“Wait, both o’ ye,” Eve said.“Ye’ve not heard the whole story.”
Hew didn’t know if he wanted to hear any more.How could things have gone so horribly wrong?Hew was supposed to have preserved Gellir’s reputation.But now Gellir had destroyed his own good name, just to save Hew from blame.Bloody hell.Sometimes his cousin’s sense of chivalry and self-sacrifice was excruciating.
“Meanwhile,” Eve continued, donning her scapular, “the king has returned to Perth.”
Hew straightened.“The king?”That could mean more trouble.While the king was in Toulouse, Hew was relatively safe.But if he’d already landed on Scottish soil…
Eve nodded.“O’ course, some o’ the lairds were not so ready to welcome Malcolm.”That was likely an understatement.The lairds had been at odds with Malcolm since his friendship with the English king.“So there was a siege.”
“A siege at Perth?”
“Aye,” she said.“And your brave cousin?”
Hew shuddered.If he knew Gellir… “Tell me he didn’t join the fighting.”
“He did.”She placed the veil over her head, tucking her hair under the edges of the cloth.“He couldn’t leave the king undefended.”
Hew let out a sigh.“Shite.”
The last thing his cousin should have risked was getting caught in the battle between his king and his countrymen.But of course that’s exactly what Gellir had done.
“I hope he’s all right,” Carenza said plaintively.
Hew heard the concern in her voice.
Though she’d been Gellir’s betrothed, Carenza claimed she’d never been in love with Gellir.She said he was good and kind, noble and valiant.But he wondered.Did she regret leaving him now?Now that they were forced to hide in a dark, dank cavern of a byre without proper food or clothing or even a marriage bed?Did she ever wish she’d wed Gellir instead of him?
He glanced again at the page.It appeared to be some sort of verse.Love verse.What would a nun be doing with love verse?
“Whatisthis?”he asked, holding it aloft.
“I told ye—” Eve began.
“Nay!”Carenza interjected.Her voice wavered as she said, “I can’t lie to him, Sister.”She came to him then and placed a hand on his forearm.“I can’t lie to ye, Hew.”She lowered her eyes, looking as if she was begging for forgiveness.His heart sank as he wondered what terrible sin she’d committed.
“That is verse that Gellir wrote for me when we were courtin’,” she said.“It means naught to me.I swear it.I only took it from the castle so there would be no written record of his humiliation.No evidence left to shame him.And I didn’t have the heart to burn such earnest and clever verse.”
“Gellir?”Hew blinked.Clever verse?From his cousin?The idea was ludicrous.He snickered.
That reaction was clearly the wrong one.Carenza looked shocked and appalled.
He explained.“I hate to disappoint you, but these are not Gellir’s words.”
“What?O’ course they are.”
“Nay.”He was sure of it.“My cousin has no talent for verse.”
“Is this not his hand?”
“Maybe.But they’re not his words.”
“But he sent them to me,” she said.
“Through a servant?”
“Aye, but…” She looked uncertain.“If he didn’t send them, who did?”
From behind them, Eve let out a charmed giggle that made them both turn around.Thankfully she was fully dressed.“I think I may know.”She skimmed the other pages, nodding as if verifying her theory.“By the way,” she said, casually fluttering her hand, “Gellir is fine.Morethan fine.”She looked up from the pages.“Ye see, at the siege, Gellir had an unlikely rescuer.A warrior maid.”
