Annys nodded and then politely excused herself. It was early to turn in for the night but she needed some time alone. Seeing Sir Harcourt again, realizing he could still stir a fire in her blood, and discovering that someone could have murdered David was all she could bear for now. She needed time to just be alone, to think about it all, and sort through her confused emotions.
It was not until she entered her bedchamber that she realized Joan had followed her. Annys told herself she had no reason to be surprised by that. The woman did act as her maid after all. Yet she had taken no notice of Joan falling into step behind her. She said nothing as Joan helped her prepare for bed. Sitting still before a fire while Joan brushed out her hair worked to ease a lot of the knots in her belly, however, and Annys was soon glad the woman had followed her.
“Dinnae let it prey on you, m’lady,” Joan said as she sat down beside Annys.
“I dinnae want it to but I am nay sure I can stop it.” Annys stood and moved to her bed, sitting on the edge so that Joan could lightly braid her hair for the night. “So much has happened today. Mayhap it is just that I am unaccustomed to so many disturbances in my life.”
Joan laughed softly. “Weel, six verra handsome men coming in answer to your request for aid is certainly disturbing. It would be to any lass with blood in her veins.”
“True and it will be verra hard to keep the maids in hand while they are here.” She looked at Joan. “But ye ken why I find one of them more disturbing than all the others, aye?”
“He is as handsome as he was all those years ago.”
“And looks so verra much like Benet.”
“Only if ye ken to look for it.” She patted Annys’s arm when she saw the woman’s look of doubt. “Truly. Our laird had black hair and brown eyes. And ye have that touch of gold in your eyes. Any other features that may match Sir Harcourt’s willnae show for many a year yet. But, in truth, there is a strong similarity betwixt him and our poor laird. The mon is just bigger, stronger, than Sir David e’er was.”
“Are ye just saying such things to ease my worries?”
“Nay. ’Tis the truth. Only if ye ken what we do can ye look and see it. If ye dinnae ken that he bred the lad, weel, then it isnae so clear to see.”
Annys sighed in relief. “Good. That is a trouble I dinnae need.”
“Nay, ye have enough to deal with now. I think ye should write to Sir Adam’s sire and tell him what that fool son of his is doing.”
When Joan stood up, Annys settled herself in her bed as she thought over that suggestion. “And how can I be certain his father isnae the one prodding him to do this?”
“Ye will ken it by what the mon says in reply.”
“Ah, there is that. It cannae make matters any worse, I suspect. I will think on what to say. Sleep weel, Joan. I forsee a verra busy time ahead for us.”
“If only because we have six big knights to feed and tend to.”
Annys laughed softly and made herself more comfortable in her bed as Joan left. She thought on Sir Callum’s suggestion that poison may have caused her husband’s death, unable to banish the thought as she wished to. Having spent so many years at Glencullaich she found it hard to believe that anyone would hurt David. She did not even understand why Sir Adam would have done such a thing for it was not enough to place Glencullaich in his hands. There was still Benet standing between him and the laird’s seat.
That thought chilled her to the bone. If she accepted, or even proved, that David had been murdered, then her child was in terrible danger. If Sir Adam could get to David then he could get to Benet. He could claim his hands were clean if accused of poisoning David for he had not actually done the deed. All he needed was a way to be able to claim the same thing when he struck at Benet.
Her growing fear for her child made it impossible to sleep. Annys got up and pulled on a robe. She moved into the small room where there was a door that let her go up on the battlements. A pang of grief went through her as she opened the door and heard the soft bell ring. David had been so pleased when he had arranged that warning to the men on the walls. It had allowed them some privacy if they chose to go outside at night. She had never appreciated it more than she did now.
Climbing the narrow stone stairs, Annys fought to calm her fears. She could find reasons for someone to betray them all by helping Adam rid Glencullaich of its laird. Yet, try as she would, she could find none for anyone helping him murder a small child. She simply could not believe any of the people she knew would be capable of such a heinous crime. If she did not convince herself to accept that possibility, however, she would be putting her son’s life in danger.