“You are suspicious,” Stewart said when they had ridden clear of Kinfairlie’s village. “Does that mean you have found the relic, or its location?”
Murdoch shook his head, wondering what the older man would think of his plan. “No, but I think the laird knows more than he would tell. Look at his holding.”
“It is affluent and appears to be well-administered.”
“But what is the source of his coin?” Murdoch asked. “The mill is small. There is no port. There are no bridges or main roads or tolls. There are few goats or pigs, enough for the villagers but not enough to sell. He cannot be selling wool fleeces, for there are not enough sheep. The fields are well tended, but there cannot be sufficient yield to sell, not with so many souls in the keep and village to be fed. There is no religious ins
