The guard nodded and then departed down the hall. “Ewan?”
Ewan turned to see Mairin up on her elbow, her hair streaming over the shoulders.
“What is happening?”
Ewan crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Unable to resist, he ran his hand along her side and then to the tiny swell of her belly.
“Have you been able to tell if our child moves yet?”
She smiled and cupped her hand over his. “ ’Tis just a flutter, almost like a tiny brush over my skin. But aye, I can feel him.”
Ewan pushed up her nightdress until the smooth expanse of skin was bared to his sight. He leaned down and pressed his mouth to the curve of her belly. The swell was firm, the evidence of the child she sheltered within her body. Ewan was sure he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. He was captivated and wholly entranced. He could spend hours enjoying the silky smooth pale skin and the beauty of the woman who carried his child.
Mairin’s fingers tangled in Ewan’s long hair as he kissed the shallow indention of her navel.
“What did the messenger say?” she asked quietly.
Ewan raised his head and stared into her eyes. “He summoned you to the king’s chamber in an hour’s time. He’s sending a guard to escort you and then he will summon me to the great hall.”
Nervousness fluttered in her eyes and her lips tightened into a thin line. She tensed beneath the hand he held cupped over her belly and he began stroking her to alleviate some ble to e tension.
“I do not feel he will allow any harm to come to you, sweeting. You are his niece, his blood. For him not to ensure your safety reflects badly on him. His rule is too tenuous with the threat of Malcolm and Malcolm’s followers for him to do anything to lose support.”
She leaned forward and cupped his face, her thumbs running over his cheekbones. “You always know just what to say. I love you for that, my mighty warrior.”
He turned until his mouth slid over her palm and he pressed a kiss to the tender skin. “And I love you. Remember that.”
“Summon the maid. I will need help if I am to be ready to see the king in an hour’s time,” she said with a grimace.
He rose and helped her from the bed. “I’ll summon her at once.”
She stood at his side and turned her face up so that she looked deep into his eyes. “Promise me that we will leave the moment this matter is settled. I’ve a need to be home with my clan.”
“You have my word.”
Chapter 34
Mairin walked down the hall, surrounded by four guards. She was more nervous by the minute at the idea of coming face-to-face with her uncle. She was prepared to plead Ewan’s case and tell him all that Duncan had done. After hearing all she had to say, the king couldn’t possibly rule in Duncan’s favor.
The guard knocked and the door was opened by Archibald, who motioned them inward. He smiled and took Mairin’s hand and guided her to a comfortable chair in the lavishly decorated sitting room.
“I’m afraid the king is not himself today,” he said smoothly. “He’s been forced to retire and conveys his deepest regrets that he is unable to speak with you privately as he’d hoped. I will act on his behalf and render judgment on the matter before the crown.”
Alarm beat in Mairin’s chest as she settled more comfortably in the chair. Her hands shook and she hid them in the folds of her skirts so as not to betray her unease.
“I do hope His Majesty’s ailment is not serious,” she said politely. “I had looked forward to making the acquaintance of my only blood relative.”
“That’s not entirely accurate,” Archibald said. “I am the king’s cousin, so that makes us related by blood.”
“Aye, of course,” she murmured.
“I would ask that you wait here, cousin, until you are summoned to the great hall. I will, of course, provide refreshment. You’ll want for nothing during your confinement.”
cousin, and then his casual reference to confinement, made the hairs on Mairin’s nape prickle. Still, he viewed her kindly and seemed genuinely concerned over her well-being, so she smiled and offered her thanks.
“I would speak to you, if permissible, about the matter before you, my lord.”
He patted her arm. “ ’Tis not necessary, dear lady. I am sure the experience has been trying enough and ’tis my duty to get to the bottom of it by hearing both men’s accounts. I assure you, I will have the right of it.”
She had to force herself not to argue. The last thing she wanted was to anger the man who held her life in his hands.
“Now, if you will excuse me, I must make my way to the great hall and summon the lairds to bear testimony. I will, of course, call for you when they are ready.”
She nodded and clenched her hands together in her lap. As the king’s cousin left the room, she offered a fervent prayer that justice would prevail this day and that Duncan Cameron would be consigned to hell where he belonged.
Ewan stood outside the great hall with his brothers and commanders and awaited his summons. Down aways stood Duncan Cameron with his men, and it took all Ewan had to not launch himself at the man and kill him on the spot.
Cameron was summoned first, and he walked by Ewan with a look of smug satisfaction. It wasn’t just the snideness that bothered Ewan. It was the supreme confidence in both look and manner. Cameron was a man who feared not the outcome of today’s hearing.
Caelen put his hand on Ewan’s shoulder. “No matter what happens, we’re with you, Ewan.”
Ewan nodded his appreciation, then he murmured in a low voice that only his brothers could hear. “If things go badly, I want you to leave the hearing, find Mairin, and take her from the castle. Her safety is the most important thing. Whatever you have to do to secure her, do it.”