Something was wrong. She was stiff as she walked by his side, and he could not discern if it was anger or fear or something else that made her behave so. Sebastien suspected that most of it was due to the coarse names expressed by the soldiers in the yard. Hugh had sent word to him and he’d come directly to the chapel.
He would feel better when these men were gone. He knew the warriors in his command, knew whom he could trust and those he could not. He knew what they were capable of and what their limitations were. But the bulk of the Bruce’s forces were unknown to him and unpredictable. And, as this evening’s actions had shown, they would turn on anyone weaker in a moment.
In three days, he would lead a force away from Dunstaffnage to the shores of Loch Awe and the meeting of the Bruce’s allies from all over Scotland. Robert had promised to decide Dunstaffnage’s fate at that meeting.
Lara was silent as they walked through the woods, to the drawbridge and over it. He felt her hand trembling on his, though he guided her along a path already cleared of soldiers. The wind whipped around them and he knew it foretold of a change in the weather. Lara did not react when her hair was loosened by the force of it and tore around her madly. She did not slow her steps or pull away.
Soon they reached the hall, and he escorted her in and to the entrance of the tower. He wanted to say something to her, something more, but words failed him. Her maid stood waiting there and he relinquished his hold on her. As Lara climbed the steps to her chambers, he turned back to Hugh.
“She may have the freedom of the keep once I leave.”
“I understand, Sebastien.” His friend of many years nodded. “And the chapel?”
“Only at your command and with your presence.”
Sebastien’s stomach growled and he nodded toward the hall. Joined by Hugh and his other commanders, he sat at the table and ate his meal. But with every bite, he thought about the distress in Lara’s face as she’d turned to him in the chapel. She had not looked that upset on the day they were married, indeed, not even when her father had repudiated her. And the fair skin around her eyes was still marred with the darkish coloring of sleepless nights.
Was it what Hugh had revealed to him? The threats that could never be carried out as long as he was in charge? Or was there something more at work? After assigning tasks for the morrow and deciding which of his commanders would oversee various duties while he was on the king’s business, Sebastien trudged up the stairs to the chamber.
Before even reaching it, he was stopped by a guard with a message to meet Hugh near the stables. Sebastien dismissed the men that followed him and made his way there. Entering with no torch to light his way, he found the place they’d designated to meet, and was not surprised to see another man present as well. They greeted each other as the kin they were.
“I trailed him here a few days ago and lost him just over a mile away,” Munro reported. “I do not think he entered the castle, but he may still be nearby.”
Sebastien nodded. Munro served in his network of spies and had been following the MacDougall’s nephew, whose father now led the clan. A vicious, unmerciful man, Eachann liked to terrorize and torment his victims before killing them.
“Have there been any signs of him?”
“Nothing reported yet, Sebastien,” Hugh said. “I will send out more soldiers and make our control a bit more visible, to see if that discourages him.”
“Anything else, Munro? Any words in the wind?” His cousin looked as though he would say something and then stopped himself and stared at him intently. “What is it?”
“Tread carefully, Sebastien. If Eachann is here, then he has spies of his own. Guard your back.” Munro looked at Hugh and frowned. “Guardhisback.”
Hugh nodded in reply.
They clasped arms and parted, with Munro drifting into the darkness to leave the castle in his own way, while Sebastien and Hugh walked back toward the keep.
“So, the game is under way then.” It was a statement, not a question, and Sebastien nodded in agreement.
“’Twas always under way, Hugh. Until the Comyns are destroyed and the throne his, Robert is not safe.”
Sebastien stopped and turned to his friend. Lowering his voice, he shared the plan with Hugh. “Robert thinks to use Dunstaffnage as a launching point for his movements up the coast. We must root out any enemies or spies here.”
Hugh whistled lightly. “He will not raze the castle then?”
“Nay, this one will stand, but it must be held. That will be your duty while I see to the king.”
Hugh straightened to his full height, towering over him by several inches. “I understand, Sebastien.”
“And keep her safe while I am gone,” Sebastien added. He need mention no name. “She will be her own worst enemy at times.”
They reached the keep and parted in the hall, Hugh heading for his quarters with the other commanders and Sebastien climbing the steps to the tower rooms.
The game has indeed begun, he thought as he crossed to the door to his chambers. May the best man win.
Chapter Seven
Although she knew she had not slept, Lara somehow woke up in the bed again. She’d paced for hours after her return from the chapel, the tension inside her gripping her stomach. Refusing the meal sent up for her and the children, she chose to go back over everything her cousin had said during their encounter. Then she’d wrapped herself in her cloak once more and propped herself in her father’s chair and tried unsuccessfully to sleep.
