“Just wait.”
Ciaran nodded and waited. Gybbon sat on his horse with his hand on his sword. He did not see Harcourt, but was not really disappointed by that. The man had a family and a keep to run. He would see him at Gormfeurach when he got there. So, he sat and watched the men ride up to them.
“Ye couldnae ride out to meet us?” said Nicolas as he reined in right in front of Gybbon.
“Resting the horses,” Gybbon drawled, and grinned when Nicolas chuckled and shook his head.
“Ciaran, why is there a cat hiding behind you?”
“She didnae ken whether ye were friend or foe.” He grinned when Nicolas frowned in confusion.
“Since ye are here and so we now have a goodly force of men to protect us, I will free our passengers.” Gybbon rode around the cart, undoing all the ties that held the blanket over its back. “Harcourt’s men are here, Mora,” he said as he tossed aside the covering. “Ye two can be free to be seen now. Plenty of eyes to keep a sharp watch for your cousins,” he assured her as he dismounted and walked up to the side of the cart.
Although she was sorely tempted to immediately leap out of the cart, Mora stayed seated and frowned up at Gybbon. “But that will let them ken that I came here with you, aye? Ye cannae want that.”
“Lass, I believe they already ken it. They were fair certain Sigimor was hiding ye, but they didnae have the courage, or the men they needed to face him and his clan. We were just fortunate that they didnae realize how many of Sigimor’s men were laid down with an illness.”
“If ye are sure,” she said, and when he nodded, she steered Andrew to him.
Gybbon swung Andrew out of the cart and set him down, but the boy stayed close to him and studied Nicolas and his men. “Now ye,” Gybbon said, and grabbed her around the waist, careful to put his hands above her newly healed wound, and grinning when she squealed softly as he swung her out of the cart. Then, after he set her on the ground, she slapped his arm.
Mora clasped his arm after slapping it and smoothed down her clothing with her other hand. The dizziness that had seized her when he had picked her up was not fading as fast as it should. When she was steady again, she shook off that worry. Her wound was healed. Her fever from that had passed and she would not worry about her health like some old woman. Feeling more at ease, she watched Gybbon introduce all his brother’s men to her and Andrew.
The moment that was done, she turned her attention to her cat, who was rubbing her head against Ciaran’s arm and purring. “Are ye going to come to me or nay, ye shameless, unfaithful wretch?” Freya left a chuckling Ciaran and leapt onto her shoulder.
“What has Sigimor sent us then?” asked Nicolas as he dismounted, then walked over to the cart.
“Cider, a bit of ale, and some fruit. Apples and some berry things. They had a very good season and reaped a hearty harvest.”
“And he still insists his ale and cider are better than ours,” drawled Nicolas.
“Of course. He feels ye just need more taste comparisons.” Gybbon laughed along with Nicolas.
“Berry things?” Mora asked in confusion as she stepped closer and looked at the many covered jars that were in the crates. “Oh, lovely.” She looked at Andrew, who was also studying the things packed in the crates. “Ye can put some on your porridge when ye break your fast in the morning.”
“Mora? We are going to ride out now. Do ye want to get back in the cart or do ye wish to ride?” asked Gybbon.
“I would love to ride, if it willnae be a trouble.”
“Nay, no trouble.”
“I think ye need to remove Freya first.”
“Oh. Aye, that would be best.”
She reached up to pat her cat, then went to put her pet in her bag. When Freya immediately leapt out to go sit by Ciaran she just laughed and returned to Gybbon’s side. He swung her up into the saddle, but this time she suffered no overwhelming dizziness so cast aside her small concerns about her health.
It was nice to look around as they traveled. It was lovely land and the sparkle of water she could see off to the left told her it was well watered. She idly wondered if they did more grazing of animals than they did planting.
“’Tis verra pretty here,” she said.
“This is the end of Glencullaich land. The land for Gormfeurach starts just inside those trees. We share water from that burn but Glencullaich has the best land of the two keeps.”
“’Tis why a lot of folk call them sister keeps now,” added Nicolas. “We are verra intertwined now. A lot of our people are related to each other. A sister in one, the brothers in another. Parents in one, grown children at the other. If we ever fought each other it would be hard on both sides and a lot of people could weel just leave.”
“That is rather unusual, isnae it?”
“Verra unusual, but it works for the moment. The lairds are close friends and that helps.”
“’Tis a shame there is nay more of that.”
“Our swords would dull,” teased Nicolas.
Mora just shook her head as the two men laughed. It was still nice that, for the moment, there was at least one spot where it was peaceful. It was probably a good thing that Sigimor and his clan were three days away, she thought, and laughed softly.
“What has ye laughing?” Gybbon asked.
“It was an unkind thought.”
“Then I must hear it.”
“It was just that I thought how nice it was that it was such a peaceful moment. I then thought suddenly that it was probably good that Sir Sigimor and his clan are about three days away.” She smiled when both men laughed heartily.
“He does love to poke and poke until something bursts open,” said Nicolas, and then looked at Gybbon. “Harcourt would have come with us, but he injured his foot and has been told, most firmly, that he best nay mount a horse for a while. And he had no wish to greet ye while in a cart.”
Gybbon laughed again and shook his head. “How did he hurt it so bad?”
“Fell off the stable roof.” Nicolas looked behind them and frowned. “Some of your men rode off a while ago.”
“Aye, I sent them to look for Robert.”
“Weel, they are coming back at a good speed. Might just be hungry for a gallop after plodding along with a cart for a few days.”
Gybbon hoped that was the case, but the minute Ned reined in near him, he knew it was not. “What is wrong?”
“Weel, Robert hasnae left. He got far behind us because he was waiting. He was just joined by a force of armed men and it appeared by the greetings that they were from his clan. Mayhap a dozen but, e’en as we left, a few more rode up. Robert and the head of that wee group started having an argument.”
As they all began to ride on toward Gormfuerach, Gybbon grimaced. “Probably the sheriff and a few of his men.”
“I am sorry,” murmured Mora, knowing she was the reason the men were there.
“Ye have naught to be sorry about,” said Gybbon firmly. “Ye did naught to the mon. ’Tis his greed bringing him here.”
“I ken it. I am nay e’en sure just handing him the house and land would stop him.”
“Nay, because she refused to give him what he wanted.”
“Like a spoiled child,” she murmured, and she felt Gybbon nod before turning his attention to riding with the other men.
Gybbon signaled some of his men to keep a close watch on Robert and turned his full attention to getting to Gormfeurach. The mon was going to keep pushing for what he wanted until he got himself killed. Gybbon began to think over what he needed to say to Harcourt to make him understand that.