He was at the great dining table, deep in conversation with Baldric – and, to her surprise, the muscular, quiet man she knew to be Perry Stuart. The three of them looked up at her as she entered the room and she smiled, giving them an awkward little wave as she headed over to join the conversation.
“Lady Brianna, hello,” Perry said, looking at her closely. “Please, join us.”
“We were just discussing the famine back in Stuart lands,” Robert explained.
Brianna felt a brief surge of pride. He was doing just what she’d suggested – building rapport, establishing a relationship with the hostage-takers. He’d even successfully separated one of them from the group, which was another valuable tactic – negotiating against a collective was harder than negotiating one-on-one. She joined them at the table, settling into a seat as Perry continued to tell them about how severe the famine had been… and how much of it had had to do with poor land management by the English Lords of the land. She found her jaw dropping as she listened, taken aback by just how serious the neglect had been on the part of the English – they’d been moving farmers around willy nilly, laying claim to this piece of land and that with no regard for the crops that had been planted… then, when the harvest had been dismal, they’d taken their share first, leaving the Stuarts and their kin with almost nothing.
“It’s been an awful winter,” Perry said, shaking his head. “As you can imagine, we’re in absolutely dire straits. I’d never imagined myself doing anything like this… taking hostages, I mean, it’s not right.” He sighed, gazing down into the glass he was holding – Brianna realized with amusement that the men seemed to be drinking brandy, or something similar.
Taking advantage of Weatherby’s situation to get into his larder? Fair enough, she thought with a secret smile. Baldric had more than earned a drink or two… besides, it seemed like it was working as a tactic to get this man to open up.
“You do what you have to in order to keep your family alive,” Robert said softly, reaching out to pat Perry on the arm. “I don’t blame you, cousin.”
“I was against it,” he explained, shaking his head. “The whole plan, from the outset. Malcolm’s been at us to move against Weatherby since we arrived here a month ago, but I was able to sway Kellan away for a good while there. He’s been utterly heartbroken since he lost Erin,” he said, shaking his head with a shadow passing across his face. “He’s not himself – half the time I don’t think his mind’s even with us. And with Molly so sick… I hate to think what might happen if he loses her.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Brianna said firmly. “None of us are going to let it. She’s resting now – she’s had a full bowl of broth, and she’ll keep eating until she’s mended. And a healer’s been sent for – right, Robert?”
But Robert shook his head, his expression grim. “The messenger turned back, I’m afraid. The highwaymen.”
“The highwaymen are here, aren’t they?” Brianna said blankly.
Perry stared into his drink, looking miserable.
“Not all of them, I’m afraid,” Baldric broke in, clicking his tongue. “And those that remain are stepping up their operations – our messenger said they were blocking the road with trees, waiting in the forest with arrows to pick off travelers attempting to pass by. We couldn’t even get the message through to the Keep, let alone get someone to come down.”
“Kellan’s going to be furious.” Perry sighed. “He’s so worried about her.”
“It’s his own fault,” Baldric said under his breath. “If he’d just gone to the Keep for help in the first place –”
“This was Malcolm’s idea,” Perry said hotly. “Not Kellan’s. Lord knows I tried to talk him out of it –”
There was a clatter from the direction of the kitchens, and the door swung open to reveal the heavyset Malcolm, clearly surprised to see them there. He had a loaf of bread under one arm and a bottle of wine under the other, and the expression on his face indicated he hadn’t expected there to be people in the dining room.
“Who’s with Weatherby?” he snapped at Perry. The wiry man narrowed his eyes, and Brianna saw his hands clench around his glass.
“Kellan and the other guards,” he said levelly, his eyes narrowed. “He was fast asleep when I left – or do you think we need more than three armed men to guard a sleeping Lord?”
“Watch how you speak to me in front of these fools,” Malcolm snapped, and then Perry was on his feet, squaring up to the bigger man with fury blazing in his eyes. For a long moment, it seemed as though the two of them were about to fight – Brianna held her breath, not sure what that would mean for the negotiations, not sure whether she should even try to intervene… but then Malcolm turned, spitting an unrepeatable curse under his breath as he stomped off through the room. Perry spun around.
“Malcolm,” he said sharply. “We’re not thieves.”
Malcolm turned back, his hard eyes narrowing. “Weatherby’s the thief,” he spat. “Pompous git on stolen land. Stealing from a thief isn’t stealing.”
“Put it back,” Perry said through gritted teeth, “or Kellan will be hearing about it. We’re Stuarts. We’re to conduct ourselves with honor, remember?”
Malcolm glared at him for a long moment… then rolled his eyes and theatrically reached into his pocket, withdrawing an ornate silver ornament that Brianna vaguely recognized from having been decorating the shelves in the dining room. Sure enough, it was gone from its spot – Malcolm tossed it casually onto the table then stomped out with his bread and wine. Perry’s shoulders slumped and he rubbed his face, clearly exhausted.
“I really am sorry about him,” he said, lowering his voice to avoid being overheard. “I don’t like our family being represented by men like that.”
“Thank you for speaking up against him,” Brianna broke in, giving the man a smile. Any kind of dissent between the hostage-takers needed to be encouraged… and besides, the more she saw of Malcolm, the more repellent she found him. Kellan and Perry she understood – they were desperate men doing their best for their families. But what was it about Malcolm that made him seem like he was on a different page altogether? It was revolting, how little he seemed to care about Molly – and his constant references to ransom and money were unsettling, too, especially when the rest of the refugees were quiet and polite, interested mostly in food and shelter. She and Robert exchanged thoughtful glances.
It wasn’t long before Perry excused himself, clearly anxious to get back to Kellan before Malcolm could tell his side of the story regarding the confrontation. On his way, Brianna noticed him scoop up the silver ornament and return it to its proper place on the shelf, and she smiled to herself. Weatherby almost certainly wouldn’t have missed such a little trinket… Perry was a man of principle. Knowing that was useful. It meant it was likely that he, at least, could be trusted to keep any promises they needed to rely on, further down the line.
The rest of the afternoon passed slowly. Another messenger had been dispatched to the Keep, this one told to take a different route, but they knew they wouldn’t be getting a response for at least another day or two – and whether or not it would be possible to get a visit from one of the trained medical personnel was another question. Brianna was hoping that she might be able to do something for little Molly herself – after all, even her layman’s understanding of nutrition from the twenty-first century put her head and shoulders above most people here.
She decided she’d visit the little girl again after their dinner with the kidnappers. First, though, they’d talk to Kellan. With any luck, a day of rest would have helped soothe his frazzled spirits a little, and they’d be able to make some progress on the negotiations. At least, she hoped they would.
There was a great deal at stake.
Chapter 24
It was getting dark when they strode up the hallway toward Weatherby’s quarters, which she was rapidly coming to think of as the kidnappers’. She felt a little apprehensive, the old anxi
ety needling at her stomach, but a quick reassuring grin from Robert made her feel a little more at home. Baldric had elected not to join them, saying he needed rest – he’d been on the go since the kidnappers had arrived, ensuring the Stuarts were all looked after and that Weatherby’s staff knew what was going on, and Brianna gave him a grateful smile as he signed off for the day.
“You can handle him,” Baldric said, giving her a tired smile. “I have every confidence in you two. Just don’t let him say anything so rude that the Stuarts start cutting off fingers.”
She was pretty sure that he was joking… but she’d seen enough unpleasant things on the job that she didn’t find it very funny. Still, she forced a little chuckle as Baldric headed off back to his quarters. At least he was getting some rest, she thought. They needed him at full strength if they were going to get through the next few days.
Kellan looked a little better when the guards showed them through. His lank hair had been combed, at least, and he was looking a little less sallow and miserable – a good meal or two and a little bit of rest seemed to have helped perk him up a little, though the circles under his eyes were still deep and it was clear his scrawny frame would need more than a couple of meals before it started filling out again. The Stuarts had set up one of Weatherby’s tables for a meal, and they joined Kellan at its head, Malcolm and Perry on either side of him. Weatherby himself was the guest of honor, sitting at the other end of the table with a sour look on his face – though he, too, had cleaned himself up a little, and looked well enough considering that he was a hostage.
“How’s Molly?” Kellan asked almost straight away, as the six of them started eating. It was an odd feeling, sitting down to dinner with a kidnapper… but when Robert and Baldric had suggested it, Brianna had jumped at the chance. Sharing a meal was an excellent way of bonding with people. Unorthodox, perhaps, given her usual way of negotiating … but given that it was medieval Scotland, she had a suspicion that she could ignore a lot of her ‘usual ways’ of doing things. Maybe if they shared enough meals together, they could make some real progress on finding a solution… from Weatherby’s side as well as from the Stuarts.
“I visited her this afternoon,” Brianna said. “She’s resting. Eliza’s with her. She’s looking a little better, I think, though I’m no expert. A little more color in her cheeks.”
“That’s good,” Kellan said, exchanging a relieved smile with Perry, who clapped his cousin on the shoulder before returning to his meal. “The poor little thing’s been through hell.”
“Just like all of us,” Malcolm said, something ugly and defensive in his tone as he speared his meat and wolfed it down.
“I’ll visit her after the meal,” Kellan said, exchanging glances with Perry, who nodded his agreement to keep an eye on the hostage. “Make sure she’s comfortable, ensure she has everything she needs… you said she was looking better? Did she wake at all?”
“She and Eliza were both sleeping when I visited,” Brianna said with a soft smile, though there was still worry gnawing at her gut. Kellan’s devotion to his daughter was beautiful… but dangerous. What if the little girl turned a corner and her health began to decline? What if it was already too late to restore her failing health – what if they lost her? She bit her lip, trying to look on the positive side. “She’s a fighter, isn’t she?”
“Oh, aye,” Kellan said with a soft smile. “The poor thing’s been wasting away for months, no matter what we did. Even with Malcolm giving her half of his share… It wasn’t much use for a few weeks there after Erin passed,” he added, his face twisting with grief. “But she fought. She hung on. I have faith that she’ll make it through this – that we’ll have a new life together somewhere.” He took a deep breath, clearly a little taken aback by how much he’d shared with the group. She snuck a quick glance at Weatherby. If she hadn’t known any better, she’d have sworn the man looked moved – there was a shine in his eyes and a tension in his jaw that suggested he was fighting back tears. Did the pompous old Lord have a heart after all?
“Has our ransom been organized yet?” Malcolm demanded abruptly, slamming a fist down on the table and making Kellan jump at the suddenness of it.
“Malcolm,” Perry said in a low voice, warning.
“Perry!” he sneered back, mocking his cousin’s tone. “Let’s not forget why we’re here. These English pigs can play nice all they like, trying to trick us into trusting them, acting like we’re all a happy family eating dinner together when really if it wasn’t for the knife at their Lord’s back they’d have us out there on the highway, starving and begging for scraps…”
Kellan looked irritated at the outburst… but at the same time, she could tell that he grudgingly accepted the truth of what Malcolm was saying. Would Lord Weatherby ever have eaten dinner with a group like this? Certainly not. He’d been calling them petty criminals less than two days ago… now, here he was dining with them, certainly not of his own free will.
“Is it a ransom you want, or money to cover your travel and establishment in a new place?” Brianna asked, keeping her tone neutral. This was an important point – a ransom could be any amount of money, but if what they were asking was simply to cover some costs, there was plenty of room for discussion. Malcolm’s face darkened as Kellan shot him a warning look before responding himself.
“Money … isn’t high on our list of priorities,” he said, and Brianna could see Perry staring daggers at Malcolm. “First and foremost is the health and wellbeing of our people.” Even that simple statement seemed to annoy Malcolm.
He really was an unpleasant person, she thought faintly.
“After that, our safe exit from this place, unharmed and unbothered by Weatherby’s guards. Third – we all need a new life somewhere. It’s become clear there’s no place for us on our ancestral lands,” he said, shaking his head heavily.
Robert frowned. “Why’s that?”
“The English lords,” Kellan spat, his face darkening. “They’ve decided the famine means we were poor stewards of the land, and that they’ll be taking it from us permanently.”
“That’s an outrage,” Robert said, voice low and flat. “That’s cause for war.”
“Aye, it would be, if they’d made it clear that was what they were doing before we were all half-starved and unable to fight them,” Kellan said, shaking his head with a bitter expression on his face.
Brianna knew the look of a beaten man, and worry gnawed at her. It was important to maintain his hope for the future. A man who’d given up hope would do just about anything to his hostages… it was important that the possibility of freedom, of a better life, was held up tantalizingly close… close enough to lure them into a trap.
But did she really want to capture this Kellan and his people? It had always been her job, in a negotiation, to first secure the safety of the hostage, then to catch the kidnappers and have them brought to justice. But what justice could Kellan and his men be brought to? They’d already had everything taken from them… and everything they’d done had been in the interests of keeping themselves alive. Weatherby was itching to imprison them all – she could tell by the way that he was glaring at Kellan. The Lord would be furious if the Stuarts were allowed to go. But could she really live with herself if she let them be captured?
That was a question for much further down the line, she told herself firmly, shaking off the urge to think far ahead of where they were. For now, just getting to an agreement about demands was more than enough to be focusing on.
“When will the healer be arriving?” Kellan asked abruptly, his sharp eyes focusing on Robert, who’d after all been the one who offered to organize the medical visit. Brianna took a sharp breath – she’d forgotten about that particular piece of bad news. It seemed it hadn’t been shared with Kellan yet – he looked hopeful as he waited for Robert’s response, and Brianna could see the man hesitating as he realized that he was about to give the man bad news.
“We sent word to the castle
this morning,” Robert said carefully, shooting a glance sideways at Brianna. “But unfortunately –”
“The highwaymen turned the messenger back,” she said frankly, suddenly struck by inspiration and hoping that her gut was right. Playing it apologetically wasn’t the way to go here – if you acted as though a failed request was your fault, you gave the kidnapper room to make more outrageous requests as a way of making up for the failure. Better to make it clear that the inability to get a healer was the fault of Kellan Stuart’s comrades on the road – it might even have the benefit of sewing a few more seeds of disharmony between the three men in charge, if Perry had been right about Malcolm being the main reason they’d come to Weatherby’s manor rather than going to the Keep for aid.
“The highwaymen?” Kellan looked blank.
“Yes. More of your friends have blocked the roads entirely,” she said frankly, gesturing toward where she knew the highway headed off up the hill toward the distant Keep. “They’ve brought trees down to block the roads and are waiting nearby with arrows to shoot at unwary travelers. Our messenger couldn’t get through.”
Kellan looked utterly defeated at that – she saw him cover his face with his hand for a moment, clearly not wanting to appear weak before the assembled people. Lord Weatherby’s dark, glinting eyes were on her – he was clearly aware of her manipulations.
“Do you have any contact with the highwaymen out there?” she asked, keeping her voice businesslike, as though this was a problem that they were going to be able to solve. “Can you ask them to let our messengers through?”
“We won’t be doing that,” Malcolm spat. There was an ugly look on his face, a purpling to his features – he could tell that Kellan was crushed by the fact that other Stuarts were the reason that medical aid couldn’t reach his daughter. “It’s your damn fault in the first place that our men have to resort to stealing to survive –”
Highlander Returned: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (Highlander In Time Book 9) Page 17