He didn’t care if Mary birthed a toad, he would kill Helen for her finch-brained madness. He glared at the nervous sentry. “Did you know about this?”
“T-to what are you referring, m’laird?” Samuel asked with all color draining from his face.
“Did you know Lady Helen applied to the Pope for an annulment?”
“L-lady Helen did that?”
“No, you dull-witted imbecile. She requested to be interred as a saint.” Aleck marched up to the soldier and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
“I-I’ve been trying to tell you…” Samuel shot a panicked look to the monk. “Lady Helen escaped three months ago.”
“Excuse me? My wife escaped three months past and this is the first I’ve heard of it? Why in God’s name did I not receive a missive with such disturbing news?” Aleck shook the guard and pushed him away.
Samuel stumbled. “I—”
The monk hastened across the floor. “In using the term ‘escaped’, I can think of nothing else but you were holding your, now annulled wife, prisoner?” The man crossed himself as though he’d uttered blasphemy.
Aleck glared. If he weren’t a holy emissary in the service of the Pope, he’d run the dull-witted swine through. “You, sir, should mind your own affairs.” He pointed in the direction of the sea gate. “You’ve delivered your missive, now be gone with you.”
“Very well, but first I require your signature and seal to recognize your marriage has been dissolved in the eyes of God, and you henceforth have no claim over the Lady Helen of Glenorchy.”
With his nostrils flaring, Aleck drew his dirk from his belt. “I will acknowledge no such thing and I shall cut your tongue out for uttering such ungodly accusations. In fact, I deem your missive a forgery of the most disturbing nature.”
The cleric drew back. “I assure you, I am in the services of His Holiness, Pope Alexander VI, and any actions against me will be considered an act against the Pontiff, the church, and Almighty God himself!”
Aleck raised his dirk and lunged. “Be gone with you afore I make good my threat.”
The monk hastened to the door. “You will be severely punished for this come the Day of Judgment.”
With a bellowing roar, Aleck started after the bumbling magpie.
Some errant cur grabbed his arm and stopped him. Blindly, MacIain reeled around with a fist.
Sir Grant blocked the blow and clamped his fingers tighter around Aleck’s wrist, making the dirk drop to the floorboards. “All your good deeds will be for naught if the king hears you’ve attacked a Benedictine monk who delivered a document from the Pope.”
Aleck jerked his arm away and rubbed it. “I’d like to wrestle that bastard to the floor and cut out his tongue.”
“Aye, and I’m sure you’d do it to any other man,” Grant said. The damned henchman always had a way with words.
Aleck shook his head. Though he’d never admit it aloud, he knew full well Helen’s brother, John, was the Bishop of the Isles and wielded the power to secure her annulment. He should have seen this coming. Leaving her here with a handful of worthless guards would have only served to empower her to persuade them to assist her.
He pointed to Grant. “Bring the old guards to me. I will discover where she’s fled, even if I have to hang every last one.”
The henchman eyes flickered sidewise. “Straight away, m’laird.”
Aleck sauntered forward. “Loyalty before family, aye, Grant?”
“As you’ve taught, sir. Loyalty before family.”
“I shall have words with your mother as well.”
“Aye, m’laird.” Grant turned and nodded to the guards flanking him. “Assemble the men in the great hall. I’ll fetch my ma.”
Aleck slapped the flat side of his dirk in his palm. “If I find anyone in my service has withheld information from me, they will endure a slow and painful death.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
None of the Aleck’s men knew a goddamn thing about Helen’s whereabouts. No one saw or heard a thing. The only nugget of information that could be of any help at all was that Mr. Keith had turned backstabber. He was gone and there was little doubt he’d been the culprit who’d helped her.
Sitting with his elbow on the armrest, Aleck balanced his chin on his fist and watched Grant usher his mother forward. Aleck could bet the old crow knew something, even though she made a good show of wringing her hands and appearing distraught.
When they reached the foot of the dais, Grant stepped away and left Glenda standing alone with her hands tightly clasped