Susan King - [Celtic Nights 01] Read Online Free PDF Page B

her eyes with tears. She blinked as she followed the knight up the sloping path that led away from the tower. Dunfermline Abbey crowned the top of the hill, golden stone and twin towers gleaming in the sun.
    She walked so fast that she tripped on the embroidered hem of her dark blue skirt, and had to stop. Autumn leaves cluttered the gown's long train. Grabbing a fistful of the soft woolen fabric, she shook it with more temper than grace.
    "Easy, my lady." The knight bent to brush at the leaves. "You will ruin your gown."
    She smoothed her skirt more gently. Although she rarely wore the gown of midnight blue wool with its embroidered hem of golden thread, it was the most exquisite garment she had ever owned. "My kinfolk said wearing this would help my plea in court," she grumbled. "'Twas useless."
    "A pretty plea, nonetheless," he said, "and a pretty gown."
    She sent him a sour look. His smile was fleeting but genuine. Warm. She looked away and adjusted her plaid arisaid draped over her shoulders and belted at the waist.
    "That patterned cloth is a fine weave," he said.
    "'Twas made by a kinswoman," she said. "She weaves good woolen plaids, warm and lightweight and much sought after. We are accustomed to simple clothing in the Highlands, but we are not the savages you think, sirrah. My father had this gown made for me in Glasgow. He thought to see me wed in it. Instead, I wore it to pay homage for his lands," she added sadly.
    "Your father would have been proud of you this day," he murmured in Gaelic. His quick use of that language felt comforting, like a caress. For a moment she softened toward him. Then she turned abruptly to resume walking.
    "Not many Normans speak Gaelic," she said.
    "I took the time to learn it. When I act on behalf of the crown, it is useful. Your English is well spoken."
    "My father insisted that my brothers and I learn it, so our priest taught us. Father Padruig says most foreigners think Gaelic is harsh and barbaric. But it is the tongue of bards and poets. It is like music."
    "When some speak it," he murmured, "it is indeed."
    She felt the heat of a blush. "I have never conversed with a privileged knight before, in English or in Gaelic."
    "Not so privileged as you might think, my lady."
    She frowned, puzzled. His armor and weapon were costly, and his dark green surcoat was trimmed in silver thread. He radiated confidence, authority, intelligence, and controlled power. Norman privilege was in his very blood. "My foster brother and I heard that the king's foreign honor guard is highly regarded at court and favored by the king."
    "We were assigned to the Scottish court by our liege lord, Duke Conan of Brittany. 'Tis an honor to serve King William."
    "Is that chivalric humility, sirrah? I have heard of the vows of virtue that foreign knights take."
    "We try to honor our knightly vows. Though few would call me humble, my lady," he said wryly.
    She tipped her head to look at him with curiosity. "When the king spoke of sending you to Kinlochan, you showed courtesy, but you grew tense, as if you were much displeased. Or was it merely your eagerness to obtain Scottish land that made you grip my arm so quick and hard?"
    He narrowed his eyes, the scarred brow tugging down. His irises were gray and cool, but she saw a hot spark there. "The king made no true offer to me. You fret over naught."
    "I do not fret," she snapped. Her frustrations and fears, stoked by her audience with the king, kept her temper close to the surface. "But I will have much to fret about if he sends you—or any of your comrades—there!"
    "There is no king's writ on this yet. Be calm."
    "I have been calm, and for naught. Now I must wait while the king chooses me a Norman husband. My kinfolk expect a Celtic hero to save our clan! Now I must tell them that I failed!"
    "You tried your best. If the king sends men there, he does it to ensure peace."
    "Peace! There will be more war if he sends Normans!"
    "You did ask for the king's assistance,"