A dozen archers with arrows nocked.
His men raised their shields, their naked blades ready to taste blood as they circled around Alex.
They had come so far, and now this? He held up his hands. “Non! Stand down. Now!”
Dimly, he could make out an Englishman’s shouts along the walls. Then one archer relaxed his stance, followed by another.
Alex gave Jerome a stern look. He was the first to ease off, the rest of Alex’s men cautiously following.
He would see this fixed. Alex leveled a glare at Hugh and kept his hands raised. “Your pardon,” he called out.
Air aching in his lungs, he slowly approached the hapless stable boy, still sprawled across the ground. Alex helped him up, cursing the boy’s wild eyes and the red streak across his cheek.
He dusted him off and led him to the old servant who had not moved, nor dared to breathe he guessed, based on her white cheeks. “Good woman, please give him my apologies for my shield bearer’s conduct.”
Her gaze darted to Hugh and the men on the walls before stopping on Alex. She gave him an uncertain nod. The boy scurried to her side and they exchanged frantic whispers before he sprinted toward the stables.
However, that was only half the problem. Frowning, Alex turned back to Hugh.
He spat on the ground. “He startled my horse.”
Alex growled. All this over such a trifle? He grabbed two fistfuls of Hugh’s surcoat and shoved him back a few paces. Hugh’s heel caught on a half-frozen clod of dirt, and he fell back. Laughter sounded, but a harsh command silenced the Englishmen on the walls.
Alex loomed over him. “I care not what the stable boy did,” he said through his teeth. “I care only that you have single-handedly threatened our mission here.”
Hugh’s gaze fell. “I just reacted—”
“And nearly got us all killed.”
“It will not happen again.”
Alex battled back a fresh surge of embarrassment and anger. He took a deep breath. “Do not make me regret taking you into my service.”
Hugh swallowed and nodded.
Alex stood back as Hugh struggled to his feet. “You will see to our horses’ stabling personally since you are so concerned.”
He waited as Hugh slunk off to the stables before returning his attention to the Dumont servant. “Please accept my apology for this unfortunate misunderstanding.”
The woman gave him a jerky nod. “The boy was more scared than hurt.”
Perhaps all was not lost. Alex inclined his head. “It is kind of you to say so.”
She hesitated, then squared her shoulders. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
As Alex followed her to the main hall, he threw a look over his shoulder. His gaze caught on the gray-haired knight still up on the walls. The Englishman stared after them, an unreadable look on his face.
Bloodshed had been prevented this day, true, but Alex would need to watch his back.
* * * *
Alex set down his eating dagger and looked along the high table. Despite the difficulties earlier, his comrades seemed to be in good spirits, with food, wine, and revelry flowing. If only the rest of the dinner guests were so cheerful. Sharp looks were aimed his way whenever the Englishmen and women thought his attention elsewhere. Distrust imbued the air, as thick as the smoke curling up from the fire in the center of the room. What else could he expect?
“Alex.” Jerome put a hand on his arm.
“I am sorry,” Alex said. “I was not attending.”
“Non, I gathered not,” Jerome said with a grin. He followed Alex’s gaze over the main hall. “It is an excellent castle.”
The hall was soundly built, timber reinforced with stone. Horsemen on a hunt leapt across thick tapestries that kept out a great deal of winter’s chill. Fresh rushes graced the floor and crumbs of feasts past had been swept clear from the tables long before the start of the meal. A well-kept home, and goodly-sized. Alex had been given a room in the living quarters located over the hall, while household staff made use of rooms off the kitchens. And the nearby lodgings for Dumont’s men-at-arms were large enough to house the rest of Alex’s men.
He leaned back as a serving girl set a platter of venison on the table. “Merci,” he said, eyeing her closely.
The girl’s mouth fell open before she simply nodded and gave a short curtsy. He frowned as she backed away from the table and hurried off.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you are disappointed she did not swoon at your attentions,” Jerome said with a laugh.
“Nothing of the sort. I was merely seeing if she recognized the word.”
“Matilde told us the staff only speak English. We’re lucky she knows as much French as she does.” Jerome pointed to the old woman who had greeted them in the courtyard, now bustling around the room, directing servants. “She said her father was a merchant of sorts, and she learned French as a child before coming to serve the Dumonts.”
“Yes, but is that not odd? I would think Lord Dumont would have retained a few French-speaking servants.”
Hugh looked up from his cup. Still chastened when he had returned from his duties in the stables, his shield bearer had been quiet for much of the meal. “Are you suggesting they are refusing to talk to us?”
Alex nodded. “I can understand their defiance, but it bodes ill for our presence in England.”
He glanced at all the strange faces taking the meal with them. Someone here had to know where the Dumonts could be found, but Matilde claimed she did not understand him when he had questioned her again before the meal. And now, the other servants and guests were keeping their distance from the high table where Alex and his men sat. He kept an eye out for the gray-haired knight, who had not yet made an appearance.
He rubbed his temples. “I am not sure how we will be able to find the Dumonts if they do not wish it.”
“Worry not about the son. There’s not much doubt he was at Hastings,” Jerome said.
“Ha,” Hugh said with a sneer. “He probably didn’t even survive the battle.”
A heavy clank momentarily drowned out the rambunctious voices filling the hall. Dread coiled tight in Alex’s chest. The English surrounded them on all sides—it didn’t matter the majority of the Dumont soldiers had most likely fallen serving in the English army. Alex and his men were still outnumbered. And after the confrontation in the courtyard earlier, he would take nothing for granted.
Hugh and Jerome gripped the hilts of their swords. Alex scanned the hall for the source of the disruption, for a sign they would need to defend themselves. If their hosts regretted their offer of hospitality…
His
