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Ranulf rolled his eyes and, rather to her dismay, took his roving hand away. “Poor little Lady Bea. Is that why she’s not here, either? She fell into a fit at your bad news and is lying in bed, one hand to her forehead, moaning and cursing me and my red hair?”

Bea laughed and shook her head. “She’s accepted the inevitable and still wants to tend our children, even if they have red hair.”

Ranulf looked genuinely shocked. “No!”

“Yes, it’s true,” Bea said pertly, and with a virtuous expression. “Maloren believes that with my help, we can help them overcome their naturally sinful natures.”

“Be careful how you tease me, Bea,” he warned, “or I’m liable to forget my position as castellan and kiss you here and now.”

“And cause a scandal?” she replied, her eyes sparkling with delight. “Oh, surely not!”

Her voice dropped to such a sultry whisper, he very nearly did forget he was the castellan when she said, “I would prefer to wait until we can be alone.”

“God’s blood, Bea,” he pleaded quietly. “Have mercy, or I’ll have to pick you up and carry you to my bed.”

“Have mercy on me , my lord,” she returned. “Surely you know there’s nowhere I’d rather be.” She rose. “Unfortunately, I have more mundane duties that require my attention.”

“As do I,” he replied, likewise standing. “And I’d better be about them.”

“Until later then, my lord.”

He made a deep and formal bow. “Until later, Lady Beatrice.”

W HEN R ANULF REACHED the courtyard, he was surprised to see Kiernan standing near the stables, finishing what appeared to be the heel of a loaf of bread.

Spotting Ranulf heading toward him, the young knight tossed what remained aside, causing several gulls to swoop down from the battlements to fight over the crust.

“Good morning, Kiernan,” Ranulf said, barely managing not to smile, or laugh, or ask him about Celeste. “We missed you at mass.”

Kiernan blushed. “I overslept.”

I’ll wager you did, Ranulf thought.

The young man straightened his shoulders and his expression grew determined. “I’ve decided there’s no need to rush back to Tregellas, after all,” he said. “I fear I’ve wronged both you and Lady Beatrice by implying there was any need for haste. And she may require more time to pack her belongings.”

Ranulf’s brows rose and it was a struggle not to grin. “Indeed? I’m delighted to hear you don’t think me a lascivious lecher.”

Kiernan’s cheeks reddened still more. “I hope you’ll allow me to stay until Lady Beatrice is ready to return to Tregellas.”

Ranulf politely inclined his head. “Of course. But there’s your lack of baggage to consider.”

Kiernan waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll send one of my men to the village to purchase what I require.”

“Then I see no reason you shouldn’t stay.”

Kiernan let out his breath, blushing again, as if embarrassed by his relief. “Yes, well, since I am to stay, I was hoping you’d allow me to ride out with you today. I’ve heard something of the troubles here, and I’d be glad to help in any way I can while I’m here. I have very keen eyesight.”

“Do you, indeed? Well, well. I’d be delighted to have you come with us,” Ranulf said. In truth, another pair of eyes couldn’t hurt when it came to spotting anything amiss or out of the ordinary along the coast.

Together they walked to where Titan waited in a particularly frisky mood. Or perhaps he was empathizing with his master’s good humor.

Either way, man and horse were soon leading the patrol out of the gates and toward the shore. They left a small force at the castle, under the command of the sergeant-at-arms. Gareth, the garrison commander, had been born and raised in Penterwell, so Ranulf wanted him in the patrol, too.

It was a mild spring day, with a clear blue sky, and just enough of a breeze to ruffle Ranulf’s hair.

They’d ridden some ways in silence before Kiernan spoke. “Tell me, my lord, did you know Lady Celeste’s husband well?”

“No,” Ranulf answered honestly.

“It seems a pity a woman so young and lovely should be widowed so soon.”

Ranulf kept his tone noncommittal. “I’m sure Lady Celeste will find another worthy man eager to marry her.”

“I understand she’s very wealthy and popular at court.”

Celeste had been singing her own praises rather loudly last night. He’d been too upset about Bea to pay much attention. “Am I to understand you wouldn’t mind making an offer for her yourself?”

Kiernan flushed and stared straight ahead.

“If that’s so, I wish you every happiness.” Ranulf recalled some of the things Celeste had said to him, and her desperate pleas. “I don’t think her life at court has been as happy as she implies.”

As a knight and a man, Ranulf felt compelled to be honest with Kiernan.

“She’s far from poor, but she may not be as rich as you think in terms of landed property.

She told me herself she has only movable goods, although as you saw for yourself last night, her jewels alone are quite valuable.

However, as you stand to inherit your father’s estate, I should think her lack of property is not a serious impediment to your marriage if you were to seek her hand. ”

“The lady herself would be the prize,” Kiernan replied a little stiffly

“Spoken like a man in love,” Ranulf remarked. “And here I’ve been assuming you wanted to marry Lady Beatrice.”

Kiernan looked horrified by the very notion. “By the saints, no!”

“Forgive me for upsetting you,” Ranulf said, trying not to be offended for Bea’s sake, and even if she didn’t want Kiernan. “Surely you can’t be surprised by my assumption. I thought your concern for her sprang from tender feelings.”

“I do like Lady Beatrice,” Kiernan allowed, “but I’d never want to marry her. She talks far too much and her sense of propriety…” He caught Ranulf’s eye. “You must admit it’s a little lacking.”

“Then why do you care so much about her reputation?” he asked.

“Because I admire and respect Lady Constance. I don’t want anyone in the family to suffer because of Beatrice’s actions.”

“You do know Constance and Lord Merrick agreed to let her come? Beatrice didn’t simply grab a horse and ride here on her own.”

“I fear Lady Constance loves Beatrice too much to curb her.”

“You think Beatrice needs to be restrained?”

“I think, my lord, that sometimes she is heedless and unthinking and forgets to act like the lady she is.”

“Yes, sometimes she does,” Ranulf agreed. “I find that refreshing.”

“A ship, my lord!” one of the soldiers at the front of the column called out. “There, in the cove!”

Ranulf raised himself in his stirrups and saw a two-masted vessel bearing no flags or other marks at the entrance to a nearby cove. Then he spotted something else: a boat full of armed men rowing toward the shore.

Excitement and hope and determination set Ranulf’s blood aflame with a different sort of passion. These men could be up to nothing good, or they would have come into the harbor at Penterwell. By God, he’d catch them and find out exactly what they were doing here.

In spite of his resolve, however, it wasn’t Ranulf’s way to charge into a fight without a plan. As he dismounted, he called to Gareth to move his men out of sight.

Ranulf crept to the edge of the cliff overlooking the cove and lay on his belly to survey the shore below. He avoided looking at the waves where they washed up upon the sand as he gestured for Gareth to join him. “Do you know those men?”

“No, my lord,” Gareth answered. “Never seen them before.”

“Or that ship?”

“No, my lord.”

By this time Kiernan, too, had crawled up beside Ranulf. “Smugglers,” he said, and it wasn’t a question. “That’s a French ship.”

Ranulf looked at him questioningly.

“You can tell by the rigging,” Kiernan replied. “What’s the plan of attack?”

“This is no fight of yours, Kiernan. Ride back to Penterwell.”

“I’m not a coward,” the young man replied, obviously offended. “I won’t run from a fight.”

“And if you’re hurt or killed? What am I to say to your father?”

“That I died in battle,” Kiernan said with conviction, “as a nobleman should.”

Ranulf began to think he’d underestimated the young man, but at the moment, Kiernan’s valor was not of prime importance. “We can’t come at them from up here. They’ll see us and make for their ship before we can stop them. Or are there any caves down there where they could take refuge?”

Gareth shook his head. “No, my lord. None that I know of.”

“Why do you think they came here?”

“Could be because the path over there is a wide one,” Gareth suggested. “If they plan to steal horses or sheep, they’d need a wide way down to the shore. If that’s why they’re here, they’ll wait till nightfall before leaving the beach.”

“Is there another way down?”

Gareth nodded his helmeted head. “Aye, but it’s not an easy one.”

He pointed at the eastern end of the cove, where a rocky outcrop rose several feet above the water and jutted into the sea.

“There’s another way to the beach around that point—trickier, that’s for certain, but I don’t think anybody’d fall into the sea if we was careful.

Could be a bit noisy what with rocks falling, though.

On the other hand, they won’t be expecting anybody to come from there.

A bit of rock tumbling down won’t alarm ’em. ”

Looking at the waves crashing against the point, Ranulf pushed back his terror of the churning sea. “Then that way it shall be, for I’m not letting those men get away.”

A S R ANULF AND HIS MEN started making their way toward the point, a smiling, merry Beatrice bustled about the kitchen giving orders for the evening meal, while Lady Celeste contemplated the passionate energy of younger men.

In the village, Wenna crooned a lullaby to little Gawan sleeping in his cradle, until a knock sounded on her door.

Wondering who it could be and suspecting it might be Myghal with another small gift, Wenna smiled and hurried to welcome him.

Instead of Myghal, three rough, strong men—one huge, one thin and one missing an eye—charged into her cottage.