She hurried through the hallway and down the stairs, her skirts gathered in her hands. Her heart was racing with excitement. Leofric was home! She could ask him about the palace, about what the king wanted, about when they could finally relax without royal summons interrupting their lives.
She burst through the front doors and out onto the manor's front steps, a huge smile on her face.
But the smile died instantly.
Her blood ran cold.
It wasn't Leofric standing in front of the manor. Instead, there was Robert and two other guards trying to block a woman from entering. The woman was struggling against them, her dark hair falling out of its pins, her dress rumpled as if she had travelled in a hurry.
"I don't care what you think I can or cannot do!" The woman's voice was angry and desperate. "I need to see Leofric immediately!"
