Would he put his kin in danger to protect her?
“We will leave,” he said.
“No, ye willna leave,” his father told him. His uncles agreed. “King David isna only yer friend. Most of yer cousins fought with or fer him. And we,” he motioned to himself and his brothers, “fought with his father, Robert the Bruce.”
“Aye,” Cain agreed. “But even if he still comes here—we will stand with ye, lad.”
“Ye have my gratitude,” Galeren said softly. He loved them. He didn’t want them to stand against the king. If David went against him, Galeren would take his wife and leave.
He prayed it didn’t happen.
“Son,” his father said, “tell us how ye stayed true to the king’s orders these years withoot some kind of friendship growin’ between ye and the steward.”
“Friendship did grow, but I can separate it from duty, save when it comes to my men. Fer them, our friendship comes before all else.”
“Rumor traveled as far as Invergarry,” said his uncle, Nicky, “that the high steward put you in charge of everything. He practically gave you his position.”
“’Tis true, he handed everythin’ to me, his army, even his children. That is why he canna muster his army against me and must hire a new one. My men willna fight me. Well, most of them. John didna completely trust me. He had one of his men implanted into my ranks. Morgann Bell. I found oot and tied him to a tree near Jamie Treskil’s cottage.”
“Jamie is in Perth visitin’ his brother.”
“Aye, as I later discovered. I saw Morgann alive after that and let him go free. Perhaps he went into the woods.”
“Fittin’ punishment fer a traitor,” one of them said. The others agreed.
Galeren remained quiet. Now that a little bit more time had passed, he could think more clearly. He’d liked Morgann and to think of his head smashed to bits by a swinging boulder was unpleasant. Not so though for any mercenaries. He was glad he never told John about the forest.
He wondered if any of his kin worried about mercenaries getting in. He knew they had the upper hand in the walled town. They had positions along all the walls. But no defense was impenetrable. They were not in a castle but in a house with different ways inside. Galeren wondered if the stronghold was built the way it was for a reason. His father and uncles were clever. There was much defense here. They were safe here. Even the shepherds outside the gate were safe. Every house was within sight of someone patrolling the walls. “I was thinkin’ of usin’ Jamie’s cottage tomorrow night fer our weddin’ night. I want to be completely alone with her. Withoot any of ye tryin’ to give us more advice or any of the women or Father Timothy—or Lionell at our door.”
“Verra well,” his father said. “I will make certain the cottage is heavily protected.”
“There ye are, Galeren,” Father Timothy said as he appeared and went to Galeren’s side. “A word, please.”
“Of course, Father.” Galeren passed his kin a concerned looked and then followed the priest into the church.
Midnight settled onthe manor house, but Silene couldn’t sleep. She sat in her chemise in a chair by the open window and looked down at the moonlit practice field. He’d been there today, looking so fit, so graceful and yet savage as he fought. His father and uncles pushed him until Silene was sure he would fall, but he didn’t. She knew they wouldn’t kill him but, still, each moment struck her nerves until she thought she would cry out to him to look out!
She didn’t have to. He saw every blow about to strike him.
And when the fighting was finally over, he looked up as if feeling her there, watching as she was. She missed him.
Just one more night and they would be wed. What would it be like to be his wife? What would it be like to have a family, a motherly woman who dotted on her? Braya spent a lot of her time with Aleysia and Julianna, who were often accompanied by their daughters, Elysande, and Adela or Geva. Braya had no daughter. Until now.
Silene didn’t mind the adoption. She hadn’t seen her own mother in years. She—
A soft rapping at her door drew her from her thoughts. Who could be knocking at this hour? She left the chair and padded to it.
“Aye? Who is there?”
“Arise, my love, my beautifulone,
and comeaway.
O my dove, in the clefts of therock,
in the crannies of thecliff,
let me see yerface,