Brantmerely nodded, before exiting to go speak with Isabel. The look that crossedNiles face, when he mentioned the lad, did not look like happiness for hiscousin, to Brant. Twas more like he was trying to say the polite things, whathe thought he should say, about something that really displeased him.

Brantstepped out of the sitting room into the hall, and quickly crossed to whereAnn, Esme, and Hannah, sat by the hearth.

Lookingto Lady Ann, he asked, “Where did Isabel go?”

“Rightafter the Duke arrived, she spoke briefly with Nora, thentook the babe upstairs,” Ann answered. “You know, she looked a little shakenwhen she saw him.”

Brantacknowledged her reply with a nod, and turned to go upstairs. Upon arriving inthe Solar, he found the inner chamber door blocked from the inside, so that itwould not open.

“Isabel,open the door, we need to talk,” Brant ordered. When there was no answer frominside the chamber, he continued, “He told me his version, of what happenedwith Avery. Open the door.” Still no response came, from inside the bedchamber.“Isabel, say something.” After several more seconds of silence, Brant said, “Ifyou do not say something, I am going to have this door knocked down.”

Helistened closely, but there was no sound from inside the chamber. Brantreturned to the passageway, where the guard who wasassigned to keep an eye on Isabel, at all times, reclined on a bench.

Heasked, “Did Isabel go in there?”

“Oh,aye, My Lord,” the guard said. “She went in there with the babe, about half anhour ago. I have been watching the door, and no one has gone in, or out,since.”

“Godown, and ask Lady Ann to come up here, please,” Brant instructed the guard.

Hewent back to the blocked door, to wait.

“Isabel,answer me, so I know you are alright,” Brant said, while he waited for Ann.

Stillno reply came from behind the portal. Within a few minutes, Lady Ann enteredthe antechamber. Brant quickly explained that the door was blocked, and Isabelwould not answer him.

Anntapped softly on the heavy door, and said, “Alisa, please open the door, so wecan talk.” When there was no response, she continued, “Do you remember what youtold me, last night? Do you not think that this is childish?” When no answercame, Ann turned to Brant, and asked, “Are you sure she went in there?”

 “The guard followed her upstairs, and saw hergo in. He has been watching the door, and she has not come out,” Brantanswered.

Ann,looking doubtful, stepped back to examine the top of the high door. Apparently,seeing what she was looking for, the Lady got a chair from the small table tostand on. Reaching up, she grasped a short length of heavy twine, hanging atthe top of the door. She pulled the string down, and pushed on the door, whichopened freely. Brant slipped past Ann into the chamber, only to see a length ofwood had been lowered into place, between the bed and door, from the outside.The room was empty. Isabel and Nathaniel were not there. Brant looked aroundthe room, quickly noticing that the small box with Isabel’s crest on it, was missing from the table.

WhenAnn’s presence had been requested upstairs, Niles had followed, to see what wasgoing on. Ann saw him standing in the antechamber doorway.

Sheasked accusingly, “What did you do to my daughter, thathas her hiding out?”

Notwanting to tip Niles off, Brant said, “Niles, could you wait downstairs, whilewe sort this out.”

Thatblackguard, not wanting to deal with Isabel’s angry mother, nodded andwithdrew. Brant waited until he was out of earshot, to correct Ann.

“Sheis not hiding. She is gone. The wooden box with her crest on it, always sitsright here. It is gone, and she is gone," Brant said.

Heindicated the spot on the table, beside her brush, where the trinket alwayssat.

“What?”Ann asked, not understanding his point. She indicated with her hands, “Thatwooden thing, about so big? That was her father’s. I recall it was quite heavyfor its size, but I could never figure out any use for it.”

Realizingthat Isabel’s mother knew some, but not all of her daughter’s little secrets,he explained, “There is an inconspicuous clasp, on the bottom of the box. Itcontained two rows of coins. Maybe one hundred pounds.A goodly sum of money.”

Annshook off her surprise at Brant’s revelation, and looked around the room.

“Lastnight, I saw the deer skin duffle her father had specially made, one for eachof them. That is gone, too. If there was money in the box, there is no tellingwhat may have been in the duffle. I walked in on him once, to see a compartmentin the handle of the bags. Oh, my, Rosamond said Isabel had a dagger. What elsedo I not know about my daughter? Do you know what the problem is, with theDuke? Last night, Isabel seemed at least resigned, to being here for a while. Hewalks in, and suddenly she has fled?” Ann asked, angrily.

“Youneed not concern yourself with him. I will handle that. Right now, we need tofind Isabel, and Nathaniel,” Brant said.

Heimmediately set about looking for a lead, as to how Isabel made her escape.Hopefully, the how, would help figure out where, she was off to.

Afterquestioning the knights around the Castle, the sentry at the drawbridge, andthe serfs at the stables, Brant had no leads. A search of the Castle, andgrounds, turned up nothing. Once again, Isabel was gone, without a trace.

Chapter 14

Nearlytwo months had passed, since Isabel vanished from the Castle with Nathaniel.Brant had all angles covered, to see that he got word if her, or the babe,surfaced anywhere. No one had seen them, or at least no one, who would tellBrant. His wife and son, were never far from his mind,and he often found it difficult, not to sink back into the black moods he hadsuffered, after he had been released by his kidnappers. Fortunately, he hadEsme, and Hannah, at the Castle, to keep him occupied. Since it was summertime, there were fields to tend, and travel was easy, so there were a goodnumber of visitors coming and going, during the day. However, at night in hisSolar, Brant was haunted by memories of Isabel, and Nathaniel. Sometimes in hisdreams, he would hear the babe cry, or feel his wife's soft body against his,only to wake, and realize he was alone.

Soit was, on the morning that Hannah asked, if she could have some pretty coins,like Cora had.

"Whatkind of coins does Cora have?" Brant asked.

"Theyare shiny," Hannah said. "I do not know what kind. They are justcoins. Cora said that Bell gave them to her."

LadyAnn had spent most of the past months that Isabel had been missing, at the Castle,waiting for any word on her daughter's whereabouts. The child's mention of Bellgot both Ann, and Brant's, undivided attention. Bell was the child's name forIsabel.

"DidCora say why, Bell gave her the coins?" Ann asked.

"Ido not know. She just said Bell gave them to her," the little girlanswered. "They are really pretty. I want some, too."

Brantquickly dispatched a serf, to find Cora. They waited for only a few minutes,before the serf returned to the hall, with the maid.

"Hannahhas been asking for some coins, like the ones Isabel gave you. What did she payyou for?" Brant asked, in a stern tone.

Corasquirmed around looking guilty, momentarily, as if she were debating trying tolie, before saying, "She gave me money to take messages to ‘er knights,what were staying at the Inn, in the village. They were there three, or fourweeks. Then she left ‘ere, and the other knights come to get ‘er, and thebabe."

"Herknights came to get her?" Brant asked when the serf fell silent.

"Areye going to punish me, Me Lord?" Cora asked. "Isabel said if ye was going to punish me, I should not tell ye anything."