As he stepped into the house and heard Elen laughing, there was a lightening of his heavy mood. This was what he needed, Simon thought as the little girl appeared in the doorway to the great hall and smiled at him. He caught her up in his arms when she ran toward him, her little arms outstretched and bellowing his name in a surprisingly loud voice. The sight of Reid and Ilsabeth standing inside the door to his hall only added to the easing of his spirit. As he moved to join them he decided there was no harm in losing himself in the sweet honesty and laughter of Ilsabeth and the children. The troubles he had to deal with would still be there on the morrow and he needed this reprieve.
Chapter 10
Ilsabeth awoke with an uneasy feeling flowing through her veins. She was not sure where it had come from. Her cheek was warmed by the heat of Simon’s broad chest. His strong, slender arms were wrapped around her, holding her close to him. Nearly all was perfect in her world for the moment. So why did the bitter taste of fear sting her tongue? She clung to Simon a little more tightly as she struggled to recall the dream she suspected was the cause of her uneasiness. Just as she began to grasp a thread of it, Simon pushed her onto her back and kissed her, wiping all other thought from her mind except for the taste of him and how much she craved the pleasure he gave her.
Simon nuzzled Ilsabeth’s neck as he struggled to regain his breath after a greedy bout of love-making. Ilsabeth was still sprawled beneath him, her own breathing still fast and uneven. Her passion was a gift. He just wished he had more time to enjoy it, but he needed to leave the warmth of their bed.
“Good morn, sweet,” he said, kissed her lightly, and then sat on the edge of the bed to stretch. “I wish I could linger here with ye for a few hours, mayhap e’en all day, but I must meet with Tormand in the wood north of town soon.” He gave in to the urge to kiss her again before finally getting up.
“I pray he has more news, useful news,” she said as she sat up, tucking the linen sheet around her. “I do like to hear that none of my family has yet fallen into the hands of the king’s soldiers, but that isnae truly helpful.”
She smiled when all she got in reply was a grunt as Simon slipped into the small room attached to his bedchamber where he could relieve himself and wash in some privacy. Even though he showed no qualms about striding around the bedchamber naked, he clearly preferred some moments of privacy. Ilsabeth admitted that she appreciated that small room as well.
“The message Tormand sent me implied that he had discovered something of importance,” said Simon, answering the question she had asked before he had left the room as he stepped back into the bedchamber and began to get dressed. “He also said that Morainn had seen something.”
“Tormand would have said if she had given him a name or the like, aye?”
“Aye, but in her visions she doesnae often see things like names. What she does see, however, can ofttimes show me a verra clear path to follow to what I need.”
“I hope that is true this time.” Ilsabeth grimaced when she realized she had not kept all of her growing frustration out of her voice.
Simon sat on the edge of the bed and caressed her cheek. He could understand her frustration; he shared it. He was not the one accused of crimes that could lead to a very unpleasant execution, however. Nor was his beloved family forced to hide in the hills. Each day had to be a torture of waiting for her.
“Dinnae lose hope, Ilsabeth.”
“Nay, I willnae. I but grow so verra weary of it all.” She placed her hands on his newly shaven cheeks and stared at him, idly wondering how she had ever thought that his eyes were cold. “I woke uneasy, Simon. I dinnae have dreams or visions as Morainn does, but ye ken that many of my kin have gifts. Some have nay more than a verra strong instinct, some have much, much more. I am nay sure what I have but something troubles me about today, something concerning ye. Be verra careful today. That is all I ask. Watch your back.”
“I always do, love,” he said, and kissed her before he stood up and left, warmed by her concern.
Ilsabeth stared at the door for a long time after it closed behind Simon. She wished she could recall her dream more clearly but she trusted how it had left her feeling. That uneasiness and touch of fear the dream had left behind were warnings. She could only wait and pray that Simon heeded them.
Simon reached the meeting place Tormand had indicated early but did not mind. He sat on a log and enjoyed the warmth of the sun, something he rarely had the time to do. There was a peace within him that he had not experienced for longer than he cared to recall, a peace that Ilsabeth had given him.
He wished he could ease her growing frustration but finding the truth took time. She worried about her family while he worried about her. All the frustration he suffered was born of his intense need to see that Ilsabeth was safe and that could not happen until the true killer of poor Ogilvie was found and the real traitors caught. He was certain now that Hepbourn was one of them but proof of that was elusive. No matter how deep his conviction was that the man was guilty, he refused to send the man to a certain death without proof. Vague overheard conversations were not enough and, even though Ilsabeth had heard condemning words from the man’s own mouth, he could not use her as a witness.
“Am I late or were ye early?”
Simon shook free of his thoughts and smiled at Tormand. “I was a wee bit early. I was just enjoying a rare sight of the sun. So tell me, what has our Morainn seen then?”
“MyMorainn,” Tormand said as he sat down on the log next to Simon. “Eager, are ye?”
“This game grows verra tiresome. I find I lack the patience I usually have.”
“Because ye worry over Ilsabeth?”
The way Tormand looked at Simon told him that the man suspected something was going on between Simon and his cousin. Simon had no intention of admitting to anything, however. If Ilsabeth wanted any of her family to know they had become lovers, she would tell them herself.
“She needs to be free of this burden, as does her family,” he finally said, and scowled when Tormand just grinned. “What was it that ye thought I needed to hear about?”
“Morainn is certain that ye hunt the right men–Hepbourn and his cousin. She cannae see how to trap them though. She said that could be because it needs to be done with no warning, that ye can and will do it without any help. Vanity and cowardice. That is what her vision revealed as their weaknesses. I believe I can easily guess which goes with whom.”
“As can I. We had already guessed most of that but ‘tis good to have it all confirmed in one of her visions. And, I now ken where David is and that he is definitely part of Hepbourn’s plans. Ilsabeth told me so but I needed to hear it for myself as I cannae use her word for it, can I? I heard enough to tell me that they plot all this together although David is already showing signs of unease about the plans being made. I but wait to grab him for I think it may help if I let that unease brew for a wee while.”
“How did that piece of good fortune happen?”
“Quite by accident. I stumbled across him and Hepbourn meeting in the woods.”
“Lucky. Morainn did say something else was shown to her. She said that one of your own is the head of the snake.”
