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insistent.
    I shook my head. I had no idea why they would have any interest in me. I was no one.
    “Brentwood, you don’t need to help.” Carenhail cleared his throat and then turned to me. “You ate dinner in the family dining room a month ago on the night Lord Pendragon vanished? Was he present at the meal?”
    I nodded, understanding sinking in. These men did not believe the story we had concocted to explain away Lord Pendragon’s disappearance. And I was a witness. They wanted to shake the truth from me.
    “Were you seated near him?” Carenhail asked.
    “No. I was seated at the smaller table. But I could see him.”  
    “Who were you seated next to?”
    “Sister Zilla and Jacarda Clark. Jacarda is a local socialite.”
    The man on Carenhail’s left unrolled a scroll and made a quick note.
    “We know who she is. Why did you attend the dinner?”
    I shrugged. “Lady Mediera invited me.”
    “Did she do that often?”
    “Often enough.”
    “Did you see Lord Pendragon leave the table?”
    “No. I didn’t notice him depart.”
    “Are you certain?”
    I shrugged. “I wasn’t paying attention to his table. He was there and then he wasn’t.”
    “Did you return to your room directly after you finished eating?”
    “Yes. Cedric escorted Sister Zilla and me to our room.”
    “Where is your room located?”
    “Our room joins with Lady Mediera’s bedchamber. We also share our room with Sister Tatiana and Uthur’s wet nurse.”  
    “Did you notice that no guards stood on duty that night?”
    “I did notice. But, I have no control over the guards’ schedules.”
    Brentwood tittered, and Carenhail shot him a dark look before he resumed questioning me.
    “Was Lady Mediera in her room when you returned?”
    “No.”
    “Where was she?”
    “Presumably with her husband.”
    “When did Lady Mediera return to her room?”
    “Sometime during the night. She woke me when she returned, and I joined her in her room.”
    “She didn’t wake the baby?”
    “Would you wake a sleeping baby?”
    Brentwood laughed again, harder this time. Carenhail stared at him for a moment, a frown on his face. The man rolled his eyes. There was discord between these two. Perhaps there had been some argument over who would lead this interview. If so, Carenhail had won, but maybe the other man was not so content with the outcome.
    “Answer the question,” Carenhail demanded, turning his attention back to me.  
    “No. She didn’t wake the baby.”
    “Did she wake the other sisters?”
    “No.”
    “Why did Lady Mediera wake you?”
    “She wished to pray.”
    “Why?”
    I shrugged. “Men fight battles with swords, women wield other weapons.”
    “Please be specific. What did she say in her prayers?”
    “We prayed silently.”
    “For how long?”
    “An hour, perhaps longer. While we were in prayer, Lord Pendragon knocked on the door and told Lady Mediera that he had been informed that he was needed in the field. He told her he would only be gone for a few days, no longer. He kissed her and then left.”
    “What time did this happen?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was late.”
    “Did you go back to your room after he left?”
    I shook my head. “No. I have a cot set up in Lady Mediera’s room. I stay with her frequently. She doesn’t like to be alone.”
    “Was that the last time you saw Lord Pendragon?”
    I nodded. “Yes.”
    “One more question. Where have you been for the past week?”
    I closed my eyes, having no notion how to answer. What had Mediera and Cedric said about my absence? I suddenly wished I had had more time with Mediera before I was taken away for questioning. Cedric thought I was on an errand to the Abbey, but surely they must know by now that Fynn and I had gone elsewhere. What had Gorman told them? Probably nothing.
    “A week ago I left the Great House en route to the Abbey,” I started.  
    “That’s not possible,” Carenhail interrupted. “You could not have re-entered the