The provost peered down at the marks and symbols on the sheet. “‘Tis a map. She sent you a map.”
“Only one piece of a larger one,” Laura whispered. “‘Tis one key only to the hiding place of the Treasure of Tiberius. To find it you must have all three.”
“Treasure. So ‘tis not only your family’s politics that have chased you all into hiding. The greed of men pursues you as well, I take it.”
She continued to stare down at the map. “If I were certain that this treasure consisted of gold alone, then I would agree, Gilbert. But somehow I have always known that there is something more at the heart of this map. Much more.”
Gilbert moved beside her and gazed down at the figures on the map. “What do you know of it?”
“Nothing, really. Only that ‘tis very valuable. That it has been in the safekeeping of my family for a long time.” She looked at the symbols and words. There were no names written in to identify anything. “I also know that a number of different groups of men know of it and seek it.”
Laura looked up at the cleric. His brow was furrowed with concentration.
“Though I’ve never seen the treasure, Gilbert, I know this is only one of three portions of the map that will lead us to it. I am certain Catherine must by now have her portion. ‘Tis possible that Adrianne has already received hers as well.”
“And what are you three to do?”
“Protect our portions of the map and leave the treasure where ‘tis until such time as we hear from our mother. But,” Laura stopped and drew in a deep breath. “If something was to happen and our mother does not survive this terrible time, then the three of us are to act together and move the treasure to another place of safety of our choosing. My mother said that we would know where that was when the time came.”
“Move it? Protect it? But you cannot use it for your own living?” At the sounds of arriving horses and shouting in the courtyard, Gilbert moved to the window but did not open the shutter. He turned back to Laura. “I do not understand this at all.”
She smiled gently. “I don’t understand all of it, either. But I do know this. The Treasure of Tiberius is not the property of my family. ‘Tis not ours, except to protect.”
Gilbert shook his head.
We can trust no one, for there are others who--as you say--are driven by greed in the pursuit of the treasure.”
Gilbert’s face was grave as he came back and leaned against the table. “It all sounds complicated, Laura. And dangerous.”
“As it must be. Those who pursue us are not fools. The plan was to make finding the treasure impossible, or nearly so.” She reached out and touched the priest’s arm. “But harbor no fears about my welfare. You have served me well, for now I have William. As Catherine has John Stewart.”
Gilbert and Laura both turned their gazes to the door as William strode in. She was no mind reader, but it was clear from his face that something was terribly wrong. He closed the door behind him and met her gaze.
Dropping the map on the table, she was across the floor and in William’s arms in an instant. He held her fiercely to his chest.
“‘Tis not--not Miriam?” she whispered anxiously, drawing back and looking into his face.
“Nay, Laura. The lassie is fine. A messenger has just brought word from the south...from the Borders.”
“My mother!” she gasped, tears suddenly pooling in her eyes.
“Aye. She has been captured by servants of the English king.”
“It cannot be!” Laura’s breath caught in her throat as panic took hold. The tears were coursing freely down her face. “Please, Lord, not again! Not as my father...” The pain crushed her words within her.
William drew her to him--holding her, placing kisses in her hair, letting her pour out the hurt she felt inside. It was some time before she quieted down enough for him to speak.
“There is a way to save her. There is an offer of exchange.”
“Exchange for what?” Gilbert asked from across the room.
“Treasure in exchange for the life of your mother. Before they light the fires of Midsummer’s Eve, you and your sisters must produce a certain treasure.”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Aye. Tiberius.”
******
In just a few minutes Laura explained it all to William. All that she’d already told Gilbert about the treasure. In the end, she showed him the portion of map that Gilbert had just given her. As she spoke, she forced herself to become calm.
Good planning, she knew, required cool thinking.
“We must send word that we agree to the exchange,” she said when William knew everything.
The provost’s head whipped around. “Give the treasure you were entrusted with to the English king?”
“By the Virgin, we will never give it to him,” she swore aloud. “But we would be fools not to buy time for my mother while we are devising an alternative plan.”
William gazed at his wife and nodded agreement. “The rider said you were the only one sent this message.”
Laura placed her hand in William’s and felt his strength. “It could be that they do not know the location of my sisters. But if my mother sent them to me, ‘twas because she knew I would try to think of a way out. She always said, of her three daughters, I was the planner.”
The provost spoke up from the window. “Between the earl of Athol and William, an army could be raised, large enough to...”
“To march into London and take her from the Tower?” Laura interrupted, shaking her head in disagreement. “We don’t even know where she is. She may very well be on the way to the Tower now.”
“Aye,” Gilbert admitted. “Very likely, she is at least in some fortress in England, I should think.”
“On the other hand,” William said thoughtfully, “if you were to gather all three sections of the map and find the treasure...”
She looked at him lovingly. “You have started planning, husband.”
“Aye, you are a bad influence,” he replied, pulling her to his side and growing serious again. “You say you do not know what the treasure is. If the three of you took possession of it, though, perhaps then something could be worked out.”
“I agree,” Laura murmured, knowing that their directions had always been to move the treasure if their mother was caught. Nichola knew the whereabouts of Tiberius, and she did not want her captors to be able to force the information from her.
“But you have only one piece of the map.” Gilbert’s concern was a valid one.
“Your sister Catherine is expecting.” William met his wife’s gaze. “So ‘twould be best if we were to go to Balvenie Castle and take her the news.”
“Very well.”
“But what about your younger sister, Adrianne? Do you have any idea about where she is?”
“Aye,” she said hesitantly. “In the Western Isles,”
Gilbert shook his head. “That’s a ten-year search.”
“Barra.” Laura whispered with assurance. “She is on the Isle of Barra.”
CHAPTER 27
As the castle’s inhabitants were readying themselves for another late night of revelry following the Hogmanay celebration the day before, Laura gazed thoughtfully at the gifts lying on the bed. Gifts for her new family.
Thoughts of her mother brought a stinging tear to her eye. She quickly dashed it away. In less than a week, shortly after Twelfth Night, she and William and Miriam would be leaving for Balvenie Castle, the new home of her sister Catherine. What did she have to cry about? she chided herself. Their plans were in motion. It was time to concentrate--for now, at least--on the life of her new and immediate family.
The first hours after hearing the news of her mother’s capture had been difficult. But then, soon after, with the strength and support of her husband beside her, she’d been able to push aside--for the most part--all morbid thoughts of what she could not control, focusing instead on what she could control.
Th
ey had the map. As far as they knew, the treasure was still safe. And they were facing an enemy blinded by both greed and hatred.
William had sent a message back, agreeing to the terms. Treasure for Nichola Percy, they had written. By Midsummer’s Eve.
Then, telling Sir Wyntoun MacLean only what was necessary, William and Laura had then enlisted the knight’s service in going to Barra and bringing Adrianne Percy back to her sisters at Balvenie Castle. He would bring her back without fail, Wyntoun had promised them as he’d mounted his horse.
A soft knock on the door roused Laura from her reverie. Hurriedly, she folded the presents on the bed into a shawl, and turned in time to see the door opening. Laura smiled at the sight of Miriam’s dark head peeking in.
“Come in, my love.” No sooner had she uttered the words than two puppies tumbled in ahead of the little girl, tearing across the floor and disappearing under the great bed. Smiling, Laura glanced from the bed to the cloth package tucked under Miriam’s arm. “Wait, let me help you with that old bundle of cloths.”
“Nay!” Miriam giggled before dashing to the other side of the room and standing in a very dignified fashion. “They are the gifts, Laura, and you cannot see them until I give them out.”
Laura took her own bundle off the bed and followed the little imp into the adjoining chamber.
William and Laura had given gifts to the household and to Gilbert and Father Francis earlier in the day in the Great Hall, and Miriam had delighted in presenting the cloaks and brogues and bolts of cloth and knives from Inverness to the assembly. The three of them, however, had decided to exchange gifts among themselves in William’s study.
Laura found her husband waiting for them, and after giving him an affectionate kiss, she sat down in the chair he offered her. A warm fire was burning, and Miriam’s two pups followed them in, curling up together on the hearth and dozing off almost immediately.
“May I give my presents last?” Miriam asked.
“Aye,” William said, handing a small wrapped package to each of the two women of his heart. “And I will go first.”
Miriam erupted with glee as she opened the gift. In her hand lay a gold coin. The Tudor rose gleamed in the firelight. It was William’s own coin, Laura was sure. The child threw her arms around the laird.
“Now I can really practice rolling the coin over my knuckles.”
“Aye, lass. That you can. And I’ll help you with it as well.”
Laura was quite curious herself as she opened the small parcel William handed to her. He had already given her so much. Too much, she thought, considering the new dangers she was presenting him with. She gazed lovingly into his blue eyes before lowering her gaze to the package. Her breath came out as a gasp, and her eyes pooled with tears.
“My cross and chain!” she murmured with disbelief. The same jeweled cross that Laura had given to Guff for helping them escape the Convent of St. Agnes. The same cross that had once belonged to her mother lay on a beautifully embroidered linen kerchief.
William moved over to her and carefully placed the chain around her neck. She felt her skin heat to the touch of his lips when he brushed a kiss over her cheek. She entwined her fingers with his and gazed up into his handsome face as he stood beside her.
“But how did you get it?”
“My man Tar and a few of the others went up to the convent after the wedding. In addition to bringing the news of our marriage to the nuns, I had them buy the cross and chain from Guff. Thankfully, the old rascal still had it in his possession, though it took a good deal of persuading to get him to part with it, they tell me.”
“And were the mother superior and the rest of the nuns faring well?”
“Aye. The woman told Tar that those Lowlanders and that squint-eyed monk never went back to the convent after we led them away from the place that night.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Two of the men stayed around for a few days to lend Guff a hand with a few tasks he couldn’t do himself, but Tar assured me that those women are settled comfortably for the rest of the winter. The kerchief is from the mother superior.”
Laura looked at it admiringly and then at the restless little girl standing at her knee. Any more questions of the convent would have to wait.
She let go of her husband’s hand and picked up a folded scarf. In it was the gift she had made for Miriam. The child’s blue eyes shone with curiosity as she fidgeted impatiently.
“Reach under the edge of the scarf and take out the first thing that you feel.”
“A bairn! A black-haired, blue-eyed lassie,” she said with awe in her voice. She held up the carefully stitched figure and looked at it in amazement.
“‘Tis a doll, Miriam. A doll for you to love and to teach and to care for, like a bairn of your own.”
“A doll. I’ve never had a doll.” She threw her arms around Laura and hugged her with unabashed affection. Laura held the child against her chest and looked up into William’s misty eyes.
As abruptly as she’d thrown herself into Laura’s arms, Miriam pulled back and danced in a circle with the doll in her arms. Then she stopped.
“Is it my turn yet? Can I give you both my presents?”
“Just one more.” Laura rose to her feet and offered the scarf-wrapped gift to her husband.
His brow arched with curiosity as he pulled open the scarf. “A drinking cup?”
“Aye. But does it not look familiar?” He was holding the two-handled cup with both hands, and she placed her hands over his. Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “‘Tis, well, ‘twas formerly the laird’s cup at the Three Cups Tavern.”
His eyes shone with mischief. “And did you have to hurt the poor wench to get it?”
“Not too badly,” Laura answered. She smiled shyly. “Though it did take some coercing to get her to promise to teach me some of her special "dance" steps.”
He leaned forward and brushed a kiss on her lips, his mouth still lingering near. “I’d say you have nothing to learn from her.”
She shook her head. “Nay, m’lord. I am only a novice. But then again, we have a lifetime to work at making me an expert.”
“Is it my turn now?”
William and Laura both turned, smiling at the child’s impatience. Miriam tucked the doll under one arm and brought a package to Laura.
Laura sat back down in the chair and lifted Miriam onto her lap before opening the gift. Inside the cloth wrapping she found the most beautiful linen shift. Embroidered with violet knot-designs all around the neckline, it was the most beautiful nightgown Laura had ever owned. Holding it up before her, she gazed on it speechlessly. How much work, she thought, must have gone into making something so delicate and so beautiful?
“Knowing you always sleep in that raggedy old man’s shirt, I thought you might like something...something more pretty.”
Laura couldn’t ignore her husband’s appreciative smile. The firelight shone right through the thin fabric.
“I did not make it all by myself. Peter’s Wife and auld Maire helped, and then Luella helped me with the embroidery around the neck.”
“‘Tis beautiful,” Laura murmured against the child’s soft hair as she hugged her against her chest. “‘Tis absolutely the most beautiful shift I’ve ever seen.”
A satisfied smile brightening her face, Miriam edged off of Laura’s lap and from the floor fetched a second package.
“‘Tis just a little thing,” she whispered nervously, handing it to William. “But...but I made it all by myself.”
Laura and William both smiled at the shuffling feet, the look of anticipation in her blue eyes. “If...if you like it...perhaps I can sew it for you onto your tartan...”
The child was coming apart just standing there. Laura rose to her feet and took Miriam by the hand. They both stood next to William.
As he opened the gift, Laura watched the muscles in his face grow taut. A tear escaped the corner of his eye. Laying the gift suddenly on th
e table, he took them both in a tight embrace, holding them fiercely.
Turning her head, she looked down at the gift. Just a small linen patch, embroidered with gold. And a single word.
“Father.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The Treasure of Tiberius...
Gold? Jewels? Is it evil or is it sacred? What is it about this mysterious treasure that drives men to sell their souls?
As this second book in the trilogy of the Percy sisters concludes, we hope you are ready for the adventure and excitement that we have in store for you in the final installment, The Firebrand.
In this book we introduced you to Sir Wyntoun MacLean, the secretive and very dangerous Blade of Barra. As he continues his search for the Treasure of Tiberius, he must face the contest of wills, the crossing of swords, and the battle of hearts that await him as he encounters Adrianne Percy.
Wyntoun is a laird and a pirate with only one goal in mind...capturing the Treasure of Tiberius.
Adrianne is a warrior at heart...a woman ready to forfeit her own life to protect the elusive treasure from the likes of the Blade of Barra.
In The Firebrand, you will again get a chance to see Catherine and the earl of Athol from The Dreamer, and Laura and William Ross from The Enchantress, as the three sisters converge on Balvenie Castle to thwart their enemies, rescue their mother, and defend the Treasure of Tiberius.
Stand by for the exciting conclusion of...well, you know the rest!
We love to hear from our readers. You can contact us at:
May McGoldrick
e-mail: [email protected]
www.JanCoffey.com
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