“Oh, the men of Scarglas will keep them very safe indeed. You can put your mind at rest about that. Old Fingal might be a rutting old goat and the oddest fellow I have ever met, but he cares for children. No man will be allowed to harm them.”
Not sure what to say about that remark concerning Brian’s father, Arianna concentrated on finishing her meal. She could feel the hard pull of exhaustion and knew she would not be able to stay awake much longer. If she were not careful she would be falling asleep sitting in the chair in that strange way she did when she became too tired.
By the time she finished her meal she had become almost too tired to chew any longer. “I wish I could remain awake to greet Sir Brian when he returns, but I dinnae think I will be able to.”
“Nay, I can see that.” Lady Jolene took Arianna by the arm and led her over to the bed. “Rest. You still have a bit of a journey to complete and you need to sleep when you can. Sir Brian will understand. I suspect he will be doing just as you have done as soon as he returns.”
The moment Arianna was tucked up in the bed, she knew sleep was but a breath away. “Thank ye, m’lady,” she managed to say before she gave in to the overwhelming urge to rest.
“Weel, he doesnae have as many men as he once had, but I think ’tis time to end the chase,” said Sigimor as he reined in and glanced up at the sky.
“I was hoping to end it here,” said Brian as he halted by Sigimor’s side. “At least then we could travel to Scarglas without having to watch our backs every step of the way.”
“Mayhap that is where he flees to.”
“Aye, ’tis possible. ’Tis also possible that once he and his allies get a look at Scarglas they will decide it isnae worth the trouble just to gain a little revenge and that fool a title. I willnae put any wagers on that though. Chasing the lads here to Scotland when his parents already work to disinherit the boys was madness. I doubt this or a look at Scarglas will clear any heads.”
“Sigimor,” called Fergus, “what shall we do with the bodies scattered about?”
“Pick the three along the trail clean of anything that is worth something and leave them for the carrion,” Sigimor told his youngest brother. “The two left outside the keep are already dealt with.” He turned his mount back toward Dubheidland and left his brothers to deal with the gruesome chore as he headed back to his keep.
“There were a few more of them than there were the last time I saw them all together,” said Brian as he rode beside Sigimor.
“Hired a few men, aye?”
“I think so. Amiel may have kenned where we were headed but there were too many times when he was right on our trail yet I was nay following the one everyone kens about. He could only have done that with the help of some mon who kenned the land.”
Sigimor nodded. “And the others who are searching for the lads may do the same. Ye could find yourself in a true battle once ye get to Scarglas.”
“Aye, but we can deal with it. We have before.”
“We can talk on that after ye bathe and then join us for some food. I suspicion ye will be in dire need of some rest, too.”
“Oh, aye.” Brian cursed as he realized how he had left Arianna alone. “I should have seen to Arianna instead of leaping onto a fresh horse and joining ye in the chase.”
“My Jo will see to her. And, if the lass is as weary as ye look, I wouldnae be expecting her to greet ye when ye return.”
Sigimor proved right and Brian was not surprised to hear that Arianna was already asleep when he returned. He suffered a brief disappointment over the fact that she revealed no concern for his safety but easily shook it off. They had been chasing Amiel and his men, him and about twenty well-armed Camerons. Arianna had enough sense to know there was little danger for him.
After bathing and donning clean clothes, he made his way down to the great hall. He wanted to sleep but his belly told him he needed some food first. Once in the great hall, he kissed Jolene on the cheek, ignoring Sigimor’s scowl as he did so, and then sat down next to his cousin to fill his plate.
“Lady Arianna was so tired I feared she was about to fall asleep even as she ate her meal,” said Jolene as she sat down across the table from him.
“She may weel have if ye hadnae gotten her into bed quickly.” Brian told them of how she had fallen asleep on her horse and grinned when they laughed. “She hasnae had much time to recover from nearly drowning.” Between bites of food he told them everything that had happened before and since he had found her on the beach.
Jolene shook her head. “I cannot understand how men can do such things just for the sake of gain. One begins to think that no child who might inherit something of worth is ever safe.”
“There is that to consider. This is unnecessary though, for his family will surely get the boys disinherited simply because their mother was a common wench.”
“Amiel may ken something they dinnae,” said Sigimor as he sprawled in his chair and sipped at his wine. “Mayhap the lass wasnae as common as they thought. Some lord’s bastard daughter or the like. There may be someone who will fight the Lucettes on their plans to mark the boys as bastards.”
“Hadnae thought of that,” said Brian. “Yet, if she was better born, surely that fool Claud would have openly declared her his wife.”
“Nay. Blood-proud people dinnae like the fact that someone is a bastard, especially since many of them spring from common stock. ’Twas just a thought. When this is done, however, I would have a wee look at what is happening concerning those lads and their inheritance if I were you. Even if they are marked as bastards, a deal leaving them something of worth may be made to get that marriage annulled.”
“Aye, that will be done if only because Arianna also demanded something be given to the boys. Since the elder Lucettes must be pleased the boys are now out of France and Arianna has implied she willnae shame them with the truth of what their son did, she might just get what she asked for.”
“Clever lass. A little blackmail can be a good thing.” Sigimor caught his wife’s disgusted look and winked at her. “Your brother sent out word to the Murrays once the lads were safely at Scarglas.”
