Leila nodded.“They are.And I intend to give each of you a mating pair.”
“But why?”Anna asked, looking as if the last thing she desired was a pair of birds.
“Leila intends to share some wisdom from the east with us,” Lord Gaston said.
The others looked at her in confusion.
“It took some time for us to discern how the Saracens knew of our military actions, and did so faster than any man could ride to tell them,” Lord Gaston said.He took the bird from Leila’s hands gently, then showed its leg to his wife.Leila had tied a red cord upon it.“Red for Killairic?”he asked and she nodded.
“I do not understand, Gaston,” Lady Ysmaine said and the others concurred.The former Templar nodded at Leila.
“The homing pigeon is distinct in that it will always return to the place it was born.The distance does not appear to matter.They do not fail in this marvel, and so, they are used to send messages in Palestine and Syria.”
“How can that be?”Bartholomew asked.“If you release this bird, will it not return to the dovecote there?”
“Aye, it will,” Leila agreed.She showed the baskets that Fergus had ordered to be made.“But if I give it to you along with its mate and you take them to Haynesdale with you, when you release it, it will return here.”
“And you can tie a message to its leg when you do,” Fergus added.
“And the ones born at Haynesdale will return from here to there,” Leila said.“So, I thought that we could breed homing pigeons at all of our abodes and tie cords to their legs to indicate where they were born.When we visit each other, we can bring the birds.”
“And in between,” Fergus concluded.“We can send messages to each other as needed.”He smiled at Radegunde.“You can send us word when you rejoin Duncan.”
“I will help you write the missive,” Lady Ysmaine said gently to her maid, which pleased Radegunde.
“It is a scheme that is clever beyond compare,” Lord Gaston said with satisfaction, stroking the bird’s breast before returning it to Leila’s care.“Just think of how we could have conferred about Karayan before I revealed your location to him.”He lowered his voice.“I was right in that, was I not?”
“Aye, and thank you,” Leila said.The others had broken out into chatter, discussing how they could house the birds and how many they would need to breed.“Take two pair each when you depart,” Leila said.“Two for Haynesdale and two for Radegunde to take north.I have more breeding and will send two more pair to Haynesdale that you might take a pair to Châmont-sur-Maine upon your return, as well as a pair for Altesburg.”
“We will choose a color for each holding,” Fergus said.“And be able to share tidings.”
“This is a marvel of an idea,” Bartholomew said and all congratulated Leila on the notion.
Lord Gaston raised a hand.“I must tell you that we just had word from Wulfe.Christina bore twin sons at the end of May.Their names are Bertrand and Konrad.He waited until they were thriving until he sent word of the good news.”
“Twins,” Radegunde murmured with a shake of her head.“They can be so fragile.”
Lord Gaston smiled.“I sense that Wulfe is a protective father.”
“You mean Ulric and Juliana,” Lady Ysmaine corrected and Lord Gaston shook his head.
“They will always be Wulfe and Christina to me.”
“To me, as well,” Bartholomew agreed and the others laughed.Neither Bartholomew nor Fergus knew of the births, so they vowed to send congratulations.Leila was pleased to hear the news, as well.She was glad that Wulfe had found both the love and the home he desired—just as she had.
Fergus winked at her and claimed her hand.“Now, come to the hall and meet my father,” he said, ushering them back inside.“I wish to hear more of this missive you have had from Duncan and your plans for this journey.”
“Shall we go to the solar?”Radegunde asked Leila in a whisper.“I would put your fears at ease with all haste.”
“Thank you!”Leila said and embraced her friend once more.She caught Fergus’ gaze and nodded.“Perhaps you should keep your cloak tight around yourself,” she counseled Radegunde in an undertone.“As you will appear to be in similar state by the time we join the others in the hall.”
“I had forgotten,” Radegunde said, then smiled.“Your suggestion was most clever.”
“It was you and Lady Ysmaine who thought of it first,” Leila replied, as the two friends climbed to the solar together.The others had gone on to the hall, but Fergus lingered at the bottom of the stairs.
“Not too fast!”he cried and Leila smiled.
“He fusses so,” she whispered to Radegunde.
“For he loves you,” that maid replied.“And there is no better fate for any of us than that.”
