Egelric is told the news

Sigefrith threw open the door to his study, where, he had been told, Egelric was waiting for him. “Egelric, Egelric!”

Egelric looked up from the book he was reading and grinned at him. He rose to bow, but he only had time to lay the book on the desk before Sigefrith grabbed him in a hug.

“You’re looking as hearty as a buck! I knew the trip would do you good.”

“And you?” Egelric laughed. “I see that staying behind did you some good. Did you win your maiden?”

“I did indeed! Or I shall have – her pater won’t let me have her until she’s sixteen. A cruel old dragon, but it does give us time to finish that tower I’ve wanted over on the far side of the hall, and that small cloister I had been thinking about, and possibly – ”

“Hold! I can see you’re feeling fine. You always start planning more castles than we can build in a lifetime whenever you’re in a good humor.”

“Well, Alred hardly needs you out at the new castle any longer, and I have a deadline, namely Midsummer. If I can get that tower built then I shan’t need to take her up into that – that – that other tower.”

“I see.”

“If I had the time I should build her a new castle entirely, all out of marble and gold, but on the other hand…”

“Sounds more like a temple to me.”

“That is what she needs!”

“Oh, you’re hopeless. I have some letters here for you, but if all you mean to do is gab on about your little bride, I should like to run off to see my little girl.”

“Oh!” Sigefrith’s smile fell away. “You haven’t seen her yet?”

“I left His Grace at the crossroads and came on with Malcolm to see you. Why?”

“Oh, dear,” Sigefrith said, and despite the sudden gravity of the conversation, he felt a little thrill at the idea that he had picked up Eadgith’s darling habit of saying “Oh, dear,” whenever she was disconcerted. He shook his head to clear it and said, “Something has happened to her, but we don’t know what.”

“What?”

“Well, I had better tell you all we know, so you don’t go tearing across the downs and break your neck in your hurry to find out…”

“What?”

“Sit down a moment, Egelric…”

“What? No!”

Sigefrith’s hands went up reflexively to protect him from the growing menace that Egelric became at the thought that someone or something might have harmed his daughter. “All right, let’s stand then. It’s this, very briefly: last month, during the fires we had here – the evidence of which you have surely already seen – and, as it happened, on the night of the new moon – ”

“Briefly?”

Sigefrith sighed. “Let me tell you. That night Iylaine and young Bertie got out of the castle and disappeared for an hour or two, and when they returned, Iylaine had lost all of her clothes, and Bertie had loaned her his tunic.”

“What did he do to her?” Egelric growled.

“Nothing! I mean, we have no idea, but I – I think you should talk to Matilda. She doesn’t believe Bertie hurt her, but perhaps someone else did…”

“Well, what the devil did they say?”

“Nothing. That’s what I meant to say. Bertie wants to talk to you, and Iylaine doesn’t want to talk to anyone about it.”

“The devil! Where is he?”

“Bertie? He’s at Nothelm as far as I know.”

“Excuse me.” Egelric walked past him to the door.

“Wait a moment!”

Egelric went out without a word.

“Be careful over the downs!” Sigefrith called after him. “Damn! My letters!”