No Alternative

Neither of us wants to be alone with our thoughts, so we talk in my room till dawn breaks. We first discuss the arrangements for looking after my babies. Don says that, once back at the castle, a wet nurse will be available. On the return journey from Theras, they will have to be bottle fed.

Once I am satisfied that Don understands the babies' requirements - at least, as well as a man can - we try to come up with some plan that might yet bring Gustav to justice. "You could go to the King once Sara and John have been released and are safely back home where Gustav can't get at them," I suggest.

"He hasn't made any explicit threat to kill you if I do that, but he doesn't need to. If he is prepared to kill nobility, then he won't have any qualms about killing you. Besides, John and Sara can hardly stay within the Van Alder estate for the rest of their lives, and I'd always be afraid that there might be an assassin with a crossbow lurking beside the road whenever either of them left home."

It occurs to me that Gustav is going to an awful lot of trouble to take me alive, when killing me would have been far simpler. What is his reason for that? Perhaps it's just that he wants a greater vengeance on me than my death would provide. I recall what he said before sending me to the brothel: You might not like what I have planned for you, but believe me I can make it much worse."

Eventually it's time to go downstairs for breakfast. We manage to force a little food down, and then we go out to the yard, where our coach is waiting. Our two guards and the coachman already know that Sara has been abducted, since naturally Don's first action last night - even before knocking on my door - was to question the guards, and they in turn have had the chance to fill in the coachman. I do wonder whether the guards could have been bribed, which would explain their strange ineffectivenes. No doubt that thought would have occurred to Don too, but evidently he couldn't find anything to confirm any suspicions that he might have had.

The road to Theras is a good one, by local standards, so we should be able to make good time. Don reckons that we should arrive in Theras about dusk.

1. And so we do.
2. We do not make as good time as we had hoped, so another overnight stop in an inn is necessary. Not that either Don or myself expects to get much sleep. However I do eventually doze off, only to have one of my dreams.

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