“That Walter is an idiot,” said Peter as he and Simon shared an ale by the fire in the small main hall of Peter’s home. “I think that boy considered Walter all the family he had. Father, brother, uncle.” Peter shrugged. “I can see how the boy could be pulled into this mess.”
“So can I, which is why I will do all I can to see he survives his stupidity,” said Simon. “And because I also believe that, from the time he was a small child, David was trained to be Walter’s ever faithful minion. David’s real mistake was to think that Walter returned any of that care and respect.”
“What do we do now? Do we begin to arrest any of the people he told us of?”
“Nay, not yet. We watch them. If we gather them all up now we will lose the chance to get their leader.”
“Who is your brother, if David is to be believed.”
“I think David told us everything he knew or was told. And, aye, the leader is my brother. Do ye think that will be a problem for me? That I will hesitate?”
“Ne’er thought ye would hesitate,” Peter said. “Just that it will be hard, I should think, to mark your own brother a traitor.”
“It willnae be easy but nay for the reason ye think. There is no love between us. If Henry thinks I ken what he is about, he willnae hesitate to try and see me dead. I will continue with this because I have some hope of saving Lochancorrie. If I am the one to bring all of these fools to justice, even the one I must call brother, then the king may weel leave Lochancorrie in Innes hands.”
Peter slowly nodded. “He could also wonder if ye conspire with your brother.”
Simon grimaced and took a deep drink of ale. “I believe I can bring forth enough witnesses to make the king see that that would never happen.”
“I pray ye are right. I would hate to see all the good work ye have done for the king and the people of this country demeaned or forgotten just because you have a fool for a brother.”
“Oh, Henry isnae a complete fool. I dinnae ken what has possessed him to think he has any right to the throne, but dinnae think ye will be dealing with another Walter. Henry is cunning and brutal. If he didnae have such idiots as Walter in his traitorous little army, he could well have gotten just what he wanted.”
“Wheesht, ye werenae lying when ye said there was no love lost between the two of ye.”
“A close watch needs to be kept on David. I should have been more careful when the message went to Walter and the answer sent back. Someone could easily have followed the boy. Walter may have enough family feeling, or be confident enough of David’s undying loyalty, to think nothing needs to be done save let the mon be tried, convicted, and killed as a traitor, but my brother will quickly see that David is a weak link.”
“So ye think someone will be trying to get to David to shut his mouth, nay kenning that ‘tis already too late to stop up the flow.”
“I have nay doubt about it. We have a wee bit of time. Henry willnae be here for another day or two.
But I think we best find a safer place to put our witness. The moment Henry hears that David has been taken up by us, he will be wanting the mon dead and buried.”
Peter rubbed his chin and asked, “Do ye think that is why the lad looked so afeared even though ye told him ye would save his life?”
“I believe so. He said he didnae trust Henry, that the mon didnae seem the sort of mon one would want as king.” Simon grimaced. “David kens I heard him and Walter speaking that day in the wood so he kens I heard how Henry makes sure no one wants to leave, that every mon who kens about the plot will stay with it until the bitter end. Seems Henry butchered one who sought to walk away from it all and did so in front of all the men gathered there that day. Kenning Henry as I do, I suspect it was a show to put the fear of God in every mon there.”
“I just cannae see ye and this mon ye speak of as having the same blood.”
“I wish we didnae. Now, I need David to be carefully watched tonight. Walter may suddenly realize that he cannae leave his cousin in our hands if only because doing so will enrage Henry. By the morrow I will have found another place to put David.”
“Agreed. And what of the other men he named? The ones that are here?”
“We watch them.”
It took several hours to plan the best way to keep a watch on the traitors already in the town. Most of the names David had given him did not surprise Simon. They were men who felt they had been slighted or even cheated by the king, or ones who felt some convoluted bloodlines gave them more of a right to the privileges others enjoyed and were looking to take them as soon as Henry sat on the throne.
They did not know Henry well, Simon thought as he left for the court. Henry would share nothing. He might give away a few things if he thought the man who wanted them could be helpful, but only a few things. The ones who demanded some recompense for helping him get that throne would quickly be silenced. Simon doubted that David would have survived long after Henry became king for the man did have a conscience and Henry would have been able to sniff that weakness out.
Simon was rounding the corner in the road that led to the keep where the king’s court was being held and found himself facing six men. One look at them, even in the dimming light of evening, told him they were hired swords. Walter was probably trying to get rid of him before he could spread the word of anything David might have said.
“Evening, gentlemen,” he said, his hand on his sword. “May I assist ye in some way?”
“Aye,” said a burly dark-bearded man, his sneer revealing that he had long ago lost most of his teeth. “Ye can die.”
“Eventually, aye, I suspicion I will. Doesnae everyone?”
“Ye will be doing so a lot sooner than most.” “May I ask why?”
