The Great Hall was empty, no one about, the only sound the crackle of the roaring fire as Adara slipped on her cloak ready to take an early morning walk, the bairn restless since she woke. All had quieted in the month since Maia had attacked her and she was pleased that her leg healed quickly along with her hand. It pained her now and then, but mostly it had healed well.

She had another reason for a walk this early. She had woken to an empty bed and that was a rare occurrence. She wondered what had taken her husband from their bed and hoped her walk would uncover his whereabouts.

The cold stung her cheeks when she stepped outside and a light snow fell on her. There had been no heavy snow since a month ago, only a light spattering now and again, which allowed Adara the pleasure of her morning walks.

She had barely taken a few steps when powerful arms coiled around her waist, startling her, and she was turned around to settle in her husband’s arms.

“What are you doing walking alone so early on this cold morning?” Warrick asked, keeping her close against him.

“The bairn was restless. I thought a walk would calm him and since my husband deserted our bed I had no choice but to seek a walk on my own.”

“Out of necessity, never willingly do I leave you alone in our bed,” Warrick said and kissed her cheek.

Adara turned her head along with her husband, hearing anxious footfalls. Roark rushed toward them and if his hurried footfalls did not alert to a problem, his expression did. There was worry in his blue eyes.

“A body has been found near the edge of the woods, not far from the kitchen garden,” Roark said. “You need to see it.”

Warrick nodded. “After I return Adara safely to the keep.”

Adara latched onto her husband’s arm. “I am going with you and please do not argue with me on this. The bairn needs the walk and I want to see for myself who it is. Besides, it is not far.” She tugged at her husband’s arm as she stepped forward as though the decision had been made.

Warrick followed along with her, not bothering to argue. He preferred her with him anyway. He kept a firm hand on his wife, the light snow having turned to ice in some places., and he did not want her to suffer any fall especially with the birth so close.

The body lay just beyond the kitchen garden, a disturbing thought to Warrick. How had someone gotten that close without being spotted? His troubling thoughts turned to anger when he came upon the body.

“The man you met with in the woods,” Adara whispered, staring at the short man, lying on his back, a deep gash in his temple.

Warrick stared at the dead man, Ronald. He had done business with the little man on various occasions, not that he liked him nor did he trust him, but he was a necessary evil. He had certain connections that he had acquired through years of dirty dealings. When Warrick’s own attempts to find the man King James searched for had hit a stone wall, he had had no choice but to seek Ronald’s help. At their last meeting, he had told Warrick that he was close to discovering the person’s identity. Had Ronald succeeded and had he been followed here and murdered before he could give Warrick the information? Warrick had no way of knowing and no way of finding out what Ronald had come to tell him… unless he caught the person who murdered him.

What disturbed Warrick even more was that the person who killed Ronald had followed him here, which meant the culprit was aware that someone here was searching for the information.

“This does not bode well,” Roark said.

Warrick nodded as he turned toward Roark and saw that his wife had turned deathly pale, staring down at the dead man. He slipped his arm around her. “You should not be looking upon this.”

His words snapped her out of her fearful thoughts. “He is the man who helps you with your mission for the King. Any information he had died with him. King James will not sanction our marriage.”

Warrick ran his warm finger along her chilled pale cheek, wanting desperately to have color return to it. “You are my wife and no one will take you from me. You have my word on that.”

“The King might not take me from you, but with our marriage not sanctioned, it means our child will be considered a bastard and no heir to your land and holdings. I know what it feels like to have nothing, be considered nothing. I do not want that for our child.”

“That is not going to happen. I will find the man who killed him and find out what he knew.” He shook his head when she went to speak. “He is not dead long, which means the person cannot be far.” He turned to Roark. “You have sent men?”

“They scour the area. He will be found,” Roark assured him.

Warrick was relieved to see that a bit of color had returned to his wife’s face when he turned to her. “I will see you safely to the keep where you will get warm, rest, and not worry.”

Adara found anger suddenly replacing her fear. She had obeyed her husband and not questioned him about the meetings in the woods with the short man. Even when the King had threatened their marriage, she had not asked her husband about the mission. But now with the man dead and her child’s future at stake, she could hold her tongue no more.

“You told me we would share our worries. This truly worries me,” she said and surprised him by taking a step away from him. “You have kept me ignorant of this mission of yours for King James. I will know what goes on here.”

“You make a demand of me, wife?” Warrick snapped and saw the sting of heat hit her cheeks though it was not because she was repentant, it was anger he watched flare in her eyes.

“Aye, I do,” she returned to his side, placing her hand on his arm. “Being kept in the dark about this makes me worry all the more. Please, Warrick, I may be able to help, and I give you my word I will tell no one.”

Warrick kept a silent tongue for a moment, then once again turned to Roark. “Have the body moved to one of the empty sheds. I will view it shortly and let me know as soon as you catch the culprit.” His words left no room for failure. The culprit was to be caught. He turned to his wife, taking firm hold of her hand. “Come, we talk in my solar.”

They were both silent on their return walk to the keep. Once in Warrick’s solar nothing was discussed until the servants brought hot brews and Adara was snug in a chair near the fire with a warm wool blanket tucked around her.

Warrick stood at the edge of the hearth and spoke as soon as the door closed behind the servants. “I cannot impress on you enough the importance of no one knowing what I am about to tell you.”

“I have given my word. I will say nothing,” she assured him.

He continued, “The throne has gone through many kings through the years, some worthy, some not. Some true descendants, others not. There has been a claim in the last few years that a true descendant of the first King of Scotland, Kenneth Alpin, had been found and is rightful heir to the throne. King James was warned about him and supposedly was shown proof that he existed. My mission is to find that heir. I searched and hit a point where I could find out no more. The man murdered, Ronald The Wise as he called himself, since he could find things out few could, claimed to have knowledge of this heir. Ronald was a sly one, always alert, always listening and gathering information that could possibly someday, somehow prove beneficial to him. He would store the information away for later use. When he caught wind of an apparent true heir, he paid heed to the news and kept storing whatever he discovered. When you heard us in the woods that day, Ronald told me he was close to discovering the identity and whereabouts of the so-called true king. I can only assume that was the news he was bringing me and was killed for it. When my men find the person who killed Ronald, I will have the answers. I will find the person and complete my mission. It will be done and our marriage sanctioned.”

“What if the culprit is not found? Or what if he has taken his life rather than chance being caught?” Adara asked.

“I will see this done, wife. There is no need for worry.”

Her husband’s confidence helped, but there was another worry. “This is a secret mission for King James?”

“Aye it is. His reign goes good and he needs no stain on it,” Warrick confirmed.

“Once you find this man and see your mission done, what is to stop the King from seeing you dead since you know this secret?”

“You have a quick mind, wife,” he said. “I believe I am more valuable to the King alive than dead. Besides, if he feared me knowing too much about him, I would be dead already.”

“What of the true king? Would you not want to see him take the throne?”

Warrick’s own words surprised him. “I grow tired of war and it would take a war to see this man sit the throne. Good men, women, and children would die, and who is to say this person is the true heir to the throne? And if he is, is he capable of ruling or will he be nothing more than a puppet king? Then what of those who rule him? Do they care for the people or only of wealth and power?”

“What if he is a good man?”

“You do not want to know the answer to that, wife,” he warned and walked over to crouch down in front of her. “You have seen for yourself since you were young how cruel and uncaring people can be. I do what I must to protect my clan and keep them safe and I make no excuse for it. You will always be safe with me, Adara. I will do whatever it takes to make sure of it.”

Adara leaned forward in the chair, her hand going to rest against her husband’s warm cheek. “I never realized how much you sacrifice for others.”

“A great warrior leader does not sacrifice, he does what he must.”

Adara knew the words were not his own. “A lesson your father taught you?”

“One lesson that has served me well.”

Adara turned a soft smile on him and leaned forward to brush a feather-like kiss to his lips. “I love you, husband. You are a good man.” She kissed him again when he went to speak, sensing he would deny her claim. “Do not waste your words, nothing will change how I feel about you.”

“Foolish woman,” he scolded with a smile.

“Aye, that I am, husband,” she said proudly. “Now go and do what you must. I am going to sit here and enjoy the warmth of the fire and my hot brew.”

“I will have Wynn see that food is brought to you,” Warrick said as he stood, then he kissed her brow.

“You will tell me about anything you find?” she asked.

“Aye, I will,” he said and was gone.

Adara settled back in the chair, closing her eyes. There was something about the dead man that disturbed her. She allowed herself to recall the gruesome scene. What was it that she had seen that nagged at her? She could not place it no matter how hard she tried.

The servants further disturbed her thoughts when they entered the room and it was when one of the servants stepped in front of her to place a tray of food on the small table beside the chair that Adara realized what she had been trying so hard to recall.

She jumped up out of the chair, the blanket falling to the floor and ran from the room.

“What do you mean the tracker has found no tracks?” Warrick demanded, approaching the shed where Ronald had been taken.

“The only tracks he found leading to the keep were Ronald’s and there were none leading away from the keep,” Roark explained. “Though, the snowfall is light, it does not help.”

“Have the men spotted anyone in the area?”

“Not a soul or a sign of one so far,” Roark said, “and Ronald was still warm, the blood still flowing from him. The culprit should have been spotted by now. The men are spread out across the land. There was no way he could have slipped past them.”

Warrick said what was obvious. “Which means the person is here in the village. The question is… was Ronald followed or did his search lead him here to the village? Something else has troubled me while searching for this apparent heir. Where is the support for this true king? Where are the warriors who would fight for him?”

“Perhaps many do not believe his claim,” Roark suggested.

“Whatever the reason, it also helps keep his secret. Our only recourse is to find the man who killed Ronald and that should prove easy since he hides here among us.”

The mourn of a distant horn caught both men’s attention and had them taking quick steps to the front of the village.

The sound of the horn stopped Adara, forcing her to delay her search. She kept to the keep stairs, watching out over the village as many of the men wandered toward the front of the village while some remained behind, weapons in hand.

Callie hurried up the stairs to stand beside Adara. “Riders approach fast and strong.”

Adara felt Callie tremble, the young woman having taken her hand.

“No attack bell sounds,” Adara said, attempting to reassure her.

“No, but that does not mean that an attack does not take place elsewhere, which would mean my Roark would be sent off to handle it.”

Warrick could go as well and the bairn’s birth was not far off. Not that Adara needed Warrick to be there, though she preferred he was so that he could see the new bairn as soon as he was born.

“Perhaps it is nothing,” Adara said, hoping to ease both of their concerns.

Adara’s words proved wrong as soon as she caught sight of her husband walking toward her. His jaw was set tight, his brow deeply wrinkled, and his eyes sparking with anger.

“The damn fools pay me no heed. This time they will learn and quickly,” Warrick said his declaration meant more for himself than those around him.

Adara went down the stairs to meet him.

Warrick took hold of her arm and hurried her back up the stairs and looked to Callie. “Go to your husband. We leave for battle.”

Callie let out a cry and ran off.

Once in the Great Hall, Warrick took his wife in his arms. “The MacNair Clan are at it again and this time I am going to dispose of their nonsense quickly.” He placed his hand on his wife’s rounded stomach, spreading his fingers to feel as much of the bairn as he could.” “I will be here for his birth.” The bairn gave his da a good kick.

Adara smiled. “He is pleased to hear that.” Her smile faded. “It is not that I need you here for me to give birth. It is that I would like you here. You give me strength.” Her smile returned as she laid her hand over her husband’s. “I may need more than I first thought since he is a determined one.”

“I will be gone a day at the most. I will end this quick and the MacNair Clan will trouble me no more.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I am glad Cyra did not return home and that Innis joined her here. Between a healer of old and a physician, I feel you will do well, and you will not be able to keep Espy away.”

“I am pleased they will be here to help me, but—”

“I will be here, Adara, you have my word.” He kissed her again and held her close.

She eased out of his arms. “The sooner you go, the sooner you will return to me.”

“I love you, wife,” he said and hurried away, his anger mounting that he was being forced to leave his wife when she needed him. He intended to make the MacNair Clan suffer for it.

Callie came running into the Great Hall shortly after Warrick left, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I warned my brother to bring my husband home safely. I will not be left a widow with a child on the way.”

Adara recalled the joy on Callie’s face when she told all that she was with child. She wore an endless smile until today.

“Warrick says he will be done fast with it. They will return soon and all will be well.”

“I pray it will be so,” Callie said.

It was not until later in the day when Callie returned to her cottage to nap that Adara got a chance to pursue her search. When she had looked upon one of the servant’s hems, she had realized what had plagued her about the dead man. She had spotted a scrap of cloth on a bush not far from his body. It was the plain brown wool cloth the servants wore, but it was faded, which meant it was worn by a servant that had served many years here in the keep.”

Adara went in search of Wynn, planning on asking her who, of the servants, wore the old faded garments. She found her in Warrick’s solar, directing two servants. She smiled at the way Wynn admonished the young lasses for not doing their task correctly.

As Adara watched her demonstrate how to sweep the hearth thoroughly clean of ashes, her eyes caught the hem of her underdress and saw that it had been torn, a section missing. Her hand went to her stomach as an anxious flutter hit it.

“Wynn,” Adara called out. “A word please.”

Wynn nodded with a smile and ushered the lasses out with the bucket of ashes. After she shut the door behind them, Wynn turned to Adara. “What can I do for you, my lady?”

“You can tell me what you were doing in the woods with the man that was found dead.”