“Indeed.” Lady Nuala followed the servant up the stairs with Isobail and her driver on her heels.
“Oh, dear sister, don’t be a stranger. I should very much like to catch up with you soon!” Lord Niall called up the stairs after her.
30
Blane was so tired and hungry. He didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to stay in the saddle. “Brian, I need to . . . ,” he trailed off when they crested a hill and saw Dòmhail on the horizon. It was a breathtaking sight.
From their distance he couldn’t make out much of the city, but he could see the magnificent castle set atop the tallest hill he had ever seen. He stood staring at the tiny buildings in the distance awestruck by the vast city. Having never left his tiny village until recently, he was beginning to realize the world was a very large place. A nervous bubbling in his stomach reminded him that he was just one insignificant man. What was he thinking taking on this challenge?
“What was that?” Brian asked.
“Nothing. I was just going to say I needed a rest, but I’ll be fine until we get there.”
“Good. The first thing we need to do is to find an inn.”
“What? You said we were going to find the servants and get some information first.”
“First of all, we need somewhere to change clothes, clean up, and take a rest. You have been awake for two days, haven’t you? And second, I’m famished. We have been on the road for hours.”
“All right, an inn it is then. Let’s go!” Blane kicked his horse in the flanks, forcing it to gallop the last leg of the trip, and this time Brian didn’t stop him.
When they got into the city walls, they could see it was densely populated. It was a labyrinth of narrow alleys and rows of houses. The streets were made of stone. Blane had never seen anything like it in his life. As he slowed his horse to a trot, he began scanning the buildings for an inn. He saw one at the other end of a narrow alley and started to turn.
“Whoa! You don’t really want to go that way,” Brian said.
“Why not? There’s an inn at the other end of this alley.”
“We’ll go around the long way. Trust me.” Brian continued straight.
“But it would be so much faster to go through the alley, wouldn’t it?” Blane asked as he followed Brian.
“Oh, it would definitely be faster to go through the alley. However, you should always avoid the alleys in a city, if you can help it. You see, when the people that live in these houses need to empty their chamber pots, they throw them out the window into the alleys.”
“They what?” Blane asked in disgust.
“You heard me. They yell ‘GARDYLOO!’ and if you’re in an alley, you best be getting out of there real quick.” Brian laughed at the expression of horror on Blane’s face.
“Let’s take the long way around,” Blane said.
“Good choice, my boy. Good choice.”
As they navigated their way through the sea of people on the streets, Blane looked up at the castle on the hill and was overwhelmed by its size. “Brian, have you ever been inside the castle?” Blane asked.
“No. Why?”
“I was just thinking it’s so huge. I’m afraid we’re going to get lost in it. It would just be nice if one of us had been inside before and knew what to expect,” Blane explained.
“You’re right. It would be much easier. That is another reason that I think we should position ourselves in with the staff. They know that castle inside and out. They have access to every room in the castle, and they have all kinds of passageways that most of the guests don’t even know about.” Brian gave his young companion a reassuring smile.
When they finally arrived at the inn, Blane took the horses around to the stables in the back while Brian went in to procure a meal and a room for the night. When Blane was satisfied that the horses were in good hands, he went to join Brian. Teich’s inn would have fit in this one at least three times. There were at least fifty tables in the dining room and the bar was twice as long as any he had seen before. Brian was coming from a door in the far left corner of the building underneath the staircase. A woman in her early thirties with dark brown hair followed him out.
“Ah, Brom! Are the horses taken care of?” Brian asked Blane.
“Yes.”
“Good, very good. Thank you, my boy. You may go and wash up in the room and then come and join me for a bite to eat.” He motioned to the door he had just come from.
“Well, I better go and get your food ready for you.” The woman smiled shyly at Brian.
“That would be lovely, madam.”
“If you need anything else, just let me know. I would be more than happy to help you with anything you may need.” She smiled warmly at Brian for a few seconds as she walked over to a door where she turned to look back at him before disappearing into the kitchen.
“Did you just call me Brom?” Blane asked when she was out of earshot.
“I did. The fewer people who know who we really are, the better it will be if something goes wrong,” Brian said as he sat down at the nearest table. “Now, go get washed up and come have something to eat.”
Blane returned just as the dark-haired woman was putting two plates of herring down on the table. “If there’s anything else I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask. Anything at all.” Her eyes never left Brian.
“Thank you,” Brian said.
“You’re welcome.” She reluctantly left when an elegantly dressed man came in the front door and went to the bar. Blane watched her retreating figure and then turned back to Brian and the plate in front of him.
“I believe you have an admirer,” Blane said in between gulps of food.
“What? Who?” Brian asked with his mouth hanging open.
“What do you mean who?” Blane swallowed a bite of the salty fish. “The woman behind the bar.”
“I don’t think so.”
“She couldn’t keep her eyes off you. She hasn’t even looked at me once.” Blane took a long swig of water. “She’s very nice to look at. Maybe you should go and talk to her.”
“No, thank you.”
“Why not?”
“Like I told you, the less these people”—he gestured around the room—“know about us, the better. In case this doesn’t go as well as we are hoping.”
“But what if it goes just the way we want it to? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to come home to? You must be lonely living by yourself on that farm,” Blane said.
“Look, I know you mean well, but I don’t really do the whole love and marriage thing. Not anymore. So just drop it, okay?”
“Okay, I guess. But I don’t get it.”
“And I hope for your sake that you never have to understand. I hope you get to marry Isobail and have a whole gaggle of grandchildren for me.” Brian began to stare at the well-dressed man, who was now sitting at the bar.
“What?” Blane turned to follow his gaze. “Why are you staring at him?”
“He just said he was staying at the castle for the summer festivities,” Brian whispered as he stood to walk over to the bar.
“Where are you going?”
“I am going to see what he has to say about the castle. Why don’t you go and rest for a while. I’m sure I’ll be in soon. I doubt he’ll be much help to us.” He walked over to the bar and sat on the stool next to the young noble.
* * *
Lord Niall nodded to the man who sat down next to him and then had to take a closer look. Something about him seemed familiar.
“Excuse me, have we met before?” Lord Niall asked the stranger.
“I don’t believe so. My name is Brian. I don’t usually meet a lot of royalty,” the stranger answered as the woman behind the counter put a glass of whisky in front of him.
“No, no, I guess not. You just look so familiar to me.”
“What are you doing here?” the woman behind the bar asked Lord Niall. “Isn’t there some big party at the castle tonight? There�
��s usually one every night this time of year.”
“Oh yes, there’s a fancy dinner tonight and then some sort of masquerade feast tomorrow night in the great hall.”
“So what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” She poured him another shot of whisky.
“Well, I’m celebrating.” Niall threw the harsh liquid down his throat.
“Celebrating what?” the woman asked.
Brian drank his whisky, listening patiently.
“Well, I have just had a reunion with my dear sweet sister, Lady Nuala, and it went just as I had hoped. And I’m preparing to see her again this evening.”
Brian coughed, choking on his drink. He turned to Niall. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Did you just say Lady Nuala?” Brian held his breath as he waited for the answer.
“Yes, sir, I did. Do you know her?”
Brian shook his head. “I’ve only heard of her.”
Lord Niall threw back another shot of whisky. “Well, I’m sure it’s all true. Every last malicious detail, and now she has a poor new young woman to torture as a lady’s maid.” He loved telling that lie. The more he had to drink, the looser his tongue became. “Iso . . . Iso something, I think.” He hiccupped.
“Isobail,” Brian whispered.
“Yep, that’s it. How did you know? Are you a soothsayer?” Lord Niall motioned for another shot, but Brian put his hand over the glass.
“No, she’s my daughter. I think you have had enough.”
“Your daughter? That’s why you look familiar. She looks like you, ’cept she’s got different eyes. They look like—”
“Would you come have a word with me in private, please?” Brian interrupted, pulling Lord Niall from the stool. He helped him across the dining room and through the door under the stairs.
Blane opened his eyes when the door opened and when he saw Brian had his arm around the man from the bar, he jumped to his feet.
“What are you doing?” he asked, confused. “What happened to the ‘less they know about us, the better’?”
“Blane, may I introduce you to Lord Niall Conell.” Brian paused to help the lord into a chair in the corner. “He’s Lady Nuala’s brother.”
31
He’s what?” Blane asked. “Have you gone daft? Why did you bring him here?”
“Calm down. I don’t think he cares for her very much. Maybe he can help us,” Brian said.
“Don’t care for her much. That is a bit of an understatement. I bloody hate her. In fact”—Lord Niall tried to stand but lost his balance and landed on the bed—“I’m trying to prove that she’s a fraud and that she lied to my father to gain riches. Then I will be rid of her for good.” He lay back on the bed.
“You see, Blane? We can help each other.” Brian smiled.
“Okay, so what do we do now? Do we have a plan?” Blane raised an eyebrow skeptically at Lord Conell as he let out a loud snore. “Oh great, our only chance at getting into the castle, and he’s passed out drunk.”
“Would you be so kind as to go and see if you could get some rolls or bread? And I will see if I can wake him,” Brian asked as he picked up the pitcher of water on the table under the greasy window.
“What for?”
“The bread will soak up the excess alcohol in his stomach,” Brian said. He began to pour water on the young nobleman’s face.
Blane opened the door as Lord Conell let out a loud gasp. The woman that had brought their dinner had been standing at the door and quickly jumped to the side when the door flew open. Blane jumped at the sudden movement.
She stumbled over her explanation. “I was, um, just . . . coming to see if you needed anything else?”
“Is that right? Well, in that case we could use some bread or rolls, or whatever you have will be fine,” Blane said, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Yes, of course. I will be right back.”
“Oh, I’ll come with you, if you don’t mind. No need for you to come all the way back here when you have other guests that need help too.” He followed her over to the kitchen door and waited until she came out with a plate of rolls.
“Just leave the plate on the floor outside the door and I’ll pick it up later.”
“Thank you very much for your help.” He turned and walked back to their room under the stairs. When he went in, Lord Niall was soaking wet but he was sitting up and awake. Blane handed him the plate of rolls.”
“Eat them all, please,” Brian said.
“I’m not usually like this, but you see I have not eaten much today and I’m very nervous about trying to expose Lady Nuala for the fraud that she is.” He began to eat the rolls in two bites. “I also never consort with commoners, but I’m interested in this help you are offering.
“Whoa, slow down. You’re going to get sick eating it that fast. I don’t fancy cleaning up any vomit,” Brian cautioned him.
“How is it that you know so much about being drunk?” Blane asked.
“There was a time in my life when I spent most of my days sloshed.” He didn’t look at Blane. “Now, how are we going to help you expose Moira?”
“Wha—” Lord Niall had half of a roll sticking out of his mouth. “How did you know her name is Moira and not Lady Nuala?”
“Like I told you, Isobail is my daughter. But her mother is Moira or Lady Nuala.”
“I knew they had the same eyes!” Lord Niall exclaimed. “This is getting better and better. Not only is she a fraud, but she also has an illegitimate daughter. Okay, tell me everything and don’t leave any detail out.”
Brian sighed as he began telling the story of how he met Moira. How he had thought she was as kind as she was beautiful. How happy their courtship had been and the few pleasant months they had spent together. He told him everything up to the point when Blane came to get him.
“We think she’s afraid someone knows about her past and she’s trying to get rid of the evidence,” Brian concluded.
“Oh, you’re right about that. I’m the one that found out about her past,” Lord Niall said.
“How did you find out?” Brian asked.
“I had the great fortune, a few days ago, of running into a family named Bard.” Lord Niall stopped when Brian snorted in disgust. “Oh, you know them?”
“Only Artair. I met him once many years ago.”
“Ah, he is gone now, but the others told me about Nuala, or Moira’s, past in Trom. I will not rest until she is hanging from a noose in the courtyard of Dòmhail Castle.” As Niall spoke, his eyes became dark and narrowed to slits.
“I’m so glad we had the good fortune to run into each other,” Brian said.
“I’m not sorry we met either. We can be a great help to each other. I’ll help you get in to the castle, so you can get Isobail out. And you’ll help me expose Lady Nuala or Moira to the king,” Lord Niall said. “But if you get in my way, I’ll kill you!”
“My lord, you have yourself a deal. Blane, are you in?” Brian looked at Blane, who had been standing quietly in the corner.
“So it’s your fault that she came after Iso?” Blane asked quietly.
“Yes, that is unfortunate. I promise you I’ll make sure that she makes it out of that castle. Now, will you help me, young man?”
Blane stood, unmoving, in the corner, looking from Brian to Lord Niall. He rubbed his jaw and sighed. What choice did he have? He put his right hand out, and Lord Niall gave it a firm shake.
“I like Brian’s idea of getting in with the servants. What do you think, Lord Conell?” Blane asked.
“Please, call me Niall. It sounds like a good idea to me.” Niall clapped his hands and rubbed them eagerly together. “Shall we go then?”
“I’m in, as long as Iso will be safe. She’s the only reason I’m here,” Blane said. “I don’t know Lady Nuala or Moira, but if she hurts Isobail, I will personally put a noose around her pretty little neck.”
“You may have to stand in line for that opportunity.” Lord Conell laug
hed. “Okay, then let’s go.” The three men walked out of the inn into the cool evening air.
32
The three allies galloped across the drawbridge and through the gates of the castle. From a distance the large, gray stone castle was beautiful. Up close it was breathtaking. The stones had specks of gold in them that glinted in the sunset, giving it an ethereal quality. A circular balcony stuck out of one side, hovering over the ocean below, and numerous towers and turrets enriched the architecture.
The courtyard was alive with activity. Brian couldn’t believe the number of people that were buzzing around. He had been afraid that Lady Nuala or Isobail would see them, but you wouldn’t be able to find your own mother in this crowd. There were people everywhere. The royalty was rubbing shoulders with servants and merchants alike. They seemed to be having some sort of market. The royalty was dressed in the finest clothing he had ever seen. The colors—crimson, blue, and purple—were rich and deep in shade. The designs were both astounding and ridiculous. The dresses circling around the women were comical in their width. Men were wearing colorful tights and tunics with puffed sleeves. Some tunics had large animals on them while others had coats of arms on them. Brian shook his head and looked down at his own homespun white shirt and simple breeches.
Lord Conell led the men to the stables, where he descended his horse and gave the reins to an eager stable boy.
“Ah, Derry, these are my servants. They ran into some trouble on their way here. I know you two will take excellent care of their tired horses.” He offered the young boy a bow.
“Yes, m’lord,” the boy said, shrinking back against a wall.
“Brian, Blane, allow me to introduce you to two of the best stable boys I have ever met. This is Derry and his brother, Derby. Mighty fine lads, indeed.”
“Thank you,” the boys said in unison, furrowing their brows. They looked at each other and then back at Lord Niall.
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