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.The thought sobered him and reminded him that only speed would save her.There were two guards in the gatehouse and Richard killed them both, silently and quickly, hoping that the routine here was the same as that at Corchester, where the guards changed late in the evening.He needed as much time as possible inside the house before the guards were found.Although it took precious time, he decided to throw their bodies into the moat.The alarm was less likely to be raised because the guards were not at their post.He had seen enough of the lack of discipline in Sir Walter’s men during the siege to know that that must be a common occurrence.If anyone found the bodies, the alarm would be sounded immediately.Once he had disposed of the bodies, he slipped inside the gateway.He was now inside the courtyard.It was smaller than he had expected.At the duke’s castle, this would be the most dangerous place.People were always crossing it on their way to somewhere.Then he reminded himself; it was doubtful that anyone would have managed to get inside the castle gatehouse alive.The duke’s guards were much more alert than Sir Walter’s, even now.He took a deep breath.Most people would be in the hall.It was dark and cold and either just before the evening meal or just after it.Few people would venture away from the fire in the hall unless they had to.He knew he could not rely too much on the routine being kept to, since Rosamunde’s capture would have changed that routine.He hoped that she wasn’t suffering too much.She would be scared, he knew.She would expect Guy to come for her, but she must know that he would not be able to arrive with a force of men before tomorrow, when it would be too late.No, he could not allow himself to be distracted.He could not think of what Rosamunde was going through, only how to find her and get her out, even if that meant that she must go into a convent rather than marry him.He crept around the courtyard, keeping away from windows and moving quickly past doors.The need to save Rosamunde urged him to speed, but the knowledge that he could not help her if he was caught tempered that desire.Eventually he found a quiet, unwatched door and entered the house.There had been no one in the courtyard.Nonetheless, Richard stayed on his guard, with his knife in his hand.Sir Walter’s people were lax, but he would not depend on it.They might not be expecting anyone to attempt a rescue until tomorrow, but the closer he got to Rosamunde, the more likely he was to find those who were prepared and able to fight him.He came across some stairs and climbed them.Doubtless Sir Walter would be in his bedchamber, exulting over his prize.When he reached the top of the stairs, he heard Rosamunde’s screams.She sounded hoarse as if she had not stopped screaming since Sir Walter’s men attacked her.He controlled his impulse to rush blindly along the hallway and kill whoever he might find there and pressed himself against the side of the stairwell.He lowered himself to his knees with difficulty and looked into the passageway.Two men were standing outside a closed door talking quietly.Occasionally, when Rosamunde gave a particularly heartrending scream, they looked uneasily at the door.They were probably the witnesses that Sir Walter would need to prove that Rosamunde had been under his roof for a night.Richard noticed that both men were armed.It seemed Sir Walter wasn’t taking his safety completely for granted.Richard banged loudly on the wall and ducked down back into the stairwell.“Robert, is that you?” called one of the men.Richard banged the wall again.“Robert, hurry up,” called the same man.“The lady’s screams have given me an appetite for my wife.”Both men laughed.Richard snarled under his breath and banged the wall again, more urgently.The two men looked at one another.The man who had spoken drew his sword and advanced cautiously along the passageway.When he turned the corner to where Richard was hiding, Richard plunged his knife into him and he fell without making a sound.Removing the man’s cloak he flung it across his own shoulders, pulling the hood over his head to hide his face as much as possible.He then advanced quickly up the passage towards the other man, keeping in the shadows.“What was it?” asked the other man as he started to sheath his sword.“Nothing,” said Richard, but his accent gave him away and the other man pulled his sword out again.Cursing under his breath, Richard threw off the cloak and drew his own sword, running down the passage.The other man tried to parry Richard’s blow, but was unsuccessful
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