“What’s this? Where are you going?” I stood in the doorway of Lady Anne’s bedchamber. There were several open trunks and clothes were tossed on the bed.
“I am leaving. You have no use for me here. I could see that your Maggie has things well in hand.” Her eyes were red from weeping. “I must thank you for your patience in letting me stay.”
“Lady Anne, I have told you. This is your home for as long as you wish it to be. I enjoy your company.” I moved closer. “Whatever brought on this need to leave so suddenly?”
She just shook her head and dabbed at her eyes with a sodden handkerchief.
“Please. Come sit in front of the fire in your solar.” I took her elbow and led her into the room that was cozy and filled with her fine needlework.
“It should be your solar. You can entertain here. Your new friend Florence can sit with you and share tea in front of the fire of an evening.” Lady Anne collapsed on the settle then jerked one of her pretty pillows from behind her back and tossed it on the floor. “Do you want any of these? Or have you brought your own? I can throw them in the fire if they will be in your way.” She pulled another from the long bench and made as if to aim it at the hearth.
“Stop! Don’t you dare destroy months of your work.” I grabbed the pillow then sat next to her, the pretty thing in my lap. “Look at this. You do such fine needlework and I am no hand at it. Of course, I don’t have my own beautiful pillows. Why, just see how clearly you made this view of a lake. Where is this? I have never seen a place like this near here.”
Anne stared at it. “No, it is the valley near my home. I used to ride there with my father. We would sit by that lake and eat cakes. He did have a love of sweets.” She sighed. “It will not be the same now. My mother’s husband sold that land to someone else. He is a fool for gaming. I just received a letter from Mama. She writes that she wants me home to meet someone. I know what that is about. The baron must owe a great debt and thinks to use me to settle it.” She took the pillow and squeezed it. “At least I’m good for something.”
I ignored what I knew to be self-pity.
“Must you go?” I was close enough to run my fingers over the fine stitches. It must have taken hours, days, weeks to finish the intricate needlepoint scene.
“It does not feel right to just live on your charity, Gloriana. Yours and Lord Campbell’s.” Lady Anne looked away. “What choice do I have but to find a place where I can be useful? Or to marry again.” Her chest heaved with a deep sigh.
“Didn’t Lord Ralph provide a widow’s portion for you?” I had asked Jeremiah about such things. Surely wives had some protections from poverty when a husband died. Not that my sham marriage to Michael had shown me that. Michael had been but a poor actor. When he died, I’d been lucky to be left with the few things in our rented room. Those I’d sold until there was nothing left and the landlord had sent me packing.
The other mistresses I had met in Edinburgh and London had advised me to look to my own future. That meant accepting jewels from my lover and saving them to sell once we parted. I refused to scheme for more gifts like some of those women did. They, like Florence, considered such an attitude merely practical.
I’d noticed Anne wearing some lovely pieces since I’d been here. “You have jewels you could sell, Lady Anne. That should give you a small independence.”
“I would hate to part with them, but they would provide a small dowry, I suppose. If Mama’s baron does not hear of them and sell them first.” Lady Anne walked to the window. “I had a generous dowry when I married Ralph. He was not a wealthy man. He used it to improve the castle. To please me, he said.” She stared out at the view of the sea.
“Then there were the horses, the sheep, the ship that he planned to use to vanquish the pirates.” She looked at me, her face bleak. “Those are all gone, taken by the pirates or destroyed. The ship sank in the harbor. They call it Bloody Bay, you know.”
“I didn’t know!” I jumped to my feet. Bloody Bay?
Jeremiah had told me he intended to attack the pirates. Plans had been made and he was going soon, perhaps on tomorrow’s tide. His father wanted to go with him and they had been excitedly talking of making the pirates rue the day they had harried the Scottish coast. Fergus had been told he would stay here and take charge of the men guarding the castle. He had accepted the duty, though he’d itched to go with them.
Men. They treated the coming battle like a grand adventure. I felt a pain in the pit of my stomach, fear gnawing at me. Bloody Bay. Gods! Anne was still talking.
“That is why there is a Guardian, of course. There is a long history of battles with the Irish along this coastline. The two shores are so very close here, mere hours away by ship with a fair wind.” Lady Anne sat again. “I must resign myself to my future. I am going home and can only hope that the man chosen for me is kind.”
I wanted to shake her.
“Stop this. You are no longer a young girl subject to your family’s control. Not even the king would think to make you obey them.” I knew that from questioning Jeremiah. Obviously, the king had forgotten Anne existed when he sent us here. I doubted the baron her mother had married had the king’s ear either. Jeremiah knew him as a wastrel and a gambler. She could safely defy him, couldn’t she?
“You are kind to worry about me, Gloriana. But I cannot just sit in this room stitching forever. Honestly? I am sick of it.” Anne’s face flushed even as she did sit in her chair and pick up her needlework from the basket beside her. “A bad marriage might be better than none.”
I remembered some of the cruel men I’d met in London, men with hard eyes who thought pain was the only way to get their pleasure. “That is not so. Think, Anne! You should have a choice, not just give in to another’s demands.” I took her hand and squeezed it. “Is there not someone here who would be to your liking? Someone who has been attentive of late?”
“What are you suggesting, Gloriana?” She pulled her hand away and picked up her needle. She ran her finger along its length. “You really think I should just refuse to go home?”
“Why not? As I said, you can certainly stay here as long as you wish. If there is not someone already in the castle who would suit you, we can invite guests from Edinburgh to visit.” I really didn’t want to do that. Entertaining the laird and Florence had been easy, they knew what we were. To bring in mortals when we were fighting a war? I couldn’t imagine it.
“Who would want me? I bring nothing of worth with me. And,” She stabbed the cloth in her lap with that sharp needle. “I am barren.”
“Wait. Nothing of worth? You are a woman of good family and very pretty when you are not dressed in drab clothing.”
Anne just shook her head. She stabbed the cloth again.
“And barren? How do you know that?” I was staying well away from Anne and that needle. It made me wonder if there were any way to shoot such sharp objects at an enemy. I took a breath and savored the fresh air coming in from the arrow slit. I actually liked it here close to the sea. My solar? Hmm. Anne stared pensively at her lap, automatically making tiny stitches.
“What I know, Gloriana, is that in almost ten years of marriage, I never gave Ralph a child. I never even increased. Not once!” She looked up, her eyes damp. “Men want heirs. The best I could hope for is an elderly widower with children.”
“How old are you, Lady Anne?”
“Eight and twenty. Why?” She stopped stitching.
“You have many good breeding years left to give a man an heir.” I thought about what Maggie had told me about child bearing. “Are you sure you never even had a chance at one, perhaps lost a babe?” I shivered. Anne knew what I meant. Women lost babes all the time. It was heartbreaking but a fact that God sometimes took matters into his own hands and no one knew why.
“No. It was disappointing, but I always have my courses as I should, regular as the moon goes full. I have certainly wept myself dry over that fact many times.” She looked down at her lap. “I prayed until my knees were raw. Then I tried herbs from an old woman in the village. Did some foolish things she told me to try to make it happen…” Tears gleamed in her fine blue eyes. “Ralph and I certainly enjoyed lusty bed sport quite often, but I never conceived.” Anne brushed away a tear that had run down her cheek. “No man with any property or standing will chance an alliance with me.”
“You are wrong.” I leaned forward. “It was clearly Ralph’s fault. Unless he left bastards scattered about the castle or in the villages?”
“No, there was never any talk of such.” Anne flushed. “I knew he was not always faithful. I ignored it. Men will be men. My mother gave me that advice and I heeded it.”
I growled. Oops. Hide those fangs. “Sorry, but men do not have to act like wild dogs. If you marry again, you should expect fidelity. I do from Jeremiah and we are not even wed.” I pulled out a handkerchief and made as if to touch my nose but it was really to hide my mouth and those fangs. Why did women think they should allow men to betray them then accept them back into their beds? I was not going to do it. Jeremiah knew it too. Or he should.
“Do you really think it could have been Ralph’s fault?” Anne threw aside her sewing.
“Jeremiah has told me that some men get injured in battle and then cannot sire children. You say your husband had been a soldier. If he had ever suffered a wound to his private parts, they might have been damaged beyond repair. From the way you describe his habits, bedding you and others regularly with no issue. Well…” I smiled. “Poor Ralph. I believe you were not the problem, he was.”
Ann flushed. “He did have a scar, near his privates. Though they worked well enough.” Her face lit with a smile. “You have no idea what a comfort that would be. Ralph the problem. Blaming myself all these years has been very much a constant source of pain and worry to me.” She got up and strode to the door to look into her bedchamber. “I didn’t mind going to a stranger my mother’s husband picked out, knowing he might never get an heir. Now? This changes things.” She turned to me, her hands on her hips. “I want to choose my own husband, Gloriana. Or not marry at all.”
“Excellent.” I wanted to cheer.
“If you truly don’t mind my staying here, I also want to see the pirate woman defeated, once and for all. Meanwhile, perhaps I can look about and find someone who will love me. Ralph did, in his own way.” She pulled off her ugly cap and touched her hair. “It is nearly time for the evening meal, don’t you think? I should go down and see about it.”
“It surely is.” I had no idea of the schedule, but always let the mortals do what they would do. “I will seek out Florence now to make sure she is comfortable.” I walked toward the door. “I am glad you are staying, Lady Anne. Shall I send Mercy to put away your things?”
“That would be very kind of you. Thank you, Gloriana. I feel so much better now. You are always kind to me. I don’t deserve it.” She hugged me tight then left the room.
I stared after her. Impossible that this highborn lady thought my kindness was undeserved. Didn’t she remember that I was only a mistress? Yes, I dressed like a lady and tried my best to speak like one. Jeremiah always treated me with respect as well. I still considered it a miracle after the way we’d met.
I sighed. I couldn’t forget that I’d been starving in an alley, homeless, only months ago. It was like I was waiting for all of the wonderful things that had come to me since I’d met Jeremiah to vanish in an instant. I would wake up again. No memory, no one to care for me.
I looked around. This worrying had to stop. I was safe. I had a man who loved me and friends. Instead of imagining the worst that could happen, I needed to celebrate what I had. Too bad that, although I’d done what I could to solve Anne’s problem, another, much bigger one, stayed on my plate. Were Jeremiah and the laird truly taking ship tomorrow night to roust out the pirates?
That awful dread sat in my stomach as I walked up the stairs to Florence’s room. Without Jeremiah I could very well end up back where I’d started, alone and in trouble. Worse this time because I was a vampire now. There was no changing that fact.
I took a breath and gathered my crazy thoughts. Florence would be able to read them, I didn’t doubt that. A knock and I was allowed entry with a cheerful “Entra!”
Florence had a colorful array of clothing spread on her bed. She smiled as I came in then she waved at the pretty dresses.
“I must decide. What do I wear tomorrow when we send our men into battle?”
“You knew?” I threw up my hands. How could she be so happy about it? Focusing on her wardrobe at a time like this seemed, well, uncaring. “Aren’t you worried they will be hurt or killed?”
“Angus told me all about it.” Florence walked over and put her arm around me. She led me to a chair in front of the fire. “Sit. You think I don’t love Angus? That I hope he will die on the ship? Fall into the sea or something? You are wrong. I play with my dresses to take my mind off of something I cannot change. It is what I do.” She shook her head at the look on my face.
I knew I was showing my feelings to her. So what? If we were to be friends, I wanted to share things with Florence. I hated being helpless. If anything happened to Jeremiah…
“You are determined to want to do something to help your lover. Stop it! He would never take help from you. Don’t you know that? Foolish woman. Oh, if only I could share a nice bottle of vino with you, amica! That would settle you down.”
“Jeremiah is a warrior. On land. What does he know about ships? He says he has fought on them before and been captured!” I didn’t want to sit, but Florence was right, making myself crazy didn’t help anything. She sat across from me.
“He is still here, Gloriana. He says he was captured once, sí, but Jeremiah is still here. He survived. Am I right?” She slapped my knee. “What are you so worried about? We are vampires, we live forever.”
“If no one stakes us!” I couldn’t sit still or calmly pick out a dress to wear for when we sent the men off to do battle. I don’t know why, but it seemed I was a fighter myself. I liked to be involved in whatever was happening.
What was Florence thinking? Was she nothing but a pretty ornament to sit around and decorate a room or open her arms and legs when her man was randy? I saw her staring. Let her read my thoughts. It might end our friendship but I was seething.
“I have lived a long time, Gloriana. I told you that. I have learned a thing or two.” She waved her hand. “Many things, caspisci?” She shook her head and raised a finger. “One. You cannot tell a man what to do.”
“True.” I sat back. I was willing to listen. This was the voice of experience, after all.
“Due, or two as you say. You can make him do what you wish if you are clever.” She got up to select a scarlet dress and held it in front of her. It would set off her dark hair and pale skin to perfection. “Have you learned that lesson yet, amica?”
I thought of the many things I had managed to convince Jeremiah to do, including turning me vampire. “Of course. Shouting and crying does nothing that a seduction won’t do better.” I laughed. “What are you planning? Does that bodice dip as low as I think it does? The soldiers will not be able to look away. The sailors on the ships will likely run aground, steering toward you instead of Ireland.” I could practically see it in my mind.
“It barely holds my breasts. Scandalous!” Florence danced around the room with it in front of her before tossing it onto a chair and digging into her cask full of jewels. “Look at this chain with a pearl as big as my toe! Angus bought it for me before we left Edinburgh.” She held it out to me. “Is it not pretty?”
“Pretty, no, gorgeous! Angus is very generous.” I examined the luminous oval pearl that shimmered in the firelight. “It must be worth a fortune.”
“I am worth a fortune, Gloriana. So are you. Do not forget it.” Flo tossed the gold chain over her head. It settled to nestle perfectly between her generous breasts. “Or let Jeremiah forget it. We will give our men something to remember as they sail off to do battle. The pirates have no idea they are dealing with vampires. They will not have stakes in their hands. Our men can always shift and fly away if things get too bad there. You know that.”
“Yes, I do.” I stood. Time to quit worrying and start doing. Jeremiah would be fine. It would upset him to read my mind and see that I didn’t trust him to take care of himself. “You are good for me, Florence. I am done with my foolish upset.” I brushed my hands together.
“Now how would you like to help me play matchmaker?” I walked to the door.
“It is a good way to take our mind off of our foolish men. I will do it. Are there reluctant lovers we must push together?” Her eyes were alight with mischief.
“I think Lady Anne and Captain Burnett will make a perfect couple, starting tonight.”
She looked down at her dress. While I didn’t worry about my wardrobe most nights, Florence always dressed as if she were going to a ball.
“I can make any woman jealous if I show her man my attention.” She pulled down the bodice of her dark green silk dress until it barely clung to her nipples. “What fun!”
I just shook my head.
Would we have to search for Captain Burnett? Or was he at the evening meal? With no idea what or who was headed his way. I walked down the steps to the great hall, Florence tripping daintily behind me. The smell of baking bread wafted up to me. Oh, but I wished… No point in thinking about that.
I smiled at the men waiting to be served. Ah hah! There was the captain, sipping ale and watching the stairs, for Lady Anne, no doubt. I was surprised she wasn’t here yet but saw no sign of her.
“Gentlemen.” I offered a curtsy to the captain. “I think you have met my new friend Madam daVinci, Captain Burnett.” I pulled Flo closer. Her curtsy made her bodice perilous. I expected her breasts to fall free at any moment. The pearl drew everyone’s eye, swaying between the mounds. Flo was too clever.
The captain’s eyes widened as he jumped to his feet to offer a bow. “Yes, of course, Madame. A pleasure to see them, um, you again.” His face flushed. “Please, won’t you join us for the evening meal?” He gestured at the table where two maids were laying out platters of steaming meats.
Colin appeared at my elbow. “Mistress Gloriana, I know you prefer to take your meals somewhere private.” He bowed and nodded toward the laden table. “But just look at what we shot today on our hunt. Fresh pheasant. Doesn’t it smell tasty?” He laughed and walked over to slap one of the men on the back. “Willum here wasn’t much of a fighter against Brian—got took down quick—but he can shoot with a bow and arrow almost as good as you can, mistress. Isn’t that something great?”
I laughed as Willum hurriedly got up from the table and made his bow.
“Well done, sir. I am sure I will enjoy some pheasant later, with Lord Campbell.” I turned to Colin. “We will have to put Willum on the battlements if we are attacked again. Or is he one of the men going on the ships?”
Colin looked around and came closer. “We are staying here, mistress, to guard you. It is important that we keep the coming attack a secret, says Lord Jeremiah. But how that can be when the king’s men have been seen loading the ships with every kind of weapon, I don’t know.”
He pulled me away from where the captain was talking with Florence.
“Colin, I’m afraid any spy the pirates may have has already sent word that our ships are coming.” I didn’t like thinking about that. But what could we do? Preparing three ships for battle would be impossible to hide.
Colin threw back his shoulders.
“You have naught to worry about. Master Fergus is here now and will see that the lads and I will be ready to take on whoever might come at us. That’ll be much easier with the drawbridge now working. It may be old but it is sturdy enough to keep out any but one of them flying night creatures.” He crossed himself. “Haven’t seen any of them hereabouts. Mayhap it’s just a story, passed around among the foolish.”
“Flying night creatures?” I grabbed his arm. “What are you talking about? You know we have shape-shifters with us from Dollar. Master Fergus himself is one. They can fly if need be. Are the local people saying they saw such creatures before we arrived?” The thought that the Irish might have shifters among them terrified me. It wasn’t a leap then to imagine they could have vampires as well. Jeremiah!
“Aye.” Colin nodded, his head bobbing so fast, I wanted to hit him on top of it to make him stop. He was clearly nervous. “These people haven’t just fought pirates. They lost cattle and people to strange creatures who breeched the walls and then took what they wanted. Some called them ghosts, spirits. Others laughed it off, promising it was just some enterprising lads who had learned about a secret passage into the courtyard.”
“You should look for such a passage. Castles usually do have some secret way to escape in case they are surrounded.” At least that was what I had been told. In Castle Campbell, they had tunnels that ran under the village. The laird talked about making rooms under the earth someday where the vampires could spend their death sleep. He had big plans to ensure their future safety.
“I’ll do that. Later.” Colin looked longingly at the table. “Right now, I’m waiting to break my fast. We cannot eat until Lady Anne joins us. She came through here a while ago, but Captain Burnett hadn’t arrived yet. She decided to visit Maggie and the baby first. She should be here any time now. I cannot imagine it would take that long to look at a babe.”
“I will fetch her.” I glanced back. Flo was laughing at something the captain said and leaning toward him in case he hadn’t seen enough of her breasts. He was clearly enjoying the view. Lady Anne needed to quit mooning over another woman’s babe and get back here to start working on making her own.
I tried to remember what Anne had been wearing. Nothing worth noting. Too bad. As usual, no one could outshine Florence. I was frowning as I stalked past the kitchen to Maggie’s room. The door was open when I got there and I could hear Anne talking to the baby.
“You are the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. We share a name, you know. I will make you a present, a pillow with your name on it. And a christening gown!” She looked at Maggie. “We can send for the priest, if you don’t mind. You do want her christened, don’t you? Or have you already done it?”
“Fergus’s ma wouldn’t let us leave Dollar without having her properly taken to church and put in front of the priest. A pillow would be lovely and any kind of gown, of course. You are too generous.” Maggie smiled at Lady Anne. “Don’t you look a treat holding the baby. Gloriana says you have been widowed more than two years. Time for you to look about you for a man to marry and start your own family, my lady.”
“I will.” Anne noticed me standing in the door. “Gloriana, isn’t the baby precious?”
“Yes, she is. I agree with Maggie. Time for you to get to work. The captain is in the great hall staring at Florence like he might gobble her up instead of the evening meal.” I took the baby from Anne and handed her to Maggie. “Fix your hair and take off that horrid apron.” I jerked down her bodice. At least she hadn’t put on one of her blacks, but the dull brown did nothing to flatter her.
“Oh, I am not used to wearing my dress so low.” Anne fluttered her fingers over the swells of her breasts. “He is staring at Madame daVinci, you say?”
“Yes, he is. But your bosom is as fine as Flo’s, I promise you. He seems to appreciate that in a woman.” I grinned at her flush but she looked down and put her hands by her sides, her shoulders back.
“Ralph always did say I had a fine figure.” She smiled.
“And so you do. Here now.” Maggie laid baby Anne in her cradle and picked up a fine piece of lace from her sewing basket. “I found this in Glory’s room. Torn from the hem of one of her new dresses.” She shook her head. “You are too careless with your clothes, my friend. But this is lucky for Lady Anne.” She pulled out a needle and threaded it. “I can attach this to the edge of your bodice and the color will bring out the roses in your cheeks, see if it don’t.”
“Trust Maggie, Lady Anne. She is magic with a needle, just like you are.” I walked over to tickle the baby’s tummy while the two women dealt with placing the lace and stitching it on. By the time they were done, Anne did look prettier, more alive. I ignored the stirring of my blood lust. Mortals, two of them, so close. No wonder I had a hunger. Well, I would be with Jeremiah later and had plans to make him very happy. He would surely return the favor.
“The men are going tomorrow by ship to attack the pirates.” I linked arms with Lady Anne. “Captain Burnett will be in danger. He could be killed!” I felt her stiffen. She did care for him.
“What can I do?” She stopped. “He must go, it is his duty. My years with Lord Ralph taught me that duty comes first.”
“Yes, a warrior must face his fears and often enjoys a good fight. But there will be real danger, Lady Anne. You might show him you care for his safety and offer to give him a fine fare-the-well.” I smiled and squeezed her elbow.
“Gloriana!” Her mouth dropped open.
“Come now. You are no shy maiden, Anne. He is handsome and has been seeking you out these past weeks, has he not?”
“Yes. We have had many delightful conversations. His father knew my father…” Anne’s eyes went soft. “He even grew up near my home. Someday he plans to go back there.”
“Perfect! Does his touch please you?” I watched color come into her cheeks then wash down toward the edge of her bodice. Anne did have a fine figure, full breasts and a slim waist. I’m sure the captain had noticed that.
“I have not minded when he takes my hand. He has even kissed my hand when he wished me good evening. He’s been everything that is courteous but he does seek me out. I thought he might be courting me but was afraid I was imagining it.” She closed her eyes. “A fine fare-the-well? Do you mean..?”
“You know exactly what I mean. You said you and Lord Ralph enjoyed lusty bed sport. Some women shrink from it but I don’t think you do. Am I wrong?” I was not going to say it. Flo would have, in her vibrant Italian and with hand gestures.
I took a breath. Warm blooded mortal. Stop it, Gloriana!
“No, I did like it. I, I miss it.” Anne gripped my hand. “What should I do?”
“It will be easy.” I did know men. “After the evening meal, invite him to your solar, ply him with brandy and let him know you wish to share your bed with him.”
“I couldn’t!” Anne gasped. “I have been with no one but Ralph. He was always the one who took the lead. What would I say? What would Malcolm think?” She shook her head. “He expects me to be a lady, not a brazen hussy, giving away my favors!”
I rolled my eyes. Spare me a lofty lady’s conventions. At least she had used his given name so the two must have made progress, become familiar. “Yes, he knows you for the lady you are. That you are lonely and have been faithful to the memory of your husband. You could tell him as much. Look into his eyes and lean toward him, inviting his kiss. Once that happens, you could take his hand and lead him to your bedchamber. Without words. The next move would be up to him. If he is the man I think he is, it will be a night for both of you to remember.”
“Oh, to be held in a man’s arms again.” Lady Anne sighed. “I will try. I can’t promise anything, but…” She started walking toward the great hall. “I will try.”
“That’s all you can do. Good luck.” By the time we got to where the men were gathered, I could tell Lady Anne was excited by the challenge. She walked up to where the captain still talked to Florence and almost pushed my new friend aside.
“Captain Burnett, I’m sure you are almost starving. I am so sorry to have kept everyone waiting. The housekeeper’s baby is so very dear.” She glanced at Flo. “My dear Madame daVinci, will you be joining us?” Her smile never wavered. She already knew Flo never ate at the table. If she wondered where and when the Campbell men and their women ate, she kept her questions to herself.
Captain Burnett looked a little surprised as Flo hastily handed him off to Lady Anne.
“So kind of you to ask, but I must go now. Gloriana has promised me a walk down to where the ships are loading. We must see if our men are too busy to play a little, right, amica?” Flo walked over to me. “Captain, it was a pleasure talking to you, eh?” She fluttered her fingers at him then hurried me out the door. Once outside she started giggling.
“What is it?” I kept walking, taking the small door next to the drawbridge that led outside. Valdez caught up with us before we had taken more than two steps.
“I, how you say, warmed him up for her. Did you see how he stared at il mio seno?”
“If you are talking about your bosom, of course I did. Every man in the hall stared. Your pearl dangling there was the finishing touch. They couldn’t look away.” I giggled with her, both of us laughing until we had tears in our eyes and had to hold onto each other. “Well done, my friend.” I gasped.
“Do you think she will go through with it? Invite him into her bed?” Flo shivered and glanced back at a frowning Valdez. He’d been watching us, not a bit amused by our silliness. “Oh, I miss Italia. The warm nights, the warm men. I should have brought my cloak. Valdez, could you run get it for me?”
“No, I could not.” Valdez stayed where he was. “You know you don’t feel the cold, Madame daVinci. You just like your velvet cloak and think it might be wise to cover yourself before Laird Campbell sees you showing your assets to every man in the great hall.” He ignored Florence’s gestures and spate of Italian. “Gloriana, are you comfortable? Do you need a cloak? I can send a lad for it.”
“I am fine. It is a beautiful spring night, despite your frowning face.” I opened my arms to the sky. “Yes, I think Lady Anne is going to seduce the captain. If she’s lucky, he will fall in love and demand marriage. Even better, he will plant a little bun in her oven.” I laughed again and started walking.
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Florence frowned at Valdez. “You are a horrible bodyguard. You listen to our every word and disapprove like una vecchia nonna. Do you ever have fun? Quit glowering at us. Glory should replace you.”
“I offered to leave. She decided to keep me. Right, Glory?” Valdez bowed at her then kept pace with us.
They both had started calling me Glory. I decided I liked it, but I was still not happy with Valdez. I couldn’t deny he seemed good at what he did. This night he was watching the trail we walked on and keeping his hand on his sword. I had my knives and Florence seemed ready to shift at the first sign of trouble.
He could frown all he wanted. Flo made me laugh when she’d called him an old grandmother. Fine. Maybe that was what I needed to keep me safe. I just hoped as we neared the beach that no trouble waited for us there.