And when he ascended the stairs to the courtyard, Halvard didn’t look back.
Outside, the sky was a steel gray that bleached the color from everything around him. Halvard squinted up at the sparsesunlight, soft and diffused by the clouds, a sigh escaping him. Now that he had dealt with the prisoner as well as circumstances allowed, he searched for Elsie, first in the great hall, then in their chambers and, finally, in the drawing room, where he found her. She sat at the small table by the hearth, a blanket draped around her shoulders. The fire cast a soft glow across her hair, making her look more fragile than he liked.
She rose the moment he entered, tension weighing her shoulders. Her skin was pallid, her expression one of concern.
“Did he say anything?” she asked.
Halvard shook his head. “Naethin’ worth the breath it cost him.”
Elsie’s shoulders slumped with defeat. “I’m sorry.”
Halvard stepped closer. “Lass, ye’ve naethin’ fer which tae be sorry. I only need tae ken what ye remember. Anythin’. Even the smallest piece.”
She bit her lip in thought, frowning, but then shook her head. “I didn’t recognize their faces. Their clothing was normal. But their voices … the accents were English. All of them.”
“Aye, I thought so,” Halvard said with a sigh, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. That only reinforced his suspicion that Harcourt was behind all this. One Englishman was not enough proof, but several of them? Who else could have sent them but the very man who had something to gain?
“I’m sorry I can’t give you more.”
“It’s enough,” he assured her. “More than enough.”
Because it confirmed everything. Bowen Harcourt had broken the fragile peace, trespassed onto clan land, and tried to kidnap a woman under Halvard’s protection. And not just any woman, but rather his wife in the king’s eyes.
Elsie hesitated, her fingers tangling around the edge of her sleeve as she toyed nervously with the lace there. “Ye seem… furious.”
“I am.” He didn’t hide it; he saw no reason to. If anything, he wanted the entire world to know just how much this had angered him, so that no one would dare lay a hand on Elsie again. “But nae at ye.”
Her shoulders eased only slightly, some of her concern dissipating. But it was not enough; the more he looked at her, the more he realized just how shaken she was by everything, how much the ordeal had affected her.
And Halvard would do anything to erase that fear from her face.
He reached out, brushing his knuckles lightly along her cheek. “Ye’re safe, lass. That’s all that matters now.”
But the truth was, safety meant nothing as long as Harcourt stalked the shadows.
The council chamber filled quickly—warriors, elders, Sten, and a few trusted captains. The long table held maps weighted by stones and daggers. Rain hammered against the narrow window slits as lightning flashed over the sea, the storm having approached fast and in silence.
Halvard stood at the head.
“We were lured tae the borders,” he began, his voice carrying through the chamber. “The news o’ the attack was a distraction meant tae draw me and Sten away from Brochel.”
Murmurs rippled through the chamber as the men discussed amongst themselves. Halvard caught only fragments of it, but they were all saying the same thing, expressing their distrust for Harcourt and any Englishman who had stepped foot in the castle.
And Halvard couldn’t blame them.
Sten stepped forward, clearing his throat as the discussions around him faded. “An’ while we were gone, English men attempted tae seize the Lady Elsie.”
It was not news, of course, as the tale of Elsie’s ordeal had already spread through the castle, and those who were informed of it first were none other than the members of the Council. Andyet, outrage still spread through them at the thought that their Lady, the woman chosen by their laird despite the circumstances of their marriage, had been the target of such an attack.
Halvard slammed his palm onto the map. “This wasnae chance. This was planned. Bowen Harcourt seeks vengeance fer bein’ denied the treaty. He wants Elsie out o’ me hall an’ his own daughter in her place.”
One of the captains bristled. “A Sassenach thinkin’ he can take a lady from our land? Treachery.”
“Aye,” Halvard said. “An’ he’ll answer fer it. We’ll send word tae Thomas Redfern at once. We dinnae ken how far this can escalate if we allow this now. We cannae overlook the attack an’ we certainly cannae overlook the fact that someone lured us tae the borders… it’s very likely there will be a real attack at the borderlands soon an’ we must be prepared fer it.”
Halvard wouldn’t put it past Harcourt to orchestrate a real attack, something to distract them and keep them there for longer, or something to simply cause damage.
“Aye, that’s true enough,” said Sten. “I dinnae think Harcourt will stop until he has what he wants.”
