In her slumber she looked so much at peace. She was an intriguing woman and under different circumstances, he would be interested in knowing her more. But he could not let his growing interest in her cloud his judgment in this matter. There was too much riding on the truth.
William placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a little nudge. Her eyes fluttered open and for a moment she blinked slowly as if she couldn’t place herself. She looked around the carriage then sat up rubbing her eyes.
“Where are we?” she asked and covered mouth with her hand as she yawned.
“We are in a wee village called Balquhidder and I have secured rooms for us for the evening. No one will think to look for us here.”
Her expression transformed from peaceful sleepiness to something sharper as her brows drew tight and she frowned. It was as though she’d just recalled the events that placed her there.
“Come inside, Lady Agnes, and let us break a meal together. I know you have many questions, as do I.”
He held out his hand to assist her and after careful inspection of both his hand and his face, she took it and stepped out onto the ground. He had no intention of letting go of her hand unless she wanted him to so he held it to see what she would do. It felt right somehow, her tiny hand in his.
They entered the inn and took a table by the hearth. William was well aware of this place as he’d passed through many times in his travels. The owner came straight over to them with a pot of something that bubbled and smelled delicious. He couldn’t tell just how much of the basket Lady Agnes had sampled, but he’d not eaten anything since earlier that morn before leaving Stirling, only stopping when the lady required privacy. By now he was ravenous.
He waited until she began her meal then he dug into his own. He had to approach his questions carefully and realized he would likely tell much from those asked of him. What was she most concerned about?
They sat in silence as they shared their meal with tension growing as thick as the stew. He had to change the tone else they would get nowhere.
“Are you comfortable in the carriage, Lady Agnes? Do you have everything you require?”
“Aye, my lord. ’Tis quite luxurious and nothing like the one that brought me here.”
“I am ready for your questions now, if you like,” he said, hoping they could remain civil to one another during the exchange. For whatever it was, he did not like to see a frown upon her lovely face.
“I thank you, my lord. My first question is why is my uncle detained?”
Did he tell here everything or the bare minimum? Was she asking that just to glean how much they knew? At some point he would have to make a leap of faith and now was as good a time as any.
“Your uncle carried missives from other men in the Highlands who sought to bring harm upon the royal family.”
Agnes’s eyes grew wide as she dropped her bread into the remaining stew in her bowl. She sat back staring at him.
“Were you aware of these missives?” he asked.
“My lord, obviously not. What else did they contain?”
“Commitments of the houses to join the cause to unroot the false king and to offer ladies to attend the queen.”
The lady gasped openly then and her cheeks flamed. “The queen?” she whispered.
“Aye, Lady Agnes, the queen is also at risk.”
“So why am I not imprisoned? Or at least put in a cell. I am well aware I am not free at the moment.”
“Because I wanted to speak with you myself to determine the extent of your involvement. Detaining you at Stirling Castle where you could access the queen until your father collected you was not the best option.”
“And that is why you volunteered to escort me. So you could interrogate me yourself. Go ahead then,” she said and folded her arms across her chest, “ask me your questions.”
And there was the tension rising again. But they were in it now and it was just as well to barrel ahead while she was talking to him.
“Very well. Lady Agnes, you say you were not aware of the missives, but did your uncle engage you to be a part of this plot?”
She unfolded her arms and placed her hands in her lap, lowering her head. “I believe he was trying to.”
“What do you mean by trying to?”
Lady Agnes drew in a deep breath. “He told me of many histories along our journey, but I confess, I found them to be boring and so only pretended to listen.”
