BARON COSWOLD HAD STORMED INTO THE ABBEY THAT AFTERNOON with his coterie of drones. He had quite an assemblage of sycophants trailing behind him, twenty-three in all. The large number was deliberate, for Coswold hoped to intimidate and overwhelm Percy.

Coswold felt incredibly powerful. He carried a writ proclaiming that he and he alone spoke on the king’s behalf.

But Percy was neither intimidated nor overwhelmed. Like Coswold, he, too, had his spies, and although he didn’t yet know about the new writ, Percy had learned that his enemy was going to try to take charge of Finney’s Flat and Lady Gabrielle’s future. He believed that Coswold planned to use force to get what he wanted.

Percy was ready for him. His own horde of mindless miscreants followed him as he rushed into the hall to confront Coswold. Percy wasn’t about to back down or be pushed aside, and he wasn’t the least concerned that he might not get what he wanted. He had a writ signed by the king that he and he alone could act on John’s behalf. The king had sent him to the abbey to witness the wedding between Monroe and Gabrielle, but now that the groom was out of the way, Percy was confident that he could decide Gabrielle’s future.

Each power-hungry man had a trick or two up his sleeve.

The two barons met in the center of the visitors’ hall. The doors to the courtyard had been thrown open. This was not to be a private fight. Each wanted witnesses to hear.

Percy attacked first. Stabbing the air between them with a long bony finger, he said, “Don’t you dare try to interfere in my decisions here or I’ll have you thrown out. I speak on King John’s behalf, and I am going to decide Lady Gabrielle’s future.”

“Her future with you?” Coswold scoffed. “And Finney’s Flat becomes yours as well? Is that what you think will happen, you fool? You most certainly will not have her. I will see to that.”

“You have no power, Coswold. I am going to escort the lady back to England. Aye, she goes with me.” Percy didn’t bother to add the important fact that he planned to force her to marry him first.

Coswold took a step closer. “You no longer speak on the king’s behalf, for I have a writ signed by John giving me full power here. I will speak and act in his stead.”

Percy was outraged. The veins on his forehead bulged when he responded. “Nay, I have the writ, and it was truly signed by King John. You cannot dupe me. I know what you want, and you will not get her.”

The verbal sparring increased until both barons were ceaselessly shouting at each other. The fight moved outdoors as more and more of the curious joined the crowd.

The dividing line between the two camps was marked by a stone cross in the middle of the open lawn: Percy and his followers on one side, and Coswold and his supporters on the other.

“Would you like to see the writ?” Coswold asked. “The king’s seal is there, and so is the date, Percy. If you do not step aside, I will have you thrown out.”

Percy snorted. “When was this writ signed?” he demanded, and before Coswold could answer, he added, “I know where you’ve been, and I know all about the dark bargain you’ve struck with the laird.”

Coswold ignored this comment. He snapped his fingers toward one of his supporters, and the scroll was promptly produced. He snatched it from his hands and waved it in Percy’s face. “Here it is. King John has assigned power to me.”

Colm and Brodick rested their arms on top of a parapet, watching and listening to the debacle taking place beneath them. Colm was simply biding his time until Father Gelroy arrived. The abbot had indicated to them that it wouldn’t take long to locate him, but obviously he’d been mistaken.

Impatient to grab the priest and get away from these foul English barons, Colm muttered, “Where is that blasted priest Gelroy?”

“Surely he’s on his way,” Brodick replied.

Colm scanned the crowd below. He noticed the number of ordained men in robes and said, “There are so many of them. If I knew what Gelroy looked like, I’d drag him out of here.”

Brodick grinned. “You know how I mentioned you can’t start a war against a priest? Well, you also cannot drag one of them out of here, unless the priest is willing to go, and I doubt Gelroy would be. You and I…”

“You and I what?”

“According to my wife, we tend to frighten people.”

Another shout drew their attention. “The English, they’re loud, aren’t they?” Brodick commented. “It’s a pity we don’t have our bows and arrows. We could rid the world of a few of them.”

Colm smiled. “Aye, we could.”

At that moment Coswold clapped his hands for attention and bellowed, “Bring Lady Gabrielle to me. We will settle this here and now.” He turned to the group behind him, gave a quick nod, and then turned back to face Percy. “I have made my decision. By this day’s end, she will be married.”