Part 4 (2/2)

”Nay, my lord, it doesn't matter at all.”

”Do you believe that keeping this promise is more important than the disruption she'll cause? You would deliberately upset our lives, la.s.s?”

Frances Catherine shook her head. ”I would not deliberately do such a thing.”

Graham looked relieved. She guessed he believed he now had a way to manipulate her into dropping the matter. His next remarks confirmed that suspicion.

”I'm pleased to hear this, Frances Catherine.” He paused to nod to his four companions. ”I never believed for one minute our la.s.s would cause such an uproar. Now she'll forget this nonsense-”

She didn't dare let him finish. ”Lady Judith Elizabeth won't cause any disruption.”

Graham's shoulders slumped. Changing Frances Catherine's mind wasn't turning out to be such an easy task after all. He was frowning when he turned back to her. ”Now la.s.s, the English have never been welcomed here,” he announced. ”This woman would have to share her meals with us-”

A fist slammed down on the tabletop. The warrior named Gelfrid was responsible for that show of temper. Gelfrid stared up at Graham and said in a low, raspy voice, ”Patrick's woman shames the Maitland name by asking this.”

Tears filled Frances Catherine's eyes. She could feel herself beginning to panic inside. She couldn't think of a logical argument to give in response to Gelfrid's statement.

Patrick moved to stand in front of his wife. His voice shook with anger when he spoke to the council member. ”Gelfrid, you may show me your displeasure, but you will not raise your voice in front of my wife.”

Frances Catherine peeked around her husband to see Gelfrid's reaction to that command. The elder nodded. Then Graham waved his hand for silence.

Vincent, the eldest of the group, ignored the signal. ”I've never heard tell of a woman having two full names before Frances Catherine came to us. I thought it was an oddity the border people shared. Now I'm hearing about another woman having two full names. What do you make of it, Graham?”

The leader let out a sigh. Vincent's mind tended to stray every now and again. It was an irritant everyone put up with. ”I don't know what to make of it,” Graham replied. ”But that isn't the issue now.”

He turned his attention back to Frances Catherine. ”I ask you again if you would willingly disrupt our lives,” he repeated.

Before giving her answer, she moved to stand next to Patrick rather than behind him, so she wouldn't appear to be a coward. ”I don't know why you would think Lady Judith Elizabeth would cause any disruption. She's a kind, gentle woman.”

Graham closed his eyes. There was a thread of amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice when he finally spoke again. ”Frances Catherine, we don't particularly like the English. Surely you've noticed that in the years you've been with us.”

”She was raised on the border,” Gelfrid reminded his leader. The warrior scratched his whiskered jaw. ”She might not know any better.”

Graham agreed with a nod. A sudden sparkle came into his eyes. He turned to his companions, leaned down and spoke to them in a low voice. When he'd finished, the others were nodding agreement.

Frances Catherine felt sick. From the victorious look on Graham's face, she could only conclude he'd found a way to deny her request before asking the laird's counsel.

Patrick had obviously come to the same conclusion. His face turned dark with anger. Then he took another step forward. She grabbed hold of his hand. She knew her husband fully intended to keep his promise to her, but she didn't want him sanctioned by the elders. The punishment would be harsh, even for a man as proud and fit as Patrick was, and the humiliation would be unbearable for him.

She squeezed his hand. ”You'll decide that because I cannot possibly know better, it therefore becomes your duty to know what's best for me. Isn't that right?”

Graham was surprised by her cleverness in knowing what was in his mind. He was about to answer her challenge when Patrick spoke up. ”No, Graham would not decide he knows what's best for you. That would be an insult to me, wife.”

The leader of the council stared at Patrick a long minute. In a forceful voice he commanded, ”You will abide by the decision of this council, Patrick.”

”A Maitland has given his word. It must be honored.”

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