“And what message would you send him?”
Agnes thought about this for a moment, her brow puckered in a frown.“Just that I missed his company at the Yule and hope to see him soon.”
“It shall be done, Agnes.”Fergus nodded at her.“Do not labor too hard this day,” he said, his tone teasing for he guessed it would be otherwise.At the girl’s grimace, he strode toward the village where he would summon Hamish, then on to the stables, Tempest, and the promise of seeing Isobel.
Duncan was not surprisedto see Fergus in the stables so early, but he was disappointed.It seemed to him that a man should linger abed on the morn after his nuptials and he did not trouble to hide his disapproval.
“You will still ride north this very morning?”Fergus asked, his mood clearly merry.“Do you not take more with you than this?”
“I need little on this journey but my wits and my blade,” Duncan replied.“I will break my fast in your father’s hall, though, and ride out with a full belly.”He gave the younger man a sharp look.“Do you not intend to break your fast with your new wife?”
“Leila is sleeping yet, and I would leave at dawn.”
Duncan shook his head and could not bite his tongue.“Leaving the bed of a loyal woman to gaze upon a faithless one.”
Fergus paused in grooming his destrier to turn to Duncan.“You still disapprove, but I will perform this errand today.”
“I think a man should appreciate every advantage that comes to him.You are more fortunate to have Leila as your wife than you could have been with the other.”
Fergus’ tone cooled.“You never liked Isobel.”
“I nevertrustedIsobel.I have seldom seen a woman so intent upon her own advantage, to the exclusion of all else.”Duncan closed a saddlebag, tugging hard on the strap.“Her faithlessness has done you a favor, at least.You might have been wedded to her otherwise and paid a higher price than four years of chastity.”
Fergus shook his head and returned to the grooming of Tempest.“That is harsh, Duncan.”
“Did you never guess her faithlessness?”
“Never!”
Duncan had suspected as much but was still startled to hear Fergus say it aloud.“I thought you had eyes in your head, lad, never mind the Sight.My mother would have said that one wished for honey on both sides of her bread and more besides.”
“Perhaps she deserves so much honey as that.”
“Why?Because her face is pretty?”Duncan scoffed.“It is her nature that is of greater import, or should be.”When Fergus did not reply, he continued.“Perhaps beauty does have a way of distracting a man from the truth of a woman’s heart.”
Fergus turned to eye Duncan.“You suspected all along that she would not wait?”
“I doubted she would tolerate any inconvenience to herself or her own desires,” Duncan admitted.“Your absence for four years would certainly be that.”
“But surely love should last a lifetime.”
Duncan decided this might be his last chance to grant a measure of advice to the younger man.Who knew what awaited him in the north?He propped his hands upon his hips and confronted Fergus, his tone challenging.“Was it love that compelled her to accept your hand?Or was it advantage?”
Fergus’ expression became guarded.“Speak bluntly, Duncan, if you please.”
“Careful what you wish for, lad,” Duncan advised with a smile.Fergus neither replied nor changed his manner.Duncan sighed and spoke his mind.“Lady Isobel is a beauty and born to a good family but not a powerful one.Her lineage will be hers forever, but beauty fades.Her father’s ability to secure an alliance with her marriage would diminish every year after she began her courses.”
“Four years is a long time to wait, then,” Fergus mused.
Duncan chose not to add his other thought, even though he had been encouraged to speak plainly.
Fergus eyed him.“And what of your time away from Radegunde?”
“It is much the same,” Duncan acknowledged, his heart squeezing a little at the mention of his beloved.“She counts the days more precisely than I do, because she desires a houseful of children.Her years to bear them are limited and I do not doubt that she will resent each day that passes without such effort on our part.”
Fergus’ gaze brightened.“You were going to say something else a moment ago.”
“You will think it unkind.”
