“A sneer … ”
“Aye, sir. As though he had detected a bad smell, and I was it … something stuck to the sole of his boot.”
“God’s blood, boy, you have captured the essence of the Comyn character: a twisted face and an insulting leer. It is the mark of their bloodline. I can see it as though I had been there. And how did you respond to him?”
“With dislike to match his. I ignored him, sir. But King Edward was displeased—more with me than with Comyn, I think. He ordered us to be friends while we were under his roof and made a point of announcing his wish for all to hear.”
“And can you tell me why?”
Rob thought for a moment about the ominous command the King had uttered on that occasion, when his words said one thing but his demeanour dictated another. Beneath my roof you will be friends . He sucked in a deep breath. “No, Grandfather,” he said. “But I can tell you what I heard.”
His grandfather raised a questioning eyebrow, and Rob detailed the situation, and the words said, as precisely as he could recall them. When he had finished, Lord Robert sniffed and scratched at his beard, then drew his long-bladed dagger unconsciously and began to twirl it around in his fingers.
“I think you grasp the point he was making, even if you fail to see it clearly. Were your feelings hurt, that he should blame you more than Comyn?”
Rob dipped his chin. “Aye, a little.”
“Then you missed it. There was a valuable lesson there, Robert. He was not berating you, other than for effect. He was demonstrating to his vassals how easily he could control the heirs to the two most powerful houses in Scotland, even there in England. He was manipulating you in order to manipulate them even more. In that moment, Grandson, you saw, but failed to recognize, the true face of England’s King. An ill man to cross. Why are you frowning?”
Rob’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Because I see the truth of what you said earlier … I have much to learn about reading men.”
Lord Robert held his dagger out like an extended finger, then flipped it expertly and slid it back into its sheath beneath the folds of his shawl. “And so you have, but you may smile saying it, for at least you know it now, and that’s a worthwhile start. From this time forward you will view men differently. You’ll pay closer attention when they speak and you’ll seek and gauge the meanings beyond the surface of their words. You’ll draw information from the way they hold themselves, the way they shift their eyes, and you’ll quickly learn to see beyond the moment to the real intent.”
“You truly think so, Grandfather?”
His grandfather leaned forward with surprising speed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “I know so, boy. You’re bright and you learn quickly, and that’s a blessing in itself. Trust your old grandfather, for I told you I do not deal in lies. I would not say these things if I didna believe them. You’ll do fine. You’re a Bruce, and one day soon you will enjoy all the power that goes with that name—lands, wealth, honour, and reputation. What the ancients called dignitas. In the meantime, though, I’m glad I sought you out tonight.”
As Lord Robert spoke the words, the fire in the brazier collapsed upon itself with a soft, crunching roar, sending a whirl of bright sparks spiralling up into the chimney draft. Both Bruces, eldest and youngest, gazed into the embers silently, each with his own thoughts, and then the old man sighed and looked away.
“Two full fires since we sat down. God knows what time it is, and the toddy’s long since cold. When will you be knighted, do you know?”
Rob shook his head, feeling perfectly at ease now. “No, sir, but probably two years from now. I’ll be eighteen then.”
“And have you been assigned as squire to a good knight?”
“Not yet, Grandfather. I have been squire to several, but to none of them for long. My father wished it thus. He would rather I learned widely, from many masters, until the last two years of my training, so I expect to be committed to a final teacher any day now.”
“Is there anyone you would choose yourself?”
“In Scotland? No, sir. I will go wherever I am assigned.”
“What did that mean, in Scotland? Do you know someone in England?”
“I do, sir.” Briefly Rob told his grandfather about the English knight, Sir Marmaduke Tweng, who had impressed him so greatly and so quickly, and the old man listened gravely, nodding from time to time.
“I have heard much good of this man,” he said when Rob fell silent. “He is regarded as something of a paragon.”
“To be his squire would be a privilege. I wonder who will confer my knighthood when the time comes—now that we are again without a king, I mean.”