Page 24

“W e’ve delivered the bride,” Declan said, yawning. “Why do we remain? We should be heading back tae Combwich and our vessels. We’re not getting rich lingering at this place, are we?”

He had a group of men cheering behind him, the same men who had spent the night in the encampment behind the Black Cock and the same men who had been told not to raid the village.

The problem was that there were almost two hundred of them and they outnumbered the villagers, but add the Blackchurch army and they would be decimated.

That was the only thing keeping them from giving in to their normal pirate behavior.

Annihilation.

It was a fine line that Maude was walking.

“You stole enough on our way here that ye are amply supplied with food, horses, and anything of value from here tae Combwich,” she said loudly. “We’ll leave when I say we’ll leave.”

That was a direct shot at Declan, who had grown impatient. Watching his oldest brother marry that morning, taking the bride he wanted and carrying the title he wanted, had only exacerbated his restlessness. Maude was well aware of it, but she was also quite protective of her eldest son.

Truthfully, the one she was most proud of.

Watching Payne marry that morning had been something of a spiritual experience for Maude. She’d never thought that event would affect her so, but it had. Perhaps it was the fact that Payne was now the Earl of Lismore, the title no longer held by her husband.

It was the passing of the guard, as it were.

But Payne was more than ready for the position, and he was certainly more than qualified.

He was everything his brothers weren’t, and there were times when Maude regretted not forcing Declan and Francis to foster in England.

Declan had been too much of a Highlander and there was too much hatred for England in his heart to effectively learn from English trainers, but Francis, on the other hand, had never wanted to be a warrior in the first place.

His chosen vocation would have been as a priest, hence the nickname of Pope Francis.

He’d never cared much for warfare, and even now, as a pirate, he didn’t do much fighting or killing.

He stood back with his mother and let the others do it, only acting if he was called upon.

In Maude’s mind, Francis was the biggest waste of talent because he could have been a good priest, but his father would have disowned him had he tried.

Somehow, being a pirate was better than being a priest.

Now, the wedding was over, Payne was the new earl with a new bride, and there really wasn’t any reason for Maude and her men to remain at Blackchurch.

Even Declan knew that. But Maude wasn’t so eager to depart, mostly because she wanted to spend a little more time with Payne, whom she hadn’t seen in ten years.

Seeing him again had awakened that part of her heart that belonged only to him, only to the first child she’d given birth to and held in her arms as her very own.

One would have thought that over the years, her vocation would have hardened her heart, but that wasn’t the case.

She still had a heart, and most especially for her children, but she was hesitant to tell Declan why she wanted to remain.

Given the fact that he resented his brother so much, she knew it would be a constant battle with him.

“We’re men of the sea, Maudie,” Declan said, breaking into her train of thought. “Look around ye—no one wants tae stay in this cursed place. If we wanted tae live on land, we’d be farmers.”

The men laughed and Maude smiled, pretending to be in on the joke or, at the very least, agree with them.

But she also knew she had to placate men who constantly needed to have their purses fed.

That was simply the nature of what they did and a potentially dangerous nature at that, so she had to play along.

She had to walk that line between command and camaraderie.

“I want tae spend a day or two here tae ensure the new earl and his wife are settling in,” she said.

“Payne wasna expecting any of this and I dunna want tae see discord between them, so we will remain a few days. Meanwhile, so ye’ll not grow too restless, ye can head west and find a village over in that direction that may have something tae yer liking.

I only agreed not tae raid this village. I dinna agree not tae raid others.”

A collective roar of approval went up from the men, who turned for their tents, intending on preparing for a short jaunt to the west. Declan went with them, encouraging their excitement, but Francis remained with his mother.

The two of them watched the men filter back into the encampment, feeding off the electric atmosphere.

“Francis,” Maude said, “what if I were tae order Declan tae take the men back tae the ships and wait for me? Would that stop this impatience they seem tae have about remaining here for any length of time?”

Francis looked at her. “If ye send Declan with them, ye’ll never see yer ships again,” he said quietly. “The men love ye, Maudie, but they love Declan, too. He’s a man. They understand him. And he’s the exact image of Red Shane Connacht.”

She sighed faintly. “Then I’ll lose control if I give Declan that chance.”

“I think so.”

Maude pondered that for a moment. “He feels that he’s lost the Lismore earldom,” she murmured. “It was never his tae begin with, but I know that’s how he feels. He’s looking for something tae call his own.”

“He wants Medusa’s Disciples.”

She knew that. She’s known it for a while now. After a pause of contemplation, she looked at Francis. “And ye?” she said. “What do ye want?”

Francis put his arm around her shoulders. “I want tae make sure ye’re safe,” he said. “Why do ye think I stay?”

“Why?”

“Tae ensure Declan doesna move against ye,” he said. “I’ll kill him if he tries, Maudie. I swear it.”

She smiled faintly, patting him on the cheek. “Ye’re a good lad,” she said. “But dunna worry about me. I can take care of Declan.”

“How?”

She turned her gaze back toward the encampment and the activity of it. “I brought Declan intae the world,” she muttered. “And I can take him out of it.”

Francis shook his head. “And ye’d mourn him the rest of yer days,” he said. “Nay, Maudie. Let me protect ye from Declan as long as there’s breath in my body. Ye dunna need tae shoulder the burden of killing yer own son.”

“And ye dunna need the burden of killing yer own brother.”

“Better him dead than ye.”

Maude smiled sadly, patting his cheek. “He’s got too much of his grandfather in him,” she said. “He has a wild and ambitious spirit that takes precedence over everything. Even family.”

Francis knew his brother well. “He’s greedy,” he said simply. “He’d be happy tae be the only son ye had. He wants everything.”

Maude nodded in resignation. “I know,” she said. “And ye’d better warn Payne about him. Declan has a particular hatred for the man who has everything he wants.”

“I already have.”

Maude looked at him, seeing shades of Payne in that face. Francis had the makings of an excellent warrior, had he chosen to pursue it. He was strong and talented and had a good moral compass in spite of the profession he found himself in.

She found herself in a rare weak moment.

“Francis,” she said hoarsely, “if anything happens tae me, run tae Payne. Dunna stay with this bunch. They’ll turn on ye. Go tae Payne and stay with him. I must know ye’ll be safe.”

Francis kissed her on the forehead to allay her fears, but that wasn’t good enough. She wanted an agreement. He nodded, reluctantly, and Maude was comforted. There was a storm brewing with Declan. They could both feel it.

Maude most of all.

Something terrible was on the horizon.