‘I know that.’
‘Do you?’ she asked, her voice accusing. ‘Do you really?’
‘Of course. Why do you doubt me?’
‘He is asleep in his bed,’ she said again. ‘But he might have been lying dead beside you today, and not snoring beside me. You took him to a place of death. You did not tell him what you planned. You just rode in and killed Lorca. And my man stood beside you. Did you think of him at all?’
Bane was silent for a moment. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I did not.’
‘I thought not.’ She sighed. ‘He was an outlaw – a nithing! You gave him back his self-respect. I love you for that, Bane. But my man is worth more than to die for your pride.’
‘I told him I was going alone, Iswain, but he would not hear of it.’
‘Of course he wouldn’t,’ she snapped. ‘Are you blind? Can you not see what you mean to these men you have brought from the forest? Do you not know what your trust has done for them? All of them have been branded worthless. They have been cast out from their tribes and their communities. They came – in the main – to consider themselves worthless. Then you came along, and lifted them. You treated them like men again. You valued them, trusted them, and they in turn value you. Why do you think young Cascor died? He was not the bravest of men, but he stood up to Lorca on your behalf. And why? Because his chieftain had ordered him to protect the cattle.’
‘I am no chief, Iswain, no laird or leader. These men are not my serfs or slaves. They are here as long as they choose to be and they work for coin.’
‘Pah! Have you no understanding of the nature of men? You think Cascor died for five copper coins a month? You think my man stood beside you in Lorca’s camp for his two silvers? You are the king here, Bane. And a king – though he has power – also has responsibility for those who serve him. I love Gryffe . . .’ Her voice faltered, and he saw tears falling to her cheeks. ‘There, it is said! Iswain the whore is in love! And Iswain wants the ring that Gryffe has promised her – even though it be iron or brass. Iswain wants the little farm.’
Reaching out he took her hand. ‘I am sorry, Iswain,’ he said. ‘You
are right. These men have shown me loyalty beyond the payment I give them. I will remember what you have said. I promise you that.’
Wiping away the tears she took hold of his hand in both of hers. ‘You brought me out of the forest too, Bane,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to scold you.’
He smiled. ‘You scold away whenever you feel the need. There must always be honesty between us, Iswain. I value that greatly. Now go back to bed.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want a tisane?’
‘I am sure.’
Rising she kissed his cheek and left the room.
Some minutes later, in warm leggings and fur-lined boots, a black cloak over his shoulders, Bane walked out into the night. There were dark patches on the hillsides, where the snow was melting, and there was a warmth in the air that promised the final death of winter. The sky was lightening, the dawn awakening.
He trudged across the snow, past the new corral and the roundhouse barn, and the silent huts of his workers. On the far hills he could see around a dozen of his steers. Several had risen and were cropping the new grass.
A grey-muzzled hound moved into the open and padded across to him. Bane patted its head and stroked its scarred flank. The hound sat down beside the man, and when Bane moved off towards the woods it went with him. The hound had appeared some weeks before, half starved, several old wounds on its side weeping pus. The herdsman Cascor had taken it in and fed it, cleaning its sores with a mixture of wine and honey.
Reaching the woods Bane looked back at his farmhouse and the silent forest beyond it. He felt calmer, more at peace than ever before in his life. It was a good feeling, and he clung to it.