“She is adorable,” Lady Linet said.
“She is.” And Emma would miss her when she left. Somber, she turned, followed the countess up the turret steps. With each one her sense of regret deepened. This would be the last time she saw Patrik.
A tall, muscled man descended the stairs above. Brown hair secured at the nape of his neck framed a hard face and brown eyes that sparked with intelligence. Why did he seem familiar? Her blood turned to ice.
God in heaven, the Baron of Monceaux!
Cristina stumbled.
Lord Monceaux caught her. “Be careful, my lady.”
Panic stormed her.Please God, do not recognize me.“My regrets, I was clumsy.”
He frowned, his eyes studying her curiously.
“Griffin,” Lady Linet said. “You have not yet met Mistress Cristina. She arrived with Patrik. Mistress Cristina, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Baron of Monceaux. He is Lady Nichola’s brother.”
He gave her a half bow. “’Tis my pleasure to meet you.”
“As mine, my lord.” What was King Edward’s advisor to Scotland doing within a rebel stronghold? More important, did King Edward realize one of his most trusted advisors held rebel ties? Was he the man who sent the writs? No, it made little sense as he often traveled to Scotland himself.
The baron frowned. “Have we met?”
“Not that I can recall.” Not formally, Emma silently amended. But she’d seen him from a distance, admired his ability to calm heated tempers. With his sharp mind, he would soon place her.
“We are on our way to see Patrik,” Lady Linet said.
“Be warned,” the baron said, “he is ornery as a bear, proof he is indeed healing.”
Lady Linet’s face softened. “Glad I am to hear it.” She glanced at Emma. “Let us go.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Lord Monceaux said.
“As you, my lord.” With a curtsy, Emma hurried after Lady Linet, grateful for a catastrophe avoided.
At the second floor, she peered up the stairs. “Whose chamber sits at the top of the turret?”
Curiosity flickered upon Lady Linet’s face. “The brothers’ grandmother. The room is amazing, is it not?”
So her husband had informed her of Emma’s visit. “It is, but . . .”
“What?”
Emma shrugged. “It matters not.”
“Please, I would be interested to hear.”
Unsure why, Emma found herself wanting to share her experience with Lady Linet. “Never have I felt such acceptance, a sense of peace, but it is unnerving as well.”
Warmth touched Lady Linet’s face. “The chamber made me feel the same.”
Images flickered through Emma’s mind. “The fairies upon the ceiling, they are wondrous, a match to those upon the tapestry. Were they made at the same time as the tapestries hanging in the turret?”
Lady Linet’s brows lifted with surprise. “They were. I am surprised you noticed.” She turned toward the corridor. “Come, I am sure Patrik wishes to see you.”
Emma followed, mulling over what they’d discussed. Somehow, her experience within their grandmother’s chamber had changed Lady Linet’s feelings toward her, which made little sense. ’Twould seem the more she learned about the MacGruders, the more perplexed she became.
They walked down the corridor. Two doors past where Emma had slept, Lady Linet halted, opened the door.
