Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Although her lips had already parted to respond to Lady Ellen Logan's greeting, Adela froze at the airy disclaimer, unable to believe what she had heard. Her first inclination was to ask her ladyship to repeat her words, but she did not.

Instead, taking an extra breath to let her emotions settle, she said, "How pleasant to meet you, madam. Pray accept my sympathy for your great loss."

"I hope you are mistaken about those rumors, Ellen," Isabella said sternly.

"But I'm not, madam," Lady Ellen said, surprised. "In troth, they say the horrid man who stole her ladyship from her wedding also stole her maidenhood. They say, too, that when Ardelve discovered the theft, he threatened to return her to her father in disgrace. To avoid that fate and to keep her marriage settlements, they say, she poisoned the poor man at their wedding feast."

"At Roslin?" Isabella's tone had turned icy.

Feeling dizzy, Adela swayed, but a firm hand at her elbow steadied her.

"Who are these insolent rumormongers?" Lestalric demanded.

"I vow, I do not know," Ellen said. "Sithee, it is just what one hears."

Collecting herself as his steadying hand left her elbow, Adela said with careful dignity, "You are kind to have warned me, madam. I thank you."

"You need not," Lady Ellen said, turning as she did to Lestalric and saying in her artless way, "But come and talk with me now, Robbie. You may escort me back to my lady mother, on the dais. I yearn to hear about all that you have done since you went away. You can imagine my astonishment at learning you were here. I am truly sorry to have missed your grand entrance. They say you created a great stir. Until that moment, everyone had thought you must be dead."

"You give me too much credit, madam," he said. "I doubt that ‘everyone' had held any thought of me whatsoever all these years since I left home."

"Faith, Robbie, art angry with me for marrying Will? You must know that even had I not wanted him, my father would have forbidden me to marry you."

"Ah, but you see, you did want him—or all that he could provide for you."

"I'd have had to be mad to marry a man with naught," she said, smiling winsomely. "You'd not have wanted to marry a madwoman, would you, Robbie? In any event, now we can put everything right in a trice, as we are both free to do as we will. So come and walk with me. The countess will excuse us."

Adela's palm had begun to itch midway through her ladyship's discourse, but she said nothing, merely shifting her gaze to Lestalric.

He was looking at Lady Ellen, and Adela saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. But his tone was the languid one he had used before as he said, "Sakes, madam, you cannot want everyone here to see you parading about with some-one of such low estate as myself. I will spare you my company and provide you with a Norse prince instead. If you will be so kind, Orkney," he added, turning toward Henry.

"Aye, sure, and with pleasure," Henry said, extending his arm to her. Then he rather blunted any delight she might feel at having the wealthiest man in the room escort her by adding, "I want to talk with your father, in any event, lass."

"What a thing to say!" Adela exclaimed when the two had walked away.

"That he wants to talk with Douglas?" Isabella said with a smile.

"She means those awful rumors," Lady Clendenen said fretfully. "Etienne did say some unfortunate murmuring had begun. But he did not suggest anything as horrid as this."

"I don't mean what Henry said or what Lady Ellen said to me," Adela said angrily, unable to believe for a moment that anyone could imagine she had poisoned Ardelve in front of a hall full of noble wedding guests. "I meant the heartless way she spoke to Robert. I wanted to slap her. How dare she!"

The words were out before she knew she would say them, and when she saw the gleam of amusement in his eyes, she wished she could take them back.

He said, "Countess, with your permission I would like to walk with her ladyship and explain that she has no need to defend me from Lady Ellen or her ilk."

Lady Clendenen said, "My lord, you must not be so particular in your attentions to her—not now, at all events. If such rumors as Ellen repeated are flying about the court, we must all be circumspect."

Isabella returned his smile, saying, "You, sir, should make your inten—" She stopped, her gaze shifting to a point beyond him.

Lady Clendenen, following her gaze, immediately swept a deep curtsy, thus giving Adela small warning before she turned.

"Good evening, Countess, ladies," the Earl of Fife said mildly. "I'm relieved to see that you have all recovered from your terrifying ordeal."

"Thank you for your concern, my lord," Lady Clendenen said, rising as Adela made her curtsy. "Thank you again for your timely arrival today."

He nodded, then said to Adela, "We of the court have heard troublesome rumors, madam, that his grace would like me to look into further."

"Indeed, sir?" Adela stiffened, lifting her chin.

Lestalric said, "If you want to converse with her ladyship, Fife, you must await your turn. I promised his grace I would bring her to converse with him this evening, and would do so in good time. Where, pray, shall we find you afterward?"

"Never fear, Lestalric, I'll find you," Fife said. Turning back to Adela, he said, "You will learn, madam, that being a lawful nation, we punish women who poison their husbands, and most severely. Moreover, if you have come to court in the hope of persuading some other poor devil to marry you, you will find that no man here has the slightest interest in taking Ardelve's place."

Adela's fingers curled into her palms, and a hot retort sprang to her lips, forcing her to press them tightly together as Lestalric said in his most languid manner, "You are wrong, Fife. I wager most men here tonight would count themselves honored to win her ladyship's hand. I would, certainly."

Fife sneered. "Then you are a greater fool than I thought. No man of sense or intelligence wants a wife who is likely to poison him."

"Aye, sure, some prefer women who bring them earldoms," Lestalric said. "But come, my lady. We must not keep his grace waiting."

He extended his arm, but Adela waited until the earl turned on his heel and strode away. Then, she said, "How did you dare say that to him? Did he not get his first earldom by marrying Margaret, Countess of Menteith in her own right, and his second by arranging to inherit it from his brother's widow, the Countess of Fife?"

He smiled. "How is it you ken so much about such things, lass?"

"My father talks of news he hears from the mendicant friars," she said. "And before my aunt Euphemia went to live with my sister Cristina, she often explained how noble families were related to each other. But you do not answer my question."

"Fife was haughty, pretending a certainty he cannot feel," Lestalric said. "I thought it wise to push him off his pace by stirring his anger. Madam," he added, turning to Isabella, "I shall take Lady Adela to speak briefly with his grace. They appear to be clearing space for a ring dance, so mayhap you will find that the noise of this place has stirred another headache. Also, if you see Henry, pray tell him I want him. I mean to get her ladyship away before Fife tries to stop us."

"Do you think he would dare arrest her here?" Isabella asked. "We Sinclairs wield considerable power ourselves, after all."

"Aye, but in Midlothian more than in Edinburgh," he said, abandoning his languid manner. "Edinburgh has become his ground, madam. If we must do battle, 'twould be best to fight on our own ground, where we have greater resources."

"What of Lestalric Castle?" Adela asked. "Should you not protect it?"

"Henry's man of affairs has already gone there with a force of men-at-arms to take command," he told her. "Moreover, the estate's great size and value does much to protect it. Don't forget that the King of Scots has no royal army for Fife to muster. Fife has only his own people and those of other nobles he can persuade to support him. Presently, he is playing the concerned son and brother, fretting at his father's weakness and his brother's inability to lead. But many powerful lords have discerned his true nature. They'll not oppose him as long as he continues in this role, but if it begins to appear that he means to take noble estates by force, that will quickly change. He is too astute not to know that, but he could create a great deal of trouble for you, lass, merely by pretending to believe these foul rumors."

"Go with him, Adela," Isabella said. "Ealga, you and I will find Henry."

Adela put her hand obediently on Lestalric's out-stretched arm, but she was by no means persuaded that Fife truly threatened her. "Surely, no one can believe I poisoned Ardelve," she said to him as they wended their way to the royal dais. "How could I have done any such thing?"

"It does not matter what anyone else believes," he murmured, bending his head close so she could hear him without others doing so. "All that matters is such weak-ness as Fife imagines he can exploit to his benefit. Your father left with Donald of the Isles. Everyone here knows Henry means likewise to depart for the north, and Isabella for Roslin. However, if Fife believed your sole protector would then be Lady Clendenen, he may have got a step or two ahead of himself."

"But why would the Earl of Fife have any interest in me?"

"In troth, I thought I was his target," he said. "More accurately, that Lestalric is. He seeks to acquire land, but I also suspect he's heard rumors of a secret some believe my family keeps. Indeed, now I wonder if more than that may be at stake."

A merrymaker jostled them, and she heard Lestalric gasp. When she looked at him, he still wore the vacuous expression he had affected, but his face was pale.

"Why do you want Henry?" she asked quietly.

"We are vulnerable in Edinburgh and greatly outnumbered," he said. "I'll feel safer if we can put some ground between this town and ourselves."

"Robbie, there you are!"

A grimace creased his face, but he collected himself to say with a smile, "Lady Ellen, you must forgive us. We are—"

Cutting in without apology, she said, "I shan't forgive you. The ring is forming and I want to dance with you. Lady Adela will not mind." Without affording Adela time to respond, she added, "Indeed, you must both come. It will be fun!"

"Nay, then, my lady, we cannot. His grace has sent for us, but here— De Gredin, how fortunate!"

"Good evening, Lestalric," the chevalier said, beaming. "You will not think it fortunate at all, I know, because I have come to beg Lady Adela to let me escort her into the ring dance."

"Then you are just the man we want," Lestalric said with an answering beam. "First, I must make you known to Lady Logan, the Douglas's youngest daughter and recent widow of my brother. She desires to join the dancers, but his grace has summoned us to the high table. So I would count it a great favor if you would lend her your escort in my stead."

"An honor, to be sure, but prithee, my lady," de Gredin added, bowing to Adela, "do not be so cruel as to refuse to dance with me later. We'll make a fine pair, garbed in tawny silk as we are," he added, smoothing his embroidered doublet.

Adela smiled politely but left it to Lestalric to promise faithfully that they would join the dancing as soon as his grace excused them.

As they extricated themselves from the other two, Adela said rather tartly, "You are the most accomplished liar, sir. I hope you do not make a habit of it."

"Behold me all integrity where you are concerned, lass," he said with one of his warmest smiles. "I warrant you would see through any lie I tried to tell you in a blink. At all events, I have no wish to tell you lies. Now come, for the only sure way to win this skirmish is to do so before Fife realizes we know we're in a battle."

To her further astonishment, he took her straight to the high table, where the King, looking more bleary than usual, sat beside the Earl of Carrick. Both men looked as if they wanted only to retire to their beds.

"Your grace," Lestalric said, "I've brought Lady Ardelve, as you requested."

If it came as a surprise to the King of Scots that he wanted to extend his acquaintance with Adela, she saw no sign of it.

He peered myopically at her as she swept him a curtsy, then said, "I know you, madam." Motioning for her to rise, he tilted his head in a thoughtful way and added, "I thought so last evening, and now I am sure of it. We have met before."

"One does not like to contradict your grace," Adela said. "But—"

Beside him, the Earl of Carrick—lean-faced, fair, and scholarly looking—interjected gently, "Lady Ardelve is one of the famous Macleod beauties, sire. You met her sister Cristina at Ardtornish soon after she married Hector Reaganach."

"Aye, that's it," the King said. "You look just like her, lass."

Lestalric said, "Forgive me, your grace, but we would ask your leave to retire. Isabella, Countess of Strathearn and Caithness, who is with us tonight, is feeling unwell. With your permission, we would take her home."

"Aye, sure," the King said, nodding. "'Tis good to see you here, Robbie lad."

"Thank you, your grace. Come, madam."

Moments later, they were but two amongst many in the noisy throng, for the lower tables had vanished and the dancing had begun in earnest.

"Quickly now," Lestalric said. "Fife won't expect us to try to leave until his grace retires, but I'd not give his grace more than ten minutes now before he does. I want to be outside the gates before then."

She did not argue, especially as she could see that he was in greater pain than before and knew there would be more jostling as they made their way to the nearest door-way. Soon she had no idea where they were in the vast interior maze of David's tower, but Lestalric had either been there before and knew his way or possessed an unerring sense of direction, for in minutes they came to a heavy, narrow door that opened onto the inner bailey. Walking swiftly and silently downhill and through an archway, they found Henry and the others waiting with the vehicles.

Henry said, "I can protect her if we can get her to Sinclair House. They'll look for her, though, either there or at Ealga's. Sakes, they may be waiting already."

"If they are, we'll go to the abbey," Lestalric said. "Even at Sinclair House, you can protect her only as long as she stays inside and they stay out."

"You have a plan," Henry said, eyeing him shrewdly.

"Half a plan," Lestalric said, glancing at Adela. "We'll take your tilt-cart, Henry, for it is not well known yet. Tell your man to drive past your house if I signal him or if he sees any sign of Fife's people. In either event, he is to drive straight into the sanctuary part of the abbey kirkyard."

Adela was surprised when neither Isabella nor Lady Clendenen objected to her riding with Lestalric in Henry's cart. The intimacy of its close interior made her unusually aware of him. She could smell the light, pleasant scent of rosemary or something akin to it either wafting from his clothing or his skin. As they passed beneath the heavy iron portcullis, she asked how his shoulder felt, expecting him to say, as most men of her acquaintance would, that he was fine.

Instead, he said, "It hurts like the devil. But Isabella smoothed one of her potions on it earlier and gave me something to drink that eased the pain until people began crashing into me. I'll do, though, and I've something important to say to you, so listen carefully, lass."

"What is it?" she asked, astonished again at how easy it was to be with him and talk with him, as if they had grown up together and had always talked so. To be sure, he had deceived her and she loathed deceit, but even with what little she knew about him, she had already acquitted him of any malice in what he had done.

He was silent for a long moment, clearly gathering his thoughts. Then, with a glance at the driver, he said quietly, "I've been thinking there must be more to this business than we know, that somehow you have become part of it. I can imagine no other reason for the accusations made against you tonight or for the rumors about you that pervade the court."

"His grace did not mention them."

"I doubt he knows. 'Tis Fife who controls the King rather than the King who controls Scotland. Fife holds no office that allows it, but that does not stop him, and his grace seems weaker each time we see him. Naught will change when Carrick takes the throne, either, because Fife will rule him as easily. Do you know Fife will be the coroner—the man who crowns Carrick—when his grace dies?"

"How can that be?"

"Because it has long been the right of the MacDuff of Fife to set the crown on the King of Scots' head. And whilst Fife is not a MacDuff, he claims the right of coroner through his marriage to the last MacDuff's wife. We're nearing St. Giles now," he added. "Sinclair House lies just beyond, so try not to let anyone near us see your face. I doubt that Fife's men will look twice at this cart, since it would be unlikely to carry any man and woman who are not married."

"Why are we going to the abbey?"

He took a deep breath, his gaze still fixed on the passing scenery outside the coach. "If Fife means to make trouble for you, I can think of only one reason for it. He hopes to get to someone or something else through you."

"To you?"

"To me or to the Sinclairs," he said. "As Lady Clendenen said, I have shown an interest in you. Anyone can tell that we have a bond between us greater than that of a man and woman who apparently met so recently. Even if that were not so, everyone seems to know about your recent ordeals."

"My abduction and Ardelve's death, you mean. But what of it?"

"It makes you more vulnerable, lass," he said gently. "A man like Fife would see that vulnerability and know that those who care about you would exert themselves to protect you. They might even reveal all they know to do so."

"I … I see."

She didn't, though, not until he said, "Waldron of Edgelaw may have shared his thoughts with others of his ilk, or with someone whose power he hoped might aid him. If he did not, his successor or successors may have done so."

The pieces fell into place. "So they may be after the treasure," she said.

Rob had not been sure that she had ever heard about the treasure or that, if she had, she had remembered it after recovering from her ordeal. But he dared not discuss it now, with the driver so near.

As he had half expected, men awaited them outside Sinclair House, but it was as much to give himself time to think as for any other reason that he leaned forward and said firmly, "Drive on, man."

The horses picked up the pace as he told her glibly about the waiting men.

"Are we truly going to seek sanctuary at the abbey?" she asked.

"We'll see what transpires," he said. "I do have another idea, though."

"What?"

"It is no longer safe here for you," he said. "So you must make another choice for yourself. The same possibilities exist. You can go home to your father's house, seek asylum with your good-son at Loch Alsh, or you may choose to remain at Roslin with the countess, Michael, and Isobel."

"Or?" she said with an anticipatory look that told him she knew he had something else in mind and was curious to know what it was.

"Or you could marry me and let me protect you," he said more calmly than he had imagined he could say the words. An imp in his mind muttered that at least it should divert her from thoughts of the treasure.

Silence fell again, but heavy tension filled the air between them. In the dim glow of ambient torchlight from torches outside the houses lining the Canongate, he could see her chewing her lower lip.

Gently, he said, "Well?"

"Mercy, sir, you cannot mean that." Her voice sounded loud, and hoarse.

His heart pounded. "I always mean what I say."

"But so soon! You hardly know me, and my husband …"

"Ardelve is dead and cannot protect you. I am alive and I can."

"But others can, too, and you cannot possibly want to marry me."

His throat tightened as he realized that he did want her, more than he had ever wanted anything in his life— except, possibly, as a lad, his knighthood. He'd thought, all those years ago, that losing Ellen Douglas had devastated him, but he realized now that it was not the losing but the manner in which he had lost her.

Until that day, he had believed his father cared enough about him to take pride in his knighthood even if Will would not. That Sir Ian, aware that he wanted Ellen, could so callously arrange to marry Will to her instead had felt like base betrayal. That they could taunt him with that decision, even suggest that Sir Ian might change his mind if Rob would part with his secrets had only made it worse.

Able to say none of that to Adela but knowing he must say something or she would certainly believe he didn't want her, he said, "More to the point, lass, could you find it in yourself to want to marry me?"

She was silent.

Her profile was lovely but stiff and strained. He wanted to see her face, her expression, to judge what she might be thinking.

"Adela? Prithee, lass, look at me."

She turned then, looked straight into his eyes as if she studied him, as if she would peer into his soul.

He gazed back more confidently. She had not rejected his suggestion outright. Perhaps …

"I do not know what you may have heard about me," she said.

"I ken fine that those rumors are false," he said.

"Not about the rumors, about me. My sisters talk, I know, because … well, because they do, that's all. I know they believed—" She stopped. "Nay, what they believed of me was true, and I should not make it sound as if it were not."

"What was true?"

"That I married Ardelve for comfort and expediency," she said, licking her lips. "Moreover, I ken fine that you would rather marry Lady Ellen."

He grinned, glad he could speak the unvarnished truth to her, and said with deep sincerity, "Not if every other woman in the world were to vanish overnight."

A gurgle of laughter escaped her. "What a thing to say!"

He put his right hand over her left. "Lass, truly, you should learn that I rarely say things I do not mean. But we are nearing the abbey gates. As you have not said you do not want to marry me, may I at least hope that you will?"

"Mercy, sir, if we are to speak plainly, I married Ardelve because I was tired of managing my father's household, tired of trying to manage sisters who flouted my authority. Sorcha never even acknowledged that I had any! And because my father wanted to marry Lady Clendenen, who had sworn she would not set foot in the place until I had married. So I accepted him because he offered me a comfortable home and promised he would require little of me in return."

"But I would require much in return," he said, still gazing into her eyes.

"Would you?"

"I would."

Her pupils were so large that her eyes looked black with gold flecks from reflected torchlight. She licked her lips again, making his body leap in response.

"Then if you really mean it, I think I will say yes," she said.

"You won't mind if our wedding is a hasty one?"

This time her smile was wry, and as the cart came to a stop in the kirkyard, she said, "I'm not good at weddings, sir, so the hastier, the better."

The Earl of Fife was annoyed and in no mood for confrontation. But the man who had brought the lady Adela to his attention had come to him in the Spartan chamber he used to conduct business at the Castle and dared to question his actions.

Having silenced him with an angry command, Fife said, "I told you not to come to me unless I sent for you, Chevalier. To be seen together like this would do neither of us any good."

"Doubtless you are right, my lord," de Gredin said, eyeing him warily. "But I do not understand this course you have set."

"It is not for you to understand my actions, sirrah," Fife retorted coldly.

"I had no objection to your ordering Lestalric shot," de Gredin said. "Faith, I'd not have cared if you'd killed him. But what can you hope to gain by accusing the lady Adela of poisoning Ardelve? I thought we had agreed that our best course was for me to win her confidence. I shall do so, I assure you, for even Cousin Ealga seems inclined to support such an endeavor."

"Your cousin Ealga is so distant a kinswoman that you cannot hope to influence her more than the Countess Isabella can, and I've seen no indication that Isabella favors you," Fife snapped. "My methods will gain the information we seek far more swiftly."

"But we both know perfectly well that her ladyship did not poison Ardelve," de Gredin protested.

"Others will have suspected as much straightaway, however," Fife assured him. "I merely took advantage of human nature by whispering the possibility into an ear or two. As to evidence, you can supply that with your testimony."

"I suppose you have reason to believe I'd testify if it became necessary."

Fife sneered. "We both seek the same goal, do we not, mon ami?"