Adali watched from the battlements of Glenkirk Castle as Piers St.Denis, the marquis of Hartsfield; his brother, Kipp, by his side; and a party of twenty men made their way down the hill road that led to the castle. Other than St.Denis, and his brother, the riders were poorly equipped and poorly mounted. Dregs from the alleys of Edinburgh, Adali thought scornfully. They had been bought with the promise of whiskey and coin and could be subverted by anyone with more whiskey and more silver. Nonetheless, St.Denis was a dangerous man, and Adali would not underestimate him. As the first clop-clop of horses’ hooves hit the solid oak of the drawbridge Adali hurried from the castle’s heights so he might be in the courtyard to greet their visitors.
Piers St.Denis’s bright blue eyes missed nothing as they entered Glenkirk. The castle was old but in excellent condition. The men on the battlements were alert and appeared hardened. This Leslie earl obviously had plenty of gold and silver of his own. The marquis let his mind wander for a moment to the possibility of controlling two fortunes—Jasmine’s and her husband’s. And Rowan Lindley had not been impoverished either.Three fortunes!And if some of the children did not reach adulthood, well, could those fortunes not be his? And whatever happened, the king would surely forgive him. After all, despite the queen and that arrogant snake, Villiers, Piers St.Denis couldstill command a place by the king’s side. James Stuart loved him. Despite his apparent indifference and apathy toward the marquis of Hartsfield of late, the king still had an affection for him. He would be forgiven whatever he did despite what Kipp had said to the contrary.
Of late he had begun to mistrust his brother’s loyalty to him. Kipp had developed a rather unpleasant habit of questioning his every move, and attempting to anticipate him. He hadn’t liked the men Piers had recruited in Edinburgh, claiming they were too rough, and would run at the first sign of danger. He had even disputed his brother’s giving these alley rats part of their pay in advance, but the marquis knew he could have never gotten his little band put together without a show of coin.
“Honest men would trust you,” Kipp said.
“I don’t want honest men,” Piers responded. “Honest men have a conscience. I want none of that. These creatures will obey me for no other reason than to obtain the rest of their silver.”
“They could as easily slit your throat for it one night,” Kipp remarked dryly. “You’ve wasted your money, Piers. All we had to do was remain in Edinburgh and command the earl of Glenkirk to come to you in the king’s name. If he didn’t, the Scots government would have then sent out their own men to capture him. They would have known how to handle the situation. You have marched into James Leslie’s own territory with twenty men of dubious report, and you believe you can take him? The local authorities would have acted had you but shown them the king’s signature on your warrant.”
“I could not take the chance that someone here would see that signature,” the marquis of Hartsfield told his brother. “What if someone knows the king’s hand, Kipp?”
Kipp St.Denis was shocked by his half brother’s words. “You told me the king signed that warrant, but just left out thenames,” he said. “Are you now saying the king didn’t sign the warrant?”
“I asked him to, but he never seemed to have the time,” came the startling answer. “I know his hand well enough, and so I signed it for him, smudging it slightly. Then I took his seal and stamped partly over it in the sealing wax.” Piers St.Denis laughed, almost childishly. “Do you think he will be angry at me, Kipp? Old king fool always forgives me when I’m naughty. He likes me to be naughty, so he can correct me with hiswisdom.”
The impact of what his half brother had done slammed into Kipp St.Denis with an almost physical force. He had forged the king’s name to a document that would allow him to murder two innocent people. This was treason! Didn’t Piers understand this? Nay. He didn’t. All he understood was that he wanted something, and he would have it at all costs because he always got whatever it was he sought.And he always escaped punishment for his sins.But not this time, Kipp thought. God help him. This time his brother had gone too far, and there would be no escape.
“When it is discovered the king’s signature is a forgery,” he said to Piers, “you will be charged with treason, and if you have harmed the Leslies of Glenkirk, with the crime of murder as well.”
“Who is there to discover it?” Piers said.
“You cannot kill the earl and countess of Glenkirk and expect the king not to avenge them. In the name of God, Piers, James Leslie is related to the king! His clan will march into Whitehall itself to demand revenge. You have lost this game.It is over.
“Jasmine de Marisco Lindley chose James Leslie for her husband and has by now delivered a child sired by him.It is finished.Let us return to England before it is too late. No one need know about the warrant. We will say it was merely a rumor,and we will burn the damned document today before anyone can steal it off of us and prove otherwise. If you make up to the queen as Villiers has done, she will relent and find you a wife. She is a vain woman, but well-meaning. You will keep your favor with the king. Do not throw everything you have gained away in this passion you have for revenge. It is not worth it, Piers.You will lose all!You must come to your senses, brother, I beg of you!”
“You grow tiresome, Kipp,” the marquis replied wearily. “Ahh, look! There is her Indian, Adali, awaiting us.”
Adali noted Kipp’s urgent conversation as the two men approached. He wished he knew what was being said. The marquis’s faithful dog, Kipp, looked mightily distressed. Interesting. They came to a halt before the staircase leading up to the castle door. “Welcome, my lord,” Adali said in a pleasant voice. “Welcome to Glenkirk Castle. Your men will be shown to their quarters by our own men-at-arms. Dougie, lad, take the gentlemen’s horses to the stable,” he instructed a stableboy. “And if you will follow me, please.” He led them into the Great Hall, clapping his hands as he entered the room and telling the servant who hurried forward, “Wine, for my lord St.Denis, and our other guest. Please to sit by the fire, sirs. A gray day always seems colder.” Taking the tray from the servant, he personally offered them the silver goblets of red wine.
The marquis of Hartsfield sniffed appreciatively. “Ahhhh,” he said, “Archambault wine. It is the finest!”
“It is, my lord,” Adali agreed pleasantly, and remained standing attentively as they drank. When they had put their cups down, he said, “And how may I be of service to your lordship?”
“You may inform the earl and his wife that I have arrived,” the marquis of Hartsfield said.
“I am afraid I cannot do that, my lord. You see, the earl of Glenkirk and his countess are not here right now.”
“Where are they? When will they return?” demanded Piers St.Denis
“I cannot be certain where they are right now, my lord,” Adali said in a noncommittal tone, “and as for when they will return, I have absolutely no idea. Glenkirk is always in readiness for them, of course, whenever they do come home, and generally they send a messenger ahead so I may have meals prepared, but the messenger only arrives a few hours before my master and mistress do.”
“How long have they been gone?” the marquis said.
“This time? Several days, I believe. It is so peaceful here that one day rolls into the next, and I forget the time myself,” he said.
“I do not understand why it is, you, who are so careful of your mistress’s safety, don’t know where she is,” Piers St.Denis said skeptically.
“I have no fear for my lady’s safety when she is with her husband,” Adali replied. “And as for where they are, the earl has not been home in several years. He has, I have discovered, an enormous family, and a large clan, many of whom are also distantly related to him. We arrived here last autumn, and then a short time later the winter set in so that the roads were blocked with ice and snow until recently. The earl wished to begin visiting his family and clansmen and women—to introduce his wife to them and to renew old acquaintances and loyalties.”
“Where are the children?” St.Denis asked suspiciously.
“They, too, are visiting the family,” Adali said smoothly.
“I have a royal warrant for the arrest of the earl and the countess of Glenkirk,” the marquis of Hartsfield said. “If you do not tell me where they are, I will have you taken on a charge of obstructing the king’s justice, Adali!”
“My lord, I have told you the truth. I have no idea where they are. I am a stranger in this land and know little of it, orof the earl’s relations. I have not had the time to learn yet. However, like my mistress, I respect the king. The old man who was steward here before me lives in a cottage nearby. Perhaps he can tell you some of the places you might look to find my lord and my lady. Come, I will take you to him.”
