“What?”
“The hearings. Why did you allow me watch? I am from an enemy country. Are you not worried that I would know the inner workings of your clan’s leadership and reveal it to the commander when you release me?”
Alistair merely chuckled. They were at the stairs now. “Answer me,” Jane said.
“Ye would tell yer husband-tae-be, ‘The Scots’ laird resolved their disputes in a hall,’ and he would write that down and use the knowledge in his attack?”
“Don’t try to make me seem foolish,” Jane said.
Alistair’s mirth died. “That was nae me intent,” he said.
“And it is nae just the hearings, it is everything. The sewing, the kitchen, yesterday’s dinner, tonight’s feast.”
“Very well, since it displeases ye so much, I shall tell Catrina tae keep yer room under lock and key.”
They were at the top of the stairs now. “I am not displeased by it, only made curious.”
“Well, I have nay response fer ye. What is the way forward?”
Jane said nothing. They walked in silence for a moment, and then Jane said, “You could delegate, you know.”
Alistair turned to her. “Delegate what?”
“The hearings. It must be tough to have to plan battles and still deal with squabbles. Some of the matters brought to you were quite trivial. If you could constitute something of a council to hear cases like this, you could focus on the other aspects of leadership. I noticed that you were quite worn out when you arrived at the hearings.”
“Is that so?” Alistair said. “Is that how it is done in England?”
“In a way, yes,” Jane replied. They had come to her room. “Did you get the keys from Catrina?”
Alistair said nothing to that. “Me faither had a council,” he said. “He was so busy with matters of state that he left dispute resolution to them. They enriched themselves, perverted justice, and reduced people’s confidence in their laird.”
“Oh.” Jane said.
“Me faither realized this and disbanded them immediately. It took a lot of toil to undae the damage that the council had done. So, Jane Marsh of England, I will nae be constituting a council.”
“That is quite understandable.” Jane replied. “I did not know the history. I would never have suggested it if I did.”
“I know,” Alistair said. They both stood at the door, staring at each other. Then, without breaking eye contact, Alistair flicked his wrist to reveal a key attached to what seemed to be a bracelet made of fine copper. Her eyes strayed to the key, and when she looked back up, he was staring at her. He inserted the key in the lock and turned it. There was a clicking sound, and the door swung open. Alistair took one of the lanterns in the passageway, deposited it in the room, and returned to Jane. “If you wish it. I will not lock you in. I shall, in fact, give ye the key.” He took off the bracelet and handed it to her.
“Th… thank you,” Jane said.
“Ye are welcome,” Alistair said. “Good night, Jane.”
“Good night, Alistair.”
Alistair began to walk away, but then he stopped and turned. “I hope ye’ve enjoyed the room so far.”
“Yes, thank ye.”
Alistair nodded. “It was me maither’s.” And with that, he turned and walked down the passageway.
CHAPTERELEVEN
That night, Jane dreamt about her uncle again. It started out well: they were both in a carriage bound for town, where he would usually buy her fruits, flowers and trinkets. Sometimes, people assumed they were father and child because of the color of her eyes. Sometimes, he did not correct them, and that gave her a little thrill.
In this dream, that was exactly what happened: a man who was selling seaside baubles complimented Uncle Howard on his choice of a seashell necklace for his ‘lovely daughter.’ But instead of the smile and the mild rebuttal that usually followed when people made this assumption, Uncle Howard said, “She is not my daughter. She is my beloved niece. Well, not so beloved anymore...” That shocked Jane. She stared at him, and he stared back at her. “Yes, Jane, you heard me clearly. You are cavorting with the enemy who killed me. I could never love you.” There was pure malice in his eyes. And then, in the manner of dreams, he rose until he towered above her. He then began to walk away, leaving a trail of blood behind him, blood which was seeping from a hole in his back. She ran after him. “Uncle Howard!” she cried. “Uncle Howard! No! Wait!”
A force pulled her away from her uncle. She fought it, but it overpowered her. She opened her eyes to see that it was a man.
