“The man who tried tae beat me when I discovered it.”
“I remember that,” Lady Currie said. Then her eyes widened. “Are you telling me that Bane was that man?”
“Think about it, m’lady,” Colly said, grasping her wrists to emphasize her point. “When was the first time ye saw Bane at the Cal?”
Lady Currie was trying very hard to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Just a short time ago.”
“But ye never saw him before I caught Lucia fornicating.”
Lady Currie shook her head. “Nay,” she said. “Clegg told me that he was a new recruit.”
“There ye have it,” Colly said. “Mayhap he and Lucia have planned this all along. He went tae the Cal just so ye would pay attention tae him. Mayhap they even wanted ye tae bring him here.”
“But why? He’s refused me since I first saw him. Why would he want to come here?”
“Tae be with Lucia, of course!”
Lady Currie’s mouth popped open. “He did not bring his wife with him,” she said. “He told me he left her at the Cal because he did not want to bring her here. But what if she was already here?”
Colly nodded firmly. “Now ye understand, m’lady. No doubt the warrior and Lucia are planning something terrible. Mayhap they plan tae kill ye and the laird!”
Lady Currie looked at her with both fear and shock. “Is it true?”
Colly patted her hand. “Before ye do anything, let me speak with Lucia,” she said. “I can force her tae tell the truth. She might not tell ye because she doesna fear ye, but she fears me. I know I can force her tae tell me everything.”
Lady Currie was clearly bewildered by it all, realizing that her new warrior and one of her maids could possibly be married. Had they set a trap for her? She never would have believed it of Lucia, but Colly seemed convinced.
“Are you certain he was the same man Lucia brought here?” she asked. “Lucia has never been disloyal to me, Colly. I find this all quite shocking.”
Colly stood up, pulling her to her feet. “I will find out,” she said confidently. “I want ye tae return tae yer chamber and wait for me. I am going to find Lucia and get the truth out of her.”
Lady Currie allowed Colly to lead her to the door. “Colly, if this is all true, then I understand why Bane has refused me, but Lucia… Why would she not tell me she had married the man? Why keep it a secret?”
Colly opened the chamber door. “Because she is a deceitful liar,” she said. “I have been telling ye for two years that Lucia is not someone ye should have around ye. When she confesses the truth, ye must dismiss her. Better still, send her tae another house far away. Mayhap ye should send her tae yer father’s house where she can scrub the floors from dawn to dusk. Send her far away so that ye will have all of Bane’s attention. With his wife gone, surely he will submit tae ye.”
Lady Currie liked that idea a great deal. Had she finally found the key to Bane’s submission? She nodded as if, finally, she had hope in the situation.
“Speak with Lucia and come to me when you are finished,” she said. “If the woman is guilty, then you will bring her to me. I want to hear it from her own lips.”
“I shall, m’lady. Not to worry. Colly will tend tae everything.”
“Make sure you get the answers to your questions. Do not let her be evasive.”
“I willna, lamb. I promise.”
As Lady Currie disappeared into her chamber, Colly felt great satisfaction. Whether or not Lucia was guilty wasn’t the issue. Colly intended to wrangle a confession from her one way or another because this was what she’d been waiting for.
Hoping for.
Lucia was finally going to fall.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The doors.
Bane stood before enormous oak doors that had been carved into figures from Celtic mythology. Fantastic creatures were on the panels along with warriors bearing great muscles and great weapons. They were quite intricate and he stood there a moment, inspecting them, before softly rapping on the door.
The knocks reverberated throughout the foyer.
He was holding the chest that Clegg had given him, and it was quite heavy. When no one answered his knock, he tried again, louder this time. As he wondered if Laird Currie was even in the chamber, he began to hear shuffling on the other side. A bolt was thrown. Slowly, the door creaked open and an old man with long, white hair appeared.
“Who are ye?” he asked. “What do ye want?”
Bane wasn’t sure how to answer that except with the truth. “Sir Clegg de Lave of the Ludus Caledonia sent me,” he said. “Are ye Laird Currie?”
The old man blinked as if startled both by the answer and the question. “Clegg has sent ye?”
“If ye are Laird Currie, he has.”
The old man hesitated for a split second before moving aside, opening the door to admit Bane. “Aye,” he said. “Clegg de Lave truly sent ye?”
Bane moved into the chamber, which turned out to be a vast and magical place that smelled of dust and smoke. It was quite cluttered, filled to the rafters with books and treasures that Bane couldn’t even begin to guess about.
There were also rats.
He saw several of them gathered on a messy table, looking at him with their beady rat eyes. “Aye, he did, m’laird,” he said, eyeing the rats. “My name is Bane Morgan. I’ve come with a message.”
Laird Currie came around to stand in front of him, watching him as he set the heavy chest onto the floor. “I’ve not seen Clegg in a year,” he said. “Is the man well?”
“Well, m’laird.”
“What message does he send me?”
Bane looked at the old man, really looked at him. He remembered Lucia telling him that Laird Currie was much older than his wife and he could see that it was the truth. He was old enough to be her grandfather. He was tall and thin, with stringy white hair and an odd cap on his head. He appeared rather odd in general, but Bane also remember that Lucia told him of the old man’s kindness.
Already, he felt pity for the man and the life he was relegated to with a frisky young wife.
“It is a long story, m’laird, so I’ll beg yer patience while I tell it,” he said after a moment. “First—may we bolt the door? We dunna want any interruptions.”
Laird Currie scurried over to the doors, throwing the big bolt that more than likely would have stopped a herd of stampeding cattle. It was enormous. He rushed back over to Bane.
“It must be important if I am bolting doors,” he said.
“It is,” Bane said. “It is easiest if I start from the beginning. I am the warrior yer wife purchased from the Ludus Caledonia.”
Laird Currie never changed expressions. “Are ye, now?” he said as if very interested in that fact. “Ye must be a great warrior.”
Bane shrugged. “There was a time when men called me the Highland Defender,” he said. “I’ve seen my share of battles.”
“Ye look it. Ye’re a big lad.”
Bane snorted. “Big enough, I suppose,” he said. “M’laird, I’m not sure how much ye know about the situation, so forgive me if I’m blunt. I know of no other way than tae be truthful. Yer wife dinna purchase my contract so I could protect Meadowbank. She purchased me tae be her lover.”
The old man nodded. “She chose well,” he said. “I told her if she was tae buy a father for my son, then he should be strong and intelligent.”
Bane frowned. “Then ye know why she did this?” he asked. “Ye told her tae?”
Laird Currie lifted his slender shoulders. “She would do it with or without my encouragement,” he said. “Since ye’re being honest, so shall I. The truth is that I married a harlot, Bane. The woman spreads her legs for everyone but her husband. But the thought of it stopped vexing me long ago. I’m being punished for being selfish enough tae marry a yo
ung lass who only wanted my money. That’s my private purgatory.”
Bane was relieved to know that Laird Currie wasn’t in on his wife’s purchase of a lover. He’d been worried for a moment. But he could see that the old man was simply acknowledging the situation, not endorsing it.
“Then…then ye have no feelings about it, m’laird?” he asked.
Laird Currie threw up his hands in a gesture of resignation. “She does as she pleases,” he said as he planted himself on the nearest stool. “My mistake was in thinking she’d be happy married tae a man who only wanted a son from her. I suppose it’s not an easy life for her. Would I rather she not go tae the Cal and fornicate with the warriors there? Of course I would. At least, I did. But I stopped caring long ago. As I said, my punishment is being married tae a lass who pays men tae pleasure her. ’Tis a shameful thing.”
Bane’s pity for the man deepened. “Would ye be open to seeking some vengeance on her? Vengeance for shaming ye, I mean.”
Laird Currie looked at him sharply. “What do ye mean?”
Bane bent over, using a big iron key to unlock the chest. He flipped open the lid and pulled out two big leather pouches. He set them both down heavily on the table as Laird Currie looked on in astonishment. Rising from his stool, he pointed at the purses.
“Those…” he hissed. “I sent those with my wife last night.”
“I know.”
“She used them tae pay for a warrior…tae pay for ye.”
“She did.”
Laird Currie looked at him with his mouth hanging open. “What are ye doing with them?”
Bane’s eyes glimmered. “I am returning them tae ye with Clegg’s compliments,” he said. Then he reached into the chest again and pulled out a smaller leather pouch, setting it onto the table with the others. “And that purse contains two pounds. That is from me, tae purchase the remainder of Lucia Symington’s debt. She said ye told her it would be two pounds for the debt tae be paid in full.”
Laird Currie was clearly confused. “Lucia? Why would ye pay for Lucia?”
Bane could see that the old man was bewildered and possibly even shaken by everything he was being told. It was a great deal to absorb. He gently grasped the old man by the arms and directed him back to his stool.
“I want tae marry Lucia,” he said softly. “I want tae pay off her debt and take her away, tonight. M’laird, I’m sure ye know how they treat her here. She is beaten and mistreated, and I willna stand for it any longer. The money is for her debt, and if ye require more, I promise I’ll send it tae ye. But I am taking her away tonight, no matter what. This way, the money yer wife paid for me is returned tae ye, Lucia’s debt is returned tae ye, and yer wife will be without the man she purchased purely for her pleasure. That’s the vengeance I speak of, m’laird. Painless, but the message is clear.”
Laird Currie stared at him, digesting what he’d been told. His gaze eventually moved to the table again where the three pouches sat, pouches that his rats were beginning to sniff.
“’Tis overwhelmed I am,” he said, fingering the leather purses. “When life turns against ye… It was easier tae hide in my solar and pretend this was my only world. The place that had been my home my entire life was no longer my home. It was no longer happy. But this…this gives me hope, lad. Clegg will never know what he’s done for me.”
Bane smiled faintly at the old man. “And me,” he said. “Clegg is a good man.”
Laird Currie looked at him. “Is that how ye met Lucia? When she visited the Cal with Lady Currie?”
Bane shook his head. “When I saved her from robbers.”
Laird Currie sensed there was a story behind that but he didn’t ask. He was more concerned with what the future held.
“She’s a good lass,” he said. “I knew her father. He was a servant but he was also my friend, and when he died, she came tae Meadowbank of her own free will tae work off the debt I’d incurred in paying for a physic for him. Did she tell ye that?”
Bane nodded. “She did.”
Laird Currie turned serious. “Take her away from here, Bane,” he said. “Ye’re right when ye say she was mistreated here. Ye’ve paid me more than enough for her debt, so take her. The lass deserves a better life than what she’s had at the hands of Lady Currie.”
Bane was greatly relieved to hear that Laird Currie wasn’t going to give him a fight. “Thank ye, m’laird,” he said. “I will do all I can tae make her happy.”
“Good,” Laird Currie said. “Her father would have wanted that. Mayhap it’s the last gift I can give a man who meant something tae me. Until now, I’ve failed when it came tae the care of his daughter. But I’ll fail no more.”
Bane smiled. “Nor will I,” he said. “But I do have a favor tae ask ye, m’laird.”
“Anything.”
“We’ll need a horse,” he said. “Ye’ve a fine stud in the stables, and I’m told ye never ride him. Could I borrow him? Just tae get where I’m going, of course. I’ll send him back tae ye when I can.”
Laird Currie waved him off. “He’s yers,” he said. “The horse is growing fat for want of use, so take him and welcome. If I tried tae ride him, I’d probably end up on my head.”
Bane was truly appreciative. With a lingering expression of gratitude to Laird Currie, he took his possessions out of the chest, few as they were, and quit the chamber. Laird Currie had his money returned and Lucia’s debt was paid. Everything was working out, just as he’d planned.
Quickly, he made his way back to the stables to prepare the big, fat, white horse with the gloriously long mane and tail. When he told Angus that Laird Currie had given him the beast, Angus was more than happy to help him prepare the animal for travel.
Time was growing short.
Lucia was packing and he had to be ready.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The little sewing room where Lucia did all of her work was also her sleeping chamber.
It was a tiny interior chamber with no windows and only a door. The way the second floor of the manse was configured, it was built into the curve of the stairwell. It had a small hearth and a transom built over the door for ventilation, but in all, it was a small and dingy chamber. It had been Lucia’s home for the past two years and she was glad to be rid of it.
When Lucia had first come to Meadowbank, she’d brought everything she owned in the world in a little reed basket—two extra shifts, a broadcloth dress, a comb, hose, shoes, and little more. But her two years at Meadowbank had changed that situation dramatically—Lady Currie had been generous in giving Lucia her castoff clothing, so Lucia had accumulated quite a wardrobe of nice dresses.
Her favorites were an amber silk, a blue brocade, and two dresses of the exact same style, one in unbleached linen and one in a dark-green wool. But those were dresses strictly reserved for the visits to the Ludus Caledonia. For her chores around the manse, she wore a standard shift with a broadcloth skirt and leather girdle. All of those possessions, new and old, went into a satchel with a torn corner that Lady Currie had given her.
Lucia was able to shove a good deal into the old satchel, including shoes and combs and soap. Everything she would need to start a new life with Bane. She was careful in packing things, never leaving the satchel sitting out in the open for all to see. At the moment, it was sitting under the bed.
As she promised Bane, she was being discreet.
It was a good thing, too, because when her back was turned, the door to her chamber pushed open, almost gently, and Colly stood in the doorway. Glancing up, Lucia could see the expression on the woman’s face, grim and focused as she stood there.
Immediately, Lucia’s defenses went up.
“Does m’lady need me?” she asked. “I heard her earlier…yelling. Is she better now?”
Colly stepped into the chamber. “She’s still quite upset,” she said as she clo
sed the door quietly. “Lucia, we must talk.”
With the door closed, Lucia fought off a creeping sense of fear. “Why did ye close the door?” she asked. “Open it, please. I dunna want tae be in a closed room with ye.”
Colly didn’t open the door but she didn’t advance, either. She simply stood there, looking Lucia over in an appraising manner.
“Did ye think I wouldna notice?” she asked.
“About what?”
“The warrior Lady Currie brought from the Cal,” Colly said. “It’s the same man ye brought here tae Meadowbank months ago, the one ye said saved ye from the sausage thieves. The one who almost killed me.”
So the old hag had noticed. That answered the question that had come up between Lucia and Bane. But Lucia wasn’t prepared to confess anything. Bane looked different enough now with his beard and clothing that she could say the old woman had made a mistake. Colly couldn’t prove otherwise because she knew Bane would never admit to it, either.
Therefore, Lucia had to take a stand.
“They do look a bit alike,” she said evenly. “The man I knew… He was clean-shaven and dressed in rags. Lady Currie’s warrior has a beard and wears fine clothing.”
“That makes no difference,” Colly snapped, already becoming frustrated that Lucia wasn’t telling her what she wanted to hear. “I’m not blind, Lucia. It is the same man.”
Lucia shrugged, trying to keep her end of the conversation calm. “If it is, I’m unaware.”
Colly sighed sharply. “Ye’ve always been a liar,” she said, trying to provoke her. “Ye’re lying now. Why can ye not tell me the truth?”
“Ask the man yerself if ye dunna believe me.”
“I’m asking ye,” Colly said, her voice becoming stronger. “Ye may as well confess because I know it’s him. I’ve told Lady Currie and she knows it’s him, too.”
“She never saw the man that was here before. How can she know it’s the same man?”
Colly was growing agitated. “Because I say it is,” she said. “But there’s more that ye’ve lied about. Lady Currie’s warrior told her that he had a wife. I can only assume that’s ye. Are ye married, Lucia, and ye never told us?”
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