did little to ease his disquiet. He had not meant to begin his explanation with the battle.
To gain time, he said, “What makes you think that?”
She cocked her head. “You are called Fin of the Battles, are you not? And both of you are knights. Moreover, you said that the place and time precluded your learning each other’s true names. What is more likely than that you met in battle?”
Resigned, he said, “We did meet in battle, aye, at the end of it to be precise.”
“Faith, did you fight each other?”
“We did not.”
“But if you were fighting on the same side, then surely—”
“We were not on the same side,” he said. “Let us walk farther from the castle, lass. If we are going to fratch over this, I’d liefer not do it before an audience of your father’s men on that wall.”
“Are we likely to fratch?”
“I don’t know. You will decide that.”
She nodded, and they walked in silence until they reached the woodland.
Then he said, “Since you apparently forgot to bring your maidservant, should we stop where they can still see us, or may we enter the woods?”
“We can go into the woods,” she said. “My grandfather trusts you, and I expect my father has decided to trust you, too. Sithee, the guard at the gate told me that despite the extra men at the castle, I would be safe out here with you.”
“Did he, in troth?”
Nodding again, she led the way into the woods and along the path they had taken before. As they walked, he wondered what sort of game the Mackintosh and Shaw might be playing that they would allow him such liberty with her. Did they put so much faith in the truce between the two confederations?
That they trusted him at all was disconcerting, since the Mackintosh knew his identity and had surely told Shaw at the first opportunity. In Fin’s experience, other people’s trust often created a strong and, at times, even burdensome sense of responsibility. In light of the dilemma he had long carried, however, such trust from the Mackintosh men would, he knew, be a heavier burden than usual.
When he and Catriona came to the old raft leaning against the tree, she stopped and faced him. “Now, sir, prithee explain yourself.”
He raised his eyebrows, but she met the look steadily.
“Shall we sit?” he asked, gesturing toward a fallen tree with a trunk thick enough to let them both sit easily.
“Just tell me when and where you and Ivor met.”
“Nay, now. I’ll tell you, but I’ll tell it in my own way. By my troth, I meant to tell you, in any event. ’Tis the reason that I asked you to walk with me today.”
“It is?” She eyed him narrowly. “That is the reason?”
He returned her look with one of his own. “Sakes, what else did you think? I told you I’d explain it when I could, that I just needed to talk more with Ivor first.”
“Some might think that you two just needed to get your story straight.”
“Might they? Then I am glad that you do not number amongst them.”
“What makes you think I do not?”
“People who leap to such conclusions are usually not trustworthy themselves, lass. Since you insist that you are entirely trust—”
“Enough, sir. I should not have said what I did. I just did not want to tell you what I’d thought. But neither will I let you divert me further from the point.”
“Aye, well, I won’t press you then,” he said. “But I do think that we will be more comfortable if we sit.”
“I don’t want you to be comfortable. I want to know.”
“Aye, well…” He paused. “Sithee, the Bishop of St. Andrews—”
“Bishop Traill.”
“Aye. He taught us more than our numbers and letters.”
“You told me that. He and his minions also taught you weaponry.”
“Aye, and tactics of war from Roman times onward. But more than any of that, he taught us the great and lasting value of strong friendships.”
“Such as the friendship that you have with Ivor?”
“Aye,” he said and saw her relax as he said it. “Now sit, lass, do. I’ll tell you what you want to know, but I can tell it more easily—aye, and more clearly, too—if you do not quiz me or eye me like a wildcat about to seize its prey.”
She chuckled then and moved to sit at the far end of the log, where she could lean against an upturned limb. As she did, she said, “I’m thinking this may have to do