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that. The dower will be twice the gold we agreed upon for the sale of Halford.”
    Guy looked at Claudia. “Somehow I suspected as much.”
    “He will remain confined until the ceremony can take place,” Lonsdale told the bishop, “else his men may think to spirit him away. Indeed, I believe it wise if his men were to set their camp outside my walls rather than within them.”
    “That decision is yours to make, Laurence.”
    Lonsdale gestured toward the guards. “Take him to the gatehouse tower and place him in the ransom chamber. Make sure of our guest’s comforts, but he is to carry no weapons and a guard will be at his door at all times. Rouse his men and send them on their way. They may return after the marriage.”
    Guy spared another brief glance at Claudia. Silent tearsrolled down her cheeks, and her face looked as pale as the sheets. If this was an act, she was good at her craft. “I would inform my second-in-command of your, ah, decision,” he said to Lonsdale. “You may find my men more cooperative if their orders come from Evard de Cordray.”
    “As you wish. Your second-in-command will be sent to meet with you in the ransom chamber.” Lonsdale gave him a mocking bow. “We will await your decision, Baron.”
    Claudia watched four of the soldiers lead Guy away, stunned to immobility by everything that had just transpired. Not that she would want to go anywhere stark naked. She had an awful fear that her uncle might order just that. Her breath caught in her throat when he called one of his soldiers forward.
    “Send a carpenter to repair this door. I want a bolt fashioned on the outside and a guard posted there to ensure that my niece does not leave this room for any reason. See that someone brings her food twice a day.”
    “Aye, my lord.” The soldier bowed then hurried away to carry out his orders.
    Lonsdale turned to Claudia, his gaze dispassionate. “You will remain here until the marriage can take place, and you will not make trouble of any sort. Do you understand me?”
    She bowed her head so he would not see her anger. She had never particularly liked her uncle. Now she hated him. He had drugged her with some foul poison the night before, as surely as he’d drugged Guy. Now he was telling her to go along with Guy’s betrayal, to become a part of this filthy plot. She could barely speak the words. “I understand, my lord.”
    “Excellent.” He turned to the bishop. “I must see that Montague’s men leave the castle as I ordered. If you will excuse me, Bishop?”
    “We must talk further of this matter,” said the bishop.
    “Very well. Let us meet after the nooning meal in my solar, if you find that convenient.” Lonsdale’s tone said he did not look forward to the meeting. The bishop looked displeasedat being put off for so many hours, but he gave Lonsdale a sharp nod.
    The men left soon after, although one soldier remained in the hallway to stand guard at the broken door. He stood so that he faced Claudia, staring at her in a way that made her skin crawl. She pulled the sheets closer and looked away when he began to pick at what few teeth remained in his mouth. Her nightshift lay on the floor, so she tugged the sheets free of the mattress, then wrapped them securely around her. Another of her uncle’s shows of kindness, to leave her naked as a strumpet with his man set to watch her. Perhaps the soldier at the door was the one responsible for her state of undress in the first place. That thought made her shudder in disgust.
    Rather than retrieve the nightshift, she walked to her clothes chest and pulled out a chemise and saffron-colored gown. Her grip on the sheets remained painfully tight, aware of the soldier’s gaze upon her every move. Thank heavens for the garderobe in her chamber. The tiny room would provide the privacy she needed to perform her morning ablutions and repair a few shreds of her pride. Not that her pride would ever be fully intact again after this morning’s