"What did you come up with?" Helen asked eagerly.
Seonaid started to give her head a slight shake but stopped right away as Helen began to pour more of the vinegar and herb mixture over it. "I am no sure what to do. I had decided yesterday that it might be best to go to Father with the problem."
"Your father?" Helen sounded unsure.
"Aye." She blinked her eyes open to stare at the woman. "He could arrange a proper escort, or send one messenger to yer father and another to the king. Aeldra and I might have been able to sneak ye down to England and escorted ye to yer father's keep using the passage, but without it ..." She shrugged helplessly. "Yer chances are better with me Father providin' an escort."
"Aye," she admitted reluctantly. "But what if they attack your father's escort?"
Seonaid pursed her lips. "He may think 'tis best to send messengers and keep ye safe here in Dunbar."
"Oh, Seonaid." Helen sighed. "That is what he did for Lady Wildwood, and 'tis what brought about Greenweld's attack on Dunbar. I would not wish to cause such a thing to happen again."
"Well, he may come up with a better idea," Seonaid said quietly. "Father has lived a long time and seen much. I think we should let him ken the truth o' the matter at least and make suggestions. If he doesna come up with something we like, we can always sneak off again and try on our own."
"Oh, I do not think that is a good idea at all."
All three women jerked their heads around to the open door at Lady Wildwood's words. Iliana's mother stood in the open door, her gaze focused on Helen, an expression of recognition on her face.
"Forgive me for entering without knocking," Lady Wildwood murmured, pushing the door closed. "I was about to when I overheard what you were speaking of."
She crossed the room, her gaze fixed on the redhead still kneeling by the tub. "Lady Helen de Bethencourt. I thought you looked familiar when I first laid eyes on you, but the outfit confused me," she admitted.
Seonaid glanced toward Helen, who paused before speaking. "Lady Wildwood. I recognized you as well. You were a friend of my mother's."
"Aye." Iliana's mother smiled slightly, then glanced to Seonaid and Aeldra and explained, "Helen's mother and I were friends of Queen Anne's. We were often at court together."
"Ah," Seonaid murmured, then smiled at Helen with amusement. "Ye didna mention ye had friends in such high places."
"I do not," Helen said with a blush. "My mother was a friend of the queen's, but both of them are gone now."
"You still have influential friends, my dear," Lady Wildwood said gently. "The king is as fond of you as the queen was." She sighed, her gaze slipping to Seonaid. "You look very well, my dear. I am glad to see you survived the night."
"Thanks," Seonaid murmured.
"Now ..." Margaret perched on one of the chairs by the cold fireplace and eyed them all expectantly. "Why do you not tell me how Helen came to be traveling with you disguised as a nun? Then we can decide how best to present this to the men."
Seonaid smiled wryly at the woman. Despite her phrasing, it was not a request but an order. Lady Wildwood was a woman used to getting her way, and this time was no exception. Iliana's mother sat patiently listening as the three women took turns explaining what had occurred since their meeting in the chapel at St. Simmian's. They left nothing out, revealing every step of the journey. By the time they fell silent, Seonaid had finished with her bath and donned her clothes. The three women then waited for Lady Wildwood to comment.
She said nothing for the longest time, but sat, her face pensive. She was obviously deep in thought. Then she nodded to herself and stood. "Come along, then."
"What're ye goin' to do?" Seonaid asked as she followed her to the door.
"I shall take care of everything," she said simply as she opened the door, then paused to smile at Seonaid and reached up to brush a strand of black hair off her face in a gesture that smacked of affection. "You have had it very hard not having a mother, haven't you? Both of you have."
She had included Aeldra in her glance, and Seonaid's cousin opened her mouth as if to protest, then closed it again. Seonaid supposed Giorsal had not been much of a maternal replacement with her bitterness and anger. Of course, she didn't know why she herself had not protested that life had been hard without a mother. She was happy with the way things had turned out, was she not? She had not missed anything. In fact, Seonaid had more freedom than most women were given. And if she had watched other girls receiving hugs and affection from their mothers, and seen the way they were coddled and cared for and felt a pang, surely it was not envy.
"I shall take care of this for you," Lady Wildwood said. "Trust me."
She turned and started out the door, and Seonaid stared after her for a minute before turning to Aeldra and Helen. The three women peered at each other uncertainly for a moment, then moved as one to follow Iliana's mother below.
Chapter Thirteen
"'Tis settled then," Angus Dunbar decided. "We shall head out the morn after next. Ye and Seonaid will ride with us into England, then split off and head to Sherwell."
Blake shifted with displeasure on the trestle table bench but did not refute his father-in-law's words. He really had no desire to travel with Lord Rolfe, the bishop, Lady Wildwood, Angus, Sister Helen, and the king's men, as well as the small army Angus was taking with them to travel into England but could think of no excuse to avoid it. He wished he could. Sleeping out in the open with all those people about was bound to dampen his love life.
He smiled to himself wryly at the thought. Much to his surprise, he was rather enjoying married life so far. Despite their ill-favored beginnings, he and Seonaid appeared to be getting along now. It still shocked him that she had not tried to battle her way out of the keep when it was announced that the wedding would take place right away, and his worry that she would had apparently been obvious, for Lady Wildwood had approached him to assure him all would be well. He didn't know what the woman had said to his betrothed, but whatever it was had worked, and Seonaid had stood silent and complacent for the ceremony. And as for last night ...
Blake had discovered that, while Seonaid could be hard and cold as steel, there was a surprisingly soft and vulnerable side to her as well. In truth, she was turning out to be a fascinating mass of contradictions. She was also as uninhibited a woman in bed as he had ever met, which gave him hope that marriage might not be as bad as he'd feared. In fact, he was enjoying it so far.
Unfortunately, as uninhibited as his new bride was, he suspected even she would balk at engaging in anything with her father snoring but feet away.
"And after ye and Seonaid split off and head fer Sherwell, the rest o' us will continue south toward court," Angus finished with satisfaction.
"Until you need to split off from the group to see Sister Helen home," the bishop pointed out, and Blake wasn't surprised to see his father-in-law grimace at th
e reminder. He was fairly sure the man had no desire to take over Seonaid's promise to see Sister Helen home but was using the excuse as a way to remain close to Lady Wildwood for as long as he could. The man's feelings for the woman were plain for all to see.
"Aye," Angus said, disgruntled. "Wherever that may be. I wish Margaret--er, Lady Margaret," he corrected himself. "I wish she'd hurry about fetchin' the girl back here so we could find out where exactly that is. I'm thinkin'--" He paused suddenly and beamed a smile over Blake's shoulder. "Ah, there ye are. Thank ye fer fetchin' her, Lady Margaret. Now, Sister Helen, we're plannin' the journey into England and need to know where yer home is."
Blake glanced over his shoulder to see that Lady Wildwood had indeed brought the girl down. Seonaid and Aeldra also accompanied her. Blake's gaze slid over his wife, a small smile tugging at his lips as he examined her in her braies. She had a different pair on today. They were faded and worn and obviously several years old, the cloth fitting more snugly than the pair he was used to seeing her in. They outlined and defined every curve from her waist down and put Blake's mind to thoughts of dragging her back abovestairs.
It was going to be a long journey until they reached England and could separate from the rest of the group.
"Actually, my lords," Lady Wildwood said, drawing Blake's attention, "Lady Helen is from Bethencourt, and I fear getting her safely home may be trickier than you had thought."
Blake was slow to understand her words. His gaze slid to the nun in confusion, and it was only then, on his second glance, that he realized she looked different. She was no longer wearing her head covering. Instead, she had pulled her long red hair back into a knot similar to the one Seonaid wore.
"Lady Helen?" Lord Rolfe asked slowly.
"Lady Helen Cameron, nee Bethencourt," Lady Wildwood said, then settled on the bench beside Angus, and explained to the men how the women had pulled the wool over their eyes.
Blake felt satisfaction claim him when Seonaid settled herself on the bench at his side. He listened with interest to the tale Lady Wildwood was revealing. His gaze kept sliding to Lord Rolfe as the woman talked, and he grinned inwardly at the emotions crossing the other man's face. Irritation not that she wasn't a nun, but that he had been led to believe she was. Outrage over Cameron's intentions, and determination to see her safe. Blake suspected the other man was about as good as wedded to the little redhead. He had noticed the man's protective behavior to her throughout the journey here, and the way his eyes had always seemed to trail the little nun. He'd suspected the man was attracted to her and had pitied him, but now things had changed, and he wasn't surprised when Lord Rolfe said, "Then I shall be the one to see her safely home. The king is a friend of Bethencourt; he would wish it so."