“Your what?” Queen Elizabeth snapped before leaning back in her seat, remembering to defer to her husband.
“Explain, Lady Caitlyn. I neither want to hear Armstrong’s voice nor trust his words.” King Robert glared at Alex before turning his attention to Caitlyn.
“Strange men followed me this morning while I was with the other ladies on the way to Your Grace’s solar.” Caitlyn flicked her gaze to Queen Elizabeth before she met King Robert’s. “Your Majesty, men chased me through the keep when I left Your Grace’s solar. I knew the only place I would feel safe is with Alexander. I went to his chamber, barely entering before the men arrived. They banged on the door and tried the handle. When they left, Alex and I had a much-needed conversation. It resolved what was unsettled. We married and registered at the Stirling kirk. Father Barret conducted the ceremony.”
“That does not explain where you have been all day.” The Bruce didn’t relent.
“I spent it with my husband as any newly married couple does when they care for their partner.”
King Robert turned his attention to Alex. “So you did tup her and did the honorable thing.”
Alex inhaled deeply to keep from blurting the first words that came to mind since they would indubitably wind him in the dungeon. The breath expanded Alex’s chest, making him appear as the intimidating warrior he’d always been. King Robert blinked as he realized he’d gone too far, and that Alex’s pledge not to forgive insulting the man’s wife might not have been bluster. But neither did he intend to apologize.
“My marriage is my business, but it is a marriage by law and by God’s blessing. My wife will receive the respect she’s due. No one will speak as though she’s little more than a tavern wench. That ceases as of this day. We will all discover just how well I protect those I love if anyone utters one more disparaging word aboot Lady Caitlyn.”
“You’re threatening me?” King Robert spluttered.
“I don’t recall saying ‘you’ or a name.”
“Armstrong—”
“Lady Caitlyn, you said men chased you.” Queen Elizabeth cut off her husband, stating what seemed to have gone unnoticed by the king. “Who were they?”
“I know not, Your Grace. They wore breeks and doublets like Lowlanders, but they were the size of most Highlanders.”
“Then how did you escape them?” King Robert demanded.
“I counted on knowing the keep better than they did, and I do. I used servants’ stairs and passageways to make it to Alex’s floor. Then I ran as fast as I could.”
“You are fortunate Armstrong was there.” Queen Elizabeth shifted her gaze to Alex.
“I was. I didn’t know for sure, but he is who I feel safest with. He was the only person I considered.”
Alex’s heart swelled as he listened to Caitlyn and heard the certainty in her voice. He knew she didn’t exaggerate. He had a pang of guilt for nearly not opening the door and for how intoxicated he was when she found him. He guessed she sensed his thoughts because her hand squeezed his.
“Would you recognize these men if you saw them again?” King Robert’s gaze swept the dancers before returning to Caitlyn.
“I searched when we entered. They aren’t here. They didn’t strike me as the type who could find chambers in the keep, and they were not guardsmen. I’m certain to recognize them if I spied them again.” Caitlyn looked up at Alex. “I believe they’re the same men who chased us when we were returning to the keep.”
“Your Majesty, I’ve given that much thought. I—”
“How have you had time to think of much of aught when you seem to spend all of it with your… wife?” King Robert spoke the last word with hesitation.
“Caitlyn is never far from my mind, and these men endangered her twice now. How could I not give them much thought? I imagine any mon would spend a great deal of time thinking aboot the men who threaten his wife.” Alex spoke without blinking, daring the king to disagree while his wife sat beside him. Queen Elizabeth endured eight years of house arrest under the English King, Edward Longshanks, as a punishment for Robert the Bruce’s pursuit of Scottish independence. “I suspect they are gallowglasses.”
Alex named the elite cadre of warriors who were mercenaries. Many hailed from Argyll and the Western Isles, but Irish men of Norse-Gaelic descent also joined the ranks. These were trained fighters who often wore heavy armor like English knights and foot soldiers.
King Robert failed to hide his shock. He rose from his chair and titled his head toward the antechamber next to the Great Hall. Queen Elizabeth made no move to join King Robert, which surprised no one. But when Alex guided Caitlyn to turn toward the door, King Robert barked, “She stays.”
“She does not. I will not leave her side and abandon her to these rabid mongrels. We’re discussing someone chasing my wife, and you’re aware of what your courtiers are like. Caitlyn comes with me.” Alex refused to relent, even if the Bruce threw him in the dungeon. He trusted no one now. Between the hateful things the courtiers would say and realizing who the unknown assailants were, he feared leaving Caitlyn even with their guards. The men might protect her from a physical attack, but they could do nothing to shield her from the courtiers’ barbs.
“Fine.” King Robert stormed from the dais, not waiting for Alex and Caitlyn. They entered the antechamber to find King Robert pacing before the fire. “Why would gallowglass men be after you? And how do you know who they are?”
“They wore no armor when they attacked us, but someone clearly trained them as warriors. Their clothes and horses were too fine to be highwaymen, and they fought together like they’ve known and trusted one another in many battles. Beyond that, they carried claymores and axes. Lowlanders don’t favor those.” Alex recounted what he’d noticed from the fight in the meadow.
“They spoke Gaelic,” Caitlyn added. “I heard them today, but I didn’t understand them. I can’t imagine how they entered the castle with their swords, but I spotted them as I climbed the stairs ahead of them with the other ladies. One of them carried a short-handled axe when they chased me. I feared that more than the swords. It scared me that he intended to throw it.”
“One of Angus’s guards heard the Scotts discuss needing more coin to afford something before they left.” Alex remembered that detail, but he’d never learned to what the man referred. Now he had his suspicions. “They hired mercenaries to kill me when they couldn’t. They knew they couldn’t remain at court, and their laird wants to keep his clan’s hands clean. I believe the Scott delegates only attacked because they stumbled upon me.”
