“Well?” Raine demanded.
“It unrolled at Miles’s feet, uncovering Elizabeth Chatworth wearing nothing but several feet of blonde hair.”
“And what did our little brother do?” Raine asked, torn between laughing and groaning at the picture he’d conjured.
“From what I found out, all the men stood and stared without moving until Lady Elizabeth jumped up, grabbed a cloth from a cot and an ax from a corner and took after Miles.”
“Was he harmed?”
“He managed to dodge her blows and sent the other men from the tent. When the lady started cursing worse than what anyone had heard before, Sir Guy took the men out of hearing distance of the tent.”
“And no doubt she was purring the next morning,” Raine said, smiling. “Our little brother has a way with women.”
“I don’t know what happened after that. An hour later the man I spoke to broke his arm and was sent back to Miles’s house.”
“Then how did you know they went to Scotland?” Raine asked.
“I went to Miles’s campsite and when no one was there, I asked some of the tradesmen in the area. Over a week ago Miles and his men left, and several people heard them say they were going to Scotland.”
“No clue as to why?”
“Who can say what goes on in Miles’s mind? I know for sure he wouldn’t harm the girl, but I’m afraid he’ll hold her to punish Chatworth.”
“Miles would fight a man, many men, but he wouldn’t take his grudges out on a woman. That’s Chatworth’s game,” Raine said grimly. “I’m sure he had a reason to take her from England
. What do you plan to do now?”
Gavin was quiet for a moment. “I’ll leave him to Stephen and see what he can do with Miles. And Bronwyn has a level head on her. Perhaps she can do something with Miles.”
Raine stood in the tub. “I doubt if anyone can reason with him where women are concerned. If the woman took more than ten minutes to fall in love with him, it would be the first time such a thing has happened. Maybe Miles saw it as a challenge.”
Gavin snorted. “Whatever his reasons, he’s tempting the King’s wrath. King Henry’s changed since his eldest son died.”
Drying himself, Raine stepped from the tub, gave a kick to his clothes heaped at his feet. “It will be good to get out of these for a while.”
“How long do you think you can stay?”
“Three, four days at most. I need to get back to the camp.”
“Are your outlaws so important?”
Raine considered for a moment. “They aren’t all outlaws, and perhaps if you’d lived their life you would have different ideas about right and wrong.”
“Stealing is wrong no matter what,” Gavin said firmly.
“Would you sit by quietly and let Judith and your new son starve to death? If they were hungry and a man pushing a cart of bread walked by, would you sit on your high morals and let it go?”
“I don’t want to argue with you. Does Alyx know you plan to return?”
“No, not yet. I’m not sure I’ll tell her, but just slip away. If I don’t I’m sure she’ll try to go with me. I want her here with you and Judith. I want her to live the way she never has before.”
With one sweep he picked up his old clothes, flung them into a corner and reached for the silver embroidered, black velvet gown on the bed.
“What’s this?” Gavin asked, moving to lift something from Raine’s dirty clothes. He held up a gold belt.
“It’s Alyx’s Lyon belt, as she calls it, but for the life of me I can’t make out anything like a lion on it. One of the guards at the trial took it from her, and I had a devil of a time getting it from him.”
With a frown on his face, Gavin took the belt to the window and studied it in the sunlight. “It looks very old. Is it?”