by Jianne Carlo
Stephen taught her a few Gaelic phrases, and her natural linguistic abilities had her mimicking his accent and pronunciation with perfect idiom. Her brother-in-law crowed, explaining it had taken Jake a full day before he could manage the three words engraved on the bottom of the trunk without butchering them.
Jake joined them on the dais minutes before servants bearing platters of food entered the hall. Tee felt his entrance before she saw him, her relief palpable. Although she’d enjoyed meeting his family, Tee missed the comforting strength of his presence. He kissed her cheek, sat, and rested his arm on the back of her chair.
“What’s wrong, darling?” She leaned forward to whisper the question, rewarded by warmed insides when he grinned his pleasure at the endearment.
“Call me darling, and I’ll give you the world. Nothing’s wrong, not really.” He smiled and turned around to face his father.
Kieran and Jake spoke in lowered voices for over fifteen minutes. Helen drew Tee into conversation. She answered his sister’s questions absently, all the while shooting concerned peeks at Jake and his father.
By the end of the evening, Tee was on tenterhooks, temples throbbing, toes tapping under the table. Jake held himself rigid beside her. He avoided her gaze. Whatever was wrong, it was serious.
Even so, she loved the event, the harmony of friends and family celebrating. Elaine had gone all out. Much to Tee’s surprise, the food proved delicious, definitely not low fat, but scrumptious, especially the suckling pig with the apple in its mouth. Her guilt about eating the animal vanished with the first mouth-watering bite.
Kieran and Elaine went out of their way to welcome her. They toasted her several times throughout the meal. Stephen and Jake spent most of the time exchanging barbed, sarcastic remarks. Their contentious relationship worried Tee. Each seemed determined to outdo the other. As the servants served the last course, Kieran stood with his goblet in one hand.
“My lady and I welcome our son, James Michael Ferguson, to his home.” Kieran’s sonorous words sang through the cavernous room. “We congratulate Jamie and his lady, Tallulah, on their decision to wed. Join us in a toast of happiness for the couple.”
A roar echoed through the hall. Everyone raised a goblet, mug, or container.
“Jamie and Tee, we wish you long life, health, happiness, and wealth.” The Ferguson Laird beamed at them and gulped from his glass. The crowd followed suit. “Will you now avow your promise to each other?”
Elaine had given her the words beforehand.
They faced each other.
She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “I take thee, James Michael Jake Ferguson, as my husband as witnessed by his family and all in Brodick Hall.”
“I take you, Tallulah Margaret Inglefield, as my wife as witnessed by my family and all in Brodick Hall.”
Bemused, Tee’s gaze met Jake’s. He smiled and pressed a lingering kiss on her lips.
The crowd rose and roared, “To the bride and groom!”
The celebration wound down a couple of hours later. Tee followed Jake and his parents out of the hall. They gathered in one of the smaller rooms on the first floor.
“When will you be back, Son?” Kieran asked Jake.
“We’re leaving?”
“Yes, we have to go back,” Jake answered. “Things have become more complex, and we may be needed to resolve everything.”
“Is Dad okay?” Tee’s pulse pounded like thunder in her ears, drowning out their voices. She struggled to hear the words coming out of Jake’s mouth.
“Alex hasn’t been able to reach him or Sir Arthur since yesterday evening.” Jake rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. “But, no one seems to be alarmed. Don’t panic, babe.” He turned to face his parents. “We really should leave now. I’m sorry it’s been such a brief visit.”
Alerted by the genuine regret in his gruff voice, Tee cut to his face and read the yearning in those charcoal eyes. He longed to belong, she realized, and had to bite her lower lip to suppress the threatening tears.
“Never worry about it, sweetling.” Elaine tiptoed to kiss Jake’s cheek and pat his jaw. “You go, quickly now. I know you’ll be back.” She waved a hand. “Go on, leave.”
Jake said quick farewells to his father and Stephen. “Tell Tiny we’ll bring Alex next time.”
He grinned and glanced over his shoulder for one last look at his mother, father, and brother.
Tee slipped her hand into his and squeezed.
Jake’s hooded eyes met hers, and she winced at his regretful expression, the tight line of his mouth.
When they reached the fairy room, he picked up the trunk from the bedside table, heaved an audible sigh, and reached over to clutch Tee’s hand.
“It’ll be okay, witchy woman,” he promised. “Everything will work out.”
He flipped the latch on the trunk and tossed the lid open. Simultaneously, Tiny burst into the room, skidded on the floor, and bumped into Tee and Jake. Wobbling precariously, he threw his arms around them, straining to stay upright, using their bodies as anchors.
All to no avail as they landed in a heap on the floor, their fall cushioned by a plush taupe carpet. From her vantage point on the rug, Tee noticed a gunmetal floor lamp with an opaque jade shade. The faint hum of car engines zipping by the tall windows opposite reached her ears.
“Where are we?” She wriggled her legs out from under Jake.
Tiny whipped his hand off her chest, his cheeks staining a deep scarlet.
“Tiny.” The glee in Alex’s voice couldn’t be denied. “Welcome to my world.” He turned to answer her. “You’re in my condo in Knightsbridge. We’re relatively safe. I took all the necessary precautions, Jake. It’s been swept for microphones, and Scotland Yard pulled their watch from this building yesterday.”
“Am I in your time, then?” Tiny directed his question to Alex.
“Oh yes.” Alex rubbed his palms together. “Once we’re out of this mess, it’s payback time, Green Giant. Let’s see how you function at a hundred and twenty miles on the Autobahn. And I’ll get my partner to take you up in his jet and do stunts, like a rollover and a couple of spins.”
“Enough.” Jake helped Tee to her feet. “Any news on Henry?”
“Yes, I heard from him and Sir Arthur four hours ago. Henry’s disappearance is a deliberate trap. We’re in wait mode.”
“I didn’t have to bring Tee back then. She’s in danger here.” Jake turned to her. “Please, for my sake, babe, let me take you back.”
She shook her head. “No. I can’t wait around in 1501 not knowing what’s going on. I’m staying.”
“Sir Arthur’s due here any moment to brief us on the roles they expect us to play. As far as he’s concerned, you two’ve been hiding out with an unnamed friend for the last two days.” Alex strolled over to the window and peeked out. “They say it’s the first time in decades such a thick fog has blanketed London. I can’t see a damn thing.”
Swirls of thick, smoky air flitted along a wall of glass framed by royal blue curtains.
Tee and Jake joined Alex at the window.
Tiny meandered around the apartment, picking up ornaments and accessories, examining each item without uttering a word. Halting in front of the plasma TV, the metallic, high-tech appliance incongruous against rose-flowered wallpaper, he studied the blank, empty screen, his forehead creased in silent concentration.
A faint, rhythmic rap sounded in the room, three long, three short, three long. Alex swung around, strode to the door, and opened it wide.
Sir Arthur Flood entered. He broke into a broad smile when he spied Tee. Hands outstretched, he walked over to her side.
“Tallulah, my dear, I’m so pleased to see you. You will never know how much I regret what happened and my nephew’s involvement. Rest assured he’ll receive the maximum punishment for his actions.” Sir Arthur took her hands in his, and he pressed her fingers lightly.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Tee murmured. “
Where’s my father?”
“He’s perfectly safe, my dear, and heavily guarded.”
“Where is he?”
“In one of my safe houses, not the Met’s,” Arthur replied. “A house located near the Scottish border.”
“What’s this trap you’ve set?” Jake demanded, his tone belligerent.
“We leaked the news that Henry did business with Tony, and he’s the one who knows the passcodes for the bank account, not his daughter.”
She sank to the couch and buried her face in her hands. “Oh God. Why did you make him do this?”
Dampness filled the edges of her eyes.
“Your father volunteered, my dear.” Sir Arthur spoke softly. “He wanted to take all suspicion off you. It’s a father’s natural instinct to protect his children, especially his only daughter.”
Jake squeezed her shoulder.
“We’ve made some progress,” Sir Arthur said. “I spoke with Alex earlier and brought him up to date.”
“They only arrived moments ago, Arthur, so I haven’t had time to tell them all that’s happened.” Alex waved a hand at his audience. “The Met requested copies of all the evidence the Colombian general gathered against Tony. They have analysts going through the information.”
Sir Arthur shrugged off his trench coat and draped it over one arm. He pulled a letter-sized envelope from his jacket. “We sent a team to search Tony’s office and all the Inglefield residences in Trinidad, including your island home. We found this hidden in a framed photograph of Tony and you in Greenbriar.”
“The wedding picture on my dresser?”
Sir Arthur nodded.
“I almost threw it into the garbage minutes before I left for here,” she muttered, astonished at how a small omission could be so vital. “Is it important?”
“It wouldn’t be hidden if it weren’t.”
“Mother was the one who framed that photo and put it on the dresser. I hated it.” At Arthur’s puzzled expression, she added, “I never set foot in Greenbriar until after Tony died. He lived there, not me. The man married me for my money, Sir Arthur. I found out afterwards. I feel nothing but revulsion for my dead husband.”
“In a way, my dear, it’s a relief to hear you say that, as the money everyone’s after is most likely from illegal activities.”
Jake took the envelope, opened it, and extracted a sheet of white paper. Tee peeked over his shoulder. Printed in the center of the document were a series of words, numbers, and algebraic expressions.
“What’s this?”
“Our experts think it may be one of the passcodes. They believe the words are an ancient form of Arabic. So far we haven’t been able to break the encryption.”
“Scotch, Arthur?” Alex took the top off a crystal decanter. At a nod from the older man, he poured a long measure of the amber liquid into a tumbler. “I know you want a shot.” He inclined his head towards Tiny, who grinned at him. “Jake?”
“None for me.” He studied the paper.
Tiny took the glass of liquor from Alex and wandered over to Jake. He scrutinized the writing on the sheet. Silence enveloped the room. Alex joined them, examining the document over Jake’s shoulder. Minutes went by, the only sound in the room that of their breathing.
Tiny cleared his throat.
All eyes turned to him.
“If I may?” He held out his hand for the paper.
Jake gave it to him.
“Alex, a quill and a few sheets of velum.” Tiny’s Scottish burr took on a velvety texture. He stared at the white sheet, immersed in the puzzle on the page.
Tee caught Jake and Alex exchanging surprised glances.
Alex led Tiny over to a mahogany desk in the far right corner of the room. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a ballpoint pen.
She followed him, and using his body to hide her actions from Sir Arthur, gave Tiny a crash course in modern writing instruments.
Alex watched them, his expression puzzled. “You can do this?” he murmured.
Tiny smirked. “Care to lay odds?”
Alex hesitated and then shook his head.
“Who is that gentleman?” Sir Arthur inquired. His cell phone rang. “Excuse me.” He answered the phone, spoke into the mouthpiece, and then said, “It’s your father, my dear.”
She hurried across the room, took the black cell phone, and moved away from the group, her whispered words the only sounds in the room. As she finished her telephone conversation, Tiny rose from the brown leather swivel chair at the desk.
“’Tis is the best I could do within the time allotted,” he said as he lifted one shoulder and handed Sir Arthur a sheet of paper with a few lines of neat cursive writing. “I’ll work on the subtleties of the language throughout the night and have complete translations ready for you on the morrow.”
“My word, I assume you translated it literally, hence the use of Old English.” Sir Arthur’s gaze wavered from the sheet to Tiny, bushy silver eyebrows arched. “Your thinking on the mathematical aspects?”
“I cannot be certain, but I believe it relates to one of Master Leonardo da Vinci’s engineering hypotheses developed when he worked for the Duke of Ludovico.” Tiny scratched his ear. “It has been some time since I saw those. My memory is faulty, I’m afraid.”
“Alex, introduce me to your friend,” Sir Arthur ordered.
Jake, Tee, and Alex were too stunned to comply. They stood staring at Tiny, mouths agape, pupils dilated.
Tiny sneered at Alex and shook his head at the others. “Since my friends appear speechless, permit me to introduce myself.” He bowed. “I am Gratnach Drummond of Aberdeen.”
“No wonder he goes by Tiny,” Alex whispered sotto voce to Jake. “Wait till I get him alone.”
“And how do you come by such detailed knowledge of ancient languages?”
“It is something of a passion, sir. I’ve studied ancient prose for many years.”
“Your passion includes one for algebra and algorithms?” Sir Arthur’s mouth twitched.
“No, sir, for that I must thank Master Leonardo, a most amazing instructor.” Tiny replied in a grave, reverent tone.
Jake elbowed Alex. He jerked his head towards the two men engaged in earnest conversation.
“Right.” Alex acknowledged. “Rescue him. Done.”
Before an astonished Sir Arthur could react to Tiny’s pronouncement, Alex and Jake hustled the Yard man out of the condo. They all pounced on Tiny the minute Sir Arthur left the flat.
“How do you know ancient Arabic?” Alex asked.
“Did you really study with Leonardo da Vinci?” Tee demanded.
“Do you think you can crack the code by morning?” Jake grabbed Tiny’s arm. “Quiet, you two. You can question Tiny about his education after this is over. Tiny?”
“’Tis not so difficult, Laird. I could give you the solution now, but in this dialect, a word can take on different meanings depending upon the context,” Tiny answered. He walked over to the desk and sat. “There may be several interpretations. I will prepare each one for you.”
“Tee, Alex, out. Let’s leave Tiny alone so he can concentrate.”
They retired to the kitchen.
“Tea, Tee? What a wit I have.” That delightful crooked smile appeared, and perfect white teeth glistened as Alex plugged in an electric kettle. “I have a feeling I’m going to resent Tiny even more than I already do. Blasted worst luck I’ve ever had.” He paused at their chuckles. “Crap, there has to be something he stinks at. Go ahead, snicker, fine best friend you are, Jake. And you woman, who I previously judged as nice and kind, it’s not nice to enjoy your friend’s humiliation that much.”
“You’re jealous, Alex,” Tee crowed. “I bet that doesn’t happen often.”
“Don’t be silly, Tallulah.” Alex raised one eyebrow when she scowled at him. “Tit for tat, sweetheart. Call me jealous, and you’ll be Tallulah forever.”
“Coffee for me.” Jake sat next to her. “Turn on the TV,
Alex.”
Alex slid the remote control along the counter.
Jake pressed the power button and the theme music from Friends resonated through the narrow room. He adjusted the volume to a low murmur.
Steam curled and swirled from whistling kettle, Alex pulled a black plug out of an outlet, and checked his Rolex. “The news won’t be on for half an hour. Not much has happened since you were here earlier, Jake, from a media viewpoint, that is.”
“Who’s aware the leaked news is false?”
“As far as I know, us four, Tee’s father, and Arthur.” Alex poured boiled water into a chintz teapot. He dropped a teabag into it and slid the lid in place. Switching on the Saeco coffeemaker, he put a mug under the spout and hit a button. “I know Arthur will inform Baron Constantine as soon as he can locate him.” Brown liquid burbled into a blue and green ceramic cup..
“Baron Constantine? Who’s that?”
“The Europol/Interpol financial expert who wanted to question Tee.”
“Is he missing?”
“No one’s seen him since he gave that press conference about Tee’s kidnapping.” Alex handed the mug to Jake. “In his line of work, Arthur says, it’s not unusual to be incommunicado for periods of time.”
After giving the teapot a couple of shakes, Alex dispensed the fragrant brown liquid into a teacup resting on a saucer.
Tee fingered the china closer, raised the porcelain cup to her mouth and took a deep breath, savoring the pungent, comforting aroma of the Earl Grey tea. “I’m still boggled by the idea of Tiny actually studying under Leonardo da Vinci.”
“He had me completely fooled,” Alex said, his tone little-boy morose, which Tee found endearing. “It was easier when I thought he was a dumb jock. Did you hear him say he had a passion for ancient languages? Of course, I’ve never been able to master anything but English.”
Tee pressed her lips together. Her mouth twitched at Alex’s hound dog expression. She patted his arm. “I’m sure he knows nothing about the law, Alex, and remember he can’t swim. Probably can’t sail either.”