Page 71 of The Refuge

Colbán, who had kept his eyes turned on his trencher, looked up. “’Twas my duty, my lady, and I was most happy to do it. Your father is a worthy leader of men. If I could have prevented the wound he received, I would have.”

Audra’s gentle eyes lingered long on the captain, who seemed unaware of her regard, and fell again to eating. Those two, Steinar thought, were as much a contrast as Malcolm and his queen.

Taking a drink of his wine, Steinar idly regarded the others sitting around the table. When he came to the queen, he paused. Margaret had grown tired from their journey; every now and then her eyelids drooped. He was unsurprised when she declined a honeyed cake, took a last sip of her wine and rose to retire.

Steinar and Colbán, along with the steward and the men of the guard, stood and bowed to the queen.

Catrìona and Audra quickly followed their mistress and the three women ascended the stairs. The guards who had the first watch of the night dispersed to their posts and the rest retired to their pallets.

After a brief discussion regarding the next day’s travel, Steinar and Colbán thanked the steward, bid him good night and repaired to their chamber.

’Twas not unlike the chamber Steinar shared with Rhodri in the king’s tower, small but adequate. As he and the king’s captain undressed for bed, Steinar commented on trivial events from their day’s journey. He received only grunts in reply. Colbán was a man of few words, making Steinar miss Rhodri’s glib speech. Very quickly, the candle was snuffed.

Sleep came easily to Steinar that night, for the manor was quiet. Even the muted sounds of the night, to which his ears were finely attuned, finally died to silence.

Mayhap it was because he was so aware of her that Steinar’s ears pricked the instant he heard the muted scream. Catrìona.

Leaping from his bed, not even taking time to don his tunic over his hosen in which he had slept, he ran bare-chested to her chamber door, listening outside the wooden panel. When another scream sounded, he threw open the door and raced to her side.

Still in the throes of the night terror, she tossed beneath the cover. Easing himself down on the edge of the bed, he pulled her into his arms and pressed her head to his chest. “’Tis all right, little one. You are safe.”

In the bed next to Catrìona’s, Audra, roused from sleep by his words, sat up and lit a candle. “What has happened?”

“She has dreams of the attack on her home,” he said while rocking Catrìona, whose moan told him she was slowing coming awake.

“I remember some of the ladies speak of it,” said Audra. “Poor lass. Can I help?”

“Nay, it will pass, I think.”

He knew the minute Catrìona was awake because her arms tightened around his waist. He pressed his palm to the side of her head, resting against his chest. “’Tis me, little one.”

Still breathing hard, she said, “Steinar, it was… oh, my God. I saw him. The one who killed my father. I saw him!” She trembled in his arms.

Smoothing the damp tendrils of hair from her face, he said, “Do not think of it. The dream is over and he cannot harm you.”

“I will get her some water,” said Audra, rising from her bed to don a robe over her undertunic.

When the wooden cup appeared before him, he held it to Catrìona’s lips.

She took it and drank. “Thank you.”

When she finished, he set the cup aside and was just laying Catrìona down on her pillow when Colbán appeared at the open door. In the candle’s faint light, Steinar could see the scowl on the captain’s face. Servants carrying candles and some of the king’s guard, their weapons drawn, crowded behind him.

“What goes here?” Colbán demanded in a harsh tone. “Why are you in the ladies’ chamber, Scribe?”

Inwardly, Steinar shrugged.

Audra went to the angry captain. Placing her palm on Colbán’s chest, she spoke softly. “’Tis all right, my lord. Catrìona had a bad dream and Steinar came when he heard her scream. She has suffered such dreams before.”

The captain appeared to calm at her words and sent the servants and other guards away. “Why does she have such dreams?” he asked shortly, a frown still marring his forehead.

Steinar squeezed Catrìona’s hand and rose from the bed, walking to where Colbán stood next to Audra. “Let us return to our chamber and allow the ladies to sleep. I will answer your questions on the way.”

With a rueful glance in Catrìona’s direction, Colbán bowed. “I bid you ladies a good night.”

* * *

The next morning, Catrìona and Audra followed Margaret to a nearby copse of trees where they knelt in prayer, watched over by the king’s guard. When they had finished, Margaret took some time to read her Gospels before they returned to the manor to break their fast.