He should just let her leave. She was nearly to the door.
“What do you want?”
She turned around. “Lord Thornbeck, forgive me, but I must speak with you.” She was still talking in a hushed tone. She limped toward him. When a bit of light fell across her face, he saw the urgency of her expression—or perhaps it was pain from her ankle that made her face so tense.
He stood. “What is so important that you would walk on your injured ankle?”
“I overheard . . . Are we alone?” She glanced around the room.
He went toward her, struck with the irony of how similar her gait now was to his. “What did you overhear?”
She looked up at him. “The Duke of Geitbart,” she whispered, “was talking to several of the noblemen in the west wing. He plans to capture and take over Thornbeck Castle.”
Hadn’t she claimed Geitbart planned to do the same thing to Plimmwald? “Why would he say that? And what were you doing in the west wing?”
“Endlein led me there. I suppose Geitbart was looking for a place where no one was around and where you would not hear of their private conversation. But he was telling the other men that you . . . that your mind was addled because you had chosen a servant to marry.”
Heat rose into his face. “Yes, I suppose he would.”
She looked away from him, and he imagined she was blushing—he couldn’t tell in the dark room. But she set her jaw and went on.
“I wanted to warn you. If you do not wish to hear how they plan to attack you, I will go.”
So, she had not lost her spirit.
“You may go on.”
“Geitbart mentioned the rumor that you had killed your brother, that you did not stop some recent poaching, and you allowed your chancellor to marry a notorious poacher. He told the men if they were loyal to the king, they should pledge their allegiance to Geitbart and join with him in capturing you and subduing your guards.”
So that’s how it was. He had to act, and quickly.
“Do your guards outnumber Geitbart’s?”
The only region wealthier than Thornbeck was Geitbart. It was very likely the duke’s guards did outnumber his. And no doubt he would have built up his force by hiring every mercenary and stray knight, baron, and thief he could find as he planned for this. Reinhart’s best hope was to send word to the king and ask for help. But what if Geitbart had already poisoned the king against him as well?
Surely the duke’s influence did not reach that high. If it did, then Reinhart’s cause was already hopeless.
Avelina was staring up at him, waiting. There was such a look of trust and belief on her face. He imagined reaching out and caressing her cheek.
“Did anyone see you? Do they know you heard them?”
“Only Endlein was there with me. I was listening through the keyhole.”
They stood in the middle of the library, neither of them speaking for several moments. “Avelina, will you do something for me?”
“Of course.”
“Go to the kitchen, ask for Frau Schwitzer, and tell her I need her to find Sir Klas right away and have him come here to the library. I will wait for him here.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“No, wait. You have an injured ankle. I need someone fast.”
“I will be fast, and I shall send a boy from the kitchen, someone who can run, to fetch Sir Klas.”
“Very well.” He had little choice. He dragged his chair back to his desk. “But do find someone to send as soon as you can to—”
But she was already to the door, hobbling faster than he might have imagined.
He had obviously grown too trusting and complacent. He should have known something like this would happen sooner or later. He had trained for battle, then was relegated to a diplomatic role as margrave and permanently injured on the same day. Still, he knew what to do—if he could keep from getting captured by Geitbart.
Avelina hurried as fast as she could toward the Great Hall, beyond which was the kitchen where a lot of pages and squires would be serving and going back and forth.
She swept around the last corner before reaching the Great Hall and nearly ran into a young squire.
“I need your help,” she told him. He could move much faster than she could.
She lowered her voice, forcing herself not to look around and thereby seem suspicious and draw attention. “Lord Thornbeck wishes for Sir Klas to come to him in the library at once.”
“Yes, my lady.” Apparently he had not heard that she was not a lady anymore.
“I shall wait for you here.”