Silence filled the hallway. With his ear to the door, he couldn’t detect any noise at all. Pacing back and forth in the cell, his mind spun with possibilities. He could think of nothing to do but wait. Longer. Kicking at the door, he then pounded it with his fists. Rattling in its frame, the door jiggled and then bounced back toward him, opening a crack.

“What?” Amazement and wonder filled him. The door was unlocked. Abella had left the door unlocked. Sheepish, he grimaced at the lost time spent counting breaths. Moving quickly to Scarlet, he gently picked her up and placed her over his right shoulder. “I’m sorry for this.”

Opening the door quietly, he stepped into the hall, carrying their tankards and a tray used for food with one arm, the other holding Scarlet in place. He moved as swiftly as he dared down the hallway, hoping not to see anyone. As he turned the corner onto another passage, a guard approached, wearing a black uniform with the tricolor band on his arm.

“What’s the matter with her?”

Clearing his throat, Matteo responded, “Drunk. Finally just passed out back there.”

The guard shook his head, obviously disgusted. “Lug her down to the kitchen. Adaline will take care of her.”

“Yes, sir.” He continued past the guard, holding his breath.

“Hey!”

Matteo turned around.

“The kitchen is the other way.” He peered closely into Matteo’s face. “Who are you, anyway? I haven’t seen you before, and who’s this?” He moved around back, lifting up Scarlet’s head so he could get a better look at her face. Whistling, he said, “She’s a beauty. Maybe I’ll take over from here. I’d enjoy a piece of soft flesh—”

Before he could finish his thought, Matteo’s fist crashed into his jaw. While the man stepped back, catching blood falling from a gaping hole that once held a tooth, Matteo gently laid Scarlet on the stone floor and moved in on him, connecting with his stomach.

A strong punch to Matteo’s eye sent him back several feet. Careful not to step on his wife, he rushed forward again, pounding his fists rapidly and with great strength on any open part of the guard’s body.

Sluggish and unprepared for a fight, the guard soon tired, and Matteo’s last impact at the side of his head sent him sprawling onto the ground, where he did not rise.

The man’s jacket fell open, and his key ring glinted as the candlelight fell on it. Grabbing the keys and then rushing to Scarlet, Matteo walked as quickly as he could down the rest of the hallway and across an open area to the next. Now he was racing time as well as the discovery of the fallen guard. His body remained on high alert, ready for shouting or the bells to clang, signaling a problem.