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She shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “He has been a completely gentle man in all ways. But I would be lying if I said there was no attraction between us. There is, and we have acknowledged it. But it goes no further.”

“Are you certain?”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

Desmond didn’t press her, for he could see that he had offended her.

But ever since the introduction of his sister to Thomas, Desmond could see the spark of attraction between them.

There was something there, something obvious, and he had to stop it before it got started.

He loved Thomas, but he knew the man too well when it came to women, well enough that he didn’t want his sister to end up a concubine to a married knight.

Even if the knight was married to Adelaide.

“Very well,” he finally said. “I just want to make sure you are taken care of, Mae. I do not want to see you hurt.”

Maitland didn’t say anything. She was already hurt by his words, perhaps not because Desmond had taken the initiative to speak them, but perhaps because of the message he bore– he has also been known to drink and gamble, and I cannot count all of the women he has taken to his bed .

That, in and of itself, had hurt her, thinking of Thomas with nameless, faceless women, showing them affection that she would never know from him.

Perhaps that was what hurt her most of all.

Moving away from Desmond, Maitland headed towards the tower as Thomas, Tibelda, and Thomas’ men set up the fire pit.

His soldiers were already building a big fire in the yard as some of them were still working on the gates.

There was much going on to give them warmth, food, and security.

But Maitland wasn’t paying any attention to them.

Her attention was on the big, squat tower.

And, perhaps, she was thinking of putting a little distance between her and Thomas.

Desmond’s words had her needing to clear her mind a bit, and the tower was her destination.

Over by the long outbuilding, Artus didn’t stop her from entering the tower, but he did watch her with great suspicion.

The tower, in fact, didn’t even have a door, and Maitland looked around to see that it was propped up just inside the entry.

Inspecting it, she could see that the door was intact, but the hinges were warped.

In fact, she didn’t go any further, heading back out into the overgrown yard to find her brother and tell him about it.

As Desmond went in to inspect the door to see if they could at least rehang it before they returned to Wark, Maitland headed over to the provisions that were being organized around the fire.

As she moved towards them, she could see Thomas and Tibelda as they worked with the men setting up the provisions.

While Tibelda busied herself with the sacks, Maitland could see Thomas working alongside his men preparing the fire pit.

She rather liked seeing that he was working with his men rather than simply standing there, ordering them about.

Thomas seemed to be a man that was very much in the middle of his men, working alongside them, just as he had fought alongside them the night before.

It seemed that he didn’t expect them to do anything he wasn’t willing to do, and that was an endearing quality.

But watching him also brought her back to what her brother told her as she watched his big body strain under the weight of a sack of dried beans that his mother had sent along.

Had Desmond truly been trying to protect her by warning her off of Thomas?

Desmond had always been very protective of her, even as children, but he’d also been controlling.

He liked to have things done a certain way, always his way, and, perhaps, this was just another one of those times.

Surely Thomas couldn’t be a bad as Desmond said he was.

… could he?

She wondered.

“Where did Des go?” Thomas asked her.

Distracted from her thoughts, Maitland pointed off towards the tower. “There is no door on the tower,” she said. “It is leaning on the wall just inside the entry. He went to take a look to see if it could be hung.”

Thomas nodded, his attention shifting to the big side of pork. “We may have a problem with this,” he said. “We can build a fire, but we didn’t bring any iron rods or spit forks with us. If you want this side roasting over a fire, then we’re going to have to find something that will support it.”

Maitland turned to look at Artus and Queenie, still standing where they had left them, now watching everything that was going on with both interest and suspicion.

“I have a feeling they might not be so forthcoming with such things,” she muttered, turning back to Thomas.

“In fact, they might not even like us searching for them. If I distract them, can your men hunt round on the other side of this outbuilding? There has to be a kitchen yard around here. You might find what you’re looking for. ”

Thomas pursed his lips, as if not thrilled by her suggestion. “That boy has a big stick,” he pointed out. “I will be very unhappy if he uses it on you.”

Maitland fought off a grin. “Trust me,” she said. “If he uses it on me, it will be a very painful lesson for him. I am not beyond taking the stick from him and whacking him across his arse.”

Thomas grinned, flashing that big dimple in his left cheek. “I believe you,” he said. “Then you distract them and we shall see what we can find.”

Maitland nodded and headed off, back to where Artus and Queenie were still standing.

She tried to angle herself to stand over towards the tower so that when they looked at her, their backs would be to Thomas and his men as they snuck around the side of the outbuildings.

As she hoped, Artus’ gaze followed her until she came to a halt and, in her periphery, she could see Thomas and his men on the move.

“Artus,” Maitland said. “I wonder if you will tell me how old you are.”

Artus still had the stick, but it was down at his side now. “Why do ye want tae know?”

“Because I should like to be friendly with you. Won’t you tell me?”

He eyed her. “I canna tell ye.”

“Why not?”

“Because I dunna know.”

Maitland nodded, looking at him closely. “I would say you are at least ten years of age,” she said. “Have you always been here, at Edenside?”

Artus nodded reluctantly. “As long as I can remember,” he said. “Ye said Kelso Abbey sent ye?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

Maitland thought carefully on her answer. “Because I was told that some terrible people did terrible things to the children here,” she said. “I am an honest woman and I only want to help. So, they asked me to come and make sure the children of Edenside have the best of care.”

Artus seemed to be more and more indecisive on his hostile stance. He looked at Queenie, who was so drunk that she could hardly stand, before returning his attention to Maitland.

“What do ye intend tae do?” he asked.

Maitland hoped they were making some progress. “The first thing I intend to do is make sure you have a hot meal,” she said. “And then I intend to make sure you have clothing that is warm and a warm bed. Where do you sleep now?”

Thomas pointed to the outbuilding. “There.”

“Why not the tower?”

“Because it doesna have a door.”

Maitland nodded. “I saw,” she said. “My brother is going to try and fix it.”

Artus strained to look around her, where a big knight was in the doorway of the tower, looking at the hinges. “That’s yer brother?”

“Aye.”

“He’s a Sassenach ?”

Maitland smiled. “So am I,” she said. “Mayhap that makes me different from the Scots who were cruel to you. I promise I will never be cruel to you and I hope that you will believe me someday.

Artus wasn’t sure what to say to that. It was clear that he was becoming less hostile to her appearance and increasingly interested in what was going on.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maitland could see Thomas and his men coming around the side of the outbuildings and they seemed to be holding a few things, though she couldn’t make out what they were.

Not wanting Artus to see them, she pointed towards the tower to keep his attention away from the covert operation behind him.

“I have not been inside the keep yet,” she said. “Can you tell me about it? Is it inhabitable?”

Artus cocked his head. “Inhab… habit…”

“Inhabitable. It means livable. Can people live in it?”

The boy looked up at the tower while over by the gate, Thomas and his men had evidently found what they were looking for and were setting up a spit with the large pork side impaled on it.

“Only Laird Letty would sleep there,” the boy said.

“Laird Letty? Who is that?”

Artus’ face twisted, his expression turning both grim and painful. He shook his head as if unwilling, or unable, to answer her question.

“It was his home, with his wife,” the boy said. Then, he pointed to the outbuilding. “This is our home. We sleep here.”

Maitland looked at the dilapidated building. “We? As in you and the children?”

“Aye.”

Maitland turned to look at the tower. “Laird Letty,” she said. “Was he your guardian?”

Artus lowered his gaze. “He was our king. He told us he was our king.”

Maitland began to suspect who Laird Letty was, especially by the expression on the lad’s face.

Everything Lady de Wolfe had told her came to mind, of the horrors of Edenside and the servant who was selling children, so she had a feeling that Laird Letty was that servant.

She felt very sorry for Artus. Looking at his face, she could believe the terrible tales that she’d been told.

The child was skinny, beaten, and woefully underdressed for the cold weather.

Even in June, the weather here was cold. He didn’t even have shoes.

Impulsively, she went to the lad.