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“Maira kissed the thief,” said Morag, already running her mouth.
“Morag, quiet,” spat Maira. “That was supposed to be a secret between us.”
“Oh. I dinna ken it was a secret.” Morag shrugged her shoulders. “Ye should have mentioned that.”
Maira had no patience for her silly cousin today. “You don’t deserve to wear that heart brooch because you will never be a true member of the Followers of the Secret Heart, even if you think you are. You need to be able to keep a secret, and we all know you couldn’t do that if your life depended on it.”
“That’s no’ true,” cried Morag.
“You’re talking about that secret group that the queen chose you for, aren’t you?” asked Branton.
“Maira, you shouldna be talkin’ about the secret group.” Morag scolded Maria now. “Ye are no better than me.”
“I only mentioned it because Branton already knows about it,” Maira pointed out. “Besides, it probably no longer matters.” Her hand went to the heart brooch pinned on her chest. “With Fia and Willow gone, I’m the last member now. There isn’t much I can do by myself.”
“Ye’ve got me,” whined Morag. “Ye are no’ alone, Maira. Mayhap, together we can hunt down that thief and get the weapons back. That would be a guid thing to do, wouldna it?”
“Hah!” spat Branton. “Not unless you two want to lose your lives. Otherwise, it is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. You couldn’t possibly accomplish that on your own. Besides, it’s much too dangerous.”
“Then ye will help us,” Morag told Branton.
“Me?” His hand went to his chest. “I was sent by the earl to keep an eye on you two and that is just what I intend to do. I highly doubt if I turned to hunting down thieves that the earl will ever make me a squire.”
“You will never be a squire anyway,” said Maira with a sigh. “If the earl had intended to do that, it would be done by now.”
“Not so,” said Branton, raising his chin. “I have what it takes to be a squire and it’s any time now that the earl will recognize my skills and do something about it.”
Maira shook her head. “We’ll have to forget about the thief because that is no longer an option. Besides, I have more important things to do than to waste my time with this.”
“More important? Like what?” asked Morag.
“Aye. I’d like to know the answer to that, too,” chimed in Branton.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Maira with a determined nod of her head. “I need to find a way to break my betrothal with the High Sheriff.”
“But Maira, ye dinna have to marry him,” Morag reminded her. “Ye ken that our grandda, King Edward III, gave ye permission to marry a man of yer choosin’.”
“Aye,” said Maira, touching the jeweled crown on her head that was given to her as a child. It used to be Queen Philippa’s crown. Maira’s cousins, Fia and Willow, each received a crown as well when they were young children. “I understand that, but I also know that the earl has great influence over my father and he happens to think my marrying the High Sheriff would be a good alliance. I also have a feeling the High Sheriff is a very powerful and influential man. It isn’t going to be easy to get out of this betrothal.”
“Then marry the man,” said Branton nonchalantly. “You are past marrying age and he is titled, powerful, and rich. What are you waiting for?”
“I am twenty years of age and he is close to forty, or so I’ve been told.” Maira didn’t like this idea at all. “He’s not the type of man I would ever want to marry.”
“But you have never even met him,” stated Branton. “How can you say that?”
“I just know,” she said, thinking about Jacob and his kiss. Why did the man attract her so much? Something inside her felt so alive every time he was near.
“She wants to marry that thief,” said Morag, causing Maira to turn so fast in the saddle that she almost lost her balance.
“Nay, I don’t want to marry a thief, Morag. Now, I warn you both to keep your mouths closed about what I told you. I don’t want to hear Jacob’s name mentioned again. Do you understand?”
Without waiting for them to answer, she kicked her heels into the sides of her horse and rode quickly to the front of the line. It was impossible now to think of anything else but the man who robbed them . . . and stole a kiss from her as well.
* * *
“Areyou sure that Lady Maira isn’t within the castle walls?” Jacob talked to the young lad outside the gates of Castle Rothbury. He made sure to stay hidden in the shadows so no one would recognize him as the thief. When he saw a young page coming down the path he stopped him to find out what he needed to know.
“I’m sure,” said the boy. “I’m a page at the castle. I helped carry Lady Maira and Lady Morag’s trunks to the wagon an hour ago.”
