“Grandsire, you are better after your fall?” Alasdair asked. “I was worried about you.”
“Don’t worry about me. When my time comes, I’ll go gladly to see my dear Maddie again. ’Twas just another mishap with my knee.”
Even at nearly seventy summers, an age hardly anyone achieved, the man had a commanding presence and keen eyes that followed everything in the chamber. “Tell me all,” Alex said. “I hear your husband is dead. Should I give my apologies, or are you glad to be free of the English cur?”
She couldn’t help but smile at his quick assessment of her situation. “I feel sorry for my husband…”
“But?”
“But not for myself. We never quite suited, but I felt I had no choice but to wed him. My sire told me to go along with Longshanks to keep everything peaceful.” Knowing where the Grants’ loyalties lay, she felt comfortable using King Edward’s nickname.
“But ’twas not all your papa said.”
“Aye,” she said, pausing to gather her control. “He said I was to do as instructed by Edward, hope for the best, but if the worst came to pass, I should contact you or your sons. And if my land became a war zone, I was to disguise myself and get to Grant Castle.”
Pride crossed the old man’s features, a look she’d seen in her father’s eyes on occasion. She could tell he was grateful for her sire’s belief in him. Grateful to still be of use to his fellow Scots. The look passed and his quick mind pressed on in its quest for information.
“Which I see that you have done. Your sire visited me in a dream, you know, full of concern for you. What happened, my dear?”
“A garrison of English soldiers was sent to take over my castle. My steward notified me when they were an hour away. I took a few valuables and descended into our hidden tunnel. That’s where I met your grandson.” She fussed with her hands in her lap. The intense scrutiny in the man’s gaze was a bit unnerving. “He had come back, you see, after leaving that morn. He had sensed something was wrong.”
“And you brought her here without any fighting, Alasdair?”
“Aye. We only had to battle three, and with Dyna’s assistance, we easily made it to our horses.”
The man nodded and scratched his jawline, then said, “But I doubt Longshanks would leave you be. If I know the bastard wellenough, he must have summoned you to England, probably to use you as another pawn. How long did he give you?”
Shocked again at the accuracy of the man’s assessment, she didn’t hesitate to tell him everything. “I was told to report to King Edward at Berwick Castle within a fortnight. The order was delivered a sennight ago.”
Alex Grant leaned back in his chair, grinned, and said, “You’ll be leaving before then. We have to get there before they have the chance to hide their lies.”
Anxious to find out what the wise old man thought of her situation, she asked, “Why is he commanding me to go to Berwick? I’m supposed to be in mourning. I thought he’d leave me be for a while.”
“King Edward will do what he must to subdue the Scots and stay in control. Make no mistake about it, Edward’s ultimate goal is to become king of both England and Scotland. The more land he hands over to his English barons, the easier it will be for him. He’ll do aught he can to subdue our people. What I’m unsure of is why he’d send a garrison of soldiers to overtake your land while you’re in mourning. It would benefit him more to marry you off to another baron.”
He thought for a moment before he continued, “My guess is that they weren’t acting on Longshanks’s orders. Another nobleman might be trying to force you into marriage with him. Tell me, where were your husband’s estates?”
“I’m not sure of all of them. I know he owns one in London, but he also owns a manor in Berwick.”
“And that’s where the king said you are to report to him?”
She nodded.
Alex leaned back in his chair and said, “I don’t like that. Something is afoot. Alasdair, you and your cousins will have to uncover the truth. Mayhap the information will be helpful to theBruce.” He reached for his goblet and held it up to both of them. “To Robert the Bruce and the Scots.”
Alasdair and Emmalin both held their goblets up and said, “Long live our king.”
Chapter Ten
Alasdair has a special relationship with his grandfather…
He enveloped her in his arms with a low growl, his lips meeting hers in the moonlight. She parted her lips, and before he could delve inside with his tongue, she did so to him. She would be a passionate one in bed if he had to wager.
She tasted as sweet as he’d expected, her body melding to him as it had in that underground room. He slanted his mouth over hers, their tongues dueling in the oldest ritual in the world, yet it seemed fresh with Emmalin.
She was beautiful, warm, intelligent, and bold. Aye, he liked her boldness. He savored it.
Her husband had been a fool.
