“From a good family, do not forget.”
She laughed softly. “From a fine family,” she said. “Yer father is the Earl of East Anglia.”
“He is.”
“And that’s another thing,” she said, looking at him. “How do ye think the man would react tae ye marrying a Scots lass? He’d want ye tae marry a fine English lass with lots of money.”
Talus was greatly enjoying the feel of her arm through his, this astonishing creature that seemed to radiate her own special kind of light. He was torn between being greatly disappointed in her rejection yet again but wholly excited that she was moving beyond the formalities and addressing him more informally. More than that, she was holding his arm.
That had never happened before.
“He would understand once he met you,” he said, trying not to sound adoring. “You are a very special woman, my lady. Surely you know that.”
Annaleigh’s smile faded. “It would be purely arrogant tae assume so,” she said. “And ye dunna know where I came from, Talus. Ye dunna know what my own people even think of me, so much so that my da sent me tae Castle Questing tae get me away from those… things.”
“What things?”
She shrugged. “People can be bitter sometimes, even towards those who dunna deserve it. They like tae cast blame when there is a tragedy.”
He paused, looking at her seriously as her hand came away from his elbow. “I’ve not heard why you came here,” he said. “I never asked anyone because it was none of my business, but since you’ve brought it up, did something happen in Scotland? Is that why you were sent here?”
The wind was beginning to pick up now that the afternoon was waning and Annaleigh brushed the wind-blown hair from her eyes. She debated whether or not to say anything about it,because she was a private person by nature, but she’d already touched on it. Perhaps if he knew she had left some trouble behind, he might not look at her as such a pristine marital prospect.
“My clan has a name for me, lad,” she said quietly.
“What?”
“Fear-dèanamh trioblaid.”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
She didn’t want to translate those words aloud.Troublemaker. “Do ye not know the Gaelic?”
He shook his head. “I was raised in Suffolk and fostered in the south,” he said. “I never learned.”
“But ye’ve been with de Wolfe for a few years now.”
He lifted his big shoulders. “I know two phrases,” he said. “Càite bheil an taigh-òstaandTha mi a’ dol a mharbhadh thu.”
Annaleigh burst out laughing. “Do ye know what they mean?”
“I think so.”
She wasn’t so sure. “Ye said ‘Where is the tavern’ and ‘I’m going tae kill ye’,” she said. “Is that what ye meant tae say?”
He fought off a grin. “Not exactly,” he said. “Patrick and James told me that it meansyou’re a beautiful womanandI’m an English knight.”
Annaleigh nearly doubled over with laughter. “God’s Bones,” she gasped. “I’m surprised ye havena gotten yerself killed with those phrases. They played a terrible trick on ye, Talus.”
He grunted, though he did see the humor in it. “I am not surprised,” he said. “That is the story of my entire life since I have arrived at Castle Questing. Women who do not wish to be married and knights tricking me into starting a war with Scotland. I should go home to Thunderbey Castle and stay there.”
He was feeling sorry for himself, but in a humorous way. She was coming to like Talus, but still not in the romantic sense. He would have made a fine brother. She genuinely hoped they could be friends someday.
“Nay,” she said, leaning in the direction of the keep. “Dunna go home. Sit with me at the feast tonight and I’ll teach ye enough Gaelic that ye’ll be turning the tables on that pair. Atty and James are terrible jokesters.”
The allure of sitting with her was too good to pass up, even if she didn’t want anything romantic to do with him. “I would be in your debt,” he said. “In fact, the army is supposed to…”
He was cut off by a shout from the massive walls of Castle Questing. Looking to the sand-colored walls that reached into the blue expanse of sky, he shielded his eyes from the sun to see what the excitement was about. It didn’t take him long to figure out that the sentries were excited about something in the distance and since the de Wolfe armies were set to return today, he had an idea what it was.
