And from that moment, things happened too quickly for her to stop them. She wanted to have a few moments to study the newcomer dressed in black clerical robes with a pair of men flanking him dressed also very importantly, but she was distracted by the fuss her cousins were causing her brother.
Tasgall had never been very good at facing more than one disaster at a time which she had always supposed might make leading the clan a difficult task for him. Her uncle generally stood at his elbow and attempted to keep the confusion to a minimum, but at the moment he was too busy attending to the clergymen. She stepped forward to see if at least an offer of something to drink might calm the tempers flaring there, then thoroughly regretted it when her brother spun around and pointed his finger at her.
“Where have you been?” he snarled.
“Off looking for herbs—”
“You should have been here!” he shouted, striding across the hall and shoving cousins out of the way as he did so. “Deirdre is ill and you should have taken her place!”
“Is she ill,” Mairead shot back, “or hid—”
She realized he was going to hit her as she saw the back of his hand coming toward her face. She closed her eyes because there was no time to move and she simply couldn’t watch any more fury coming her way.
She heard the blow, but felt nothing.
She opened her eyes, though perhaps that hadn’t been necessary. She found herself with her face pressed against the scabbard of a sword strapped to a man’s back. His hand was also keeping her pressed against that back, a hand she had no trouble recognizing.
Tasgall spluttered. “Why are you here again?”
“My lord Tasgall,” Oliver said politely, inclining his head. “I heard tell of trouble in the area and thought I would offer you my sword.”
“Well,” Tasgall said, sounding very surprised. “I’m pleased you found it, but why would I need it when… well, these men are honorable officials from Edinburgh. Surely you know them.”
Oliver made a dismissive noise. “We travel in far different circles, my lord, but I’ll be polite to them for your sake, of course.”
Mairead would have thanked him, but she found her hand taken by Ambrose.
“Auntie, come away,” he said quickly. “The kitchen is warm.”
She nodded and let him pull her out of the great hall. She wasn’t one given to weakness, but she suspected that if she’d been that sort of lass, she might have sought out somewhere to sit. As it was, she didn’t argue when Ambrose found her a stool, tucked her into a corner by the cooking fire, and found a pair of lads to do things that required them to stand in front of her.
And if a different lad came to lean against the wall next to her after supper had been served and the hall put to bed for the night, all she could do was look at up at him.
“Why are you here?” she whispered.
He squatted down next to her. “I thought I should be.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “Thank you.”
“I told your brother I would stay for a pair of days until my friends arrive as I’m certain they’ll come for me. They’ve likely been held up by their business with the king.”
“Queen,” she murmured.
“I was speaking of James.”
“And I was speaking of Elizabeth,” she said. She shot him a look and held up two fingers.
He shot her a warning look, but then he smiled. “I’ll go sit with your father for a moment and see how things are progressing in the hall,” he said quietly, rising and looking down at her. “You’ll be safe enough here?”
She nodded.
He put his hand briefly on top of her head, then walked away.
She had no idea why he’d truly come, but she very grateful he had. For all she knew, he brought tidings from the Future about the past that would change things for the better.
She sincerely hoped so.
Eleven
