Page 5

As Sinclair backed off, Payne took a deep breath for courage, facing St. Denis as the man stood up from his chair and came toward him.

“Now you will tell me everything,” St. Denis said when their eyes met. “No more withholding important information. I believe that every man is entitled to his secrets, but not when those secrets threaten Blackchurch. Do you understand me?”

Payne nodded. “Aye, m’laird.”

“Tell me about your mother,” St. Denis said. “ Why is she coming here?”

Payne shook his head. “I do not know and that is the truth,” he said.

“I’ve not seen my mother in about ten years, well before I came tae Blackchurch.

Since we are speaking of truths, my truth is that I was raised by my father.

I am his heir and he dinna want me tae go tae sea with my mother, who had inherited Medusa’s Disciples from her father.

It is her legacy. She took my younger brothers with her while I remained with my da.

I trained as a knight in Northern England and served the Scottish king until I made the decision tae come tae Blackchurch.

Ye know I came here only tae be a Blackchurch-trained warrior, but somehow, I ended up being a teacher instead.

It is the best thing I’ve ever done and I’d like tae keep doing it. ”

There was a plea there. St. Denis could see that.

In fact, he could see a great many things in Payne’s expression that he’d never seen before.

The man wasn’t the serious type unless he was teaching or killing because most of the time, he conveyed someone who was passionate about life, jovial, extremely loyal, and sometimes even foolish.

In great contrast to that character, he could also do mathematics in his head almost instantly, could recall the smallest detail from five years ago, and had a head for money and finances that most men didn’t.

Aye, he was a paradox, but never in his wildest dreams could St. Denis have imagined that Payne was the son of one of the most feared pirates in the western seas.

There was depth to the Highlander that not even he knew.

Perhaps that made him see the man a little differently now.

“No one says you will not continue in your current position,” St. Denis said, backing down a little. “Your loss would be massively felt here at Blackchurch, so I have no intention of releasing you. But I want to know why Bloody Maude is coming here, Payne. Surely you can understand that.”

Payne nodded, feeling a good deal of relief in St. Denis’ statement. He visibly relaxed, trying not to let the plethora of emotions overwhelm him.

“I do, m’laird,” he said. “But given that I’ve not seen her in ten years, I’m curious as well. Would ye like me tae ride out and meet her before she arrives? Mayhap I can discover what this is all about.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. St. Denis leapt at the suggestion. “I would agree to that,” he said quickly. “Creston, what road is she on?”

Creston came forward. “The old bishop’s road from the east,” he said, pointing. “I would like to ride with Payne, my lord.”

“And me,” Cruz said quickly.

Men began stepping forward, quickly volunteering—Sinclair, Fox, Tay, Aamir, Ming Tang, Kristian, and Bowen. Every trainer in the chamber. They were all demanding to ride escort, and St. Denis raised his hand to silence them.

“I know you are deeply loyal to one another, but since this is the first time Payne has seen his mother in years, he would probably like to go alone,” he said, looking at Payne. “Do you?”

Payne nodded, but he was looking at his friends.

“Ye know I’d kill or die for ye, but Lord Exmoor is right,” he said.

“I should go alone. I dunna know why she’s coming, so we should be vigilant.

Creston, Cruz, I’ll take ye with me, since ye’ve already scouted the area.

Ye know it. But stay out of sight. Dunna let her see ye. ”

Creston and Cruz were pleased that they would be accompanying him, already heading to the door so they could get to the stables and claim their horses. As they quickly filtered out, Payne turned to the collection of friends behind him.

“She willna hurt me,” he said quietly. “But not knowing why she’s come, I canna guarantee yer safety.

My mother and I have shared a complicated relationship, as ye can imagine.

The last time I saw her, she told me that I was dead tae her because I wouldna go tae sea.

And that’s, mayhap, why I dinna tell ye about her.

I never thought I’d see her, or hear from her, again.

But here she is—and I will admit that I’m curious. ”

Tay forced a smile, though he was clearly disappointed he hadn’t made the cut to play escort. “Understandable,” he said. “No need to explain. We shall await your return.”

Payne nodded, smiling weakly as his friends departed the chamber, one after the other. When the room was finally empty of everyone other than Payne, St. Denis, and St. Sebastian, Payne turned to the Earl of Exmoor.

“They willna stay here,” he muttered. “Ye know they’ll find a way tae follow me.”

St. Denis sighed in resignation. “I know,” he said. “I cannot stop them. They’re running for the stables as we speak. But do make sure your mother does not try to cut off vital body parts, will you?”

Payne chuckled. “First, I must ensure she doesna try tae do it tae me.”

“Are you concerned?”

Payne shook his head. “As I said, I’m curious,” he said.

Then his eyes took on a distant cast. “I wish ye’d known my mother when I was young.

She wasna a pirate back then. Just a woman.

We were never apart, she and I. Even when she gave birth tae my younger brothers, my memories of her are of always holding her hand.

She was kind and loving. Not the woman men fear today. ”

“What happened?” St. Sebastian spoke up.

Usually, he stayed out of the conversations that his father had with the trainers, mostly because most of his life he had suffered a speech impediment that he’d only recently mastered.

A stutter that seemed to fade with age, so he was more confident these days.

“When did she become this… this pirate?”

“When her father died,” Payne said softly.

“She was his only child, and one did not disobey Shane Kilkenny. He taught her what his father had taught him because the pirate legacy in her family runs deep. Shane wanted her tae marry well and my mother had an enormous dowry, one that attracted my father. But Shane wanted something as well—the Isle of Coll. He demanded it as part of the marriage contract, and my grandfather, who was the Earl of Lismore at the time, gave it tae him. The island is where the pirate fleet anchors when they are not at Lismore.”

“So your mother is Irish?” St. Sebastian asked.

“She is,” Payne said softly. “But my father bleeds the Highlands. It is the blood in his veins and the song in his heart. Old Shane, and then my mother, moved their operations tae Scotland and England and Wales because it was more lucrative than simply raiding the Irish coast. Instead, they raid their enemies.”

St. Sebastian shrugged. “That is what I would do,” he said. “The Irish are too poor.”

Payne eyed him a moment before breaking down into soft laughter. “I would expect nothing less from ye,” he said. “Ye’ll always see things from a business view.”

“And that is fortunate for the continuation of Blackchurch,” St. Denis said, his focus on Payne.

“But this place might suffer if Bloody Maude has murder on her mind, for whatever reason, so go now. Meet her on the road and discover her intentions. And do not let your fellow trainers come to harm at your mother’s hand. ”

Payne shook his head. “I will not,” he said. “And I’ll do my best tae keep her away from Blackchurch.”

“I am depending on you.”

Payne knew that. He’d never been so acutely aware of anything in his life. His mother was coming, his friends were on edge, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about any of it. But one thing was for certain.

He was going to get to the bottom of this.

His only fear was what, exactly, he would find at that bottom.

God help him.