Page 31 of The Tempest
“And you do not?”
Amir nodded. “I do,” he said quickly. “He is suited to it, but he must learn to keep his emotions in check. I could see it in his expression that he is concerned for this princess.”
Ming Tang nodded too. “As could I,” he said. “Payne feels that he is hobbled by the fact that he feels deeply, especially when it comes to women, but I do not think that is the case. I think it gives him great capacity for understanding.”
“Some men do not want to understand. They only want to fulfill their wishes.”
“Payne is not like that.”
“Nay,” Amir said slowly, “he is not. He has the ability to make the right decision more than most, but he needs to trust himself. He has always been in the position of follower more than a leader, so he must trust himself as a leader now. The knight must become the earl… and in command of his destiny.”
Ming Tang thought on the big Scotsman who always projected a devil-may-care attitude, as if he didn’t take life very seriously at times.
But he was going to have to take it seriously now.
“Time will tell,” he said quietly.
Time would, indeed.
CHAPTER NINE
Maybe this wasright.
Maybe it was wrong.
He simply wasn’t sure.
Payne had presented such a strong case to St. Denis that he felt as if his path was set for him now. He couldn’t question it or back out of it. He’d told St. Denis that Blackchurch would be heroic for saving the princess that had been snatched away by pirates, the leader of whom was his own mother.
Was it possible he was trying to save her, too?
Like a child who didn’t understand the consequences of actions—Payne felt as if that was his mother. Maude had grown up with a pirate father, an outlaw of the sea, but she hadn’t gone to sea until after he died. She was carrying on her father’s legacy the best way she knew how. After ten years of it, she’d figured it out. She did as she pleased, and that included abducting a Portuguese princess. Perhaps in saving that princess, Payne was somehow trying to make it so the Portuguese wouldn’t go after Bloody Maude for revenge. God knew, they had the ships for it. Everyone knew that the Portuguese armada was formidable.
And here he was, trying to save everyone.
His mother.
The princess.
Even Blackchurch.
There were about two more hours until morning when he headed back to the Black Cock. Mostly, he wanted to see his mother, but he’d also left Margit guarding Astria, and there was no telling how that would go if Astria became belligerent. Margit would be the type to hit her over the head with a piece of wood, and Astria would be the type to punch the woman in the eye, so the more he thought about it, the more he thought he’d better check on that pair first.
He was starting to question why he’d left them so long to begin with.
It was a short walk from Blackchurch to the Black Cock, and he picked up the pace on the road, traveling beneath the bright half-moon in full confidence of his safety. There were no outlaws anywhere near Blackchurch for several reasons, but the most predominant was that any outlaws would have to be completely daft to inhabit the woods close to a world-class training guild. The second most important reason was that St. Denis ordered periodic sweeps of the woods surrounding Blackchurch simply to make sure no one had set up shop, so the truth was that the entire area surrounding Blackchurch, including the village, was completely safe. Probably more so now with a pirate encampment on the outskirts.
Unless the pirates decided to ravage the countryside.
But Payne couldn’t worry about that now. He picked up the pace, and by the time he reached the Black Cock, it was locked up for the night and he had to rouse Hobbes to let him in. Unhappy that he’d been pulled out of his bed, Hobbes admitted him to the tavern and Payne headed to the small chamber near the kitchens where he’d left Astria. The door wasn’t locked, so he was able to very quietly open the panel, sticking his head into the dim room to see that it was completely quiet.
A low fire burned in the hearth, giving off a comforting glow. Payne heard soft snoring, and looked off to his left to see Margit in a chair, head back and snoring away. As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, he peered over at the bed, seeing the coverlet bunched up. He thought it was bunched up over Astria’s sleeping body, but it took him a moment to realize there was no body at all.
The bed was empty.
He bolted.
*
