“So, your father is of Galloway and your mother of Scotland.”
“Aye.”
Leila had to ask.“And the lady Isobel?”
“Her kin are of the Kingdom of the Isles but have no claim to that throne.She has Norwegian blood, as do many on the islands.They are tall and fair, with golden hair and eyes of blue.”
Leila could not help but think that she, small and dark, would compare badly to a woman of such queenly stature.She had already noted that the Franj had great preference for women with blond hair and wondered if her hope of finding a husband who cared for her might be doomed.
She straightened in her saddle.She would not expect failure, not before she had tried to succeed.
“Her father fought for Fergus and was granted a holding to the west of here, closer to the sea.Dunnisbrae it is called.We knew each other as children, and it was decided early that our nuptials would balance the ambitions of the English king to expand north and west from Carlisle.”
“And so your marriage will have you torn between loyalties?”Leila asked, trying to keep her tone as dispassionate as his.In truth, she was fiercely interested in this Isobel who had claimed Fergus’ heart so securely and hoped the lady deserved Fergus’ regard.She had already divined that Duncan did not think Isobel trustworthy, which made her doubly intent upon making her own assessment.
She supposed she would have that opportunity soon.
Perhaps Isobel awaited Fergus’ return at Killairic.Leila had never asked the whereabouts of his betrothed.Her innards clenched at the prospect of seeing Fergus wed his beloved in the next few days.No doubt the celebration would not be delayed any longer after his return.
Would Isobel tolerate Leila’s presence at Killairic?
While her thoughts spun, Fergus laughed.“It is an established way to ensure that a man best keeps his obligations.”
“I suppose as much,” Leila had to concede.“I thought yours was a love match.”
“It is, but that is a fortunate coincidence.Even if Isobel and I were not in love, we might be fated to wed all the same.The alliance is a good one for both families and both kings.”
And if Isobel had not possessed a lineage that would offer a strategic alliance, then Fergus might not have been permitted to wed his beloved.Leila’s lips thinned that some matters remained the same in all lands.
That was the moment she realized how little advantage there could be to any man in wedding her.She had no family connections, fortune, or powerful alliance to offer.And she was not blond.It might well be that no man would find her alluring in this land where women were so much more fair, much less come to love her.The prospect was sobering.Would she even be able to ensure her survival as a whore?
Perhaps that explained Fergus’ silence.Perhaps he understood the challenge that faced her better than Leila did.
Nay, she would not lose hope.Not now.Somehow, Leila had to find a future for herself and she was determined that it should be in Scotland.The adventure, she reminded herself, had only just begun.
The forest closed around the road ahead as it dipped down to a river, and Fergus halted his destrier.
“Enguerrand, will you take the lead?”he asked the more senior Templar.Fergus was more cautious that Leila might have expected upon entering a copse so close to his home.“And Yvan, I would have you at the rear.I will follow Enguerrand with Duncan behind me, then Leila, the squires and the baggage.”
“Do you suspect an attack?”Enguerrand asked.
Fergus’ eyes narrowed.“Perhaps I have become too cautious.”
“Better safe than sorry, lad,” Duncan said heartily, and Leila remembered his assertion that Fergus could glimpse the future.Had Fergus not said that he spied a shadow ahead?Would he be cheated of his homecoming on the very threshold of Killairic?Her heart beat a little more quickly and she glanced around them.
They organized as instructed and rode onward at a steady pace, all of them scanning the forest on either side as the progressed.Leila thought of the assault upon their party at Haynesdale and listened keenly for any indication that they were being watched.She heard none, but that did not mean they were unobserved.
It was not a great distance through the forest, but it seemed longer because of their concern.The trees parted abruptly, granting a closer view of the keep they had glimpsed earlier and it looked even more prosperous at close proximity.The insignia was of a golden stag leaping on a green field.Leila felt the tension ease in both Duncan and Fergus.
“He lives,” Fergus whispered, then gave his destrier his heels.
Leila understood immediately.He feared that his father might have passed away in his absence.Her heart clenched that his concern had been unfounded.
Meanwhile, Fergus raced his stallion to the gates, hollering with joy as he rode.Tempest tossed his head and ran with abandon, clearly sharing his knight’s joy.It was also clear that Fergus felt safe within sight of the keep.The gates did stand open, though Leila had to believe they were secured at night.A few villagers left their tasks to see who approached, and Leila heard them shout in greeting.Duncan had been teaching her Gaelic in the evenings, and she was pleased that she could understand some of what was said.
It helped that they said what she anticipated they might say.
“’Tis my lord Fergus!He is home!”
