*

“You cannot control

the heart that covets….”

*

“W e can do one of two things,” Tobias said. “We can throw Madeline in the vault and stop the bleeding or we can use her to feed the Welsh false information. We can even use her to trap their leaders. Evon, you said? Has anyone heard that name before?”

In the small solar of Four Crosses, Jamison, Tobias, Brend, and Thad huddled around the glowing hearth, mulling over the shocking story that Jamison had just relayed to them.

It was disgusting, truly, and there wasn’t one man among them not thoroughly disheartened by Madeline’s behavior.

Given the way she had behaved towards the presence of the de Lohr troops, and most especially to Jamison, no one seemed particularly surprised by it.

Now, things were starting to make some sense.

The spy had been revealed.

“She must have been doing it all along,” Jamison said. “Four Crosses has been hit hard in the past few months, attacks that have progressively damaged the walls. Lady Havilland mentioned tae me that she thought there was a spy among them, but I’m sure she never thought it was her own sister.”

Tobias sighed thoughtfully. The news of Madeline had him disenchanted with all three de Llion sisters. “Then you do not believe Lady Havilland is in on this treachery?”

Jamison shook his head. “I dunna know her as ye do, but in me conversation with her today, I dinna receive the impression that she might be complicit with what her sister is doing. I canna believe she would be.”

Tobias shook his head. “Nor I,” he replied firmly. “But I would have never believed Madeline capable of such things, either.”

Jamison sat forward, elbows on his knees, head propped up by his hands. He gazed thoughtfully into the fire as the flames danced hypnotically.

“I will proceed on the assumption that Lady Havilland doesna know of her sister’s activities,” he said, “which means we must tell her. She must know. We need her knowledge of who ‘Evon’ might be and why Madeline is giving him information. But I’ll tell ye something more, something I dinna tell ye at the beginning– the man seduced Madeline as I watched.

He did things most of us keep tae the bedchamber, all the while demanding answers from her. She told him everything she could.”

The three knights looked a bit startled by the realization. “Madeline?” Tobias repeated, just to be clear they were all speaking about the same woman. “Cold and aggressive Madeline?”

Jamison nodded. “I wouldna believed it had I not see it with me own eyes.”

“Then what do we do?” Thad wanted to know, disappointed that one of the three ladies he was lusting after was, in fact, a spy. “I say we throw her in the vault.”

Jamison shook his head. “Nay, lad,” he said. “I tend tae believe that this is a great opportunity for us, as Tobias has said.”

The others looked at him curiously. “Use her to bait the Welsh?” Tobias asked. “Do you have plan?”

Jamison was still looking at the flames.

“From what we saw in the days o’ battle, there were no more than two thousand Welsh,” he said.

“A big enough force, tae be sure, but de Lohr can raise five times that amount of men. I say we bring this tae yer father, Tobias, and tell him what we know. Tell him we have a spy that doesna know we are on tae her. We could set up such a trap with de Lohr’s numbers that we could seriously damage Madog’s southern rebellion.

If we destroy most of his men, he’ll have no choice but tae retreat back north.

And we can use Madeline tae help us and she willna realize she’s been used until it ’tis too late. ”

Tobias liked that plan. “My father will want to hear what we know,” he said. “It will make sense to him why there has been so much activity against Four Crosses as of late.”

Jamison nodded. “That is what I think,” he said. “Meanwhile, I believe we should let Lady Havilland in on what is transpiring. She must know her sister is betraying her so she doesna tell the lass any more than necessary.”

“You truly believe Lady Havilland is trustworthy?” Brend asked, not entirely convinced.

But Jamison nodded to the question, without hesitation. “I do,” he said. “Trust that I will be prudent when dealing wit’ her.”

Tobias’ gaze lingered on him a moment. “I have known her for longer,” he said. “Let me do it.”

Jamison could sense something more than simply duty or politeness in that request. He has interest in her , he reminded himself.

Perhaps he is trying tae establish his claim .

If that were the case, Jamison would not allow it.

If anyone was going to stake a claim with Havilland, it would be him.

Here, in the midst of a serious situation, he was worried about a woman, misplaced as that worry was. Still, he couldn’t help it.

“Nay,” he said. “I appreciate yer offer, but I am in command. It must come from me. Moreover, the lady and I had a long and pleasant conversation earlier today. I believe we have established some trust. It is time tae test that trust or I would be a poor commander, indeed.”

Tobias wasn’t happy with that answer. He’d heard from Thad that Jamison had been seen in quiet conversation earlier in the day with Lady Havilland and he didn’t want the big Scotsman to assert himself on her before he could.

He’d had his eye on the lady for a while and wasn’t about to lose her to Jamison.

“Then I will come with you,” he said.

Again, Jamison shook his head. “It would appear to her as if we were joining ranks against her,” he pointed out. “It will be much easier if I do this alone. If I need yer help, I will ask.”

Tobias couldn’t argue with him much more than that because then it would look like he was pushing for contact with the lady and not because of the subject at hand. Unhappy, he simply turned away, leaving Brend and Thad and Jamison grouped around the fire.

Jamison could feel Tobias’ displeasure at the situation but he wouldn’t address it.

It would be better if he didn’t because once it was in the open that they were interested in the same woman, it would change the dynamics between them.

Many a man, and many a command, had been brought down by men’s passions.

Jamison didn’t intend that this should happen to them but if Tobias pushed it, then Jamison would have no choice but to tell him his intentions towards Havilland.

Intentions he really didn’t even know himself, but he did know one thing for certain– he couldn’t let Tobias have her.

Finally, he stood up, loath to move away from the fire but anxious to seek Havilland.

“It is very late and Lady Havilland may already be in her bed, but I will seek her out,” he said, looking to Tobias, who still had his back turned to him.

“Tobias, ye will find Madeline. I dunna know if she has returned tae the castle yet, but find out. Watch her. Once I speak with Lady Havilland, I will find ye. Brend, Thad, ye seek out Lady Amaline. I dunna know if she is in this with Madeline, but we would be wise tae find out. Discover Amaline’s current activities and then report tae Tobias.

I will seek ye once I have spoken wit’ Lady Havilland. ”

The men had their orders. Tobias left the chamber without so much as acknowledging Jamison, followed by Brend and Thad. Jamison brought up the rear, going to find the nearest servant to ask Lady Havilland’s whereabouts.

The servant, an old Welsh woman who had been at Four Crosses most of her life, pointed up the stairs of the keep, indicating that Havilland was in her chamber on the upper floors.

Jamison sent the woman to rouse Havilland and send her to the solar.

With the wheels in motion, he retreated back to the warm solar to await her arrival.

Like an idiot, Jamison’s first thought upon realizing he would be seeing Havilland again soon was of his appearance.

He stole Brend’s comb and ran it through his hair, trying to tame his waves, before rubbing a hand over his face and realizing that he probably looked like a grizzled old bear.

He had no time for a shave but then he got to smelling himself, and his tunic, and noticed that he smelled like the moldering leaves he had been rolling around in when he had followed Madeline.

Ripping off the brecan and the two tunics he had beneath it, he went to his saddlebags to see if he had something less smelly, something that wouldn’t drive a woman away, and came across a lightweight tunic that he used when the weather warmed.

It wasn’t nearly enough against the cold outside but at least it didn’t smell of compost, so he put it on and hoped he wouldn’t freeze to death.

A man with thin blood such as his was a sorry man, indeed.

Jamison was setting aside his smelly clothing when the old servant knocked softly on the door, entering the chamber to tell him that Lady Havilland was on her way.

Jamison thanked the old servant and asked the woman to bring them some warmed wine.

When the woman fled, he moved to the fire to make sure it was stoked.

He wanted Havilland to be comfortable. He spent a good deal of time worrying about her comfort and his appearance, so much so that he didn’t even notice when Havilland entered the room.

She was halfway to him before he realized she had come.

But the sight of her made his frenzied thoughts calm immediately.

In fact, the sight of her alone was enough to bring him peace like he’d never known it, joy that he couldn’t describe.

It filled him. More than that, it was the first time he’d ever seen her in anything other than tunics and mail; she was wearing a heavy woolen night shift and wore a fur-lined robe over it.

Her dark hair was unbound, flowing about her in soft waves down to her buttocks. She looked like an angel.

With a sigh of appreciation, Jamison set the fire poker aside.

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