“Weel, thank ye for that, but I believe my mother said much the same. My da thought he was a wonderful mon.” She could not stop the sigh that escaped her as she missed her parents more than she could say.
He felt her rest her head against his back and wished she was seated in front of him again so that he could pat her on the back. Instead he patted her on her hands, which rested on his belly. Her words carried the weight of the grief she suffered and he doubted a pat on her hand, no matter how well meant, would do anything to ease it. Gybbon suspected she would have done well enough if her cousins were not so determined to grab hold of all her parents had left behind and kill her and her only surviving brother, a child.
Gybbon could understand a man wanting to better himself. He could easily understand a man wanting a fine house and some land to bring his bride to. What he found difficult to comprehend was the ones who cheated or killed their own kin to gain such things.
“Weel, I wouldnae say wonderful”—he chuckled—“but I do like the mon and I trust him.”
“Since he is the one my parents wanted me and Andrew to run to, I must assume they trusted him as weel.”
“Aye, and your fither probably saw Sigimor’s ability to protect ye and the boy.”
“Are they truly all redheads? I remember a lot of boys and a lot of red hair.”
“Every shade of red and, aye, they are mostly boys, only having one sister. She wed a mon from the MacEnroy clan.”
“Connections all over.”
“Och, aye. Our families’ lassies have done us proud with their marriages. As have a fair number of the lads. We e’en keep a presence at the king’s court, and it has been clear that there are those who see our good fortune with a jealous eye and it can rouse some bad feelings. We send our smartest lads, sometimes our prettiest, too, but they are also the ones who can be diplomatic, even courteous, nay matter how badly he may wish to punch someone in the face.”
She laughed softly, thought briefly of pulling away, but decided she liked where she was. The strength she could feel in him and the warmth of him were both comforting. It was hard to imagine a family as vast as his sounded, the connections to other clans so various and, from the way he talked, strong and friendly. As for keeping a person in the king’s court to watch out for any possible enemies, it was difficult to imagine. Her parents had never appeared to even think of such things.
When he abruptly rode Jester into the midst of a clump of trees, she sat up and looked around. “What is it?” she asked as he draped the blankets over his horse to hide the white mane and tail.
“Someone comes.” He pointed at her bag to show her Freya sitting up and scowling at the road, her ears flattened and the fur on her back slightly bristled.
“My cousins?”
“I think it may be as the cat only reacts so fiercely when it is them coming our way. Dinnae ken how she can tell though, yet it appears she can. Several men riding our way. They dinnae sound as if they are in much of a hurry.” He stared down the road and whispered a curse when he recognized the four men riding their way. “Aye,’tis your cursed cousins.”
Mora quickly pulled up her hood to hide her pale hair, which could easily be a beacon telling her cousins where she was. “They didnae linger at the inn.”
“Nay, and obviously didnae hear anything to deter them from riding straight for Dubheidland.”
“So, what do we do now?” She tried to talk as softly as he did.
“We wait. E’en if they get there and are let in, they willnae get what they want, so will soon be headed back this way,” Gybbon said as he bent forward until he was flat against his horse’s strong neck.
After settling herself flat against Gybbon, Mora waited for her cousins to ride by. She had hoped they would stay at the inn, enjoying proper beds and hot food for a few days. But they had not, and thus she and Gybbon would not have at least one day without trouble. It was evident that Robert was determined to be rid of her as soon as possible. She prayed Maggie was hiding Andrew well.
Then Gybbon began to sit up, but continued to frown in the direction her cousins had gone. “What is wrong?” she asked.
“I am nay sure. Robert looked his usual sullen self. Yet, I noticed that his brothers all stayed behind him as they rode and rarely took their eyes off him. He would look back at them now and then, but it wasnae a friendly or brotherly glance.”
“Mayhaps they just grow weary of the chase.”
“Possible, but I begin to wonder if they now all think as we do. Robert isnae quite sane and, I believe, none of what he is doing is for the benefit of his brothers. Cannae be sure because we dinnae ken what reason he told them for all of this.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Might as weel ride closer to the cottage. We cannae ride to Dubheidland with them straight between us and the keep. But at least when they finally leave the place, we will be close to where we can take our rest for the night.”
“Good idea. And mayhap we can overhear something important when they go by again.”
“That would certainly be helpful.”
“I just wish I could understand what he thinks he can gain with all this. Aye, the house is a good one and the land is fertile, but there isnae all that much of it, not compared to what his father still holds. The keep is far grander with a great deal more land, fertile land and good grazing land. It just doesnae make any sense.”
“Greed often doesnae. It would shock ye to discover how many of those who seek out more and more actually have a lot already. ’Tis as if they get a wee taste of the riches and grow gluttonous.”
