“Does it matter what I say? You will not believe me,” Walsh said defiantly.
“You should at least attempt to explain,” Flora said.
Walsh remained defiant. “I speak the truth. What else is there for me to say?”
“The whole truth would help,” Flora suggested.
“The truth is sometimes necessary but not always helpful,” Walsh said.
Flora stood, staring at Walsh. “I heard my da say that a few times to a man he would meet with privately and refused to let me meet.” Her next words surprised her as well as her husband and Kinnell. “You knew my da.”
“Your da warned me you had a quick mind. You are much like him,” Walsh said.
Torin stepped forward, his arm going around his wife. “Explain.”
“All of you,” Walsh said, looking from Torin to Flora then to Kinnell, “must swear never to speak of what I am about to tell you.”
“That will depend on what you have to say,” Torin cautioned, his arm remaining firm around his wife.
It did not deter Walsh, he spoke up, “I am not a mercenary by choice, I spy for the king.” He looked at Flora. “And so did your da.”
Flora was glad her husband had a tight arm around or she thought she would drop. “My da was a spy?”
“When needed,” Walsh said. “The king summoned me when your mum and da got sick. By the time I got there, they had both died and you had left for your uncle’s home in the Highlands. The king feared you might have information pertaining to the mission your da and mum had been on and sent me to see what I could find out.”
“My mum was a spy as well?” Flora asked, not believing what she was hearing.
“Your da shared everything with your mum, as you well know, there was no way he could have spied without her knowing about it.”
“That was why they did not take me on all their travels,” Flora said, thinking back. “They would not take the chance of putting me in danger.”
“Aye, and it is why the king now worries that their deaths may have had something to do with your da’s last mission and that you might somehow know something that could prove harmful to someone. With attempts on your life, I would say the king’s misgiving are warranted. Someone is out to silence you.”
“Why didn’t you tell us this from the beginning?” Torin asked, a bite of anger in his words.
“Until I could see for myself that you posed Flora no danger, I could not take the chance,” Walsh said and looked to Flora. “I gave my word to your da that if anything unexpected should happen to him and your mum that I would see you kept safe. I am here more to honor my word to your parents than for the king. Your da and mum were good people.”
Tears threatened Flora’s eyes, but she held them back.
“You are satisfied now that I love my wife and mean her no harm?” Torin asked.
“After the attempts on her life and how you have protected her and how everyone talks about how they can see how much Lord Torin loves his wife, I am satisfied you mean her no harm.”
“This is good. Now we can work together to solve this mystery,” Flora said and went right on questioning him. “How have you not heard about this bounty on me? You are a mercenary, or so everyone believes, you should have heard of something.”
“I was anxious to make my way to you, fearing I might be too late and took a path less traveled so I could reach you faster. Once I got here and spotted the man in the tree, I knew you were in danger and there was no way I was going to leave you here until I knew if you were safe.”
“Would you have any idea who might be responsible for this bounty on my head?” Flora asked.
“The king made me aware of your da’s mission, and the information he was seeking could have provided us with a way of identifying a spy your da had discovered was deeply embedded in Edinburgh. But it is believed your da’s mission was compromised, the unknown spy somehow getting wind of it and seeing that the fellow your da was to meet suffer an unexpected accident. The king wishes to make sure your da did not confide anything in you and perhaps the spy feels the same.”
“Unless he simply seeks revenge against her da for causing him trouble,” Torin suggested, his worry growing for his wife’s safety.
“There is that possibility,” Walsh agreed. “What did your da discuss with you on his return home?”
“My da and mum were already ill upon their return home and went straight to their beds, never to leave them. Neither of them ever got a chance to discuss their travels with me,” Flora said, recalling how worried she had gotten seeing them both so pale and tired, and unable to eat the littlest of food.
Kinnell offered advice. “Could Walsh go and see what he could learn from other mercenaries concerning the bounty?”