With an apologetic smile, the jailer picked up the flickering lamp. The cell plunged into darkness as the door swung closed behind him. Dagobert dropped to sit on the straw pallet and leaned his head back against the cold stone, feeling he had just lost a battle. He heard the sound of tiny feet in the darkness and the small room seemed more miserable without Alienor’s presence. He shivered at the dampness and pulled his cloak over his shoulders, taking consolation in the fact that Eustache was in Paris.
He could not imagine how he had missed the party of his knights on the road, and he would not speculate on what that might mean about their numbers. ’Twas enough that Eustache was here and that Alienor was free of this foul place. Even under the weight of his suspicions, Eustache would tak
