A guard came out with a torch, saw the trouble, and turned shouting to his mates. Half-a-dozen of them came tumbling into the passage with torches and pikes. There was a great smoke, some blinding patches of light, everywhere else a sooty darkness. By the time they were up to the buttery there was nothing to be seen but a boy sitting on the flags with a dead boy on his knees. Maulfry had gone. As for Vincent, Love had killed love sure as fate.
When Prosper heard of it all he was very angry. "Is this how you serve me, child? To fight battles for me? I suppose I should return the compliment by darning your stockings. I had things to say to this woman, many things to learn. You have bungled my plans and vexed me."
Isoult humbled herself to the dust, but he would not be appeased.
"Who was this boy?" he asked her. "What on earth had he to do in my affair?"
"Lord," she said meekly, "he died to save me from death, and once before he risked his life to let me escape from Tortsentier."
Prosper felt the rebuke and got more angry.
"A fool meets with a fool's death. Boys and girls have no business with steel. They should be in the nursery."
"I was in prison, lord."
He remembered then that she might have stayed in prison for all his help. He began to be ashamed of himself.
"Child," he said more gently, "I did wrong to be angry; but you must never thwart my plans. The boy loved you?"