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loyalty, sir knight. I will stand behind you to do whatever it takes to avenge my lady.
Thank you, Roderick.
You have never been to Fordhaven?
No. Never.
Roderick knelt down to pick up a handful of pebbles and methodically began to
toss them into the water.
I have.
* * * * *
The marriage celebration was still going full swing down in the great hall and the
castle hallways were deserted. Elena tried door after door, but most led to empty
chambers. Biting her lip, she began to descend the twisted stairway that led down to the
bailey.
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Sins of the Knight
Stepping outside, she took a deep breath. It was a warm night, and for that she
thanked God, for her scanty clothing would do little to protect her from a chill.
She turned, sidling down the edge of the wall, approaching one of the doors to the
kitchens. The door swung open, and before Elena had a chance to move, a laughing
woman carrying a bowl of bones stepped out.
The woman nearly ran Elena down. She reeled to a halt, dropping the pan with a
clatter, bones tumbling every which way.
It was the woman who had brought her food every day, the kitchen maid who had
been so kind. Lady Lewes, she gasped. What in heavens name are you doing out
here?
There was no reason to lie. She could only pray the woman would help her. I ve
escaped from your master. Elena glanced to her right and left. Nobody else was near,
thank goodness. Please help me, Mary.
Uncertainty crossed over Mary s face, then fear. My lady, I cannot
Please, Elena begged. You know what he s done to me. He will kill me, Mary.
Please. You know it s true.
Mary glanced warily around them then bit her lip. Aye, my lady. I will help. There
is an ancient, abandoned passageway that will take you far from the grounds. But we
must hurry.
With only a cloak, a rushlight and a small bundle of food given to her by Mary,
Elena escaped from Fordhaven. After several long days of walking, begging for shelter
and groveling for scraps of food, she finally knocked on the door to her grandmother s
cottage.
When the old woman opened the door, Elena merely grinned, so happy to see her
she could hardly speak through the thick emotion in her throat.
Elena. I knew you would come today.
She threw her arms around the old woman. As always, her grandmother s soft skin
smelled of sugar and spices.
Oh my dear, Grandmre cooed, bustling her into the main room of the small,
pretty cottage. A smile spread across her features, but the edges of her eyes creased
with concern. Oh child, you are so gaunt. I have been so worried. My tarot cards said
something was amiss.
Her tarot cards? Elena didn t know what those were. Grandmre had never
mentioned cards before.
I am fine, really. Despite her loss of weight and the shreds of her clothing, Elena
was healthy. Free, for the first time in her life. In the days since she had escaped from
Ranulf, she d wondered if she had killed him. She doubted it. It wasn t a lethal wound
and wouldn t have killed him unless it festered. They were still married.
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Dawn Halliday
A hollow remained in her heart the void Stephen had created when he left her
but she would survive. Her babe would survive. She would hide among the peasants
forever, if necessary. Eventually, she might go to court and beg the king to ask the
archbishop for an annulment. But for now, this would be her home. The shores of
Bristol Channel would not be such a bad place to raise her son.
Grandmre turned to Elena and gripped both her hands. First you bathe and eat.
Then we talk. There is so much to tell you. But for now, care for yourself& She
released one of Elena s hands and pressed it gently over her belly. And the babe.
Nobody had ever understood her like her grandmother. Elena nodded, her eyes
filling with tears.
* * * * *
Elena s grandmother held a pile of cards lovingly in her gnarled, age-spotted hands.
The cards were white on their tops but quite frayed and yellowed around their edges.
You know that you have abilities, Grandmre said. I have always seen them in
you. Divining the future is your strongest, no?
I can see things sometimes, Grandmre. Sometimes I see the immediate future,
sometimes I see into men s hearts. Sometimes I see with clarity, but those times are few
and far between. Most of the time, there s nothing. And sometimes, she paused,
remembering how certain she d been that Stephen would stay with her, that he would
fight for her, what I see is wrong.
It is because you have avoided your talents rather than embracing them. These
will be your guide. Grandmre set the cards on the table and motioned Elena to sit
across from her. I haven t shown these to you because you were not ready. You were
so intent on being a good Norman wife. But you are ready now, aren t you? Ready to
embrace your destiny?
Was she? Did she want to control this strange magic, or did she want it to stay as it
was, coming and going with seemingly no rhyme or reason?
She couldn t deny being a little afraid. The church condemned women who
practiced magic such as this.
Teach me, she whispered.
Grandmre smiled. These will help you focus when things aren t so clear. Take
them. Mix them up then set them on the table.
Elena took the cards. They were warm and heavy in her hands. She turned them
over and saw faded paintings on their faces people, animals, symbols, numbers. She
couldn t make heads or tails of any of it.
Now, said her grandmother as Elena shuffled, we will ask the cards a question
and I will help you interpret their answer. You may use this simple method to help
your own nature to more easily find answers to pressing questions.
But will they be as cryptic as the answers you always give me?
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Sins of the Knight
Sometimes. At other times, the signs will be crystal clear.
Where did you find these cards, Grandmre?
Your grandfather brought the paper from France long ago. When he gave them to
me, they were blank. I drew the images you see on them when I still lived at Loxburn,
when you were a mere babe. The pictures came to me in a series of visions, and for a
fortnight I drew and drew, learning the patterns and symbolism as I went. That was a
difficult time at Loxburn. It was the summer Lady Lewes died. And your dear mother.
Elena fumbled the cards, nearly dropping them. Lady Lewes?
Her grandmother blinked. Do you remember her?
No, but her son& Elena drew a deep breath. Tell me what happened, please.
The old woman placed her hand over Elena s, covering the cards. She was a
distant cousin of mine. She was a lovely lady, and her son was rambunctious and full of
boyish vigor. She chuckled. I remember how he made your father long for a son of his
own.
Ranulf?
He took a liking to you, Elena, Grandmre said. Now that was an odd sight,
seeing a growing boy handle a baby with such adoration. Yet something about him
She shook herself as if to rid a disturbing thought from her mind. Well, in any case,
nearly everyone in the castle came down with a terrible ague that year. You and the boy
were the first, and in caring for you, everyone else seemed to have caught it. You babes
survived, but the adults weren t so lucky. Lady Lewes was the first to go, and your
sweet maman followed not long after.
Oh. Tears welled in Elena s eyes. She had never known her mother, but the pain
Ranulf must have felt as a little boy especially if his father was as harsh as Ranulf
himself turned out to be. What happened with the little boy?
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