Chapter One
Along the Scottish border
Late Summer 1349
“Ye have my thanks fer the extra apples.”
“Oh?” the vendor’s daughter lamented. “Do ye have to go so soon?”
He lifted his hand to her as he turned to walk away. “Another time, mayhap.”
“Yer name, at least, Sir,” she reached out to seize him.
He turned and set his dimpled smile on her. “Captain MacPherson.”
She looked unsteady, so he offered her support with one hand on her elbow.
“Captain!” the voice of one of his men rang out.
“Ah, alas,” he said, his smile waning. He patted her arm. “I must go.”
She nodded and finally released him.
He set out toward Cormac MacInnes, his scowling second in command and best friend, who was shaking his head at him. “Can we not go anyplace where there are lasses who are not willin’ to give up their goods to ye?”
Galeren tossed his new bag of apples over his shoulder and smiled. “Mac, ye would have me give up free food?” He tugged on the heavy belt that hung low on his hips. “These are large peaches in my pouch.”
Mac furrowed his brows at him as if he’d just announced that he’d been infected by the plague. Mac’s displeasure wasn’t an unusual expression to find on his scarred face. He was normally a grisly, grumbling bastard who could make a man shyte his breeches with one of his dark glances. His friends knew him to be fiercely loyal and just a little off in the head. Galeren knew Mac longer than he knew the other three. They had arrived at King David’s court together nine years ago and had remained friends ever since.
William of Lorn threw up his arms and laughed joining them. “Cap, yer peaches are swollen because ye have been chaste fer too long.”
Galeren shoved his hand into the pouch and pulled out a large peach, then bit into it. “My six years is over in less than a month. Dinna worry,” he said as they picked up Morgann Bell and Padrig the Giant on the way to the public stable. “Yer six-month vow will be over next month as well.”
William laughed some more. “Too late fer the innkeeper’s daughter back there.”
“Who says she would have ye,” Mac chimed in.
“Aye,” the others agreed and ignored him when William began to protest. He might be the greatest archer ever to carry a quiver, but he was also the one always looking to keep things rowdy, usually at their expense.
“She liked me well enough,” William told them with a careless smirk that sparked his amber-colored eyes. “It went no further than that.”
“Why should we believe ye?” Giant Padrig gave Will a shove and sent him three steps forward. The others laughed. Mac didn’t.
“I best not discover ye broke the vow,” the scared-face Scot warned with menace in his voice. “Ye were late in meetin’ up with us here. Who were ye with?”
Will laughed.
“Ye know how important the vow is to our captain,” Morgann said somberly, as he said most things. He glanced at Galeren, who nodded in agreement.
“’Tis more than important,” Padrig took another swipe at Will, who leaped out of the way. “’Tis the law of King David.”
“Aye, he wants his men to follow David’s example from scripture,” Morgann was quick to point out.
“Dinna forget what ye heard here, Will,” Mac warned. “We havena lost a limb or a life in nine years. If ye—”
“Dinna be dull-witted, Mac,” Will teased. “If I had broken the vow and had my way with her, ye would have heard her cryin’ oot in delight from yer lonely bed.”
He took off running for the horses when Mac leaped at him.
Galeren laughed watching them then reached his horse and unloaded his bags.
“On a more serious note,” Morgann said, coming close to him, “how long d’ye think ’twill be before we have delivered this…novice back to Bamburgh and can take a rest from travel fer a while?”
Galeren saw Padrig leaning in to hear the answer. Galeren understood. They were all in need of a soft body in their beds.
“We should reach Bamburgh and the priory in two days. That brings to mind somethin’ I wanted to discuss with all of ye.” He waited until Mac and Will reached them and then continued. “We are goin’ to a priory. We will behave with dignity. The high steward trusts us to see to the safety of his niece. She is verra important to him.” But for the wrong reasons, he wanted to tell them.
Galeren had heard of her for years—she