Chapter 9 chapter eight

Ren's body was buried in the hot water from the neck down, his eyes were still burning with anger, and he looked hostilely at the door that was being knocked open, and Gavin rushed in. "Warles took the Jottles girl to Scotland, and they say she was dragged away screaming and cursing. Damn him!" he said angrily. "You brothers Why so much trouble? Only Steve—" "You'd better shut your crow's mouth," Ren warned, "I'm in a bad mood right now, and I just want to stab someone in the stomach with a sword." "What's the matter!" Gavin asked exhaustedly, and fell into the chair opposite Ryan, "I have a lot of troubles waiting to be solved, and you still have time to vomit. Did your wife say What's wrong with that?"

"Not my wife," he stopped short. "What are you going to do with Miles? Do you think he's going to take her to Steve?" "I can only hope so. Sir Guy is with him, and perhaps he can persuade him." "Do you know why Miles kept this girl? I mean other than to please him. I can't imagine our little brother forcing a woman to do anything, and I can't imagine anyone rejecting him. I Never seen him have any trouble with a woman." "One of Miles' men broke his arm after Elizabeth was sent here, and he didn't go with them when they broke camp for Scotland. I just happened to meet that guy on the way."

"What bad news? I don't think it could be worse than the look on your face." "There were four people in Miles' tent at the time. When Pioneer's men were allowed in, they all pointed swords at him, but he just stood at the door of the tent, threw the long blanket on the ground on his shoulders, and then kicked him. open." "How?" Ren asked impatiently. "The blanket rolled up to Miles' feet, revealing Elizabeth Chotels wrapped in it. She was naked save for a few feet of blond hair." "What's our little brother's reaction?" He imagined that scene in his mind, and Ren wanted to laugh and groan.

"It is said that all the people present were dumbfounded. Elizabeth grabbed a piece of clothing and a tomahawk from the bed at this moment, and slashed at Miles without any explanation." "Is he injured?" "Fortunately not. Anyway, he was in a mess. When the lady cursed him, Sir Guy happened to take everyone away, so no one knew what happened next." "There's no doubt she'll just moan the next morning. Our little brother has the best way with women." "I don't know what happened next. The man who told me the news broke his arm within an hour and was sent back to Miles' home."

"Then how do you know they went to Scotland?" "When I arrived at Miles' camp, there were no people there, so I went to the nearby vendors to inquire. They said that Miles left with people a week ago, and someone heard them say they were going to Scotland." "Didn't you say why?" "Who knows what's going on in Miles' head? I'm sure he won't hurt the girl, but I'm afraid he'll hold her hostage to punish Chottles." "Myers will find a man to settle accounts, and he will never take his anger out on a woman. Only Chotels will do that kind of despicable thing." Ryan said decisively, "I believe he will definitely take her out of England There are other reasons. What are you going to do now?"

Pawen thought for a moment, "Let Steve see if there is any way to persuade Miles. Bryant has always been of a sound mind, and maybe he can command him." Ren stood up, "I doubt that anyone can reason with him when it comes to women. If a woman doesn't fall in love with him after more than ten minutes, it's an unprecedented experience. Maybe Miles sees it as challenge." Pawen snorted, "No matter what reason he has, he is provoking the king's anger. King Henry has changed since the death of his eldest son." After drying himself, Ren stepped out of the bathtub and kicked the dirty clothes piled up at his feet, "It's really a great pleasure to be able to get rid of these ghost things for a while."

"How long do you think you can stay at home?" "Three or four days at the most. I must go back to camp." "You outlaws are really that important?" Ren thought for a while, "They are not all lawbreakers. If your life is like theirs, maybe you will have another definition of right and wrong." "Stealing is not a good thing anyway." Gavin said decisively. "Would you sit by and watch Judith and your own son starve to death? If they haven't eaten for days and someone happens to push a cart of bread by, you're going to stand on your morals and watch Is he gone?"

"I don't want to argue with you, does Alex know that you plan to go back?" "I don't know yet. I probably won't tell her at all and sneak off by myself. Otherwise she will come with me if she finds out. I want her to stay here with you and Judith. I want her to live her life forever." Haven't had a comfortable day." He picked up the dirty clothes on the floor and threw them to the corner of the room, and then picked up the black velvet clothes embroidered with silver thread on the bed. "What's this?" Gavin went over and took out a golden belt from his pile of dirty clothes.

"It was Alex's golden lion belt, and I didn't see anything like a lion in it. One of the guards snatched her treasure at the trial, and it took me a long time to get it back." Frowning, Gavin took the belt to the window, and Zuliang looked at it carefully, "It looks very old, doesn't it?" "Probably. Alex said that this is a family heirloom passed down from her mother to her eldest daughter all the way." "Lion," Gavin muttered, "this belt looks familiar, come downstairs to the winter porch with me." Ren got dressed and followed his brother downstairs.On one wall of the winter gallery hung a faded old tapestry.Because it had been hanging there for many years, Lane was so familiar with it that he almost turned a blind eye.

"Did father tell you the story of this painting?" Ren shook his head, "This tapestry was woven in the era of Edward I, and it depicts the wedding banquet of the greatest warrior of that century. The man's name is Black Lion. Look, he is sitting on that horse, and the lovely lady next to him is his wife. Look at her waist." Ryan looked, but couldn't see why, and was annoyed by Gavin's family history.He has always been a person who only cares about today and now, and the old things from centuries ago will only make his head explode. Pawen looked at him tolerantly, "I saw the picture of this belt a long time ago." He pointed to the brocade day, "The name of the wife of the black lion is also related to the lion, so the lion king gave a male and female lion belt To his wife, as a wedding present."

"You don't think that Alex's belt is that one, do you? Then it has a history of at least two hundred years." "Look at the worn condition of this belt," Gavin held up Alex's belt, "the joints are chained with iron wires, and the original design is almost out of shape, but you can still see that it is a pair of lions from the buckle sheath. " "How did Alex have this belt?" "Hei Shi is a man of incredible wealth, but he has one son and eight daughters. He prepared a rich dowry for each of his sons and daughters, and he gave his eldest daughter this belt to his eldest daughter." "Don't you mean Alex—" "The son of the black lion is named Montgomery, and our family originated from him. Do you remember that your father said that you look like a black lion? We are all tall and thin, only you are shorter and stronger." How could Ryan forget the ridicule he received as a child.But he was only twelve years old when his father died, and he no longer remembers many things. "Do you think Alex's belt might have originally belonged to Black Lion's wife?" Ren took the belt from his brother, "She cherishes it very much and never let it out of sight. snatched it away. She never mentioned it to me, only in her dream last night." "Do you know that the black lion married an ordinary woman? Although the status is not like that of Alex, compared to him, the Montgomery family is poorer than the gamekeeper." Ryan stroked the frayed golden belt with his hand, "It's so amazing that it's unbelievable. But sometimes I feel as if I've known Alex for more than a few months. The women I've dated before are prettier than her, They also respect me more than her, but when I first saw her—" He laughed, "I thought she was a boy when I first saw her, and I thought that if I had a son, I would look like Alex .She's kind of... I don't know how to describe it. Are you and Judith the same?" "No," Gavin choked back, looking away.He hated being reminded of what he had done to Judith when he was first married. "Speaking of your wife," Ren recalled his anger again, "she scolded me hard as soon as I entered the door." Pawen smiled, "What bad thing have you done again? If I remember correctly, she has always been the most fawning on you." "She said I shouldn't have abused my wife and brought her here." "Because of the king? We discussed it, and she agreed that there should be no danger for you to come back and stay for a few days. If someone wants to recognize you and then pass the word to the king, it will take so many days." "That's not the case," Ryan was really confused. "She's saying that I didn't buy clothes for her. Maybe she thought my saddle was used for clothes." "It's a good thing I arrived in time to defend myself," Judith laughed from the doorway.She threw herself directly into her husband's arms and kissed him without any pretense, "Have you had a safe trip? How's it going?" "Very well," he hugged her tightly, "what's the matter with you scolding my brother? I hope you didn't break his heart, you know he's stronger than me." "Hmph, you brothers are as delicate as spring flowers," Judith said sweetly, "I just said he shouldn't have dragged her around when she was pregnant and smoked her body." Weak, and she has been dressed worse than the lowest servant." Judith wanted to say something more, but she turned around immediately when she heard Alex approaching.Unveiled in front of the crowd was Alex, who had never been seen before, in a low-cut blue velvet gown.A silver silk veil embroidered with purple flowers covers her head.Her violet eyes shone brightly. Ren stepped forward dumbfounded, took her hand and kissed her, "I'm fascinated." He said sincerely. "You're different," she whispered. "You can talk now. Can you sing, too?" "Don't rush her, Ryan," interrupted Judith, "I just gave her herbs and honey. But I think she'll heal faster if she rests her throat for a while. Dinner's ready. You're not hungry ?" Alex was always glad she didn't have to talk because she couldn't believe she could.Rain was already outstanding enough in his usual poor-quality clothes, but now he looked even more daunting in a silver and black suit.He was at ease in this magnificent home, unconcerned by the presence of so many people bowing to him around him. When Ren led her to the first table in the lobby, Alex had a hard time controlling himself from opening his mouth.The meal she had seen at the inn was a picnic by comparison, but there was enough food on these long tables to feed a whole village. "Who are those people?" She asked Ryan quietly, and there were more than a hundred people eating at the same time as them. Ren then raised his head and looked at those people with her eyes, "They are all Gavin's retainers, some of them belong to me, some of them belong to Steve, anyway, they are all from Montgomery, I I think they're all cousins ​​or something, so you'll have to ask Gavin for the details. And if there are any other guests, you'll have to ask Judith. I bet she knows everyone." "Your house is also this big?" "No," he grinned, "my estate is much smaller than here. Judith is the rich one. She brought a fortune when she married into our family, and she had to support a lot of people. Anyway. She doesn't care about the big and small things in the castle, from buying and selling to counting the grains in the warehouse." "What about me?" Alex asked quietly. Ren was stunned for a long time before he understood what she meant, "Are you saying that you also have to manage my property? I don't see why. You can read and write, which is at least better than me." At this moment, he A cousin caught his attention. Alex really couldn't eat anything, so after a while, he sat quietly and watched the dishes being served one after another.Most of the food was new to her, so new names and flavors caught her attention. When Ryan got up to introduce her, everyone cheered and welcomed her.Then Judith asked by the way if she wanted to go back to her room and rest.She immediately seized the opportunity to leave first, and the two went back to Alex's room together. "Is all of this a little frightening to you?" Alex nodded. "There's a market in the village tomorrow, and I'll ask Ryan to take you there. You'll find it interesting, and you won't have to deal with a lot of new faces. Why don't you take a break now? Gavin and Ryan are discussing how to write a letter For Miles, I bet they'll fight for hours." After Alex took off his clothes and climbed into the warm bed, Judith shook her head again, "You don't have to be afraid of us. We are your family from now on, and we will fully support you no matter what you do. I know this Everything—" She waved her hand towards the gorgeous room, "is still very strange to you, but you will get used to it soon, and we will try our best to help you." "Thank you," Alex said softly, and Judith fell asleep before she could leave the house.
She slept soundly and happily, and when she woke up, her voice had roughly recovered to half. Although it was out of tune, she was already very happy. "Do you think I can still sing?" Ren smiled at the fear in her voice, and buttoned the purple robe that Judith specially modified for her, "Don't worry, all the birds will fly into the house in a few days to listen to you sing." She laughed happily and whirled around the room, the bell skirt twirling around her feet, "Isn't it cute? It's the most beautiful dress in the world." "No," Ryan grabbed her with a smile. "You made it cute. Now stop spinning, and be careful not to make my child dizzy. Are you ready to go to the market?" A bazaar is like a small city, a city that accommodates people from all corners of the world.There were cattle stalls, English pewter stalls, Spanish wine stalls, German wares, Italian cloth, toy shops, jousts, joustings--whatever. "Where do we start?" Alex asked enthusiastically, clasping Ren's arm tightly, surrounded by six Gavin's warriors escorting him. "Perhaps the lady is hungry?" asked one of the warriors gallantly. "Or thirsty?" "Would Madam be interested in seeing a bard sing? Or a stunt show?" "I hear there's a good singer there?" "Singer." Alex replied affirmatively, making Renn laugh. "Want to see how your opponent fares?" he teased. She smiled at him, so happy that she didn't care about it. After listening to the singer's performance, Alex felt that he was really bad. They stopped at the gingerbread shop again, and Ryan bought her a piece of freshly baked lady.Happily eating gingerbread figures and looking around so busy, she didn't notice that Ryan stopped at the Italian booth. "What do you think of this?" Ryan held up a bolt of violet silk. "Yes," she replied absently, "oh, Rain, there's a bear doing tricks." "If you don't pay attention, your bear husband is going to play tricks on you." After she turned around, he continued, "I've had enough of Judith's nagging. Pick the color you want, and I'll let them send it to you." to the castle." "Choose?" She was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the wealth in front of her. "Give us all the purple seasonings," Ryan said quickly, "and the green ones. You should look good in green, Alex." He turned to the merchant, "Each stock is enough to cut a dress , and send it to the castle, and the steward will pay you." After he finished speaking, he took Alex's arm and walked away. Alex is like a child, with gingerbread in his mouth, looking back frequently.There were at least three different shades of purple and four different shades of green, including silk, satin, velvet, and cotton, some of which Alex had never seen before.Ren stopped at the place where the bear was playing tricks. Seeing that Alex had no intention of admiring it, he simply led her to the fur stall. This time he didn't wait for her to choose, he ordered a cloak inlaid with mink fur and another with a leopard fur collar.He also asked Fur Nan to find a cloth merchant to match the fur hemming with the material he had just ordered. By this time Alex was almost back to normal.She has no choice about her clothes these days. If she had any idea, she would have protested Ryan's domineering. "Is this how you always choose your own clothes?" She asked tentatively, "Or is it the seller who decides for you?" He shrugged, "I usually wear black, it's much easier that way. Only Miles is the most particular about clothes." "Where's Steve?" "He was wearing Scottish clothes and most of his body was exposed." "Sounds interesting." Alex mumbled, causing Ryan to roll his eyes. "Behave. Look at this, have you seen this before?" What Alex saw was a woman, who used hundreds of wooden spools to shuttle back and forth on a fat little pillow, "What is this?" The finished product looked like a piece of white silk. "This is lace, ma'am," the woman explained, holding up a pair of collars for Alex to inspect. Ren touched it carefully, fearing that it would fall apart. "Here," Ryan took out a bag of gold coins from under his tights, "I want three pairs. Alex, you choose. We'll send one pair to Judith and the other to Brianna." "Okay," she gasped, happy to be giving Judith a present. Those lace collars were carefully placed in a wooden box and delivered to one of the warriors.The next few hours were the happiest of Alex's life, and it was joy for her to see Ryan in his environment, with the respect he deserved.What surprised her was that such a noble person could sit with the lowest beggar and listen to his appeal. "You look at me so strangely," Ren said. "I'm counting my happiness." She looked away, "What are those people looking at?" "We'll find out when we see it." The crowd of onlookers automatically made way for the group of seven people. After entering the inner circle, they saw four half-naked women dancing to the strange music. The gauze skirt is looming.Alex was shocked, but found that her husband and the accompanying warriors were watching with gusto.She couldn't help but feel ironic. Not long ago, she thought Ren was so perfect that he was almost an angel! Spat in disgust, but Ren didn't hear it at all, and Alex slowly withdrew from the crowd, letting them drool by themselves. "Ma'am," said someone beside her, "let me escort you out. You are so small, I am afraid these people will crush you." She looked up and saw a very handsome blond man with black eyes.It's just that there is a scar next to his left eye, and there is also a black halo under his eyes, "I don't know, my husband—" "Please allow me to introduce myself. This is the Earl of Berhamshire. Your husband's family is familiar with mine. I drove a long way to find Gavin, and I happened to see a market here. I thought maybe I could meet you here one of them." A huge drunk suddenly fell on them, and the Earl immediately stretched out his hand to protect Alex, "I feel it is my duty to protect you from these reckless people. Please allow me to take you out of here." Without thinking twice, she took his outstretched arm.There was something about him that seemed sad and benevolent, which made her trust him intuitively. "How do you know about my marriage?" she asked. "I've always been very interested in the Montgomery family." He took her away from the noisy market and into a small forest, where there was a stone bench, "You must be exhausted after standing all morning, and so must the child a heavy burden." She sat down gratefully, put her hands on her stomach, and looked up at him, "You are observing us. Now my husband is no longer around, if you have anything to say to me, please speak directly." The earl smiled slightly when he heard the words, "Montegli really picks out his wives, all of them are not only smart but also beautiful. Maybe I should introduce myself again. This is Roger Chotels." Alex was complacent just now, thinking that this man wanted to use her influence over her husband, but now he felt inexplicably terrified.In the panic, her fear became apparent, and she made a gesture to get up. "Please," he said softly, "I don't intend to hurt you, I just want to talk to you." He sat down on the other end of the stone bench, a foot away from her, with his head bowed and his hands clasped tightly, "Go. I won't stop you." Alex had already passed him, and suddenly turned back, "My husband will kill you if he sees you." Rogier didn't say anything, Alex frowned and told himself that she was a fool, and sat down again , "Why did you take the risk to come here?" "As long as I can find my sister, I am willing to risk everything." "Elizabeth?" Maybe her tone was different, he raised his head suddenly, "You know her? What do you know?" He clenched his hands into fists. "Son of Lord Pinell Wedenham—" "I know that crap." Alex quickly explained how Elizabeth helped her, and how Pioneer punished Elizabeth. "Miles!" Rogier jumped up, "what did Miles do to my innocent sister?" he asked with a shout. "At least I didn't treat Miss Mary like you did." Alex yelled back. "The woman's death has disturbed my conscience and cost me my only brother. I don't intend to lose my only sister too." Alex had no idea what he was talking about.What did Rogier's brother have to do with Mary's death? "I don't know where Miles and Elizabeth are. I've been feeling sick lately. Maybe Ryan had news about Miles while I was resting, but I don't know anything." "Where's Mrs. Judith? I don't believe there's anything she doesn't know. Did she say anything to you?" "No. It was you who killed Mary. Why should you be free and my husband should go into hiding?" "I didn't kill her!" he exclaimed passionately. "I—no! I don't want to discuss it, and as for being at ease, well, King Henry forfeited my rent for the next three years. Most of my people are gone, Because I can't afford to pay them. All I have left is a small house and a vicious sister-in-law. My brother hates me and ran away from home, and now even my lovely sister is killed by a notorious Didn't I get punished? Your husband still has his land, and his stewards are in charge of it, but mine is taken over by the king's men. Do you know what's left after three years? Your husband has him A complete family, even love affairs and a wife, and I have nothing - a brother was murdered, a brother turned against me, and a sister became a prisoner. And you still say that I was not punished, that I was at ease ?” He turned his face away, staring into the distance without seeing anything. "I don't know what happened to Elizabeth. Gavin went after Miles, but he came back soon after. I didn't see him when he came back." "If he hurts her, I'll kill him." "Killing him, what can you get?" Alex yelled, although he hurt his throat, it also made him stunned, "You don't want to stop enough, are you willing to let everyone die? Miles Elizabeth wasn't kidnapped, she was sent to him. He's innocent. You're supposed to settle with Penier. It's just that you're used to hating the Montgomerys and don't ask any questions. It's all their fault." "And what good can I expect from Montgomery?" he said angrily. "You're so entrenched in your belief that they're the gods." "Stupid!" she spat. "I just want your war to end. Ryan has to live with a bunch of criminals in the forest because of you." "It was Gavin who started playing with my sister-in-law. He doesn't think it's enough for a woman, and he still wants Alice." Alex covered his ears with his hands, "I don't want to listen to this. You go, Ren will come to me at any time." "You want to protect me?" "I just want to stop my husband from fighting before he gets mad at me." "I can't go without finding Elizabeth." Alex began to grind his teeth, "I don't know where Elizabeth is." "Are you going to ask and tell me?" "Next life!" She didn't expect him to ask this question, "Miles is with her, and I will never do anything that will bring him any danger." Rogier smiled coldly, "You are so stupid to come here with me. I can kidnap you now and exchange you for Elizabeth." Alex took a deep breath secretly and told himself that he must not be timid at this time, "You are here alone. Will you attack a pregnant woman? How far can you take me? Elizabeth still believes that you are a good person, wait If you capture another Montgomery man, will she still trust you?" Alex could see from his face that her words had hit the nail on the head, "How did you explain Mary's death to her?" Alex paused , staring at him for a while, "You have to leave quickly." Before they could act, Ren rushed out of the bush with the warriors, and immediately pointed the four long swords at Roger Chotels' throat. Ren grabbed Alex, protected her with one hand, and held a sword across his chest with the other. "The bastard didn't hurt you, did he?" Ren roared, "Kill him." "No!" Alex screamed with all his energy in his dantian, successfully pulling everyone back.She immediately ran to Rogier to block it, "He didn't hurt me. He just came to find out the whereabouts of his sister." "Next to my grave." Ren narrowed his eyes. "She's not dead. Ryan, please let us end this feud now. Swear you'll send Elizabeth back to Rogier." "Rogier, huh?" Ren gritted his teeth, and she glared so angrily that she took a step back and leaned towards Rogier, "How long have you known him?" "What—?" She was stunned, "Ren, please be reasonable. He came alone, and I don't want to see him murder. He just wants to find his sister. Do you know where she is?" "You want me to betray my brother? Did he tell you what Mary looked like before she died?" He twisted his lips and looked at Rogier. "Do you like the sound of her body hitting the stone floor?" Thinking of that scene, Alex felt nauseated in his stomach and almost wanted to hand Rogier over to him.But that just gave the king another excuse to seize Wren's land.King Henry would never forgive him if he killed an earl. "You must let him go," she said quietly. "You cannot kill him in cold blood. Come, Rogier. I will take you to the horse." Rogier went back to the market to fetch the horse without saying a word, neither Ren nor the samurai followed. "He will never forgive you," Rogier said. "I didn't do this for you. If Wren kills you, King Henry will never forgive him. You go, remember that Montgomery has been kind to you. I don't want Sulles or Elizabeth to be hurt, I I will do my best to bring her back to you." With disbelief, awe and gratitude on his face, he turned his horse and galloped away from the Montgomery property.Alex stood quietly for a while, his heart beating wildly at the thought of facing Rennes.Of course he would be angry, but when she explained why she was helping the enemy, he would be relieved.With a serious face, she walked back to the grove slowly, but there was no sign of Ren. "What about others?" She was sure that he must have gone to some hidden place, waiting to have a big fight with her. "Ma'am, Sir Wren has returned to the forest." "I know. We can have a good talk there. Which direction is he going?" The samurai looked at each other, neither of them daring to say anything.It took a long time for Alex to understand what he meant, "Forest? You mean the camp of outlaws?" "Yes, ma'am." "Get ready! I'm going after him." "No, ma'am. We have orders to send you back to Sir Gavin. You cannot go with Sir Wren." "I must go," she looked at the warrior imploringly, "don't you understand that I must prevent Rain from killing Chotels? If he kills the Count, the king will have his head. I must go and explain it to him .Take me to chase him now!" "We can't," the samurai tensed his jaw, but there was sympathy in his eyes. "Sir Wren ordered us." "My lady might as well go back and talk to Ser Gavin," suggested another warrior. "Alright," she said eagerly, "let's get back to the castle quickly. Gavin will know what to do." Once in the saddle, Alex charged so fast that the warriors could barely keep up with her.As soon as the horse stopped, she jumped off the horse and went straight into the house.She shuttled from room to room, but she couldn't see anyone, so she stood firm and shouted with the breath of her dantian, "Gavin!" Within seconds Gavin was rushing downstairs, disbelief on his face, Judith right behind him. "Are you calling me?" Gavin asked in awe. "Ren said you were loud, but—" Alex interrupted him impatiently, "Rain has gone back to the forest, and I have to go after him. He hates me. He doesn't understand why I did that, and I have to explain." "Slow down, don't panic." Gavin reassured, "Tell me the whole thing from the beginning." Alex tried to take a deep breath, "Rogier Chotels—" This name immediately made Gavin explode, "Jotels! Did he hurt you? Did Ryan chase him? Call my people quickly," he said to a warrior standing next to Alex, "fully armed." "No!" Alex yelled, and immediately buried his head in his palms.Tears finally burst down. Judith embraced Alex, "Gavin, you go to command your people first, and I will take care of Alex." She took Alex to sit by the window, and held his hands, "Tell me what happened .” Alex was crying and anxious, and he couldn't even speak coherently, "Rogier kept saying things I couldn't understand. Who is Alice? Who is his brother? What does he have to do with Mary's death? Ryan Angry, ordered Rogier to be killed, I had to stop him, I had to!" "It's a good thing you stopped him. Now I want you to sit here, I'll go to Gavin, he will reason with Ryan." Judith found her husband and twenty warriors in the courtyard, looking nervous as if ready to go to war . "Gavin! What are you doing?" "We're going after Chotels." "Jotels? What about Ren? He thought Alex had intentions for Chotels. You have to go to Ren and explain. Alex was protecting him—not Chotels." "Judith, I don't have time to deal with the lover's quarrel right now. I must hurry to warn Miles, or find Chotels to prevent him from raising an army to hunt down my brother." "Ask Miles to release Elizabeth. Since Chottles only wants his sister, give her back to him." "Like he sent my sister back? Face down on the horse?" "Gavin, please," Judith begged. He pondered for a while, then took her into his arms, "Ren is safe in the forest. There is no doubt that Jotels will let the king know about the threat of Ren, which will make the king angry again. Anyway, Alex will stay here for the time being, None of them will be in danger. Miles is the one who worries me the most now, I don't think he will hurt the girl, I just hope I can find him before Chotels. Give him protection if necessary." "What about Alex? Ryan thought she betrayed him?" "I don't know. Write him. Wren's safe—maybe mad, but being angry won't hurt him. I've got to go. Take care of Alex and don't forget to feed my son." She smiled at him, and he kissed her affectionately, "Take care of yourself." She called after him.As soon as Judith entered the room and saw Alex sitting alone by the window, her smile disappeared. "Did Gavin go after Ryan?" she asked hopefully. "Not yet. Maybe he'll go later. Now he has to go and warn Miles." Alex leaned back against the window frame, "How could Ryan think that I betrayed him? Jotels asked me to inquire about Elizabeth's whereabouts, but I refused. I just want to help Ryan and the whole family. Now I am instead mess things up." "Alex, there are things that happened in the past that you don't know about." "I knew about Marie's death. I was with Ryan when he got the news." "Something happened before that—" "Is it related to the brother of Alice and Rogier?" "Yes. It's all Alice Chottles's start." "Who is Alice?" Alex asked softly. "Gavin once loved Alice," Judith whispered, "but the woman refused to marry him, and instead captured a rich Earl, Edmer Chottles." "Edmer Chottles," she repeated.It was the count that Joss had killed. "Edmer was killed by a singer one night, and the murderer has not been found," Judith continued. "I always believed that Alice knew the inside story, but she didn't tell the whole story. Anyway, after being a widow, she decided that she could marry Gai at that time." Wen, but Gavin refused to divorce me and marry her instead. Alice is a woman who can't afford to lose. She kidnapped me and threatened to pour a pot of oil on my face. After a fight, the pot rolled The oil ruined her beauty." "Rogier says he has a vicious sister-in-law. Could it be that he accidentally hurt Mary for disfigurement?" "No, later Rogier met the bride that King Henry betrothed to Steve in Scotland. Not only was Bryantwee rich but also talented and beautiful, and she was worth fighting for. So Rogier declared that she was his, and told Shi蒂夫打了起来。罗吉尔是个著名的武士，一个骄傲的男人，但史蒂夫击败了他。盛怒之下，他便由他背后攻击史蒂夫。” “史蒂夫没受伤吧？” “没有。但罗吉尔的声誉却毁于一旦，全英格兰人都在嘲笑他，管由背后攻击人的人叫'乔特耳斯'。” “所以罗吉尔便强掳玛丽报复，他必然是把所有的羞辱全归咎于蒙特格利家族。” “他确实如此。他求史蒂夫在战场上杀了他，但史蒂夫不肯，于是他倍感侮辱，所以罗吉尔便挟持玛丽和布莲薇。若非因为布莱，我不以为他会伤害玛丽。” “谁是布莱？” “罗吉尔的小弟，一个十足害羞的男孩，他爱上了玛丽。布莱告诉罗吉尔他要娶玛丽时，罗吉尔灌醉了自己爬上玛丽的床。后来结果你也知道了。她的遗体就是布莱送回来给我们的。” “唉，现在迈尔斯又掳走伊丽莎白。雷恩成了不法之徒，罗吉尔也失去了他的家人与财富，迈尔斯的生命亦有危险。这场恩怨仇恨什么时候才能结束？罗吉尔若杀了遭尔斯，又将是什么局面？下一个牺牲者又会是谁？我们是否还有过安全日子的机会？我们下一代是否亦将在仇恨乔特耳斯的环境下成长？我的孩子是否继续与罗吉尔的孩子争斗下去？” “冷静点，亚历，”茱蒂丝柔声道，将她揽入怀，“盖文已经去警告迈尔斯了，他不会有事的。再说那儿还有布莲薇和她的族人，即使乔特耳斯举兵进攻，他也打不过麦克亚朗族。” “希望你说的对。也幸好雷恩在森林里安全无虑。” “咱们现在就去写信给雷恩，今晚就派信差出去。” “好啊，”亚历坐直身子，拂去泪水，“雷恩知道真相后一定会原谅我的。”