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“I t was a great pleasure to meet you both,” Maitland said. “I am truly honored to have known de Wolfe hospitality.”

She was speaking to William and Jordan in the inner bailey of Wark as the escort to take her and Tibelda on to Edenside waited patiently.

It was just past the nooning hour on a day that had turned remarkably mild from such a cold morning, and as Maitland thanked William and Jordan, Caria ran around at their feet, playing with the two puppies she had confiscated from the hall the night before.

“’Twas an honor to have met ye, Lady Bowlin,” Jordan said, taking Maitland’s hand and holding it sweetly. “Edenside is in very good hands. I shall visit very soon.”

Maitland smiled. “I hope you will, my lady,” she said. “I hope there will be great progress when you come.”

Jordan squeezed her hand. “With ye in charge, there will be,” she said assuredly. “I’ve sent along some provisions with ye, some flour and a side of pork and a few other things. That should at least tide ye over until I send ye some goats and chickens. Ye’ll need them tae feed the wee bairns.”

Maitland nodded. “That would be very generous, my lady,” she said. “I must admit that after our conversation last night, I am a bit wary of what I will find there.”

As Jordan nodded somewhat sympathetically, William spoke.

“If you find it is in terrible condition when you arrive, then simply tell Thomas,” he said.

“He will quickly ensure you have what you need from the first to make it a safe and nurturing environment for the children, but my wife is correct– we shall visit you soon and bring some livestock with us.”

Maitland was very pleased to hear it. “Thank you, my lord, truly,” she said sincerely. “You are most generous.”

As William politely nodded his head, there was a commotion over by the gate that led from the inner to the outer bailey and they turned to see Edmund and Adelaide emerging. Edmund was followed by several of his well-dressed retainers, all of them carrying trunks or baggage of some kind.

The Northumbria escort was ready to depart, hovering near the gatehouse in a cluster, while Maitland’s escort was nearer to the stables on the east side.

The two parties were a good distance apart, both of them preparing to depart.

Over near the hall, William and Jordan and even Maitland were watching Edmund and Adelaide as they headed to the Northumbria escort.

“Is he takin’ his daughter along?” Jordan muttered to her husband. “Please tell me he’s takin’ her away from here.”

William could only shake his head. He hadn’t told his wife about his conversation with Edmund earlier, mostly because there hadn’t been a moment of privacy between them yet. That information wasn’t something he wanted to tell her in front of witnesses.

“He’s not taking her,” he said rather grimly, turning his attention back to Maitland before his wife could question him.

“It should take a couple of hours at most to reach Edenside, my lady. It is very close to Wark. I will wish you a pleasant journey and then I shall excuse myself. I had the watch all night and now I find that my fatigue is catching up with me. And I believe I shall force my wife to come with me considering she was up all night as well.”

Maitland nodded. “Of course, my lord.”

She watched as Jordan tried to corral Caria, who had slept all night and had no need to go with her parents to nap.

She and the puppies were having a marvelous time, but the moment Jordan grasped her and tried to pull her along, she began to wail.

That, predictably, brought Thomas out from the stables.

“Mother,” he said as he headed in her direction. “What are you doing to that child?”

Jordan cast her son an impatient glance. “I’m stickin’ pins in her,” she scowled. “What does it look like I’m doin’? I am goin’ inside and the lass is goin’ with me.”

Thomas grinned, watching his mother try to coax Caria to go with her, while behind him, men were emerging from the stables leading horses packed with the supplies Jordan had sent along.

Desmond was with them, securing the provisions, and soon it would be time to depart.

Thomas watched his men gather before turning to his father.

“We should be back by nightfall,” he said. “You are not planning on leaving before I return, are you?”

William shook his head. He hadn’t told Thomas about his conversation with Edmund, either, and knew he needed to before he returned home. It was a depressing conversation he needed to have with both his wife and son, and something he was dreading.

“Nay,” he said. “We will be here when you return.”

“Good,” Thomas nodded. Then, he looked to Caria, crying in his mother’s grasp. “Caria, my love, come and bid me farewell.”

Caria yanked herself away from Jordan, running to the safety of Thomas’ arms. “Where are you going?” she wept. “May I come?”

Thomas picked her up, hugging her gently. “You may not come,” he said. “I am going to take Lady Bowlin to her destination, but I shall not be gone long. While I am gone, you must be a very good girl and go with Matha.”

Caria was quite unhappy. “But I want to play with the puppies!”

Thomas looked down at the little dogs, sitting on the dirt and looking up at Caria with their tails thumping. “And you shall,” he said. “Have you fed them anything today?”

That distracted Caria and she looked to the dogs as she wiped at her teary eyes. “They had some bread.”

“You must feed them more than bread,” he told her. “Take the puppies back into the hall where they can suckle on their mother and then go with Matha to rest. If you do these things and are a very good girl, I shall bring you something when I return.”

The promise of a present magically dried all tears. “What shall you bring me?” she asked excitedly.

He kissed her cheek and set her to the ground. “I am not sure yet,” he said. “But you must be very good or there will be nothing. Do you understand?”

Caria nodded solemnly, already rushing over to the puppies to return them to the hall.

With Caria calm, and Jordan trailing after the child, Thomas turned his attention to more important things, including Northumbria’s escort.

Lifting a hand, he shielded his eyes from the sun as he spied them over by the gatehouse in their fine clothing and fine horses, with standards that had gilded ribbons streaming from them.

“Northumbria is departing,” he said to his father. “So soon? He only just arrived.”

William cleared his throat softly. “Let him go,” he said. When Thomas looked at him curiously, he simply held up a hand. “Ask no more. We will speak on it when you return.”

Thomas didn’t press his father, although he was very curious.

Northumbria’s trip to Wark had been very brief, considering the effort it took to travel from Kyloe to Wark.

As he stood there for a moment and watched the Northumbria escort assemble, he saw clearly when Adelaide broke off from her father and headed across the bailey in his direction.

Dressed in a fine gown, elaborate, with her gold jewelry reflecting the sunlight, any other man might have thought she was a pretty sight, but not Thomas.

All he could manage to feel when he looked at her was disgust and impatience.

He didn’t want to talk to her because there wasn’t anything she had to say that he wanted to hear. Quickly, he turned away.

“It is time for us to depart,” he said, politely taking hold of Maitland’s elbow. “Come along, my lady.”

Maitland lifted a hand to Jordan and William, waving farewell, as Thomas turned her for the escort.

They hadn’t taken five steps when Adelaide called Thomas’ name.

He didn’t respond until she called him a third time, when he finally came to a reluctant halt and turned towards the woman.

She called his name again, for a fourth time, to make sure he had heard her, lifting her hand as if to catch his attention. He simply stood there, impatiently.

“What is it, my lady?” he asked with thin patience. “We are just preparing to depart.”

Adelaide was looking at Maitland as she spoke. “I know,” she said. “But I wanted to know why you were going. The lady arrived without an escort, I am told, so I am not sure why she needs one to reach her destination.”

Immediately, Thomas could feel his anger rise. He wasn’t going to let Adelaide make any decisions for him and he particularly didn’t like her questioning decisions he’d already made. This was his castle, and ever would be, and her role in it would be as small as he could possibly manage.

“Although this is none of your concern, I will be polite and respond,” he said.

“We are escorting Lady Bowlin and her traveling companion because we were attacked by reivers last night and it is not safe for the lady and her companion to ride alone through dangerous territory,” he said. “Is that all?”

Adelaide’s gaze lingered on Maitland. “I wanted to bid the lady a good journey.”

Maitland was surprised to hear that but she sensed something sinister behind the goodwill gesture. “Thank you, my lady,” she said. “I hope you will come visit Edenside someday.”

Adelaide cocked her head. “Why?”

It was a stupid question as far as Maitland was concerned, but it was also a question with no real answer. She’d only said it to be polite.

“Because great ladies are patronesses of such places,” she said, scrambling for the first answer she could come up with. “Since Sir Thomas has agreed to be a patron, I am sure you would like to see where his money is put to use.”

Adelaide looked at Thomas in shock. “You are giving money to Edenside?”

Thomas was rather pleased in a sadistic sort of way to see that she was upset. “It is my money,” he said. “And I need not answer to you. If there is nothing else, then I must go.”