Page 6 of Laird of Steel
She narrowed sly eyes. “Since you’re missingseverallucrative spring tournaments to be here.”
He sighed. She was right.
“I’m…biding time,” he told her.
“Biding time?” She laughed. “You? When have you ever been willing to idle away hours you could be fighting?”
She was a fine one to tease him about fighting. She’d spent most of her childhood at the heels of her mother’s ancient instructor Sung Li, practicing combat from the Orient.
Now, however, as the lady of a castle, Feiyan was more concerned with keeping the peace. Beside the courtyard well, a pair of wee lads clouted each other with sticks. She barked their names sharply. Sent them away in opposite directions.
Without missing a step, she asked, “So why do you need to bide time?”
Gellir supposed there was no point in beating around the bush. He muttered under his breath, “The king may be hunting down a bride for me.”
“What?” Feiyan stopped abruptly. She faced him with raised brows that quickly lowered in a frown. “Wait. That’s abadthing? You don’twanta bride?”
“Of course I want a bride.” He moved out of the way as a woman herded a flock of geese past them. “Just…not now.”
Feiyan gave him a look that would freeze mist. “Gellir. You’re one and twenty. You’re a man of means. From a clan loyal to the crown. How long did you expect the king to wait?”
“’Tisn’t that.”
“Then what is it?”
Gellir scanned the courtyard for gossips. When he was sure no one was listening, he confided in a murmur, “I’m sure you know King Malcolm has been rather… friendly… with the English of late.”
She nodded and arched a disapproving brow. “He’s ceded a good deal of Scottish land to Henry.”
“And aided the English against the French.”
“The siege at Toulouse.”
“Aye.”
Gellir scowled. For once, he was grateful the Rivenloch clan was currently defending the border. Not fighting alongside the king. The Rivenlochs were loyal subjects, to be sure. But for King Malcolm to join forces with England, their arch enemy, against their long-time ally France? It was ill-conceived and dangerous.
There were some who claimed the king had formed the alliance purely for vanity. Young Malcolm liked to brag about the fact he’d been knighted at Toulouse last spring by King Henry himself.
“What does this have to do with you?” Feiyan asked.
“The king may be looking to strengthen that alliance.”
“Strengthen it?”
“With marriages.”
She gasped in realization. “He might wed you to an Englishwoman?”
He nodded.
She let out a slow whistle. “’Twould be a travesty. The Rivenlochs have held the English at bay for generations. Protecting Scotland and the crown.”
“Exactly.”
“A Sassenach wife,” she said with a shudder. “We can’t allow that. You’ll hide here at Darragh.”
Gellir scowled.Hidingwas exactly what it felt like. A shameful, cowardly act. He didn’t like it one bit. But under the circumstances, he couldn’t afford to call undue attention to himself.
