Sir Andrew rode slowly under the portcullis and into Caercorbie, with the guards watching his passage and two crows cawing inside the castle courtyard. A tall, smooth-faced man advanced to meet him with a middle-sized squire in a red cap leaning against the wall at his back.
“Well met, Sir Andrew, and welcome to Caercorbie.” The tall, smooth-faced man stepped forward. “I am Sir Hugo de Soulis.”
“Your name is known, Sir Hugo,” Sir Andrew said, looking about him. The courtyard looked normal, with the hustle and bustle expected of a compact castle, servants and men-at-arms hurrying about their business and an elderly minstrel in one corner, strumming the strings of a harp. The minstrel studied him for a moment, then returned to his harp.
De Soulis snapped his fingers. “Grooms! See to Sir A
