What she remembered most were the cruel words John Fitz Gilbert had shouted down to Stephen when the king reminded him of John of his son, William, who would bear the punishment of his father’s defiance and betrayal. “Go ahead and kill him. I have hammer and anvil with which to forge even stronger sons.”
It was obvious Sin’s father had been of a like mindset. How horrible for him. Her own father would have killed any man who even looked askance at one of his children.
Simon caught one of the wooden knights as it flew through the air and handed it back to Jamie who whooped and howled at his game.
“Tell me, Simon, is there a lady Lord Sin fancies?”
Simon shook his head as he returned to her side. “He keeps his own company. He learned long ago to trust no one. Not even a woman.”
“Meaning?”
“He has many enemies at court. Including some who would gladly kill him if the opportunity ever presented itself. Women as well as men.”
Callie couldn’t imagine living a life where no one could be trusted. It defied her abilities to imagine such a lonely world. “And he has no friends?”
“He has me and King Henry.”
“Nay, Simon. He just has you.”
Simon frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“If Henry were really his friend, he wouldn’t ask Sin to venture into an unfriendly country where he would be even less welcome than he is here.”
Simon gave her an appreciative look. “True enough, milady.”
Simon excused himself and took Jamie out to play before the lad destroyed the room.
Seating herself at her dressing table, Callie tried to think what she should do. Part of her knew it was the worst sort of foolishness to bring an Englishman into her clan and yet another part of her was fascinated by Lord Sin and the possibility that he could be the bridge between her clan and the English.
She was well past the age of marriage. She’d been promised years ago to a man who had died of illness less than a year before their wedding. She’d spent two years mourning him. Just as she reached the end of that period, her father had died. Since then, she had been too occupied with the problems of her clan and the unknown rebels to even think about a husband.
How she wished Morna was here. Jamie’s mother was good at thinking through matters such as these. She would help her decide what was best.
But then Callie knew the answer in her heart. She had to get home before the rebels or her uncle attacked the English to get her back. Her uncle Aster wouldn’t rest until she and Jamie were home and there was no telling how many of her clan would perish in that foolishness.
If Sin kept his word and left his men behind, then perhaps there could be peace. Perhaps the men of her clan could see the English weren’t so terribly bad. Of course, from what she’d seen some of them were demons incarnate, but then even some of her precious Scots could be a bit mean as well.
Oh what was she to do?
Her head ached as thoughts and doubts chased each other around.
The door to her room opened. Callie looked up to find Aelfa standing pale in the doorway, wringing her hands. Though they hadn’t known each other all that long, the lass had come to mean a great deal to Callie. Aelfa had been her only friend and confidant these weeks past, and had aided her in ways that would have the tiny woman beaten if anyone ever learned of it.
Now the dear soul looked as if she’d seen the devil himself on her heels.
“Aelfa, what is it?”
She moved forward, biting her lip and twisting her wide sleeve in her hands. “Oh, milady, I just be hearing something awful, I have and I know not who to tell or what to do about it. Maybe I should just forget what I heard. Aye, forget it.” She looked around a bit wild as she nodded in silent agreement with whatever words were in her head.
Aelfa froze and her large brown eyes widened even more. “But if I do and he dies, then I would be responsible. God might not forgive that. Would it make me an accomplice? Aye, I think it would. The king, himself, might want me dead for that one. Oh Lord, I’m too young to die. I haven’t even a husband yet nor children. I don’t want to die yet. Nay!”
Callie pressed her fingers to her temple in an effort to follow the woman’s prattle. She took Aelfa’s arm in a gentle grasp and tried to get the lass to calm a bit and explain what had her so distraught. “Aelfa, what exactly did you hear?”
“Men talking in a room down the stairs.”
Now that, unlike her previous monologue, made sense. “What were they saying?”
The lass crossed herself, her eyes turning wild again. “They said they were going to kill Lord Sin tonight so that one of them could marry you for your lands. He said he’d be teaching them … beg your pardon, milady, them Highland dogs how to mind their betters, and that he would train the, beg pardon again, Scots bitch to heel.”
