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depending upon how many will heed the whispers that will soon swirl about the court, but the heart of it will remain the same. I will see him cut away from all support—then I will see him dead.”
    “’Tis a good plan, the only one which may succeed. ’Tis just that I seem to have no part in it at all.”
    “Ye cannae. ’Tis truly for the best if your husband continues to believe ye are dead. The moment he discovers ye still live, matters will grow more complicated, moredeadly. Then we shall have to divide our time and strength between keeping ye alive and destroying him. The children, too, must be kept weel out of sight. He must ken ye are the reason they slipped his grasp—thus they, too, could be seen as a threat. If they are seen to be with me, then I lose all chance to slip about, slowly weakening him. He will suspect we work together, that ye may have told me too many of his secrets, and again, I will need to turn to defending myself and the children. Callum most certainly must be verra careful to remain unseen. Sir Roderick has already marked the lad for death. Callum may be young and untrained, but Sir Roderick already sees him as a threat.”
    “I can take care of myself,” Callum snapped. “I am no bairn to be coddled.”
    Payton looked at the boy, knowing he had to be careful not to sting the youth’s pride. “I dinnae doubt that ye can care for yourself. ’Tis a wise mon who kens his own strengths and those of his enemy, however. Your enemy is a trained knight with other trained warriors at his command. All of whom are bigger and stronger than ye are. Ye are undoubtedly verra good at running and hiding, slipping about to see and hear what ye shouldnae without getting caught. ’Tis still an unequal battle ye would fight. Your heart and mind are equal to many a knight’s, but your body is still that of a boy—easily grabbed, easily held, and verra easily broken.”
    Callum glared down at his too-thin body. “I just need to eat more.”
    “’Twill help. So will allowing Strong Ian to teach ye how to use that knife ye now carry. Mayhap e’en a few other things a mon needs to ken to stay alive, to win his battles. And, think on this, my brave lad. If ye are found, ye could endanger Lady Kirstie and e’en the other children.”
    “I would ne’er betray them.”
    “Nay, I ken ye wouldnae. The simple fact that ye are still lurking about would probably be enough to start that swine to thinking, however. Why, when ye ken he wants ye dead, are ye still so close at hand? ’Tis the verra first question he will ask himself. And, he willnae need ye to give him answers. They will be far too easy to guess. Help the others to stay safe and hidden, lad. Work to grow strong and skilled. Your turn to fight will come and ’tis a wise mon who prepares for it.”
    It was another half hour before Kirstie found herself alone with Payton. Strong Ian had taken Callum off to begin training him and the other children had gone with Wee Alice. Kirstie looked at Payton, silently praying that the way his fair face could make her heart clench would soon pass. She needed a warrior, not a lover. She was in need of a champion for the children, not romance or infatuation.
    “What ye said to Callum,” she began.
    Payton held up a hand to stop her words. “The lad has his pride. He needs to have it. He also needs to ken that there is no shame in accepting that a thin lad is nay match for a grown, battle-trained knight. Callum’s belligerence may hide it, but we both ken a lot of his anger is born of shame. If the lad can come to see that there was naught he could do, that he was nay at fault for what was done to him, some of that shame might fade. As Ian teaches him the ways of battle, he will come to see that he was no match for his enemy. He will come to see that the shame is all Sir Roderick’s, that only a dishonorable mon would use his greater strength and power to abuse those he swore to protect.”
    “Thank ye all