“You could have trusted me,” Lachlan said sadly, for it hurt to know that she felt she could depend on no one, but especially him.
“Could I have?” she asked. “Would you truly have understood? You wanted an answer from the mercenaries, while I required much more.”
“Have you told us all you know of the mercenaries?” Cavan asked.
“No,” she answered boldly. “And I will not, for I gave my word.”
“Before or after you became involved with me?” Lachlan asked.
Alyce shot daggers from her eyes at him. “You truly need to ask that?”
“Enough,” Cavan ordered. “You can settle your differences in private later. At the moment we need to deal with the present situation.”
“I will go speak with Septimus,” Alyce said, though it sounded more like a command.
“You will not,” Lachlan snapped.
“He is a friend and I will speak with him,” she argued. “And settle this matter reasonably.”
“He may be a friend of yours, but not of the Sinclare clan,” Lachlan said.
“I thought I was a Sinclare,” Alyce challenged. “Wouldn’t that then make a friend of mine, a friend of the Sinclares?”
Lachlan stepped toward her to argue, but Cavan interrupted.
“She is right,” he said. “If this Septimus is here to visit with Alyce then we will welcome him.”
“He arrives with a troop,” Lachlan argued. “Such a heavy contingent speaks more of battle than a mere visit.”
“We will send a messenger,” Cavan said.
“I will go to him,” Alyce insisted.
“You will not,” Lachlan ordered.
“You cannot stop me,” she argued.
“I most certainly can. You are my wife and carry my child and I will not see you placed in harm’s way.”
“I can take care of myself,” she said, shaking a fist at him.
He grabbed hold of it and yanked her to him. “I don’t care. You are my wife and will do as I say.”
“Like hell I will.”
“Don’t challenge me on this,” Lachlan warned.
“What challenge?” she snapped. “You can’t stop me.”
“Try me?”
“Stop!” Cavan shouted. “This is no time to argue. I will send a messenger to the mercenaries and see what brings them to our home. In the meantime we will devise a plan of attack in case it proves necessary.”
Alyce yanked herself free of her husband and headed to the door. “Septimus is not here to war with you, and I will not help you make plans to attack a friend.”
“We are your family,” Lachlan said, stopping her before she could grab hold of the latch.
“Are you?” she asked. “I see that you all trust each other, and yet not one of you trusts me when it comes to this matter.”
“I must protect my people,” Cavan said.
“Which is exactly what I did,” Alyce said and shut the door hard behind her when she left.
She hurried her steps, mixing with the shadows of the great hall until she reached the kitchen entrance and then made her way through, the cooks so busy they barely noticed her. Once outside she knew her time was limited. She needed to get to her horse and out of the keep before the gates were sealed tight. Local farmers were probably still arriving seeking the safety of the walled village, but soon the gates would be closed tight and she would have no way out.
The wind whipped Alyce’s wool cloak around her, and she was glad for its protection. She made it unnoticed to the stable, everyone much too busy to pay heed to her actions and she wished to keep it that way, though it would not be easy. If she could reach Septimus and talk with him she knew she could have this misunderstanding settled before any blood was shed.
Men were much too quick to raise a sword, and though Cavan sent a messenger to Septimus, she knew full well it would read more like a demand and that would not set well with the mercenaries.
And selfishly she had another reason. Septimus would have news of home, and she wanted desperately to hear about her sisters and Everagis.
After her mare was saddled and she had a chance to consider her actions, she realized that if Cavan or her husband did not want her to leave the keep, they would make certain she was unable to. Therefore, Cavan had purposely let her go and there was no reason for her to hide her departure. But why argue over it with her?
She had no time to give it thought, wanting more than anything to see Septimus and hear of home. She rode through the village and out of the open gate assuring those who called frantically to her that she was going to help as many to get to safety as possible.
They certainly would report her departure to Cavan, but then he already knew where she went.