The Libertine

by Saskia Walker

  “Take it.” Jessie lifted the flower from Chloris’s hand and pushed it into the pocket on Chloris’s skirt.

  Behind them a door clicked open and a woman stepped into the hallway.

  Jessie reached over and kissed Chloris on the cheek. “It is the landlady.”

  Chloris nodded, understanding.

  Jessie saw her on her way.

  As she turned the corner of the street, Chloris’s footsteps slowed. Ahead of her lay her home. She knew too well what that meant. At her back, the home of her heart, and she knew so little of what might lie ahead if she took that path.

  Her footsteps grew slower still, but each step she took made her want to turn back, and that’s what she needed to feel. She needed to be sure. She would return home and collect the few small possessions she had that belonged to her mother. Then she would go to him and give him her answer.

  No matter what had brought them together, he was everything to her.

  I love him. I always will.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Witches?” Gavin Meldrum reacted with astonishment.

  “Believe it, for it is true.” Tamhas Keavey observed his friend closely. He stood in Gavin Meldrum’s study, choosing his words carefully. He wanted to incite Gavin to action against Fingal, but it was also important that Tamhas himself came out of this well.

  His determination to put an end to Lennox Fingal had only been strengthened during his journey. After all that had passed, and the hasty ride flanked by angered townsmen, his deepest desire was that the whole of Edinburgh was roused to hunt down the master of Somerled. But he was also cautious about losing Gavin’s respect. If Gavin believed Tamhas had not protected Chloris during her time in Saint Andrews, their good dealings in commerce might cease to be.

  Gavin frowned. “I can scarcely believe that they run amok in Saint Andrews, where pilgrims have traveled to worship for hundreds of years.”

  “That is the worst of it, isn’t it? It is shameful. They seek to overthrow order with their spells and their heathen beliefs.”

  “How did it happen, and what has it to do with Chloris?” Gavin crossed to a wine table and poured out two glasses of claret while Tamhas related the tale.

  “They gathered together as a coven close to Saint Andrews and under the protection of a wily leader. He gained them respectability, and trade. Meanwhile they dripped their poison. Sadly, they have influenced many in the burgh. They sought to be involved in matters of great import, to spread their wicked messages and their evildoings.”

  “They weren’t ousted because of this?”

  “Oh, I tried. I led the bailiff to them as soon as I had gathered evidence against them, but they had run, afraid for their lives, as well they should be.”

  “Good man,” Gavin responded, and held out a glass.

  Tamhas accepted the glass Gavin offered and swigged from it heavily, glad of the fortifier. Then he lowered his voice, lest the men who had traveled with him overheard what he said. They were waiting in the hallway outside while Tamhas spoke with Gavin in private. “My understanding is that Cousin Chloris went to them in order to try to become a more fruitful wife to you, Gavin.”

  He paused, allowing his words to be understood.

  Gavin seemed most surprised. “How so?”

  “They promised her their magic would make her fertile, and poor trusting innocent that she is, she believed them.” He shook his head. “I quizzed her on the matter, and she said there were...rituals...”

  Gavin’s expression did not alter, but his eyes flickered. “Do you know what these ‘rituals’ did to her?”

  “I sent her home as soon as I found out she had gone to them seeking advice.” It was a slight deviation from the truth, but Tamhas had to manage this situation well. It was Lennox Fingal he wanted Gavin to be asking about, Fingal he wanted him to hunt down and obliterate.

  A tap at the door interrupted their discussion.

  A servant entered. “Sire, should I offer the men refreshment?”

  Gavin nodded. As she was about to leave he called her back. “Where is Mistress Chloris?”

  “She went out to pay calls.”

  “Did she say where she was going, or when she would return?”

  The girl shook her head.

  Where was Chloris? Tamhas wondered if Fingal had got to her already. Tamhas didn’t say anything, but he and Gavin exchanged glances.

  “Alert me as soon as she returns.” Gavin shooed the girl out. When she shut the door, he returned his attention to Tamhas. “And you believe they have followed her here?”

  “At least one. Perhaps more. Gavin, I fear they may have attempted to influence her with their evildoings. We need to be rid of them in order to protect her.”

  Gavin’s eyes lit. “Influenced, yes. That would make sense of it, for she came back different, emboldened.” His eyes narrowed and he glanced away. “She is no longer the woman that I married.”

  This was not the way Tamhas thought Gavin would react. “We must be rid of this vermin,” Tamhas insisted again. “Then your good wife will return to you in body and soul.”

  Gavin grew silent and thoughtful. He paced up and down his study. His lips were pressed tightly together, his eyes flickering as he thought through what had been revealed.

  Tamhas wondered what was going through his mind. A plan of action, he hoped. Gavin had many friends in high places in Edinburgh and could easily rouse expert witch finders, the ministers, the bailiff, soldiers and more, people who were willing to hunt this man down.

  “We must protect Chloris from them,” he repeated, willing Gavin to begin the witch hunt.

  Gavin paused on his pacing and looked at Tamhas. “I fear we may be too late for that.”

  Tamhas frowned. “I do not understand your meaning.”

  “She is a changed woman, Tamhas. It is clear to me now that they have meddled with her soul.” Gavin’s mood was as self-assured as it was venomous. “If my wife has been influenced by these witches, and it seems that she has, then perhaps it would be better if she burned with them!”

  Tamhas struggled to maintain his composure, for he was taken aback by Gavin’s swift and harsh verdict on the situation. Did he really believe that was just, or did he perhaps see this as a convenient way to get rid of a wife who was no longer useful to him? Was it because she was barren? Tamhas worked through his thoughts quickly, trying to find the appropriate thing to say. He needed to gauge the depth of Gavin’s conviction. “It would be a harsh thing, to oust her with them, but I suppose you have the burgh to think of. The capital must be protected.”

  Gavin nodded. “The people of Edinburgh will not respect me if my wife is in league with witches and I spare her.”

  Gavin’s eyes were alight, as if he were excited by the uproar this might cause.

  Tamhas wondered if he had judged the situation wrongly. He had not envisaged Gavin’s fervor, nor his will to determine how involved Chloris had become. What worried him most of all was that he might be about to lose his most important agent in commerce. “However you decide to approach this, I will step behind you.” He paused, stared at Gavin. “The good standing of our friendship and our business arrangements are foremost in my mind at this time.”

  Gavin looked at him with an assessing glance, his eyes shrewd and calculating. “You did well to come here so quickly, to warn me. I am indebted to you. You have always made good sense of how things are between us. If I must sacrifice my wife in order to protect Edinburgh, it will be done.”

  He walked over to a bureau against the far wall and opened a drawer, withdrawing a bundle wrapped in a cloth. He carried it back to Tamhas and placed it on a nearby table.

  When Gavin unwrapped it Tamhas saw that the cloth covered a pistol.

  “Our business arrangement will remain strong if the situation is dealt with quickly and tidily. If you understand my meaning.” He polished the pistol with the rag it had been wrapped in, loaded it, and then set it down on the desk between
them. “You have the evidence from Saint Andrews. I will send for the witch finder general and his men. You must point the finger. If Chloris attempts to deny it or escape, make sure it does not happen.”

  Tamhas stared down at the pistol. He did not need the weapon, for he had his own, but Gavin’s message was clear. However, Tamhas suddenly found himself remembering those evenings back at Torquil House, when he had sat with her and lusted after her, and he wanted to back away and deny this bargain. He forced himself to be sensible about the matter. Chloris had gone to Fingal. Chloris had not come to him.

  Besides, would it be so great a sacrifice to make if he was finally rid of Fingal?

  There was a part of him that did not want to relinquish his hold on his cousin, but if it meant he could smite Fingal that way, then perhaps Gavin was correct in his assumption.

  For Gavin it appeared it was the only way. Gavin was set on it.

  It was not the outcome Tamhas had hoped for, but if he had to sacrifice Cousin Chloris in order to be secure in his commerce, so be it.

  * * *

  “Mistress Chloris, you are home.” When Mary opened the front door and took Chloris’s cloak, Mary looked at Chloris with a disturbed expression in her eyes.

  “What is it, Mary?”

  “There are strange goings-on. Master Gavin has been asking for you.”

  “He is here?”

  “In his study.”

  Chloris did not want to go in there again, but it seemed that she must. Perhaps he had come to his senses and was about to let her go, which would be a mercy. Then the sound of men’s voices reached Chloris from beyond the stairs, where the scullery was. As Mary had indicated, something was amiss.

  She knocked on the door and entered the study. When she saw who was in there with Gavin, she was staggered beyond belief.

  Tamhas stared at her with a frown. The boots he wore were muddied. His clothes were dirty and he wore no hat or wig. He looked as if he had traveled hard and arrived here recently, as if he had not even had time to refresh himself.

  The implications rushed in on her fast. Tamhas must have followed Lennox. There was no other conceivable reason for his hasty arrival so soon after Lennox. Chloris felt dizzy, suddenly sick to the gut. Tamhas had become so obsessed with Lennox that he had followed him here. What had he said to Gavin?

  “Ah, and here she is.” Gavin looked at her from hooded eyes. He pressed his lips together as if he were containing a smile.

  “You know what this is about, I wager,” Tamhas snapped at her.

  Chloris held her head high. “No, I do not. Would you care to enlighten me?”

  Tamhas looked enraged by that and he strode over to her, stepping between her and Gavin. When he glowered at her there was a warning in his eyes. “I know that Lennox Fingal has come here, and you would do well to reveal his whereabouts and quickly, lest you get dragged down to hell with him.”

  Chloris glared back at him. He could rant at her all he wanted, but she was not about to reveal Lennox’s whereabouts.

  “Speak out, Chloris,” Tamhas urged when she did not respond. “Your husband has already summoned the witch finder general.”

  A rushing sound filled her ears and her mouth went dry, her heart hammering in her chest. The witch finder? Visions of what they might do if they found Lennox or Jessie filled her thoughts. It could not happen. She would not let them harm her lover or his sister. The very thought that they might get their hands on either one of them made her want to warn him and send him on his way. It was her fault that they had come here. She had to stand between them and their persecutors, there was no question about that. Chloris vowed she would because she loved him and it pained her deeply to think that he’d come here for her and put himself in such danger.

  From behind Tamhas Gavin emerged, approaching her. “Tamhas has told me what happened to you in Saint Andrews. Now I understand why those dreadful changes I discovered in my wife have occurred. You’ve been consorting with witches, you have been subject to their evil ways.” He looked her over with disgust. “I will hand you over to the witch finder general without a qualm, for I would rather forfeit my wife in order to have your soul redeemed.”

  Chloris fought the mad urge to laugh. How well this had played into his hands, she realized. He did not want her to leave him, for that would show him up, but he could play the martyr in front of the whole burgh if it suited him. People would talk about his brave sacrifice and his position would be maintained. “You can do what you want with me. I will never reveal his whereabouts.”

  “So it is true, you are in league with a witch.” Gavin scrutinized her calmly. “Well, the witch finder will get the information from you. They have some canny tools for the task.” He flashed her a brief smile. “Once he puts his thumbscrews on you, you will plead for mercy. When you get none, you will tell him everything he needs to know and then you will sign the confession with your bloodied and broken hand.”

  How he relished the prospect.

  “I will die before I reveal anything,” she replied.

  Gavin inclined his head. “Your choice.”

  “Don’t be a fool,” Tamhas interjected, and raised his hands in a gesture of disbelief. “You cannot sacrifice yourself for one of the Devil’s slaves. How could you even think this way?”

  “They have stolen her soul,” Gavin said, apparently delighted.

  Chloris decided she hated him. She had never before hated anybody, but now she did.

  “I told you to come back here for your own safety,” Tamhas continued. “I warned you to stay away from them.”

  To her surprise, Tamhas looked aggrieved and disappointed. Could it be that her cousin cared more for her survival than did her husband? The reasons for that were manifold, but still it surprised her. It was ironic that she found out her value to them both now. Chloris felt strangely as if she wasn’t really there, as if she were looking in on this room from far away. She wished it were so.

  She looked away from their arrogant, aggressive faces in disgust.

  It was then that she saw Gavin’s pistol had been set out on a table and prepared for use. It was a fine French weapon he had bought several years earlier. She had only seen him use it once and that was on a game hunt, but she knew he would not bring it out now if he did not believe it would be needed.

  Shocked that a weapon had been prepared, her blood began to boil. She turned to Tamhas. “You promised me you would leave the people of Somerled alone, and yet you have pursued their master here.”

  Tamhas lifted his brows. “He’s clearly set on having you, and I could not let you fall into the hands of such a blackguard.”

  She was fast losing control of her tongue, but she could not help it. “How easily you judge something you do not understand.”

  It was Gavin who responded to that, and he fixed her with a bright-eyed stare. “You really have consorted with these witches. Your soul is as black as the Devil’s eyes.”

  Chloris could only offer her honest answer. “Believe what you want. They are decent people and I would rather be with them than you.”

  Gavin strode past her and slammed the door shut. Apparently he did not want the servants to hear that. “This ‘he’ that you speak of, you have given yourself into his hands?”

  “I have, and it is the only happiness I have ever known since my parents perished.” There was freedom in stating her truths, and Chloris felt almost light-headed with relief, as if a burden she had unwittingly been carrying had finally been taken from her.

  The hatred she saw in Gavin’s eyes grew fiercer. “I would rather see you dead than hear you speak to me that way again.”

  It was a warning, but she did not care anymore. “Of course you would, for that is what you have craved for some time, isn’t it?”

  Tamhas appeared shocked at that. He reached out for her and attempted to put his hand on her shoulder. “Think about what you’re saying.”

  Chloris drew back. “It is too late for that. You ini
tiated this, Tamhas. You came here to cause a disturbance. There is no way back for us now, but you will not get what you want, for I will not reveal his whereabouts.”

  Gavin stared her down. “Fool. When the witch finder arrives you will show him where they are hiding, and even if you don’t, you know that I will have them hunted down.”

  He had the bloodlust now, and she feared he would be as hungry for the win as Tamhas. Her fear for Lennox grew.

  “It’ll be a fine show for Edinburgh,” Gavin added, “a witch trial and a hanging.”

  Never. Chloris saw the image he craved and she darted to the table, snatched up the pistol and pointed it at them both.

  Tamhas looked concerned but Gavin simply laughed. The sound held a cruel, dismissive note.

  She turned the pistol fully on him.

  “You are a weak woman. You don’t have it in you to injure either of us.”

  When she pulled the trigger, she was not prepared for the violent start the weapon gave and she stumbled back, hitting up against the bureau.

  Had she wounded him? She only knew for certain because his expression distorted, and his body jerked. Then a dot of red appeared on his shoulder and quickly grew larger, blood seeping across his waistcoat. He reached for the wound with his opposite hand and grunted heavily when he pressed upon it to stem the flow of blood.

  Chloris threw the weapon to the floor.

  “Seize her!” Gavin grunted.

  Tamhas needed no further encouragement, for he already looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Arresting her, he pulled her hands together behind her back, holding her by the wrists.

  She glared back at him. “I will die before I tell you anything.”

  Tamhas sneered at her. “You heard what your husband said. The witch finder general will find him, anyway. We will hunt him down and run him out of his lair.”

  Fear and anger tangled within her.

  Gavin had staggered to the door, opened it and called for assistance.