She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Tonight,” he said firmly. “We will wed as soon as we get to Edinburgh, but I’m too eager to partake of a bridegroom’s privilege to wait for the words to be said over us.”
If he was eager for anything, it was to be a royal consort and then at some convenient time seize the crown itself. God’s blood, she was too tired to face this challenge now.
What was she sniveling about? she told herself in disgust. Challenges did not come when you wished to deal with them, or they would not be challenges. She thought quickly, seeking a way out that would give her the time she needed and still answer his self-interest.
“If we wed in Scotland, James will hear about it. We should wait until we get to England.” She met his gaze. “And there’s a possibility I may be with child. If you bed me now and I become pregnant, no one will know whether the child is yours or Robert’s. Do you wish Robert to have a claim to the throne through your child?”
The thought clearly displeased him. “You know the line of succession must be clear.”
“Then you will wait.”
His lips tightened. “How long?’
“If I’m not with child, I should have my flux within a month.”
“Then I shall be monitoring you closely.” He suddenly smiled. “But you’re right, under no circumstance should we have MacDarren’s child with which to contend. If you prove to be with child, I promise you I’ll find a way to rid you of it safely. The ladies of the court use an old woman who has an extensive knowledge of herbs.”
She frowned in puzzlement. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“No? I did not expect you to be this ignorant. You seem so clever, I forgot you were unable to gather much practical knowledge under your vicar’s wing. Let me be more clear.” He paused and then said, “We will kill the child in your womb.”
He was gazing intently at her face, and she knew he was again searching for weakness. She should not let him see the horror the words brought. He had struck too deep, and she could not hide it, so she quickly turned on her heel and moved toward the door. With an effort she managed to keep her voice steady. “Perhaps it won’t be necessary. We will see. Good night.”
She did not stop walking until she reached her cabin. She leaned back against the door, her stomach heaving, every limb shaking.
He meant to murder her child.
The child she had wanted so desperately, the babe that was to save Robert and Craighdhu for her, would be treated as just another pawn to be removed from the chessboard. She had not even thought such an act possible.
It might be all right—there might be no child.
But what if there was a babe in her womb this very moment?
Why in heaven could she not have just accepted Malcolm into her bed? It would have sickened her, but she could have borne it. This question of succession might never have occurred to him if she had not brought it up.
She had thought she was a match for Malcolm, but her ignorance had already led her to make a mistake that might mean her baby’s life.
Edinburgh lay on the southern shores of the Firth of Forth, an arm of the North Sea. Robert chose to anchor the Irish Princess at Granton, a sleepy fishing port, rather than the busier Leith.
“You stay here on the ship,” Jock said. “I’ll go to Bobby MacGrath’s and see what he’s heard about Malcolm.”
“And I’m to sit here and wait?” Robert asked. “Not likely.”
“No, you’d probably rather blunder around Edinburgh and let Alec know he has enemies knocking on his front door.”
“I wouldn’t blunder—” He drew a deep breath. He knew Jock was right, and the safest course was to search out the lay of the land before he showed himself in Edinburgh. He was well known here, and word would instantly be carried to the court of his presence in the town. But dammit, he didn’t want to take the safest course. His tension had simmered on this damnable journey until it was a volcano ready to explode. He wanted to do something.
But impulsiveness could be fatal for Kate. Alec was walking a thin tightrope, balancing James’s influence on one hand and his own ambitions for the throne on the other. If he decided that Robert’s presence could sway the balance, he might jettison his plans for the throne and get rid of Kate, the only proof of his treason against James. “Very well. I’ll wait here.”
Jock nodded approvingly. “Perhaps you have a brain in your head after all.” He climbed down the rope ladder and stepped into the longboat. “I’ll be back by nightfall.”
It was only noon now. Jesus, it was going to be a long day. “Bring MacGrath with you. I want to talk to him.”
Robert found talking to Bobby MacGrath a very irritating process. He was turtle slow and as deliberate as a priest giving the last rites.
“I know nothing of any woman,” MacGrath said. “Alec Malcolm returned to Edinburgh alone. He’s been at court for the last four days.”
“Does he have lodgings in town?” Robert asked.
MacGrath shook his head. “He’s staying in James’s apartments.”
Jock asked, “Has he visited anywhere outside the castle since he came?”
“Aye, he visited a cottage at the edge of the city the first day and spent a good four hours there yesterday.”
“Whose cottage is it?” Robert asked.
“There’s no woman there either.”
Robert tried to restrain his impatience and reminded himself that MacGrath was a good, loyal clansman. “Who is there?”
“An old man.” MacGrath sipped his ale. “White hair, wild eyes, thin as a string.”
“Sebastian Landfield,” Robert murmured.
MacGrath shrugged. “I don’t know. I never heard his name. I only got close enough to the window to catch one glimpse of him.”
The description fit too closely for the man not to be Landfield. Malcolm had mentioned the vicar, but Robert had thought no more about him. This news made no sense. After Alec had wrested the information he had wanted from Sebastian, it was not reasonable he would waste more time on him. “Is this the first time you’ve seen him?”
MacGrath nodded. “Malcolm paid no visits to him when he was here before. The first I knew of the man was when I followed Alec to the cottage that first day.” He paused. “But there was already a guard at the door of the cottage when Alec arrived. It’s possible he might have given orders to put him under guard before Alec left Edinburgh.”
No matter what Alec’s reason for imprisoning him, Sebastian was now Robert’s only link to Kate, and there was a slight possibility Alec might have disclosed her whereabouts to the vicar. “Where is he? I want to talk to him.”
“Fourteen Greybriar.” MacGrath made a face “But I don’t know if he’ll be able to talk. From the sounds I heard coming from the place yesterday, I’d judge Malcolm’s been playing his games with the old man.”
“Torture?”
“You didn’t say I should interfere with Malcolm,” MacGrath said defensively. “And the old man isn’t one of ours.”
“No, you were right not to interfere. It would have been too dangerous for you.” Why would Malcolm think it necessary to torture Sebastian Landfield? He didn’t doubt Malcolm derived a feeling of power from tormenting individuals, but he seldom indulged himself without reason. “Is he still alive?”
MacGrath shrugged again. “I don’t know. I doubt it. It’s been quiet since Malcolm left the cottage yesterday, and there’s no longer a guard at the door.”
“First, the woman in James’s dungeon and now Landfield,” Jock murmured. “A connection?”
“Probably,” Robert said. “Did you find out who she was, Bobby?”
“English, named Clara Merkert. James had her brought from the town of Bourse. The soldier I spoke to said they were told to make sure no one in the village knew they had taken her.”
Bourse was not close to Sheffield, where Kate had spent her life, yet there must be some bond.
“Will you be
needing anything else?” MacGrath put down his cup and rose to his feet “I should be getting back.”
“Just keep an eye on Malcolm. We’ll be in touch with you later to give you our direction. You have my thanks, Bobby, you’ve been a great help.”
Jock watched MacGrath leave the cabin before turning to Robert. “I know it may be of little interest to you, but I heard other news in Edinburgh.”
“About Kate?”
Jock smiled sardonically. “No, I told you this news would not overly concern you. It’s only the small matter of war. It’s growing closer every day. Elizabeth sent Leicester to the Netherlands to seek peace and then promptly commissioned Drake to raid Cadiz. He sank thirty-six Spanish ships. Philip’s armada will be ready to strike any time now, and in a sea battle of those proportions it may not be only England that’s involved. It would be a miracle if Ireland and Scotland aren’t drawn into it.”
“I know that,” Robert said. “As soon as we get Kate away from Alec, I’m sending you back to protect Craighdhu.”
“Sending me back? What of you?”
“I’ll make a decision on that later.”
“I think you’ve already made a decision,” Jock said softly.
Robert changed the subject “Malcolm has a residence south of the city. If Kate’s not in the city, she could be there. We’ll ride down tomorrow to Selwyth and see what we can find out.” As he saw Jock open his lips to protest, he added, “All right, we’ll see what you can find out. We’ll make camp nearby, and I’ll sit meekly and wait for your report.”
“It won’t be quick. We have no men at Selwyth. I’ll have to rely on bribes for information.”
“Nothing has been quick yet,” Robert said sourly.
Jock’s brows lifted. “I’ve noticed you’re a trifle on edge. I’m surprised you don’t want to post down there at once.”
“Not tonight.” He was not about to hurry to Selwyth so he could wait again if there was any other way he could find Kate. “I think we’ll go visit Sebastian Landfield.”
There was no light glimmering in the windows at 14 Greybriar Street, and as MacGrath had said, no guard at the door.
“I believe MacGrath could be right,” Jock said. “It may be too late to talk to the good vicar.”
Robert tried the door: It swung open.
The room held the sour odor of sweat and urine, but no death stench fouled the air.
He drew his sword and stepped into the room. “See if you can find a candle and get us some light.” His eyes were already becoming accustomed to the darkness, and he could discern that the room was small and almost barren of furniture.
“Serpent …”
Robert whirled to the corner of the room from where the weak whisper had come.
“The candle,” he said sharply.
“I’ve found one,” said Jock, striking flint behind him. “Be careful.”
Light flared, and Robert saw Sebastian Landfield.
Or what was left of him.
The old man was tied to a chair in the corner, and Malcolm had been using a knife instead of a whip. So much blood surrounded the chair that Robert wondered that the old man had any left in his body. He had to be near death.
“I will … not yield.…” Sebastian raised his head to reveal eyes still burning fanatically in his wreck of a face. “Never …”
“Kate,” Robert demanded. “Where’s Kate?”
“Daughter of the Devil,” he whispered. “Not Lilith. Serpent. Writhing, changing … like the serpent in Eden. I will … not yield.…”
“Where’s Kate?”
“I will not—” For an instant the hatred vanished from his expression and became pleading. “Kill her … kill the serpent.”
He was dead.
“Charming of Alec to leave the old man here to slowly bleed to death,” Jock said as he came to stand beside Robert. “I’d say he was a trifle annoyed he didn’t get what he wanted. I wonder what his purpose was?”
“He wanted Landfield to swear Kate was Mary’s daughter.” Robert smiled mirthlessly. “But even torture doesn’t sway madmen.”
“Shall I cut him loose and send for MacGrath to arrange for burial?”
Kill her … kill the serpent.
Robert turned away. “Leave the bastard to rot.”
“She’s here,” Jock said as they rode into their camp in the forest a short distance from Selwyth Manor. “For all the good it will do us. Malcolm has an army of guards at Selwyth.”
“She’s a prisoner?”
Jock shook his head. “Not visibly. I’m sure she would be stopped if she tried to escape, but she’s allowed to move freely about the castle and the gardens. She goes for a ride in this very forest every day, suitably accompanied by guards … for her protection.”
“Then we can take her.”
“Not if she doesn’t want to go.” Jock paused. “It’s a hellish task rescuing a woman who doesn’t want to be rescued.”
His words were unpalatable, but Robert couldn’t deny their truth.
“Then I’ll have to convince her that she wants to be rescued. Can I get into the castle?”
Jock thought about it. “Possibly. Bribery is always possible with Malcolm’s servants. They have no liking for the bastard. I’m sure the guards were warned about an attacking force trying to take Kate away, not one person coming into the castle. The only hazard would be if one of Malcolm’s officers recognized you.” He stood up. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“My lady!”
Kate turned at the call to see Kenneth Morrow, Alec’s captain of the guard, coming down the garden path toward her. She smothered a twinge of impatience and smiled sweetly. “How nice to see you. Is it not a glorious morning?”
“Glorious. May I say you look just right in this garden,” he remarked with clumsy gallantry as he fell into step with her. “Just like a flower yourself.”
She was not in the least flowerlike, she thought in disgust. Since she had few weapons in this battle, she had thought to try Jean’s tactics and attempt to create a picture of feminine winsomeness. It was not a role that suited her temperament. If she had to shyly lower her eyes one more time, she felt she would vomit. She smiled again instead. “How kind you are. Will you walk with me?”
He shook his head. “I have duties to perform. I’ve only come with a message. Sir Alec will have the pleasure of joining you for supper tonight.”
She tensed. She had known Malcolm would come, but she was still not ready. “How pleasant.”
“Will you wish to ride today?”
She turned a corner in the path. “I don’t see how I can resist the chance when the day is so bright and the company so—” She inhaled sharply.
Robert!
The man kneeling and digging in the earth of the rose bed was dressed in rough loose trousers and tunic, his head covered by a hat pulled down to shade his eyes, but there was no doubting his identity. She had studied every line of his body, knew every gesture, every texture.
“Is something wrong, my lady?”
“No, of course not,” she said quickly. “The sight of the roses took my breath away. I must ask that gardener to gather some for the table tonight.”
Good God, what the devil was Robert doing here?
Captain Morrow repeated, “You wish to ride, my lady?”
“Oh, yes, but I’ll send a servant to tell you at what hour. I wish to enjoy the garden for a while. It is such a beautiful day.”
He continued to walk with her. “It is true. The roses are quite splendid since they opened.”
He must not look too closely at those roses, Kate thought. He had accompanied them from Kilgranne, and he would recognize Robert. She directed his attention to a flowering apple tree. “But then all the plants are exquisite here at Selwyth, so different from the Highlands.” She sat down on a marble bench. “I believe I’ll sit here for a short time.”
He stood before her, gazing at her with a foolish grin. What would it take to
get the man to leave her? “Really, I’ll be quite safe by myself. I’m keeping you from your duties.” She smiled sweetly. “You’re so good to take such care of me.”
“It is my honor and pleasure.” He hesitated and bowed. “Until later, my lady.” He turned and walked back quickly toward the castle.
She scarcely waited until he was out of sight before she jumped to her feet and flew toward the rose bed. “Are you mad?” she whispered as she stopped beside Robert. “Leave at once!”
Robert didn’t look at her as he continued to turn the earth with his spade. “I didn’t think your swain was ever going to depart. It appears you’ve been charming more men than Alec.”
“He may be of use to me,” she said absently as she gazed at him. Just the sight of him was making her tremble. “And no one charms Alec Malcolm.”
“Jock seems to think you capable of leading him around like a tame bear.” He stabbed the earth with sudden violence. “But bears have been known to turn and maul their trainers.”
“Why are you here?”
“What else would a loving husband do when his wife abandons him?”
She could sense the anger in him. Well, that was what she wanted him to feel toward her. “Have the pride to accept his dismissal and go his own way.”
“Oh, no,” he said softly. “You won’t try that ploy again with me. Though I was most irritated when you humiliated me in front of the clan.”
“I’ll do it again,” she said. “And I’ll keep on doing it until you realize I want nothing more to do with you. Didn’t Jock tell you I—”
“Jock gave me your message. He did not believe you, and neither did I.”
“Then you’re a fool. You owe me nothing. You’ve kept your promise to Elizabeth. I’m the one who left. Go back to Craighdhu.”
“And let you stay here on James’s doorstep, where any minute Alec may decide to trade you for James’s favor?”
“He won’t do that.”
“How do you know? You’re in unknown waters. Ambitions change and waver from day to day here. James smiles at a noble, and it makes ripples throughout the kingdom. Elizabeth sends James a sharp note, and new opportunities present themselves. In the blink of an eye you may prove dispensable to Alec.”