Claire looked at Lord Toole in shock and then shifted her gaze to Ransom. “How could we, when we know the pain that will cause?”
Ransom shook his head. “I’ll not use children to ensure loyalty.”
Lord Toole closed his eyes and bowed his head. “I understand your sensibilities.” He opened his eyes again and looked determinedly at Ransom. “Still, I must ask you to reconsider. From what I’ve heard, Lord Faulkes is a scheming and dishonorable man. He is the king’s lackey, sent here to sow discord. If you are gone, Lord Ransom, then he will attack Connaught.”
“That would be in direct defiance of my oath of fealty,” Ransom said. “If the king breaches the peace first, then I have no remaining obligation of loyalty.”
“He’s already proven himself incapable of honor,” Dearley said. “I agree with Lord Toole. Any hostages we take will be safer than those kept at Kingfountain.”
“I will not,” Ransom said angrily. “We only train children who are sent here willingly by their parents. I’ll have no hostages.”
“Nor I,” said Claire, meeting his determination with her own. She gripped his hand tightly.
Lord Toole sighed again. “I feared this would be your answer. By doing so you make yourselves and Legault vulnerable. I will not fight the King of Ceredigion, and I will not fight you. I must resign from my post.”
“Lord Toole,” Claire said with disappointment.
“My lady, I’ve always given you my faithful service, but I’m growing old. If Lord Ransom goes to Kingfountain, there is every reason to believe the king will delay him from returning. Jon-Landon Argentine is attempting to seize control of Legault. Only a powerful deterrent will stop him from achieving his aims. If you let your personal feelings rule the day, then you’re playing into his hands. You will lose your power here. I cannot defend the realm if you will not.”
Ransom glanced at Dearley, whose emotions were plain on his face. He agreed with Lord Toole. He thought they were making a foolish choice. Turning, Ransom addressed Claire. “I’ll go to Atha Kleah and make the nobles swear an oath that they will remain loyal.”
Claire swallowed and nodded firmly.
“They won’t honor it,” Lord Toole predicted.
“Then we will see who is faithful and who is not,” Ransom said. “I am true to my promises. I will go to Kingfountain.” Clenching Claire’s hand still, he raised her fingers to his mouth and kissed them.
It was agony watching Ransom leave Connaught castle. He’s going to Atha Kleah first to demand oaths of loyalty from the Gaultic lords. Dawson is going with him to Atha Kleah but will return to the castle with news of how it went. Simon will arrange for the scutage to be paid from Glosstyr, and Ransom will travel on the ship that brings the coin to the palace. He left Dearley here and commanded him to defend the castle and our families. Then I kissed him good-bye and watched with an aching heart as he held Sibyl very close. She didn’t want to let him go, and it nearly made me blubber. He kissed little Keeva, and then he was gone.
My feelings have been in unrest since he left. He is obeying the king’s summons, but I have a dark sense that more is at stake here than we know. There are designs at work for Legault. There are designs against my husband. We have a treacherous man as our king now. I hope Ransom can maneuver what is coming. The other lords of Ceredigion must be watching our situation with worry. If Ransom can be brought so low, then so can any of them.
I pray to the Aos Sí that he’ll be protected. But I also put a coin into the courtyard well.
—Claire de Murrow, Queen of the Fair Isle
(when vanity is king)
CHAPTER TEN
Broken Virtus
When Ransom reached Atha Kleah, the town was in an uproar. As he and Dawson and their escort rode down the street toward the fortress, they were besieged by townsfolk, mostly merchants, demanding an audience with him.
“Is it true, Lord Ransom?” one of them asked, a hot-faced merchant with a look of dread. “We must start paying tribute to Kingfountain now?”
Many echoed his concerns. Ransom held up his hand, pressing through the throng with Dappled to get to the open drawbridge. As they drew nearer, Ransom saw the banner flying from the highest spoke—the Triple Lion. It made his stomach sour to see it.
“Lord Ransom! Lord Ransom!”
They continued to shout his name, but he didn’t stop. He had no reassurances to offer them. When he and his escort reached the gap, he saw a knight in armor standing on the wall.
“Who goes there!” shouted the guard.
“It’s Lord Ransom, you dolt!” Dawson barked back. “Lower the drawbridge.”
Ransom wore his hauberk beneath his tunic, along with some arm bracers and leg bracers. It was the first time he’d donned his armor since winter. Although he didn’t anticipate a battle, he also didn’t want to be caught unprepared in case of trouble. He’d brought a dozen knights with him. Not enough to start trouble but enough to protect him if things turned ugly.
The knight on the bulwark gave a shout, and the winches for the drawbridge began to squeal. The fishy smell of the moat filled Ransom’s nostrils as he gazed at the lowering drawbridge. A few gulls made noisy cries as they sailed around the mastheads of the ships in the dock.
With a loud thunk, the drawbridge settled into place, and Ransom and his knights crossed it on their mounts, the hooves thudding against the splintered wood of the bridge. When they reached the bailey, the drawbridge was lifted once again.
The knight from the wall had come down to greet them. “I’m Sir Cole,” he said. “Part of Lord Faulkes’s mesnie. I recognize you, Lord Ransom.”
“Where is he?” Ransom asked, still astride Dappled, looking down at the younger man.
“He’s meeting with the nobles of Legault,” said Cole.
Dawson grimaced in anger. It was not Faulkes’s right to summon the nobles for a meeting. This was another affront. A deliberate provocation.
Ransom dismounted and motioned for his knights to follow him. Cole led them into the great hall of the castle. The knights on patrol all wore the badge of the Triple Lion. One of them gave Ransom a nasty smirk, and he had to quell the temptation to punch the man’s teeth in.
When they reached the hall, there was a great deal of murmuring. Faulkes sat in Claire’s seat, a goblet in hand and a petulant look on his face. Ransom recognized each and every one of the nobles assembled around him—men and ladies whom he had heard grievances from for years. Many of them appeared upset.
“Ah, Lord Ransom—at last!” shouted Faulkes, raising his cup in salute.
The murmurs grew louder, and all eyes went to Ransom and his knights. Some looked eager, as if anticipating a fight right then and there. He noticed a few of them whispering to each other behind their hands.
“Your visit is a surprise, Lord Faulkes,” Ransom said. “I hope you’re enjoying your stay.”
Faulkes took the greeting with a smug smile. “I must say I’m rather fond of the Fair Isle. The lasses here are quite pretty. I see why you chose to plunge your roots into this soil.”
Ransom saw Lord Tenthor’s niece, Orla, sitting amongst the nobles. Seeing her brought on another spurt of anger. She would be forced into a marriage she didn’t want.