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Payne was eyeing his mother stiffly. He didn’t like anything she’d said, but the problem was that she was right.

Well, mostly. Blackchurch’s reputation for training the very best warriors in the world also meant they knew how to do all manner of underhanded warfare.

Whatever it took to win. Some people thought Blackchurch was without honor because of it.

And Maude knew it.

Payne postured a little, tightening his jaw, his features contorting with rage, but he didn’t snap back at her.

She was glaring at him with those pale blue eyes that had the ability to drill holes through a man.

He’d feared those eyes when he’d been a child.

Truth be told, he probably feared them now as well.

He was about to say so when he caught a flash of a body from the corner of his right eye and instinct told him to duck.

It was a good thing he did.

Declan had thrown a wild punch at his head.

The momentum of the swing, and the miss, carried Declan a few feet away. He nearly lost his balance, but he recovered quickly, whirling around to face Payne, who had assumed a defensive stance.

“She’s come all the way tae lay an earldom in yer lap and all ye do is fight with her,” Declan said angrily. “I’ll not let ye treat her that way.”

For Payne it felt like old times, facing off against Declan again.

There were sixteen months between them, close enough that they couldn’t remember life without one another, but also close enough that Declan resented Payne for having been born first. It had always been that way, and the old dynamic hadn’t changed over the years and was probably going to get worse now that Payne had inherited the Lismore earldom.

“Shut yer yap, Declan,” Payne said, an enormous balled fist ready to launch at his brother’s head. “This isna yer business, so stay out of it.”

“I willna!”

Maude put herself between the pair. “Declan, enough,” she said. “Go back tae the wagon and bring the lass. But keep her tied up because she’ll try tae escape if ye let her, so carry her. I want yer brother tae see what I’ve brought him.”

Declan was furious. “And ye give him a princess?” he said, incredulous. “Can ye not see what an ungrateful whelp he is?”

“I can see what a jealous one ye are,” Maude said steadily, pointing an imperious finger in the direction of the wagons. “Do as I say. Fetch the lass.”

Declan went, but he was deeply unhappy about it. He glared at Payne as he walked past him and Payne didn’t lower his balled fist. He was taller than Declan, and more powerful, but Declan was nothing to be trifled with. He made a hell of a pirate.

The man was a killer.

As he watched Declan walk away, he caught sight of his youngest brother.

Francis was far less confrontational and, in fact, was quite congenial, which made for an odd situation given the profession he was in.

When their eyes met, Francis grinned and headed toward Payne, giving Declan a wide berth.

When he came within range of Payne, he launched himself at the man, hugging him happily.

The reaction of Payne’s two brothers to his appearance could not have been more different.

“Payne,” Francis said, squeezing the breath from him. “Declan may not be glad tae see ye, but I am. I’ve missed ye.”

Payne hugged the man tightly. “Ye are a pain in my backside and every time I see ye, I want tae take a stick tae ye, but I love ye madly,” he said, releasing Francis and clutching the man’s face between his two hands. “Thank God ye’re alive and well.”

Francis was beaming. “That is what life on the sea does tae a man,” he said. “I’m bronze like a statue and twice as strong.”

Payne chuckled, mostly because Francis had never been terribly strong, but he was, indeed, bronzed by the sun and the elements. He patted his brother on the cheek and dropped his hands.

“Are ye happy, at least?” he asked.

Francis nodded. “Verily,” he said. “Are ye?”

“More than I deserve.”

Francis’ smile faded. “I would congratulate ye on being the new earl, but I dunna think this is a happy occasion for ye,” he said. “But dunna be troubled. Da dinna die a painful death. God was merciful and he was at peace. He spoke of ye, Payne. He told us tae tell ye that he was proud of ye.”

Payne’s joyful expression morphed into something sorrowful. “I wish I’d known he was ill,” he said. “I would have gone home. I would have rushed all the way.”

Francis shook his head. “It took him quickly,” he said. “We happened tae be at Achanduin when he became ill. In three days, he was gone.”

Achanduin . The great castle of Payne’s branch of the Matheson clan.

There was a second castle on Lismore Island called Coeffin, plus a port that shielded Maude’s multitude of ships from the weather and other hostile seagoers.

Payne was born at Achanduin. Even the mere mention of it brought a sense of longing.

“I’m very sad tae know that,” he said. “But I suppose it was a blessing if it was swift. I wouldna want the man tae suffer.”

“He dinna,” Francis said, but something behind his pale eyes hardened and his voice dropped to a whisper. “But much has happened since his death, Payne. Beware of Declan. He wants what ye have for himself.”

Payne didn’t react to the warning, but he also wasn’t surprised. Not in the least. “The man has always been ambitious,” he muttered. “’Tis nothing new.”

Francis shook his head. “It is different now,” he said. “He will take the helm of Medusa’s Disciples when Maudie is no more, but it may be sooner than ye think.”

“What do ye mean?”

Francis glanced at their mother, whose focus was on the wagon where Declan was. “I mean he pretends tae be protective of her,” he mumbled. “But I think he plots.”

“To harm her?”

Francis nodded but would say no more. Even so, he’d said enough.

That put Payne on his guard against the brother who had always envied him.

Always competed with him. But Payne felt as if no time had passed since the last time he saw his brothers, because nothing had changed.

Declan was still dangerous and resentful and Francis was still the weak one, the brother who couldn’t compete against his older, more powerful brothers.

It certainly gave Payne something to think about.

Movement caught his attention, however, and he turned to see Declan carrying a small body over his left shoulder. That had Payne’s curiosity more than anything, and Declan hauled the figure over to Maude and plopped it down at his mother’s feet.

Payne heard a grunt as the body hit the ground.

“Ye dunna have tae be so rough, Declan,” Maude scolded, pulling the person into a sitting position. “Next time, I’ll send Francis tae do my bidding and ye can sit in the wagon and sulk.”

Declan was unapologetic. He folded his big arms across his chest, his focus on Payne.

“Just want a new earl needs,” he said. “A princess for a wife. Ye’ll have royal children, Payne. Does that not thrill ye?”

Payne was quite confused. He was also quite irritated at his brother. He went over to his mother as she helped the figure on the ground. He was about to ask her what Declan was talking about until he got a look at the face of the person his brother had manhandled.

A bolt of shock ran through him.

It was a woman. Not just any woman, but a beautiful woman with a sweetly oval face, very dirty blonde hair, and eyes with the longest lashes he’d ever seen. She wasn’t looking up, however, so he couldn’t see the color of her eyes, but he could see everything else about her.

She was exquisite.

“Who is this?” he finally demanded.

Maude pulled the young woman to her feet.

“This is Maria Astria Julia, Princesa Real, Princesa of Beira, Duchess of Braganza, Duchess of Barcelos, Countess of Faria, Countess of Neiva,” she said.

“She’s the only daughter of Sancho, King of Portugal, and she is my prisoner.

Ye’ll marry her today, Payne, and she’ll become the mother of the next Earl of Lismore.

She’s a magnificent prize, dunna ye think? ”

Payne’s mouth was hanging open in shock. “A princess ?” he repeated. “Ye’ve brought me a Portuguese princess?”

Maude was quite proud. “It’s not been easy,” she said. “This lovely lass is quite violent. She likes tae fight and she’ll bite ye if given the chance, so watch yerself. Dunna treat her lightly.”

Payne was appalled. He could see how tightly the woman was bound and she was absolutely filthy, like an animal. While he had no reason to doubt his mother as to the validity of her claims, he simply couldn’t believe that he was looking at royalty.

“How did she come intae yer possession?” he asked.

Maude was standing rather proudly next to the forlorn figure.

“We’ve expanded our territory,” she said.

“The Aragon and Portuguese pirates have been roaming the coastlines of England and Scotland for years, so we decided tae head for the Iberian coast. We even ventured intae the great sea that the Romans used tae call Mare Magnum. We’d found success along the coastline of Castille when we came across Her Grace, Princess Maria Astria Julia, and took two of her ships. She happened tae be on one of them.”

“So ye kept her.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Did ye intend tae ransom her?”

Maude nodded. “I did until yer father died,” she said. “Then I had a better use for her.”

Payne looked at her, frowning. “How long have ye had her?”

“Five months.”

Payne’s eyebrows shot up. “Ye’ve had her—like this—for five months?”

Maude nodded. “Once we captured her and her ships, we took them back tae Lismore,” she said. “That took us almost two months as it was. We were there for about a month when yer da fell ill.”

Payne’s gaze lingered on his mother for a moment before he returned his focus to the beaten, dirty, weary captive. “Did Da know about her?”

“He’s the one who suggested her for yer bride.”

A thought occurred to Payne as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Is that why ye were coming tae Blackchurch?” he said. “To bring her tae me?”

“Aye, lad. And tae make sure ye married her.”

So there it was, all wrapped up in a neat package for him to digest. But all he could manage to feel was disgust for the way this small woman had been treated.

He could see the widening divide between his mother and brothers and himself simply in the way they lived their lives.

While a male captive, treated horrifically, would have been perfectly acceptable, it was not acceptable to treat a woman the same way.

Perhaps Blackchurch was without honor to some, but Payne wasn’t.

He was a trained knight, had taken an oath, and part of that oath was protecting the weak, which all knights took to mean women and children.

He just didn’t like what he was seeing.

But arguing with his mother or even Declan about it wasn’t going to get him anywhere.

He had to be careful how he handled this because, beneath it all, he was dealing with one of the most feared pirates that had ever sailed the seas.

Even if she was his mother. But there was one thing he was going to do whether or not she liked it.

“We’ll discuss marriage later,” he said, sounding irritated.

“But ye’ve come this far, so continue tae Blackchurch, but take lodgings in the village.

Dunna come tae the fortress or ye’ll be met with a thousand-man army.

They know ye’re coming, so stay clear for now.

That’s why they sent me out tae discover yer intentions. ”

Maude wasn’t surprised by the order to stay clear of Blackchurch. “Now ye know.”

“Now, I do,” Payne said. But then he reached out and grabbed the captive by the arm, pulling her toward him. “But this is going tae end. Ye’ll not treat a woman like this in my presence and I dunna care who she is or what she’s done. I’ll not stand for it.”

Maude stood back as Payne untied the heavy rope that was binding Astria’s arms together behind her back. “Careful, lad,” she warned. “I told ye that she bites.”

Payne was on the last loop. “She probably bites because ye treat her like an animal,” he said. “No good can come from frightening a delicate woman tae death.”

Maude didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. Before she could reply, Astria’s freed right hand came up and flew straight into Payne’s face. A small fist met with his left eye with as much force as the young woman could muster.

Maude laughed so hard she thought she might choke.