"And she is a bonnie wee lass."
Sigimor scowled at Liam as he saw the way his cousin watched Jolene as she emerged from the trees. “Bonnie enough, aye, for such a wee, thin lass.” He ignored the grin his cousin gave him in reply to that. “I am certain that bastard wants the wee laddie dead, the sooner the better, but I do wonder if he is really so verra eager to kill the lass just yet."
"Do ye mean to press her to answer some of these questions?"
"Nay. Not yet. It wouldnae change what we must do. And the lass has the wit to ken that, e'en if that bastard doesnae want her dead now, he will kill her in the end. She would force his hand, if naught else, for she will ne'er cease wanting to avenge the deaths of her brother and her nephew. He may be fool enough to think he can turn her craven and obedient, but she would soon make him see how wrong he is."
"And thus get herself killed. Ye are right. Whate'er else may be happening atwixt those two, it doesnae matter. Varied though the paths may be, they all lead to the grave—hers and the bairn's."
Sigimor was still thinking on the matter as they started on their way again at a steady pace intended to get them through the treacherous borderlands as swiftly as possible yet not exhaust the horses. Reivers ruled this land and Nanty's connections to the Armstrongs might not protect them much. It would be even more treacherous for Harold and that nearly made Sigimor smile. He doubted they would be so fortunate as to have the thieves and rogues so prevalent in the area rid them of their enemy, however. That thought brought all the questions he had to the fore of his mind again and he looked at Jolene who rode at his side.
"Why are ye nay wed or betrothed?” he asked.
Jolene frowned at him even as she felt a start of surprise over the abrupt question. “I was betrothed once, but the man died when I was but sixteen."
"Naught else was arranged? Ye are now, what, twenty?"
"Three and twenty,” she admitted and ignored his raised brows. “Papa died ere he could arrange anything else that suited him. Peter intended to do something about it, e'en attempted it once or twice, but naught came of that. Peter wished the choice to be as much mine as his. Then his wife died and I became chatelaine. Peter was thinking of marrying again so I suspect he may have begun an earnest search for a husband for me."
"But Harold arrived."
"Aye. Peter ne'er liked the man, nor trusted him, but he is blood kin, a cousin.” She shrugged. “With no clear proof of treachery, what could Peter do but allow that adder to slither into his hall. Harold explained away the rather large size of the armed force with him by claiming that he had been chasing reivers down. It did not take long for us to realize that we were now prisoners within our own keep, but poor Peter had no time to plan a way to free us. He did not wish to begin an open battle for Harold held all the advantages. Twould have been a slaughter.” She sighed and shook her head, grief a hard knot in her chest. “Harold struck quickly, his men in place and Peter dead whilst we all still reeled from the shock of such treachery."
Sigimor nodded. “Clever. And, he used Peter's own honor and sense of kinship against him. He probably kenned that, e'en though Peter didnae like or trust him, the mon would ne'er guess the true depths of his venality. Your brother was a good mon, keen of wit and strong, but he wasnae devious."
"You think being devious would have helped?"
"Och, aye. If he had held a wee bit of that skill, he might have guessed at all that Harold might do, would have been better prepared for such a deep betrayal."
He was probably right, but Jolene felt a need to defend her brother. “He must have guessed something for he sent for you."
"True, but he had already let betrayal into his hall, aye?"
There was no question that Peter had made a serious mistake, one that had cost him his life, but she still felt compelled to turn aside what sounded too much like criticism. “And you would not have?"
"Nay, not with a strong, armed force of men at his heels.” He winked at her. “Iamdevious. My first thought would have been on why a mon I didnae like or fully trust needed so many weel-armed men just to visit a kinsmon."
"Peter wondered, but courtesy—"
"Courtesy doesnae require ye invite a mon to put a knife in your back. Or set your heir in the path of danger,” he added quietly as he glanced toward where a merrily babbling Reynard rode with Nanty. “Blood kin or nay, I would have made those armed men stay outside my walls and watched them weel e'en then. The mon didnae sit higher at the table than Peter did, so courtesy didnae demand he allow themallwithin his gates."
Jolene was not sure of that, but did not argue. She had begged Peter not to allow all of Harold's retinue within the walls, but he had claimed there was no honorable reason to deny them shelter. There was no doubt in her mind that Sigimor was an honorable man, but he was obviously not as concerned about being the perfect, chivalrous knight as Peter had been. Peter, she decided, had had high ideals. Sigimor had common sense. Peter had had an eye to being renowned as a most perfect, genteel knight. Sigimor had an eye to survival. She had loved her brother dearly, but she wished he had held some of Sigimor's hard-eyed practicality. He might still be alive.
"Ye are devious,” Sigimor said, smiling at her.
So enraptured was she by that smile, it took Jolene a minute to grasp what he had said and she frowned at him. “I am not."
"Aye, ye are. The way ye got us all out of Drumwich showed a fine sense of deviousness. Twas a verra clever, sly trick."
"I suppose you think you are complimenting me."
"That I am, but being just a wee lass, I suspicion ye dinnae see it."
There was a look in those beautiful green eyes of his that told her he was goading her. “In England being sly and devious is not something women are encouraged to aspire to."
"And just what are they encouraged to aspire to?"
"Gentility. A woman should be sweet of tongue and disposition, kind to all, especially to those who serve her, skilled at loom and needle, firm and alert in the management of her household, frugal, obedient, and a faithful companion to her lord, giving him peace and comfort in his home.” Jolene was not sure she liked the way he was grinning at her.
