第44章

"I fear I am not strong enough," she said finally."The way is much more difficult than I had thought."So Norman of Torn lifted her in his strong arms, and stumbled on through the darkness and the shrubbery down the center of the ravine.It required the better part of an hour to traverse the little distance to the roadway;and all the time her head nestled upon his shoulder and her hair brushed his cheek.Once when she lifted her head to speak to him, he bent toward her, and in the darkness, by chance, his lips brushed hers.He felt her little form tremble in his arms, and a faint sigh breathed from her lips.

They were upon the highroad now, but he did not put her down.A mist was before his eyes, and he could have crushed her to him and smothered those warm lips with his own.Slowly, his face inclined toward hers, closer and closer his iron muscles pressed her to him, and then, clear cut and distinct before his eyes, he saw the corpse of the Outlaw of Torn swinging by the neck from the arm of a wooden gibbet, and beside it knelt a woman gowned in rich cloth of gold and many jewels.Her face was averted and her arms were outstretched toward the dangling form that swung and twisted from the grim, gaunt arm.Her figure was racked with choking sobs of horror-stricken grief.Presently she staggered to her feet and turned away, burying her face in her hands; but he saw her features for an instant then -- the woman who openly and alone mourned the dead Outlaw of Torn was Bertrade de Montfort.

Slowly his arms relaxed, and gently and reverently he lowered Joan de Tany to the ground.In that instant Norman of Torn had learned the difference between friendship and love, and love and passion.

The moon was shining brightly upon them, and the girl turned, wide-eyed and wondering, toward him.She had felt the wild call of love and she could not understand his seeming coldness now, for she had seen no vision beyond a life of happiness within those strong arms.

"Joan," he said, "I would but now have wronged thee.Forgive me.Forget what has passed between us until I can come to you in my rightful colors, when the spell of the moonlight and adventure be no longer upon us, and then," -- he paused -- "and then I shall tell you who I be and you shall say if you still care to call me friend -- no more than that shall I ask."He had not the heart to tell her that he loved only Bertrade de Montfort, but it had been a thousand times better had he done so.

She was about to reply when a dozen armed men sprang from the surrounding shadows, calling upon them to surrender.The moonlight falling upon the leader revealed a great giant of a fellow with an enormous, bristling mustache -- it was Shandy.

Norman of Torn lowered his raised sword.

"It is I, Shandy," he said."Keep a still tongue in thy head until I speak with thee apart.Wait here, My Lady Joan; these be friends."Drawing Shandy to one side, he learned that the faithful fellow had become alarmed at his chief's continued absence, and had set out with a small party to search for him.They had come upon the riderless Sir Mortimer grazing by the roadside, and a short distance beyond, had discovered evidences of the conflict at the cross-roads.There they had found Norman of Torn's helmet, confirming their worst fears.A peasant in a nearby hut had told them of the encounter, and had set them upon the road taken by the Earl and his prisoners.

"And here we be, My Lord," concluded the great fellow.

"How many are you ?" asked the outlaw.

"Fifty, all told, with those who lie farther back in the bushes.""Give us horses, and let two of the men ride behind us," said the chief.

"And, Shandy, let not the lady know that she rides this night with the Outlaw of Torn.""Yes, My Lord."

They were soon mounted, and clattering down the road, back toward the castle of Richard de Tany.

Joan de Tany looked in silent wonder upon this grim force that sprang out of the shadows of the night to do the bidding of Roger de Conde, a gentleman of France.

There was something familiar in the great bulk of Red Shandy; where had she seen that mighty frame before ? And now she looked closely at the figure of Roger de Conde.Yes, somewhere else had she seen these two men together; but where and when ?

And then the strangeness of another incident came to her mind.Roger de Conde spoke no English, and yet she had plainly heard English words upon this man's lips as he addressed the red giant.

Norman of Torn had recovered his helmet from one of his men who had picked it up at the crossroads, and now he rode in silence with lowered visor, as was his custom.

There was something sinister now in his appearance, and as the moonlight touched the hard, cruel faces of the grim and silent men who rode behind him, a little shudder crept over the frame of Joan de Tany.

Shortly before daylight they reached the castle of Richard de Tany, and a great shout went up from the watch as Norman of Torn cried:

"Open ! Open for My Lady Joan."

Together they rode into the courtyard, where all was bustle and excitement.A dozen voices asked a dozen questions only to cry out still others without waiting for replies.

Richard de Tany with his family and Mary de Stutevill were still fully clothed, having not lain down during the whole night.They fairly fell upon Joan and Roger de Conde in their joyous welcome and relief.

"Come, come," said the Baron, "let us go within.You must be fair famished for good food and drink.""I will ride, My Lord," replied Norman of Torn."I have a little matter of business with my friend, the Earl of Buckingham.Business which I fear will not wait."Joan de Tany looked on in silence.Nor did she urge him to remain, as he raised her hand to his lips in farewell.So Norman of Torn rode out of the courtyard; and as his men fell in behind him under the first rays of the drawing day, the daughter of De Tany watched them through the gate, and a great light broke upon her, for what she saw was the same as she had seen a few days since when she had turned in her saddle to watch the retreating forms of the cut-throats of Torn as they rode on after halting her father's party.