THE ABBOT FOUND GABRIELLE STROLLING WITH FATHER Gelroy in the garden. She had already expressed her gratitude to Father Franklin and was about to give her thanks to Gelroy for keeping her confidence when the abbot rushed into the garden calling to her.

“Lady Gabrielle, there’s a furor.” Panting for breath from the exertion of running, he could barely breathe and speak at the same time.

Gabrielle led him to a stone bench and suggested that he sit for a moment.

Nodding, he plopped himself down and wheezed, “Ah, that’s better.”

Gelroy clasped his hands behind his back. “You mentioned a furor?”

“Oh, yes. You have been summoned to the courtyard. Father Gelroy, perhaps you should accompany her. Such fighting. Terrible, just terrible the way they’re carrying on. And inside this holy monastery of all places. Shame upon their souls.”

“Who is fighting?” Gabrielle asked.

“Two barons from England. One is named Coswold I believe, and the other—”

“Percy.”

“Yes, that’s right, milady. Baron Percy.”

“And these two barons have called for Gabrielle?” Gelroy asked.

“Baron Coswold made the demand.”

Gabrielle was indignant. “I answer to neither of them, and I have no wish to see or speak to them. I’m ready to leave for home now, and I see no reason to delay my departure.”

Gelroy agreed with a quick nod. “Her guards are even now bringing the horses to the front gate, for Gabrielle is planning to leave the abbey momentarily. Her possessions have already been packed.”

The abbot shook his head. “I don’t think the barons will allow her to leave.”

“There’s more to this than meets the eye, isn’t there?” Gelroy asked.

He sighed. “There is. Each baron carries a writ proclaiming to be speaking and acting on the king’s behalf. Coswold’s writ is more current if you believe the date written down. The king’s seal is on both writs, or so I’ve been told.” All of a sudden the abbot bounded to his feet. “Oh, Lord, I forgot. With all the commotion and the shouting, my errand completely slipped my mind. And how could it? With the worry about those two—Father Gelroy, I was on my way to search for you when Baron Coswold called out to me.”

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked.

“I promised to send you to the top of the wall. You see, there are two…” He paused.

“Two? Two what?” Gelroy asked.

“Lairds,” he answered reluctantly. “Buchanan and MacHugh. They didn’t say why they need to speak to you, but Laird MacHugh mentioned something about his brother. Do you know anything about this?”

Panic and dread flashed across Gelroy’s face. “I’ve a fair idea.”

“I will hear your explanation later as the lairds have been kept waiting long enough. They don’t look the patient sort.” He smiled as he added, “I also heard one of them—I believe it was MacHugh, but I can’t be certain—mention something about taking you away with him.”

Gelroy swallowed loudly. “You did?”

“Perhaps one of them will offer you the chance to join his clan as a spiritual leader. I know you want to have your own church one day, is that not so? And you also wish to save as many souls as possible. Is that not also so?”

Gelroy frantically nodded agreement. He did want his own church and his own flock—what priest wouldn’t?—but not among these brutal lairds and their unruly clans. He didn’t want to live the rest of his life in the state of perpetual terror.

“I am content to pray for lost souls here, Abbot,” he said in a whisper. “Do you want me to escort Lady Gabrielle to face the barons, or do you want me to speak to the lairds?”

“I will go with her, and you hurry to the lairds. More and more of their clansmen have come inside. The sooner you talk to them, the better.”

There was no getting out of it, Gelroy knew. “Best get it done,” he said.

He said his good-bye to Gabrielle one last time and left on his dreaded mission.

Gabrielle was going to continue to refuse to meet with the barons, but she abruptly changed her mind. She didn’t want to put the abbot in the awkward position of having to explain why she ignored the summons.

“I’ll see what the barons want, and then I’ll leave the abbey with all possible haste. Abbot, I would like to thank you once again for your hospitality and your kindness to my father and me. We are most appreciative.”

She began to walk around the abbot to go to the commons, but he blocked her.

“I’m going to escort you, milady, but shouldn’t we wait for your guards? They would certainly want to stand by your side when you speak to these barons.”

She shook her head. “My guards are too busy to be bothered with this nonsense, and I’m certain the meeting won’t take any time at all.”

He couldn’t dissuade her. Gabrielle had another reason for keeping her guards away from the barons. Her father didn’t trust these men, and neither would she. She was concerned that Coswold and Percy might have their underlings provoke a fight, and though her guards were well-trained, they could be overwhelmed by the sheer number of men attacking.

She did wish her father was by her side, though. He knew what these men were capable of, and he would know what to expect. She tried to think of the worst that could happen so that she would be prepared, but never in her wildest thoughts could she have imagined what was coming.