As long as she had known him, she had thought of him as a boy. And yet, from what she was hearing, if Charles d'Anjou was now king of southern Italy and Sicily, it was to Simon that he owed the crown. "But I know who really killed the Tartars," Simon went on. "It was Charles, Count Charles, now King Charles, who no more wants to make war on Islam than your friend Daoud did. Charles kept the Tartars with himself and away from King Louis, and he let them go out on the field while the battle was raging, no doubt hoping they would die." Lorenzo frowned. "You mean Charles used me to get rid of the Tartars?" Simon nodded. "He could not have known it would be you, but he made sure they would be in harm's way. Charles is very good at using people. My mother warned me about him long before I let him persuade me to come to Italy to guard the Tartars, but I did not listen. But now, how are we going to get all of you safely out of Benevento?" He kept coming back to that, Sophia thought. He seemed determined to save them from Charles d'Anjou's vengeance. "We may still have the wagon I hid out in the forest," Lorenzo said. "And if you truly mean to help us, you might appropriate a horse or two. There are many horses hereabouts whose owners will never need them again." "I can write you a genuine safe-conduct that will get you past Charles's officials and agents," Simon said. "If you travel quickly enough, you may get ahead of them into territory still friendly to you. There may be no army left to oppose Charles, but it will take him some time to get control of all the territory he has won. Where might you go?" Sophia took Rachel's hand again, and they sat on the bed. Remembering that she and Daoud had shared this bed last night, Sophia felt the heaped stones of sorrow weigh heavier still. _I will never hold him again._ To distract herself from her pain, she tried to listen to what people around her were saying. "To Palermo first," said Lorenzo decisively. "At a time like this, with the king gone, every family must fend for itself. I want to get to mine at once." He turned to Rachel, and his mustache stretched in one of the smiles Sophia had seen all too rarely. "My wife, Fiorela, and I would be honored to have you as a member of our family, Rachel." Rachel gave a little gasp. "Truly?" "Truly. I have been wanting to propose it for a long time." Again Sophia thanked God for Lorenzo. She almost wished he would offer to take her into his family too. Simon stared at Lorenzo. "You are--were--an official at Manfred's court, and your wife's name is Fiorela?" Lorenzo frowned. "Yes, Count. What of it?" Simon's interest puzzled Sophia. Could there be some connection between him and Lorenzo?