“How is it that you are here, so far from home?”she asked the man in French, then switched to Arabic.Fergus assumed she said the same thing and watched the messenger’s hardened features melt into an affectionate smile.
He replied to her and she hesitated only for a moment before plucking the scroll from his rough hands.She frowned at Gaston’s seal, then met Fergus’ gaze.“Lord Gaston gave him directions?”
“Apparently so.”He watched her think about this for a moment, her gaze lingering on the broken seal.
Then she nodded briskly and Fergus was pleased at even this short glimpse of her former manner.“Might I request that Karayan be shown hospitality?”she asked.“I will read this message.He is charged to wait for a reply and I will give him one by the morning.He will be a guest at Killairic for only one night and only if you find that acceptable.”
Karayan looked between the two of them, clearly attempting to guess her meaning.
Fergus eyed her, unable to guess her thoughts when she spoke with such purpose.Had she expected the message or the messenger?Did she know the contents of the missive?He had the sense that she had already chosen her reply, which made no sense.
He also understood that she was not inclined to confide in him.
“He is known to you, so, of course, he is welcome in our home,” Fergus said, noting how her gaze flicked to his when he said ‘our.’“I must ask, though, that he surrender his horse and all of his weapons.”He could not even think about Leila departing with this man, but also could not imagine why else he had come so far.
But if it was her heart’s desire to return to Outremer, he would not stop her.
No matter what the cost to himself.
Leila spoke quickly to the messenger, who nodded.At the gates, he began to divest himself of his weapons.Fergus beckoned to a pair of guards, one of whom took custody of the horse while the other accepted the messenger’s weapons.
“She will be cold,” Leila called after the one who led the horse away.“Please put her in the stall at the left end, for it is warmer, and find a blanket for her.”
“Aye, my lady.”
She spoke again rapidly and the messenger shook his head.She glanced up at Fergus, her grip tight on the scroll.“Neither of them have any illnesses, but I suspect both are more hungry than they prefer to admit.”
“They will both have our best hospitality.”He held her gaze for a long moment.“You are lady here, after all.”
She smiled then, tears shining in her eyes as she closed both hands around the scroll.“Thank you, Fergus,” she said quietly, then turned and strode to the gardens with purpose, her head down.
She looked so unhappy that Fergus’ heart clenched tightly.
And it was in that moment, as he watched her walk away, that Fergus truly realized the threat he had sensed for so long.The peril before him was the risk of losing Leila.She could depart with this messenger, because of whatever word he had brought her or despite it, and Fergus would never see her again.
He could not bear the thought.
Yet at the same time, if leaving Scotland would restore her smile, he would not obstruct her departure.He loved Leila, but he loved her sufficiently to want her happiness more than anything else.Her sadness of late had been almost too much to bear.If she wanted to return home that badly, he would not stand in her way.
“Leila binte Qadir lufti al-Ramm,” Karayan said with satisfaction and nodded once.
“The choice will be hers to make,” Fergus informed the other man in French.“And I will defend it with all the power I can muster.”
He held the messenger’s gaze, waiting until that man nodded understanding and agreement.Then he indicated the hall.“Come.Our fare is simple but it is plentiful.You are welcome at Killairic, Karayan.I hope our hospitality suits you well.”
The older man bowed.“It cannot fail to do so.”He raised a fist to his chest.“It lifts my heart to see Leila well.All else is simply more blessings.”
It was against all expectation.
A missive from her uncle.
Leila sat on the stone bench beside the dovecote and listened to the cooing of the birds.She stroked the parchment and failed to swallow the lump in her throat.She recognized her uncle’s script and there could be no disputing the little flower he always drew after her name.She ran her fingertip over the ink, smiling a little in memory of his protectiveness.The arranged marriage aside, he had always been kind to her.
Hakim had not needed to take her in.He had not been required to raise her alongside his own daughter.He had been a good father.
She hesitated to open the missive, to break that seal, for she feared its contents.Was Aziza well?What of little Kamal?Surely her flight had not caused repercussions for her family?Leila was not certain what tidings Karayan brought, and she did not want to be surprised if they made her weep.She took a breath, then broke Gaston’s seal, knowing that knight must have been convinced of the merit of both message and messenger to have confessed her location.
Leila swallowed then unfurled the scroll.There was a dark stain on one side, about the size of her uncle’s thumbprint, and she bent to smell it, smiling a little at the familiar scent of ash.She could close her eyes and see the smithy again, the hot sun on the roof, the smell of steel and fire and leather.
