“They were—”
Gemma struggled to breathe. She stared at the men, thinking back to the afternoon they were talking about, what she and Arne had been doing. Her brother would never forgive her. She just had to hope he didn’t carry out his threat of taking Caelin away from her. She had accepted she couldn’t have Arne, but she couldn’t live without her son.
“Out!” Rhun screamed at them. “All of you!” And the guards hurried with the men from the hall.
Gemma took a step towards the door, but Rhun grabbed her arm and yanked her back, causing her to stumble.
“Not you. Do you deny it?” Rhun yelled once the hall was empty.
Gemma straightened, pulling her arm from his grip. He let her go, staring at his hand as if somehow touching her had dirtied it. “No.”
“Then you are no sister of mine.”
“But Caelin is still your nephew, and heir to this throne after Eochaid.” Gemma tried to keep her voice soft, hoping Rhun would calm down. But when he lifted his head and pointed his finger directly in her face, she knew he was not going to. Not before he berated her.
“You have been consorting with the enemy.”
“Not the enemy—your ally,” she said patiently, taking a step closer to him. “Your ally, Rhun. Despite the fact they killed our father at your brother-in-law’s request.”
She waited to see if he responded to that, but he didn’t, so she continued, “And how much did your wife have to do with that? Had she been whispering in her brother’s ear to make sure the kingdom was yours? That her son would inherit? And what will he become? A king of the Britons, Picts and Dal Riatans? Three kingdoms. Do you think you will not need allies then, is that it? But for that to happen and Eochaid to unite the kingdoms, you know that means you too must be dead. Is that what the queen is planning?”
“No.” But she saw the way her brother’s expression changed. Just a flicker of doubt.
“Are you sure, brother? Are you really sure?”
Rhun turned on his heel and marched away from her, then whirled around. “I cannot believe you lied to me. In front of a hall full of the nobility, you stood there and lied to me.”
Gemma smoothed out her dress, feeling a sudden sadness that she wore no apron anymore. Her veil pinched around her face, and she missed her headscarf and loose hair. “I didn’t lie. Ulf arrived at the shieling yesterday morning. The snow had stopped, and the thaw had begun. He and a group of other warriors had been sent out in search of me and Caelin. They found us then. None of that is a lie.”
But Rhun shook his head. “You made it seem like you had been there alone. And yet you were not.”
Gemma walked towards him slowly. If she couldn’t appease Rhun, then she would have far fewer options than she had assumed. But for him to blame her for the situation was ridiculous. “I should never have been at Alt Clut. I only ended up there because you forced me and Caelin to leave and go to Car Luel. You sent me away. Us away. Why? You set these events in motion, Rhun. You.”
“To avoid this. There were rumours… Marcant… I needed to stop them using Caelin to challenge me.”
“And yet you have pardoned him. Allowed him back into your court.”
They turned as footsteps approached from the direction of the guest chambers. They glared at Cenydd as he entered the hall. Cenydd stopped and stared at Rhun, then glanced at Gemma before bowing to them. His advisor, Anwyl, entered a few paces behind him and remained in the doorway. Both were dressed for riding.
“What are you about, Lord Cenydd? It is late.”
“King Rhun, I apologise for my intrusion. We heard voices and came to ensure all was well.”
“Why are you here?” Rhun demanded.
Cenydd glanced at Anwyl, who nodded. “I was called back to Car Cadell. We were in the stables. When those men arrived.” Cenydd glanced again at Gemma and took a breath. “I have heard the rumours and have a proposal.”
“I cannot see what sort of proposal will do anything to change what my sister has done.”
“No, but if I marry Princess Maithgemm, take her away from Perthawc, you will never have to see her again. You can say that this is her punishment, banished to the lands on the edges of your kingdom.”
Rhun laughed, and Gemma stared at Cenydd. Surely he wasn’t serious? If he had thought marriage to her was a possibility then he would never have sent her on to Kirkjaster in the first place.
“Well, sister, it seems a rescuer has appeared to save you from your disgrace,” Rhun said, walking around behind her, leaving her to stare at Cenydd. “Very well, but you must remove her from Perthawc today. Now.”
For a moment, it looked like Cenydd did not know how to react, then he bowed. “Thank you, King Rhun. I assure you I will care for her and her son.” Cenydd lifted his hand towards her, but as she stared at it, her stomach knotted. It was one thing to walk away from Arne, but quite another to marry someone else and know there was no possibility of a future with the Norseman. Ever. Cenydd was far from a poor choice for a husband, but her heart would never lie with him.
Then the suspicion she had felt yesterday in the great hall returned. Cenydd was up to something. His actions were far from selfless, no matter how he tried to make it seem that way.
