Hannah Howell (13 page)

“Well—aye—but she shall make a fair mess of your fine bed. She is dusty, muddy, and wet.”

“None of which shall ruin my bed. Ye and I can bed down in another chamber.”

“Ye can. I shall stay with her.”

“Is that wise?”

“It matters little now if it is wise or not. ’Tis beyond mending.” He started to undress her, tugging off her boots.

Moving to unlace her doublet, Nairn asked, “Are ye to be wed soon, then?”

“Nay. Ye ken well how I look upon wedding an heiress when I have but a few coins and a fine sword.”

“Then ye never should have seduced the lass.”

“I didna seduce her,” Revan snapped, briefly nettled at the accusation, then he grimaced. “S’truth, we seduced each other.”

“Ah, then she wasna a virgin lass.”

“She was.”

“Virgins rarely seduce a man, leastwise not knowingly.”

“ ’Tis a long story.”

“I see. So be it. Ye will be lingering here a while. I am certain we can find the time for you to relate this grand tale.” Nairn crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Revan unlaced Tess’s chemise.

Revan glared at his brother. “Do ye have a shirt or the like that I can put on her? And something I might use to dry her off?”

The moment Nairn turned away, Revan hurried to tug off Tess’s chemise. He tossed it aside and was just reaching to pull part of the blanket over her when he realized Nairn was back standing on the other side of the bed, a shirt in one hand and a drying cloth in the other. Quickly flipping the blanket over Tess to hide her nudity from Nairn’s considering gaze, he scowled at his brother.

“I have looked at your women before,” murmured Nairn as he handed Revan the cloth to dry Tess off with.

“This time I would appreciate it if ye would cast your eyes elsewhere until I have her dressed.”

Nairn looked away, and Revan quickly dried Tess off, rubbing away most of the mud as well. He snatched the shirt Nairn still dangled from his hand and struggled to get it on Tess. By the time he was lacing it up, Tess was rousing a little. To Revan’s surprise, she swatted at him.

“Nay, Revan,” she muttered. “I am too tired. Mayhaps in the morning.”

Nairn laughed softly, and Revan was annoyed to feel the heat of a blush sting his cheeks. “I am just putting some clean clothes on you.” She did not respond, and Revan realized she had fallen back into a deep sleep. “There,” he muttered as he finished lacing up the shirt.

“Ye can look now, Nairn.” The expression of amusement on his brother’s face irritated Revan.

“Lift the lass up, and I will pull the bedclothes down. Then ye can tuck her in properly.”

After they did that, Revan felt Tess’s cheeks and forehead. “She feels a wee bit warm yet shivers a little.”

“The poor lass was chilled to the bone and exhausted. See how she fares after a good night’s sleep ere ye start to worry. Now, come set over here and share some wine with me.”

After one last look at Tess, Revan moved to join Nairn at a small table in the far corner of his bedchamber. As he sat down opposite Nairn and accepted a goblet of wine, he hoped his brother would understand if he did not sit and talk for too long. He was feeling somewhat exhausted himself.

“Ye slipped by the Douglas’s men unseen?” Nairn asked.

“Aye, I believe so. How long have they been camped there? Old Colin said nearly a fortnight.”

“ ’Tis nearly that. The only way we could have driven them off was to attack them on Douglas land, and I dared not do that.”

“Nay, I understand. Ye dinna want the man looking your way, especially not now.”

“Is there to be a battle, then? Has it come to that?”

“Aye. I grow too weary to tell it all tonight. The Douglas plans to march against the king in early May. We have seen men riding to muster. Tess’s uncle, Thurkettle, was gathering supplies for the men. Do ye ride to join with the king soon?”

“Most of my men are with our liege even now. I, and a small troop of men, will join him in time for the battle. I fear to leave my lands too soon. That might give the Douglas the time and the chance to raze this place or take it and hold it against the king. If I wait until I must hurry or miss the battle, then the Douglas is also too hurried to take the trouble and time to harry my lands.”

“ ’Tis your best hope at least. Your greatest danger is now, as he gathers men yet has no battle to occupy them.”

Nodding, Nairn ran a hand through his light brown hair. “That is a worry. I also worry over what might happen here if the king loses or tries to flee as he did once before. Douglas kens that I support the king. He will make me pay dearly for that. He will make my people pay dearly for that. He could do the same if he loses but isna routed. In these last troubled months I have seen, all too clearly, how precarious my position is.

“God help us, Revan. I could suffer even if the king wins for he will surely wish to harry the Douglas’s lands. I sit here in the midst of those lands. Soldiers arena always aware of where the boundaries of friend and foe lie. Being an ally could cost me, for they might muster here and demand that I supply them.”

Revan reached across the age-smoothed table and briefly clasped his brother’s hand. “Ye and your people willna be left to starve. Just remember that. Aye, and dinna forget that ye wouldna stand alone against any enemy.”

Nairn smiled faintly. “Aye, I ken it. But I did need reminding. I have set here too long alone. Those three Douglas corbies squatting just beyond my reach havena helped my peace of mind, either.”

“And there has been no word from our father or our brothers?”

“A message or two, but the last was three weeks ago.”

“Then Simon couldna have reached the court to report on Thurkettle and the Douglas yet. My name hasna been cleared.”

“Nay. Rumors about you still abounded but no charges had yet been made. Doubts and questions but no accusations. Thurkettle spat out his slander but has disappeared.”

“Aye, he would. The man is hip deep in treachery. He dare not stay too close to the very ones he seeks to betray. Guilt alone would make him fearful. This isna the first time he has played the traitor.”

“James the First?” Nairn whispered, his voice softened by shock.

“Aye. Thurkettle had a part in that cowardly murder. ’Tis one hold the Douglases have on him.”

“Does the lass ken this?”

“ ’Twas she who told me.”

“Poor lass, to share the blood of such a man. Ah, well, her other kinsmen, the Comyns and the Delgados, are honorable. She can take comfort, and shelter, in their good name.”

“How is it ye ken who her family is?”

“I wouldna have kenned it save that Father made mention of it in his last missive. He complained a little over how there is always one of that clan haunting him. He says they take turns, he is certain of it, so that they can dog him day and night.”

Revan cursed. “Then they believe I have kidnapped the girl and mayhaps the other black charges Thurkettle made.”

“Nay. They but seek some word of her. It seems none of them trusts in Thurkettle’s word. Aye, they are angry and concerned, over her safety and her honor, but they have graciously accorded us the benefit of the doubt. Father told them of your mission, and they but wait.” Nairn watched Revan closely as he added, “They are as concerned as any kinsmen would be and, mayhaps, more. Her father was a much loved son, and as our father tells it, there are very few lasses born to the family. Father expressed surprise, after seeing their deep concern, that they had ever parted with her.”

It was difficult, but Revan hid his consternation. If the Comyns and the Delgados did hold such affection for Tess, it would not make his meeting with them an easy one. Inwardly he shrugged. There was no turning back.

“Did our father say anything about their trustworthiness?” He ignored his brother’s irritated look.

“Aye. ’Tis without question. Why?”

“Because I ride to Donnbraigh and Silvio Comyn when I leave here.”

“Is that wise?”

“ ’Tis necessary. He can aid me in reaching the king, keep Tessa safe, and will have the name of the king’s household guard who has turned traitor.”

“One of James’s own personal guards?”

“Aye. Tess recognized the man. He rode with the Douglas’s troops. She canna recall the name, though.”

“Sweet heaven, that is a blade a wee bit too close to our liege’s throat.”

“Or his back.” Nairn nodded solemnly in agreement, and Revan fought to smother a yawn. “I have more to tell, but I need to rest. ’Twill have to wait until the morning.”

“Of course.”

Revan stood up and moved to the bed as Nairn finished his wine. Gently touching Tess’s cheeks and forehead again, he still found her warmer than he liked, but her shivering had ceased. He straightened as Nairn moved to his side, watching him with an interest that was unsettling.

“All she needs is some rest,” Nairn murmured. “Rest and a few hearty meals. She must be a great deal stronger than she appears to be.”

“Much stronger. Some might even say too strong for a lass.”

“Then she would make a fine wife for a soldier.”

“Aye, she would,” Revan grumbled and scowled at Nairn. “Good sleep, Brother. We can talk more in the morning.”

“That we can, Revan.” Nairn moved to the door, opened it, and paused to look back at Revan. “We can talk about a great many things—battles, traitors, and wee brown lasses. Good sleep to you, Revan.”

The moment the door shut behind his brother, Revan cursed. He did not like the sound of Nairn’s parting words at all. Although Nairn was only two years older than he, the man often took his role as elder far too seriously. It sounded as if Nairn intended to lecture him about how he was treating Tess. Shaking his head, Revan began to undress and prayed that Tess would recover soon.

“Are ye certain ye are well enough?”

Tess rolled her eyes, making no attempt to hide her exasperation. Revan had asked her that same question so many times she had lost count. At first his evident concern had been touching. Now it had her grinding her teeth. He had insisted on showing her something outside of the keep, had had her get all dressed to go out, and yet had hesitated each step of the way. Now they stood at the door leading into the bailey, and he hesitated again. Since he had forced her to dress as warmly as if she were stepping out into the December snows instead of the April sun, she was starting to feel uncomfortably warm. That only increased her mounting irritation.

“I have done naught but sleep and eat for two days. I am completely well.”

“I shouldna wish you to take a chill by going out ere ye are ready.”

“Take a chill? Ye have me weighted down with a heavy shift, thick petticoats, a winter’s gown, a cape, and a cursed wool shawl tied about my head. I could prance about in the January ice and never feel it. But, I am now beginning to feel like a boiled pig. I think my temper will soon be as hot as the rest of me.”

“Aye, ye do seem a wee bit sharp,” he murmured as he took her by the hand and led her outside.

“Where did ye find all these clothes, anyway? Nairn isna married.”

“They were borrowed from one of the women in the village nearby. Nairn went to her whilst we slept that first day. He thought ye might prefer to wear a gown or two while ye are here, that ye would feel more comfortable in women’s clothing.”

“Aye, but just now I could do with wearing less of them,” she grumbled, but he ignored her.

It was not as cool outside as Tess had hoped it would be. As in many tower houses, the door was set up high, entering at the second floor. By the time they descended the narrow stone steps to the bailey, she could feel the sweat trickling down her back. She promised herself she would never again allow Revan to dictate what she wore. The fleeting thought that he had given no indication that he would stay with her long enough for that to become a problem was one she pushed aside. She would not darken her present happiness with worries about the future and possible heartbreak.

Revan led her to the stables at the far side of the bailey. As they walked past the first few horses quartered there, she had to approve of Nairn’s selection of mounts. They paused by Horse’s stall, and she rubbed his nose, silently apologizing for not having thought of a suitable name yet.

“The rest will do this poor fellow some good as well,” she murmured.

“Aye, it has, but that isna why I brought you here.” He tugged her over to the next stall, which held a pretty roan mare.

“A fine mount.” She stroked the mare’s nose and looked at Revan. “Has Nairn just purchased her, then?”

“Nay. She was bred here. Wild Rose is what he calls her. He has chosen her for ye to ride when we leave here.”

Tess gasped softly and stared at the horse. “Are ye certain? ’Tis too fine a horse from which he could breed others.”

“Nairn feels she is the best one for you. She can keep pace with Horse, and if we are forced to take the roughest paths again, she is surefooted and easily ridden. He insists that you ride her.”

“If he is sure . . .” she began, a little concerned about taking on the responsibility for such a fine horse.

“He is sure,” interrupted Nairn as he strode up to them and leaned against the front of Horse’s stall.

She smiled at him, thinking that the Halyards were unfairly blessed with good looks. It surprised her that the man was not yet wed. A handsome man with property was not usually allowed to run free for very long. Inwardly she frowned, wondering if the Halyard men shared some fierce objection to the state of matrimony.

“I am wary of taking such a fine mount,” she said.

“Ye are sorely in need of one, mistress.” He frowned at her. “Ye are looking a wee bit flushed.”

“I am not surprised. I am fairly roasting. I thank ye for the use of your horse and shall endeavor to return it to you unharmed. Now, if ye would be so kind as to excuse me, I must go and shed some of this crippling burden of clothing.” She gave him a quick feint of a curtsy and started out of the stable, tugging off the shawl as she went.

“Ye could catch a chill,” called Revan.

“ ’Twould be preferable to melting,” she replied and hurried away before he could do more than verbally protest.

“Did ye force the lass to bundle up so?” asked Nairn, grinning at his brother.

“She has been ill.”

“Not dangerously.”

“Well, I canna afford to let her grow dangerously ill, can I?”

When Nairn just laughed, Revan cursed and strode out of the stables. He was eager to leave and not just because his mission required it. Nairn was gaining an irritating amount of amusement out of watching him and Tess together. So far, in all their talks, he had neatly avoided any discussion of his relationship with Tess. Revan was eager to keep it that way but knew that the longer he stayed with Nairn, the less chance he had of continuing to evade the topic.

 

 

Tess nudged her plate away and smiled at Nairn before taking a sip of wine. The man set a good table. After two days of enjoying such fare, she was feeling strong again. The fact that she, Nairn, and Revan were the only ones in the great hall savoring the feast told her several things. Nairn had indeed sent most of his people away, either to safety farther from the Douglas or to fight for the king. It also told her that it was most likely the last night she and Revan would spend with him.

“I shall grow quite fat if we stay here much longer,” she said.

Revan grinned, as did his brother, then responded, “ ’Tis good that we are leaving, then.”

“I thought we might be. At dawn?” she asked and gave an exaggerated sigh when both men nodded. “I used to find the dawn such a pretty time when I saw it but rarely.” She smiled when both men chuckled. “Do we still ride to my kinsmen?”

“Aye,” replied Revan. “They lie between us and the king. ’Twould be foolish to ignore what aid they could give us. Aye, even if it can only be fresh horses and added supplies.”

“And, after that, we ride on to the king?” She waited tensely for his reply, although she struggled to look calm.

“I shall ride on. ’Twas my hope that ye could remain safe with your kinsmen.”

It stung her to hear him voice what she had suspected—that once with her kinsmen, he would leave her. She knew that when he left her there, he would not be back for her. If he had any plans for a future for them, he would have said so by now. Her kinsmen were barely two or three days away. In two or three days Revan meant to desert her.

“They may all be with the king,” she murmured, wondering sadly what good it would do her even if she could gain some more time.

“Some are surely still at Donnbraigh, their keep. They feel as Nairn does, fear leaving their lands completely unprotected. They most surely also wait to see if I will bring you to them ere I reach the king.”

“They may believe all my uncle Fergus has said. It could be dangerous for ye to go to them.” She knew that contradicted what she had told him once before but hoped he would not notice.

“Nay. They will hear me out first. My father has assured me of that through a message he sent to Nairn.”

“Well, aye, they would doubt most anything Fergus had to say,” she admitted. “I had thought to see this through to the end.”

“The end shall be a fierce battle. ’Tis no place for a lass. Even if ye could persuade me to take such a risk with your life, ye could never persuade your kinsmen.” Revan watched her closely as he sipped at his wine.

There was no arguing that truth. Her father’s kin would not hesitate to lock her in their dungeons if they thought it would keep her safe. They would never allow her within sight or hearing of a battle.

Tess decided she did not have the spirit to try and talk Revan into keeping her with him longer than he planned. The news that they would part in two or three days had sapped it from her. She began to fear she would reveal the hurt and sadness now gripping her and decided it would be wise to excuse herself. Alone in the chambers she shared with Revan, she would have some chance of recouping her strength. If she and Revan were to part in but a few days, she did not wish to weight what little time she had left with him with sadness and regret.

“I believe I will retire now, if ye would be so kind as to excuse me.”

When both men murmured a good night, she left them. She headed for her chambers, determined to conquer her sadness. There would be plenty of time to succumb to it when Revan was gone. Years and years, she thought forlornly as she climbed the stairs.

 

 

“Ye are a hard, cruel man, Revan,” Nairn said the moment the heavy door of the great hall shut behind Tess.

“What prompts that condemnation?” Revan turned from frowning after Tess to look at his brother in mild surprise.

“The way ye treat that poor lass. Ye have just blithely cut her to the quick and took no notice of it.”

“And who says I didna notice?”

Revan had seen the hurt in her eyes, the unspoken sadness. He had wanted to ignore it, to forget it, but Nairn clearly had other plans. This time Revan did not think he would be able to evade a long, difficult discussion about Tess. Briefly he considered simply walking away.

“Dinna cast a longing eye at that door,” advised Nairn. “If need be, I will have it barred from the outside.”

“What occurs between Tess and myself is none of your concern.”

“Nay? Her kinsmen may not make that fine distinction. What ye are doing with that lass has ofttimes led to bloody, unending feuds. From what our father has told me in his last few missives, the Comyns and the Delgados arena ones to dismiss this lightly.” When the only response from Revan was a cold, angry silence, Nairn asked, “And what of the lass herself ?”

“I didna seduce the lass. I have told you that.” Revan took a long drink of wine in the hope of cooling his rising temper.

“Aye, and I am inclined to believe you.” Nairn relaxed in his chair, sipped at his wine, and studied Revan. “I have been watching the two of you.”

“Like one of those carrion of the Douglas’s,” Revan muttered.

Nairn ignored his surly interruption. “It was a bit difficult at first to believe that ye—er—seduced each other. Howbeit, I believe it now. Aye, all ye two needed was to be together for a while. I begin to think ye were fated to be lovers.”

“Why?” Revan demanded. He had reached that conclusion himself yet had no reason for it and wondered if Nairn could give him one.

“I should think ye would ken the why of it for yourself. ’Tis difficult to explain. There is something between you and that wee lass. A pull? A bond?” Nairn shrugged. “I see you and that wee brown lass together and ’tis right, ’tis proper. Ye ask me to explain what canna be explained. Ye also try to divert me from what I wish to speak on.”

“Ye wish to speak about Tessa.”

“Aye—Tessa. And—nay.” Nairn leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “ ’Tis ye who troubles me the most. Let us ignore the chance that these Comyns and Delgados will be . . . shall we say upset? . . . and the fact that, after all these weeks, ’twill be assumed by all that ye have bedded the lass.”

“Aye. Let us ignore that.” Revan spoke through gritted teeth, infuriated by the way Nairn presented truths he had struggled to forget. “Why dinna ye cease playing about and say what ye mean to—directly?”

“As ye wish. Marry the lass.”

“Nay.”

“Why? ’Tis plain to any who see you together that ye care for that lass.”

“Mayhaps I do.” He ignored his brother’s short, scornful laugh. “It makes no difference. She is an heiress.”

“Even more reason to wed her. Ye have naught, and although being a king’s knight carries a lot of honor, it may never give ye much profit. Here is all ye could ever want within your grasp. Any other time ye would never have a chance to wed such a lass. Her kinsmen wouldna allow a landless knight with a light purse to even smile her way. Now they would accept you, welcome you, mayhaps even insist that ye wed her. Take it.”

“I willna wed for money or for land.”

“Then wed her because ye care for her. Curse you for a fool, ye love her.”

“And what if I do? Do ye think that is what people will believe? Nay. They will say I wed her for her land and her purse. That would shame her and me. As she herself has said—if and when she wishes to take a husband, she can buy one. Well, I willna be bought and I willna have folk thinking that she had to pay me to wed her.”

“That pride of yours will choke you some day. Aye, and very soon, too.”

“And what of Tessa’s pride?”

“Oh, she has nearly as much as you. I have little doubt of that. But, she isna such a fool as to cut herself on it. If ye refuse to wed her—”

“I willna sell myself or be thought to have done so.” It confounded Revan that no one else seemed to understand that or agree with his opinion on the matter.

“Then get out of her bed, curse you. Cease using the lass when ye mean to set her aside. Ye are so concerned about looking the whore if ye wed an heiress, ye dinna see that ye are treating her much like one.”

Revan leapt to his feet, his fists partly raised as he fought the urge to strike his brother. “I have never treated her like a whore nor thought her one.”

“Ye are the only one who will see that fine distinction. She was a virgin and is of a good family. When a man beds such a lass, he should wed her. Ye ken that as well as I do, yet ye merrily go to her bed each night with no intention of marrying her. Ye canna say ye believe that is right?”

“Ere I bedded her I told her I wasna a man to offer her marriage. She understood that.”

“Are ye certain?”