Page 20 of Conquer the Highlander

Ambrose scratched his cheek, trying to determine where to begin. “It’s so strange that she has seen Titus,” he muttered. “Do ye remember what we were speaking of only yesterday? About Titus’ father?”

Conan was still angry, but he forced himself off the subject of Agnes and onto a subject that was common between him and his father – Hugh Stewart, the youngest brother of the king. He was a man who hadn’t been far from Ambrose’s thoughts for many years, mostly because there had always been contention between them. Hugh resisted his brother, the king, and Ambrose was supplicant to the king.

It made for interesting dynamics.

“Aye,” he said after a moment. “I remember.”

“Do ye remember the whole conversation, Connie?”

His father only called him Connie when he wanted something, or was trying to be manipulative or affectionate, or both. Conan took a swallow of wine before answering.

“I remember,” he said. “One conversation about Hugh as the latest of several we’ve had about the man. It seems we’ve been speaking of him quite a bit recently. Seems very coincidental that Agnes would see Titus today.”

Ambrose shook his head as he collected his own cup of wine. “Mayhap not so coincidental, after all,” he said. “Mayhap it is a sign.”

“What sign?”

Ambrose settled back in his chair. “We’ve discussed the rumors that Hugh Stewart is allying himself with the Laird of the Isles,” he said. “Do ye remember men from Clan MacKay telling us that Hugh had allied himself with the Earl of Ross, who has himself allied with the exiled English king, Henry of Bolingbroke? ’Tis a dangerous thing tae do, allying with an exiled Sassenach king.”

Conan had calmed down sufficiently from his run-in with his mother as he focused on what his father was saying.

“Hugh has run afoul of our king before,” he said. “’Tis why we held Titus for so long, tae ensure the man’s good behavior. Seems as if we should have never let him go.”

Ambrose’s gaze glittered on his son. “There was no reason tae hold the lad any longer than we had tae,” he said. “Besides… Hugh behaved himself for a time, but he’s gone back tae his old ways, siding against his brother in all things. Now he sides with the Laird of the Isles and they have as much power in Scotland as the king has. Ye know what this means, dunna ye?”

Conan shook his head. “What?”

Ambrose leaned forward in his chair. “Think, lad,” he said quietly. “There’s been no armies raised as of yet, but that will come. We know it will and we will be expected tae take up arms for the king.”

“And?”

Ambrose snorted. “Ye have sawdust for brains,” he said. “Titus, Hugh’s son, is now a professional fighter, so he says.”

Conan tried not to look shocked. “Do ye plan tae take him hostage against his father again?” he said. “How would we do it, Da? If he truly fights at the Ludus Caledonia, then…”

Ambrose waved him off. “Not take him hostage,” he said. “Have ye been tae The Cal, lad?”

Conan shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “But I’ve heard tale of it. Betting on men fighting isna something that interests me. I’d rather wager on horses.”

Ambrose held up a finger to beg patience while he explained his idea. “At the Ludus Caledonia, a man can buy himself an excellent warrior,” he said. “’Tis why they train men there – they train them tae become the greatest warriors in the world. The last time I was there, I saw a man from Vilnius purchase a warrior that had won several bloody bouts. Everyone knows that the greatest warriors in the world come from the Ludus Caledonia, and if Titus fights there now as yer mother says he does, then the man has a price.”

He said it as if it were a great revelation, but Conan still wasn’t following his father’s train of thought. He’d never been particularly bright, at least not when it came to scheming.

“What will ye do, then?” he asked.

Ambrose was disappointed that Conan didn’t understand his enthusiasm. “We go tae The Cal and we buy him,” he said. “We buy him and we make him fight against Hugh when we raise our armies.”

Now, Conan finally caught on and his eyes widened. “Do ye think he’ll do it?”

Ambrose was quite titillated with the possibilities. “If he doesna, then we throw him in the vault and tell Hugh that we’ll kill him if he continues his alliance with the Laird of the Isles. Either way, we must go tae The Cal and purchase Titus. Yer mother sighting him today is the answer we’ve been looking for, dunna ye see? When I said it was a sign, that’s what I meant.”

Conan wasn’t sure it was a sign, but it was certainly a welcome coincidence. “I hear the warriors there cost a good deal of money,” he said. “Will ye pay it?”

“I’ll pay whatever the cost,” Ambrose said firmly. “Titus could very well be crucial tae his father’s submission. God is showing us the way… tae the Ludus Caledonia.”

Conan digested his father’s plan, which wasn’t an unreasonable one, but he saw one problem with it.

“When ye released Titus, we told him that his father wanted nothing tae do with him,” he said. “Ye seem tae be neglecting the fact that we’ve driven a wedge between the pair. How do ye expect Hugh’s submission when we told him that his son hated him?”