derrick.

“If you don’t turn around, ride out of here,” the abbot said, his voice ringing with the victory that was surely his, “and leave Ashby for good, I’ll begin cutting her up.”

Derrick shifted, and his jaw clenched with barely restrained anger.

“If you hand her over willingly,” the duke replied, “we may spare your life.”

The abbot’s thin fingers dug into me. Who was this man? Had he ever cared for me at all? Or had he guided me out of the selfishness of his heart for the control he’d hoped to gain over my lands when I was finally locked away in the convent?

“I haven’t gone to all the trouble to counsel her ladyship only to have you come in here at the last minute and steal all that’s rightly mine and to take away my dreams of building a holy empire.”

Now that the whole truth was out, my shoulders sagged with his betrayal. “I thought you loved me.” My voice quavered but I didn’t care. “I thought you truly wanted what was best for me, but this has only been about what you can gain, hasn’t it?”

“And I do want what’s best for your soul, my child.” His voice gentled near my ear. “But at this point you’re too enamored with the knights. You’ve become a simpering fool of a girl. And you’ve forced me to resort to this violence.”

“Hand her over.” The duke’s voice boomed through the church. “This is your last chance.”

A spurt of defiance rose within me. I didn’t want to be known as a simpering fool of a girl. Without giving myself time to rationalize my next move, I slapped the knife away from my throat, surprising the abbot, and ducked low as I’d seen Derrick do during his fighting.

“Now!” the duke shouted. Upon the command, Derrick flung his dagger so that it flew end over end directly toward the abbot.

I sank lower and covered my head with my bound hands.

Before the abbot could move, the sharp blade punctured his chest with a thud. He gave a pained scream, fell backward, and hit his head against the altar. For a long moment, his breath gurgled in his chest. Then he wheezed a final gasp and slumped lifelessly to the floor.