Velvet Song (Montgomery/Taggert 4)

“Chatworth? But what about Raine? He believes Alyx sided with Chatworth. You have to go to Raine and make him understand. Alyx was protecting Raine—not Chatworth.”

“Judith, I don’t have time to solve a lovers’ quarrel now. I have to find Miles and warn him about Chatworth or else find Chatworth and see that he can’t gather an army and go after my brother.”

“Get Miles to release Elizabeth. That’s what Chatworth wants,” Judith said. “Give him back his sister.”

“Like he returned mine? Across a horse, face down?”

“Gavin, please,” Judith pleaded.

He stopped a moment and pulled her to him. “Raine is safer in the forest. No doubt Chatworth will let the King know of Raine’s threats and that will renew the King’s wrath. And Alyx was to stay here anyway, so it’s worked out well. Now Miles is of more concern to me. I don’t believe he’s harmed the girl, but I’d hoped we’d have time before Chatworth found out where she was. I have to warn my brother and give him protection if he needs it.”

“And what of Alyx? Raine believes she betrayed him.”

“I don’t know,” Gavin said, dismissing the subject. “Write him and send a messenger. Raine is safe—angry perhaps, but anger won’t harm him. Now I must go. Look after Alyx while I’m gone and feed my son.”

She smiled up at him and he kissed her lingeringly. “Take care,” she called after him as he and his men rode out.

Judith’s smile didn’t last long as she reentered the house and saw Alyx sitting alone on the window seat.

“Is Gavin going to Raine?” Alyx whispered, hope in her voice.

“Not now. Perhaps later he will go. Now he has to warn Miles that Roger Chatworth knows a Montgomery holds Elizabeth.”

Alyx leaned back against the stone casing. “How could Raine believe I’d betray him? Chatworth asked me to find out where Elizabeth was, but I refused. I only wanted to help Raine, to help the whole family. Now I have worsened all of it.”

“Alyx,” Judith said, taking her sister-in-law’s cold hands. “There are things you don’t know, things that happened before you were part of our family.”

“I know about Mary’s death. I was with Raine when he found out.”

“Before that there were events—”

“Having to do with this Alice Roger mentioned and his brother?”

“Yes. Alice Chatworth started it all.”

Alyx was amazed at the coldness in Judith’s eyes, at the way her lovely features changed. “Who is Alice?” Alyx whispered.

“Gavin was in love with Alice Valence,” Judith said in a small voice. “But the woman would not marry him. Instead she caught herself a rich earl, Edmund Chatworth.”

“Edmund Chatworth,” she said. The man Jocelin had killed.

“Edmund was killed one night by a singer who was never caught,” Judith continued, not knowing Alyx’s knowledge.

“I always believed Alice Chatworth knew more about what happened than she told. As a widow she decided she could afford to marry Gavin, but Gavin refused to put me aside and marry her. Alice did not take losing very well.” Judith’s voice was heavy with sarcasm. “She took me prisoner and threatened to pour boiling oil on my face. There was a scuffle and the oil scarred Alice.”

“Roger said his household consisted of one vicious sister-in-law. Surely he cannot have harmed Mary because of the scarring?”

“No, later Roger was in Scotland and met the woman King Henry had promised Stephen for a bride. Bronwyn is rich and well worth a fight. Roger claimed her for his and he and Stephen fought. Roger is a proud man and a renowned knight, but Stephen bested him and in a rage, Roger attacked Stephen’s back.”

“Stephen was not hurt, was he?”

“No, but Roger’s reputation was destroyed. All over England people laughed at him and began calling a back stabbing a ‘Chatworth.’?”

“And so Roger retaliated by taking Mary. He must have seen the Montgomerys as the cause of all his humiliations,” Alyx said.

“He did. He begged Stephen to kill him on the battlefield, but Stephen wouldn’t and Roger felt further insulted. So Roger held Mary and Bronwyn prisoners for a while. I don’t believe he’d have harmed Mary if it weren’t for Brian.”

“And who is Brian?”