“I wish to do my duty, my lord,” she said. But she did not know if her words were heartfelt and sincere. How could she be loyal to her family, to Brodie and to Iain? It was impossible.
“Good.” Buchan seemed satisfied as wine was poured for everyone. A platter of bread and cheese was placed before Alana, followed by a plate of oatcakes.
Alana could barely eat, but she tore off a piece of bread.
“Tell me about Iain of Islay,” Buchan said.
Alana almost choked on the bread she was chewing. When she had swallowed, she said, “I beg your pardon?”
“He freed you from the tower. You were released from Nairn the next day. I have spies, Alana, surely you know that?” But he sat back in his chair, toying with his mug of wine.
She could not breathe properly. Did he have spies within Nairn? What if someone had seen them together in the cellars? Or afterward—outside her chamber door—or when they were saying farewell with heat, disappointment and anger?
Had their behavior been remarked?
If it had, she would be a prisoner once again, she was certain. She found her voice. “Yes, we were found in the tower, and allowed to go home the next day. What is it you wish to know, my lord?”
“Everything. Why did he release you?”
“I do not think there was a reason for him to keep us. As I said, he did not know of my Comyn connections, or my visions. He wanted to know why we were imprisoned, and I would not say, except that I had displeased you.”
“And he allowed such an answer?”
She hesitated. “He wasn’t pleased. But I could not tell him who I was, or about my abilities.”
“That was shrewd, Alana, and wise. Had you told him the truth, you would be his prisoner now. Iain of Islay is ruthless. You must have displeased him with your answers.”
She shrugged helplessly. “I think he had greater matters on his mind, such as burning Nairn to the ground.”
“Your beauty probably affected his judgment,” Buchan mused.
“I wouldn’t know,” she said quickly.
“Do you blush?”
She knew her cheeks were heated. “My lord, I approached him the next morning. I begged him to spare the castle, and if not that, the village and the farms.”
Buchan’s eyes widened.
“He was angry, he did not heed me, as you know. So...I do not think my appearance moved him.”
Buchan sat back and sipped his wine. “Bruce would lose a great commander if he lost Iain—possibly his best commander.”
Sir Alexander said to his brother, “Your archers failed to strike him even a single time.”
“Do not remind me, but there are other ways to rid oneself of an enemy,” Buchan said. “And I am not talking about poison.”
Alana seized her wine and gulped it.
“The Earl of Ross paid dearly for his peace with Bruce,” Sir Alexander said. “Could we bribe Iain?”
“Ross wasn’t bribed. Bruce was going to destroy him on the battlefield. Ross had no choice but to pay Bruce for a truce, and to go over to his side. And now he wavers because his loyalty is with us.”
“Iain of Islay is no earl—he is a soldier of fortune,” Sir Alexander said.
“You do not know that he is loyal to his cousin Angus Og, who is more of a father to him than his oldest brother. I am not certain gold would move him to betray his cousin and his liege. I have no desire to empty my chests of gold and have Iain then betray us. But...Iain has no land, no titles and no wife.”
Alana sat up straighter, realizing where Buchan would lead.
