02 Border Lass by Amanda Scott

Author:Amanda Scott [Scott, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-07-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Amalie was not sure if she was more annoyed with Garth or with herself, but she did not want to pursue that thought, so they walked silently to the guesthouse.

As they approached the front door, she wondered with a rush of anxiety if it might be bolted. But when he reached past her and lifted the latch, it opened easily.

“I’ll wait here,” he murmured. “If she’s gone to bed, just come and tell me.”

But Isabel was still in the guesthouse hall, sitting by the little fire with the ladies Averil, Nancy, and Sibylla.

“Bless us, Amalie, are you just coming in?” Nancy asked.

“Aye, my lady,” Amalie admitted, avoiding the lady Averil’s gimlet eye but sure that the older woman would have something to say to her later.

“Come and warm yourself by the fire,” Sibylla said.

“Thank you, but I’m not cold.” Making her curtsy to Isabel, she said, “May I trouble you for a private word, madam?”

“You may, aye,” Isabel said, getting up and motioning the others to stay where they were. “Shall we go into the anteroom?”

“Please,” Amalie said, stepping aside to let her go first.

In the anteroom, Isabel said quietly, “Is it Sir Garth? I know he is cousin to your good-brother and friendly to you, so mayhap he gave you a message for me.”

“He did, aye,” Amalie admitted. “I know I should have come in sooner—”

Isabel shook her head. “Don’t worry about that now. What is the message?”

“He is on the step outside,” Amalie said. “He told me you can invite him into this room if I stay with you, and that he will not mind if I hear what he has to say.”

“As both Averil and Sibylla have long ears, I think it would be wiser for me to step outside to speak with him,” Isabel said. “It will be wiser yet if you stay here to intercept anyone who may come looking for me.”

Although Amalie could not imagine how she would stop either a determined Lady Averil or even Sibylla from doing exactly as she pleased, she nodded and watched as Isabel stepped outside and pulled the door to behind her.

Half-expecting Garth to open it again, to see if she had her ear against it, Amalie stayed away. But when he did not, she wished she’d had the nerve to listen, because he’d still not said just why he wanted to speak with Isabel.

Surely, she told herself, they had already consulted about James Douglas’s death, and Will’s, too, because Isabel would willingly discuss with anyone her certainty that Fife was behind both tragedies.

Just as surely, the princess knew nothing of what Amalie had overheard at Scone. Had Isabel known that Fife had discussed a possible murder plot, she would not have kept that knowledge to herself. All of her ladies would have heard about it.

What if Garth had learned something more, though, something that he believed made it his duty to tell Isabel that someone had overheard such a plot? What if he feared that Douglas

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