Chapter Four #2
Mairead’s breathing was unsteady, but she stared at him unflinching. ‘I’m going to talk to my father now and you’re coming with me.’ She seized his hand and pulled him towards the door.
But he remained in place. ‘I’m not yours to command, a mhuirnín.’
She faltered at that. But there was no outrage in her expression. Instead, she changed her tactic and asked softly, ‘Will you help me, Balor? Please?’ She released his hand and waited.
The plea was quiet—and yet, it held the force of an invisible army, destroying his defences. She already knew he would never let her go alone.
It was a terrible idea to get involved with any of this. He didn’t mind helping the MacEgans find Liam, but taking Mairead away from Laochre wasn’t wise.
‘There are dozens of others who would gladly help you,’ he answered. ‘Including my brother.’
‘But you’re the only one who doesn’t want to marry me,’ she said. ‘It’s safer with you.’
Her words struck a blow he hadn’t anticipated, and he felt compelled to respond. ‘Why would you ever believe I’m safe?’
To underscore his words, he drew her close and grasped her hips. ‘I may not be able to wed you…but it doesn’t mean I don’t crave your hands on me, Mairead.’ He moved one hand up to her hair, threading it within the strands.
She appeared startled at his words and bit her lower lip as she considered it. ‘Oh.’
Indeed. Mairead needed to fully understand exactly how bad this idea was.
‘Will you at least escort me while I go and speak with my father?’ She rested her hand on top of his and took it.
‘For now,’ he responded. Balor followed her into the hall but then placed her behind him for protection as they continued. If someone had taken her brother, then the culprit was likely still here.
He had no desire to be tangled up in any of this. Mairead was far safer remaining here, and he could never escort a king’s daughter alone. Her father had over a hundred men, all better suited to protecting her. King Patrick’s brothers and the MacEgan armies were enough to rival King John’s.
But then Balor started to wonder if maybe that was why she wanted him to escort her. If she disappeared without choosing a suitor, Mairead was right—it disrupted any plans the Normans might have to claim the throne through her.
It was a quiet rebellion, one that would not implicate her father. He was starting to understand her reasoning—and it did make sense. But he still wasn’t certain he would play any part in it.
‘We’ll go down this passageway and to the left,’ she said. ‘My family will likely be in the solar right now.’
She started to move ahead of him, but Balor kept her guarded and opened the door for her. A serving maid had just delivered food and a flagon of wine before she retreated to stand against the wall, her head lowered in deference.
Inside the solar, Balor saw King Patrick, Queen Isabel, and a dark-haired woman he recognized as Liam’s wife, Adriana. The woman’s eyes were reddened from weeping, and Mairead rushed forward to embrace her.
‘Marcas told us about Liam.’ She drew back from Adriana and turned to her father. ‘We need to delay choosing a new king until he’s found.’
‘I agree.’ But King Patrick’s voice was weary as he leaned back in his chair. The others stared at Balor in a silent reminder that he didn’t belong. It was nothing new, and he strongly considered leaving, but Mairead’s silent plea made him stay. Instead, he backed against the door and waited.
The king turned in his direction. ‘Why is this man here, Mairead?’
She stood and walked to Balor’s side. ‘Because he has agreed to be my protector and escort.’
Agreed was a strong word. More like manipulated or coerced, Balor thought. But neither did he deny it. He couldn’t argue that he wouldn’t mind spending more time alone with Mairead—especially after she’d kissed him again. Yet, he hadn’t made a decision on what to do.
‘Your escort where?’ Queen Isabel sent them both a pointed look.
Mairead folded her hands and regarded each of them. ‘It’s not safe for me here at Laochre anymore. I thought I could travel west to stay with one of my uncles until Liam is found and crowned king.’ She squared her shoulders and added, ‘Until then, I will delay choosing a suitor.’
Balor could see them considering her words. Her father likely wanted to argue that Laochre Castle was the safest place for her…and yet, his own son had been taken.
He decided to stop being invisible and start asking questions. ‘When did your husband go missing?’ he asked Adriana.
The dark-haired woman glanced at the others. ‘Last night. Liam went to pray at chapel, and he didn’t come back to our chamber.’ She stood and held her arms. ‘When I awoke this morn, I was alone. I spent all day searching, and no one has seen him.’
King Patrick sobered. ‘Why didn’t you tell me this sooner, Adriana?’
Adriana’s face turned crimson. ‘We—we argued last night. I thought he wanted some time alone.’
The king turned to his wife and took her hand. ‘I’ve already begun sending groups of men to search. We won’t stop until he’s found. I swear it.’
But Balor had his doubts. Someone must have seen the tánaiste being captured.
Liam wasn’t helpless or unable to fight.
He had a reputation as a warrior, just like his father.
Balor glanced over at the serving girl, who had not moved from her position by the wall.
It made him wonder whether the other servants had seen anything.
‘The men who took the tánaiste were likely already inside these walls,’ Balor predicted. ‘Possibly pretending to be suitors.’
‘The ó Phelans?’ Patrick mused aloud.
Although the chieftain lacked the power to be any sort of threat, Balor agreed with the king.
Fergus would indeed ally with the enemy if he thought it would bring him favour.
‘Possibly. But the chieftain doesn’t have enough men—and I don’t know if he would take that risk because he wants Kenneth to wed Lady Mairead.
’ After a pause, Balor added, ‘I think it’s more likely the Normans who were responsible. ’
‘I don’t agree,’ Patrick argued. ‘They have no reason to attack us.’
When Mairead turned back to Balor, he could read the thoughts in her mind—why was her father defending them? He had his own suspicions but kept silent.
‘I was already attacked by the Normans, only a few months ago,’ she reminded her father.
‘By a handful of men,’ the king countered. ‘And I have come to terms with King John about it.’
‘What do you mean?’ After a pause, she added, ‘Did he threaten our family?’
Her father didn’t answer, which only confirmed Balor’s suspicions. The two kings had indeed made an agreement, and one that likely involved Mairead’s marriage.
‘Are you planning to give the English king control of Laochre through marriage to me?’ she ventured.
Her mother took a breath and answered, ‘King John wants only our loyalty and an alliance.’
‘But an alliance of his choosing,’ Mairead predicted. ‘I presume it’s with the Earl of Lowell?’
‘The Earl of Lowell is a powerful man favoured by the king,’ her father said quietly. ‘He would indeed be a good match for you.’
Balor remained silent. He could see the trap closing around Mairead, and she saw it, too.
She took a step away. ‘I don’t even know the earl. And neither do you.’ She clenched her hands together. ‘What sort of bargain did you make with the king?’
When her father remained silent, she added, ‘Or did you fail to keep an agreement with him? Is that why Liam went missing?’
Her father stood from his chair, his face furious. ‘My alliance with King John has nothing to do with Liam’s disappearance. John knows that if he threatens my family, it will be war between us.’
So there was an alliance.
Mairead paled at her father’s words. ‘If it wasn’t the Normans, then who do you think was responsible?’
‘There are others who no longer want a MacEgan king,’ Patrick answered. ‘They would be glad to take command of Laochre from us.’ His expression fixed upon Balor, as if he still suspected Fergus might be among them.
‘You’ve kept the peace for more than twenty years,’ Balor said. ‘There are many who support you.’
King Patrick seemed to consider it before he turned back to his daughter. ‘Given what happened, I think it’s best if I increase the guards who protect you, Mairead.’
‘I don’t think it’s safe at Laochre,’ she said. ‘I will not be taken hostage like Liam—especially as a negotiating tool for another king.’ She straightened and faced her father. ‘I intend to leave, with Balor as my escort.’
Her father’s gaze narrowed, his expression discerning. It was clear that the king hadn’t missed Mairead’s swollen lips or her flushed cheeks.
‘Even if I agreed with your desire to go to my brothers,’ Patrick said quietly, ‘I would never send you to travel alone with one of your suitors. I am not a fool, Mairead.’
She cast an uncertain look at Balor in a silent plea for help. If he said nothing, then she would remain here with her family, which was likely the right decision. He shouldn’t interfere with her father’s desire to protect his daughter.
And yet—no woman had ever looked at him in that way before, as if she needed him. In Mairead’s eyes, he saw her fear of becoming a prisoner in her father’s castle and being locked away for her own safety. It would happen, too. He could see the determination on her father’s face.
He shouldn’t get involved. Not in this. The truth was, he didn’t understand why she wanted someone like him. Most people, including his own family, believed there was nothing good in him. Nothing worth saving.
Except her.
Mairead treated him as if she saw beyond everyone else’s opinions. And maybe that was worth his protection.
He chose his words carefully. ‘I am not one of Lady Mairead’s suitors.’ He took a step forward and faced the king. ‘Your daughter would be safe with me as her escort because I have no intention of marrying her.’