"God willing, Joseph is alive!" Clarissa Swift blurted out a sentence that slowly calmed her heart, which was about to jump out of her chest.

Then, with a relaxed expression, he whispered to Caroline: "Come with me to church after lunch, I will pray for Joseph." ”

"Wait, Dad, how do you know that Joseph is now a prisoner of the thieves? This is not an immediate jousting contest, and the winning knight can catch the losing knight in exchange for ransom. Caroline nodded at Clarissa, then looked at her father's expression and asked hurriedly.

Lambton glanced at his eldest daughter, shook his head, and said, "This is indeed what Sir Anthony has sent. And, I think it's very likely that Joseph is still alive. ”

"Father, if Joseph was attacked on his way to Barnard Castle, then Sir Anthony went out of the city to look for them after the battle?"

"Carrie, you have misunderstood Sir Anthony, and this matter is not as simple as you think."

Lamberton then recounted the general course of the attack to the two men. When the Viscount mentioned that Sir Victor Layton was the only survivor of the attack, Caroline naturally turned her head to look at Joseph's wife, who was sitting beside her. But Clarissa didn't show any expression, just nodded her head without being noticed.

What the hell the two women present were talking to in code, no one knew. Viscount Darlington only glanced at them, and recited in a reverent tone a passage from the Bible: "In the famine he will deliver you from death; He will deliver you from the power of the sword in battle (Bible, Job, 5:20). ”

Then he approvingly, "Sir Victor is a strong knight like Job, and I have no doubt about the oath he has made to me. It was because of his fear of God and his service that God miraculously allowed him to survive. ”

Caroline almost laughed at her father's pious appearance, but fortunately Clarissa tapped her on the arm in time to prevent the viscount from discovering the eldest daughter's unreasonable behavior.

Caroline immediately turned her expression serious and whispered, "Dad, it seems that we are right to go to Mass on Sunday. So, what kind of injuries did Sir Victor suffer? ”

He was stabbed in the chest with a thief's sword. After some time, he woke up again. When Sir Anthony's men found him on the battlefield, he had only one breath left. Lambberton's expression looked a little heavy.

"Thank you Lord Jesus, thank you to the Virgin Mary!" Caroline intends to make herself appear more religious.

Clarissa recalls the general course of events as told by the Viscount. When Lamberton's expression was no longer solemn, he said suspiciously: "Father, you said that Sir Victor did not find Joseph when he woke up, but this does not mean that Joseph was captured by thieves?" ”

Lamberton thought slowly and said, "No matter what these thieves want to do, they only have one purpose, and that is money. Is not my eldest son, the heir to my title and my domain, worthy of being exchanged for one-third or half of his fortune in the eyes of these money-seeing thieves? ”

Now, Clarissa is completely relieved about the safety of her husband's life. Just as she was embarrassed about the large ransom she was about to pay to the thieves, Caroline said, "Dad, don't you think this attack this morning is strange? Why do these thieves do their hands before the Sunday Mass at Barnard Castle? Timing your hands on the darkest part of the day? ”

Lamberton nodded and said, "That's right, I've been thinking about this since I heard the news. In the North, there were indeed precedents of thieves stealing farmers' livestock at night. However, there had never been such a large-scale battle with the kingdom's army at night. ”

"Dad, is it possible that some Scots who sneaked across the border did it? I don't think the people of the north will forget the Scots' invasion of the north of England in 1513. ”

"You mean that James V of Scotland (the biological father of Mary I, Queen of Scots) wanted to avenge his royal father, who died in battle in the north of England?"

"Maybe. I also heard that James V was a cruel man who imposed tyrannical rule on his subjects and imposed taxes. I don't think the Scottish people trust their king. ”

Lamberton found his daughter's conclusion a little incredible. He continued: "If it is true that the knights sent by James V have secretly crossed the border to the north and plundered, then why didn't Clarissa's father inform me in advance?" ”

Caroline added, "Dad, it's just a hypothesis of mine. If you want to prove that this is a hypothesis, you can ask me to go to Barnard Castle at once on your behalf, and I will know the cause once I have investigated the whole incident. ”

Clarissa was reluctant to give 1/3 or half of her fortune to redeem Joseph, but she also wanted her husband to return home safely. So, she sat there, and her mind was focused on finding the best of both worlds.

After the conversation between the viscount and the eldest daughter came to an end for a while, she gradually sorted out a more satisfactory clue in her mind. He looked at Lamberton and said, "Father, did Sir Victor mention how much ransom these thieves wanted?" ”

Lamberton stood up, paced around the living room, and said, "Clarissa, I would also like to know that the thieves not only took a lot of loot with them when they left, but also left nothing behind. ”

Caroline didn't want to speculate so endlessly, she stood up and looked at her father who had come to the fireplace and said, "Daddy, please agree to my request to go to Barnard Castle. If you're worried that I'll run into thieves too, I just hope it never happened today. ”

The viscount was the eldest daughter who knew himself. If he didn't agree with her doing so, he believed that his daughter would still stubbornly do what she wanted. Taking a glass of wine that the previous servant had offered him, he took a sip and said solemnly, "Carrie, I want you to know that your mother and I love you. So, I will agree to your request. But one thing to ask is that no matter what happens or anyone you meet in doubt, you always remember that you are the eldest daughter of the Swift family. ”

When Caroline heard this, she was excited to leave the living room when Lamberton said solemnly, "Carrie, wait until sunrise." ”

At 3 p.m., Clarissa, accompanied by her valet, stood beside Caroline, who was about to mount her horse, and looked at Caroline, who was wearing only a stabbing sword but no knight's armor, and said, "I have told you what I need to say, and I believe you can do it." ”

Caroline glanced at the valet behind her on her left, and smiled at her, "Actually, I'd love to know what you'd do with your mind if Dad didn't approve of me going to Barnard Castle." ”

"Carrie, what are you talking nonsense?" Clarissa, who disguised herself very well, scolded.

"Nothing, I'm just talking to myself." Caroline said with a snicker.