The Recruit (Highland Guard #6)(50)

It seemed no matter what Kenneth did, he somehow still ended up having to prove himself. It might have been different had he bested MacKay at the Highland Games. But he hadn’t. He’d been so close …

His jaw tightened reflexively, as once again his wanton little nun’s face flashed before him. Not for the first time, he longed for their paths to cross again. He couldn’t help feeling that somehow she’d gotten the better of him. Next time—if there was a next time—she wouldn’t be so fortunate.

But he suspected it would be quite some time before he saw Mary of Mar again. The war might be under a truce, but the fighting had not ended. There were still skirmishes, especially along the Borders. And the truce would be coming to an end soon. It was originally supposed to end in November, but had been pushed back twice: first to January, and now until March.

Although Ewen Lamont and Eoin MacLean would be leaving for the Borders soon to help Boyd and Seton keep pressure on Edward, pressure that it was hoped would lead to a permanent truce, Kenneth assumed that he’d stay in Lorn with Campbell, MacGregor, MacKay, and Helen (Kenneth still couldn’t believe MacKay had agreed to her serving as the Guard’s de facto physician), while MacSorley, MacRuairi, and MacLeod kept watch on the west. In addition to keeping the trade routes open, the biggest threat right now came from the western seaboard. John of Lorn, the heir to the chiefdom of Clan MacDougall, was active again.

Mary of Mar would have to wait.

When neither he nor MacKay responded, the king apparently decided not to press. Instead, he asked, “Your sister mentioned that you were close friends with Henry Percy?”

Kenneth was taken aback by the question and immediately tensed, trying to clamp down on the defensiveness that sprang instinctively from any mention of his recent shift of alliance. It was only a little over a year ago that he’d been fighting with the English against Bruce. “We were,” he said carefully. “But that friendship ended when I gave my allegiance to you, Sire.”

Bruce must have realized the question was an awkward one. “No one questions your loyalty. I only wonder if you think it possible that this friendship could be rekindled?”

Kenneth frowned, wondering what the Bruce was getting at. “I doubt he was very happy with what he would perceive as my defection to the enemy camp. He is proud and arrogant in the manner of most Englishmen and unforgiving when personally slighted.” But theirs had been a friendship of mutual admiration for skills on the battlefield. “In the right circumstances, aye, I think we could be friends again.” A wry smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “But I should warn you, Sire, if you are thinking to find a sympathetic ear in Percy, you will be fighting a war you cannot win. He is English to the bone, and though he and Edward might not see eye-to-eye on the matter of Gaveston, he is loyal to the English crown.” His lands and fortune depended on it.

Bruce smiled. “It’s not Percy’s loyalty I was thinking of, but yours.” Kenneth stiffened, but the king waved him off. “A temporary shift, that’s all. I want you to go to England, renew your friendship with Percy, and see what you can find out about Edward’s plans. Percy has campaigned in Scotland before; Edward will rely on his experience.”

“You think war is finally coming, then? There will not be any more delays from the trouble with his barons?”

Bruce shook his head. “I think the election of the Lord Ordainers will force Edward’s attention north. He’ll fight a war in Scotland to avoid the supervision of his barons.” In large part because of Gaveston, King Edward had been forced to agree to reform of the royal household and the appointment of “Ordainers” who would carry out the mandate. “Aye, war is coming,” Bruce said. “This will be our first test against the English since Loudoun Hill over two and a half years ago, and I intend to be ready for it. We assume they will use Edinburgh Castle as their base, but see what you can find out. We want to know where he is going and hit him hard.”

Kenneth did not question the importance of the mission, just his role in it. He’d never spied before, and frankly, deception didn’t sit well with him. He was a Highlander, but he was also a knight. MacRuairi had warned him that if he wanted to fight with the Highland Guard he was going to get dirty, and he suspected this was his first test. He just hadn’t anticipated that his first test would be alone. He wasn’t going to break through the tight bond these men had forged from England.

Part of him couldn’t help wondering whether there was another reason he was chosen. Was this a test of another kind? Was his loyalty still in question?

The acid of bitterness rose to the back of his throat, but he tamped it back down.

“They will be suspicious,” Kenneth said. He’d be fortunate if the English didn’t throw him in the closest dungeon.

“Perhaps at first,” the king agreed. “But your past should work in our favor. Your change of allegiance was both recent and reluctant.”

Kenneth’s jaw hardened, wanting to argue but knowing he spoke the truth. “At first, perhaps.”

“They don’t know that,” MacLeod pointed out.

“You aren’t exactly known for your even temperament,” MacKay added. “That hot temper of yours just might work in our favor. A falling-out with your brother the earl and Bruce won’t seem out of character.”

Kenneth bit back the angry retort, forcing himself to stay cool, though he wanted to point out that a hot temper didn’t equate to disloyalty. Instead, he addressed the king. “Percy will still be suspicious.”