“That man is a stranger to me.”
I laughed. “And to me.”
Macbeth smiled slightly. He looked at his worktable where I had neatly stacked all the correspondence. I’d had shelves moved into the chamber where I kept ledgers and essential missives. Ruling Scotland, it turned out, was not much different from ruling Moray. Scale was the only factor. After the initial shock at the confused state of things, I was beginning to make progress.
Macbeth exhaled a heavy sigh. “You have been doing everything.”
“Someone has to.”
“And things are…”
“Settling down. You’ll be delighted to know that cousin Bethoc is here. If you wanted any greater motivation to walk to Rome, I can’t think of another.”
To my surprise, he chuckled. “I’ll consider it. And Crinian?”
“He’s revisiting his dedication to his vocation. He is Abbott of Dunkeld once more. The mines and treasury are secure. Now that I’ve choked off the money we’ve been bleeding south, the southern lords are suddenly very eager to ally with us.”
“Thank you, Gruoch. These days have been very strange for me.”
I bit the inside of my cheek but said nothing. How many strange days had Macbeth caused me?
When I looked up, I realized Macbeth was studying me carefully. “Are your hands cold?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” He eyed the papers on the table once more. “What can I do?”
I looked across the desk, selecting the messages I’d received from Thorfinn. I handed them to Macbeth. “Get well.”
He took the parchments from my hands. “Gruoch, I don’t deserve—”
“No, you don’t. So do us all a favor and come back to yourself. For now, I have to send some messages,” I said then strode out of the room.
Chapter 26
I was both sad and relieved when Madelaine arrived with a small party the following day. She looked very pale and weary, but she smiled when she saw me.
“Corbie,” she said, kissing me on my cheeks.
“My dear, sweet aunt. How are you?”
She shrugged. “As well as I can be.”
“Perhaps you should not have come. If it will be too much burden—”
“No. I need to stay busy, to distract myself.”
“Good, because I have a dozen letters from noble lords, thanes, and clansmen who want to send their wives and daughters to me. I need your help.”
Madelaine smiled. “Of course.”
“And Bethoc is here. I haven’t actually seen her, but they tell me she is here.”
“Ahh,” Madelaine said then nodded. “Very well. Let me rest for a time then I’ll get to work.”
“Whatever would I do without you?”
“I love you too, my dear.”
Motioning to the servants, I directed them to come help Madelaine. As I watched her go, I thought about Crearwy. If she had stayed with me, she would have honestly been a princess. She would have had beautiful clothes, jewelry, a fine chamber, tutors, and more. It would have been a very different life. Clearly, she had imagined a life like that. She wasn’t wrong to want those things. The idea of her being here with Madelaine and me would have been good, happy. But at what risk? Everything could change in a moment.
My hand drifted to my stomach.
Very soon, I would have to make the same choice again. Was there a different way, a better way?”
“Gruoch?” Macbeth called from behind me.
I turned to see him standing alongside a gentleman who was holding a large piece of rolled parchment and wearing a square builder’s cap.
I swallowed hard, hoping Macbeth had not seen my hand on my stomach. “Yes?”
“Is that Madelaine who has arrived?”
I nodded.
“Very good. This is Kirk. He has been working on Dunsinane.”
“How nice to meet you, sir. I’ve been reading over your updates. It seems as if the work is coming along very well,” I told the man.
“It is. In fact, I’ve just convinced His Majesty to come to have a look,” Kirk replied.
“I thought you might like to come along,” Macbeth said tepidly. He still looked terrible. He was pale and gaunt, his eyes sunken. If I hadn’t despised him, I might have felt sorry for him.
“You will have to stay the night,” Kirk said. “You won't be able to ride back in time.”
“Is the castle suitable for the queen?” Macbeth asked.
“We can make it so,” Kirk assured Macbeth.
My curiosity piqued, I nodded. “Yes, I will come. I’ll need a few moments to get ready. And I need to let Madelaine know.”
Macbeth nodded. “I’ll have your horse saddled.”
While I had no interest in going anywhere with Macbeth, I really wanted to see the fortress. I headed back to my chambers to dress in my riding clothes.
“Where are you going?” Tira asked.
“To Dunsinane.”
“I heard it’s a craggy old thing, not at all like Glamis,” Rhona said.
“Glamis is small and insecure,” I said.
“And, no doubt, too fancy for your liking,” Rhona added.
I chuckled. “How did you know?” I asked.
“Because it’s too fancy for me,” she replied.
We all laughed.
“Can the two of you please check in with Madelaine? She’s just arrived. She’ll need your help getting settled in the coming weeks.”
“Of course,” Tira said.
After I slipped my riding clothes on, I collected Magnus and two other guards then went to find Madelaine. She was busy settling into her chamber.
“Madelaine, if you don’t mind, I will ride to Dunsinane and return in the morning.”
“Of course, dear.”
“I’ve asked Tira and Rhona to look in on you.”
Madelaine nodded mutely. “They’ll have to find me a maid. Ute didn’t want to come.”
Of course, she didn’t. “That won’t be a problem.”
“Are you up for such a long ride?” Madelaine asked, keeping her words as guarded as possible. But I hadn’t missed her meaning.
“It will be fine.”
“All right. Be careful, love,” she said, kissing my cheek.
“Take your rest,” I told Madelaine. “There is no rush.”
She smiled softly, but there was a dullness to her eyes I hadn’t seen before. All that mirth that used to live inside her had gone dim.
I let her go then returned to the courtyard. There, I found Macbeth. He was already mounted, a dozen of his own men in attendance. I also spotted Killian mounted and ready.
“Sir,” Magnus said then went to him.
I mounted Swift then watched as the two Moray men exchanged words. Magnus nodded to me then headed back into the castle.
Killian reined his horse in alongside mine. “I will come with you. Just to be safe,” he said, eyeing Macbeth warily.
I was glad. While I trusted all the men who had come with me from Moray, I had faith in Killian.
“Ready?” Macbeth asked, glancing quickly at Killian.
I nodded, and then our party set out.
The ride to Dunsinane was, to my surprise, enjoyable. A road had been cut through the winding, hilly path between the old fortress and Glamis. We rode through a thick forest filled with ancient trees. The old oaks swayed in the wind, their limbs rubbing against one another.
“Listen to how they speak,” I told Killian.
“And do you understand their words, or are they secret?”
“Anyone can understand. Just close your eyes and listen.”