The Widow's Bargain. Juliet Landon

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СКАЧАТЬ the fire, mistress? How?’

      ‘Well, if they do go today, she’s supposed to be going too. They want to take Sam, you see.’

      Dame Janet’s shock was overlooked as a figure from the doorway called an order to the men he had passed in the passageway, and then came further into the room, looking about him with distaste. ‘So this is where you’ve been holed up, is it? My sympathies, Mistress Moffat.’

      ‘Who’re you?’ Meg looked him up and down, not pleased by a tone that held so little of the sympathy he was offering.

      His face pleased her even less, his eyes merrily holding her stare as if he could have asked for nothing better than an argument with her. And when her gesture drew Dame Janet back to her side, she saw how in one glance he was appraising her as he would some special merchandise on offer at a good price. ‘Of course, we’ve not actually met, have we? Hugh of Leyland, mistress. Sir Alex Somers’s right-hand man. I’m here to offer my help.’

      Meg picked up her skirts and took a step towards the door. ‘Come, Janet. I’m in no frame of mind for silly small talk, and there’s much to be done. Since when did reivers offer help, for heaven’s sake? I’ve scarce heard anything so ridiculous. They spend all day putting the fear of God into everyone, they take the garrison off to heaven-knows-where, they blunder through the castle storerooms and then we hear that they’re about to help.’ She almost shrieked the word as she tried to march past him, but he caught her arm and held her back, causing a furious whirlwind of retaliation that made him duck and think again how to detain her.

      Dame Janet remonstrated. ‘Sir! You’ve done enough damage here!’

      ‘Shut up, Janet!’ Meg snapped. ‘This oaf couldn’t damage a caged parrot. Keep out of my steward’s office, you great lout! There’s nothing in here you could want. He doesn’t keep money in here.’

      ‘Problems already, Hugh?’ Sir Alex flattened himself against the doorframe as Meg stalked past him with her chestnut hair swinging down her back. Dame Janet’s affronted glare would have soured the milk.

      ‘Whew!’ said Hugh. ‘Good thing I ducked. Why don’t they attack you?’

      ‘Because I don’t grab at them. They tend not to like it.’

      ‘Then I should hoist her over my shoulder. Is that the idea?’

      ‘As a last resort.’ Sir Alex smiled at the jibe and cast an eye over the room’s disarray. There were bowls of reddened water and cloths, pots of salves, a flask of stale brown urine, bloodied bandages, piles of linen and an empty trestle-table ruckled with soiled sheeting. From between the grubby fold of linen, he lifted a strand of black leather upon which hung a small silver key. ‘And what might this be about?’ he said, holding it up. ‘It’s been cut from round his neck, by the look o’ things, so now we have the job of finding out what it unlocks.’ He slipped the key and its thong into his pouch.

      ‘Which may take a few days. Is that what you’re thinking?’

      ‘Things have changed with the old man’s death, Hugh. There’s no reason now why we shouldn’t stay till we’ve found what we’re after, especially since we’ll get nothing out of him. The hostage threat hardly applies now, does it? Though I’ve a mind to make it sound as if it’s still a possibility. See what I mean?’

      ‘I’ll go along with whatever you decide. If you want to hold on to that as a warning in case of trouble, then go ahead. I’ll back you…With those two we’ll need all the ammunition we can find.’

      ‘Good. Staying on in the owner’s place may be a bit unorthodox, but we can easily defend ourselves here, if need be.’

      ‘There’ll have to be a funeral, Alex. His cronies will come, and I don’t suppose they’ll be the cream of society.’

      ‘All the more reason for us to stay a while. Think of those two beauties playing hostess to Moffat’s pals, will ye? Doesn’t bear thinking about.’

      ‘But ye ken the rules aboot castles and women, Alex. No castle can be held by a woman without her man. She has to be out in a day or two and away to her dower-hoos.’

      ‘That’s true enough, especially when there’s so much raiding about. So, if we’re not entirely welcome, that rule will be enough to grant us extra time. As long as we’re here to protect them, I can see us having time to do our duty to the king on two fronts. Defend the castle and find proof of what he suspects.’

      ‘Guid. So I’ll tell the men before they start saddling up, shall I?’

      ‘Yes, Hugh. Do that. Then organise the garrison hall. I want this place better organised and prepared for some outside opposition. The odds are shortening. Make a start while I go and tell the new laird’s mother. She was asleep last night when I went up.’

      Hugh’s eyebrows lifted in amusement. ‘Now there’s a thing. The wee lad will be in his ma’s wardship now, won’t he? So we can expect a fair few interested parties flocking around to marry the mother and get their hands on the castle and whatever else they can before young Sam comes of age.’

      ‘More than likely, Hugh.’

      ‘And where do you stand in all this, my fine friend?’

      ‘Right at the front.’

      ‘No! Is that so?’ Hugh grinned. ‘As close as that?’

      ‘Even closer.’ He gave Hugh a friendly shove. ‘Get going, will you?’

      Hugh halted in the doorway. ‘Just one more thing. When do we tell them what our business is?’

      Leaning his bottom on the table, Alex folded his arms and looked down at them critically. ‘I doubt we can keep it from them much longer. They’ve already noted the differences and by the end of today there’ll be too many to hide. Reivers don’t make a habit of organising their victims’ funerals, do they? Or being present at them. Well, not formally. I’ll have to break the news to Lady Ebony very soon. I’ll let you tell Mistress Meg.’

      ‘Thank you. Can I borrow your chain-mail?’

      ‘No, I shall need it myself.’ Smiling, they headed for the great hall which, for some reason, was apparently known as the summer hall.

      

      Sitting on the edge of her bed, Lady Ebony listened with only half her attention to Sam and Biddie’s chatter, the other half riveted upon the upturned pillow beneath which her dagger still lay. Goose bumps had risen along her arms, causing her breath to forget itself and her mind to try to untangle facts from impressions that refused to disappear. The part of the bed next to where she lay had been warmer than usual. The pillow had shown a distinct dent in it next to hers. The dirk was upside-down under the pillow, not as she had placed it; she had almost cut her hand seeking the hilt. She had experienced the most vivid dream yet of Robbie’s body next to hers, his arms wrapping her, his lips on her forehead. Uncannily, awesomely vivid. She glanced down at her thighs; she had pressed them against his, overlapping him. The feel of his skin, hairy and warm, still tingled. ‘God in heaven!’ she whispered.

      ‘What, Mama? Are you saying your prayers?’ Sam bounced over to her, hobbled round his ankles by his long braies. ‘Look, you’ve still got the May-blossom up there. Shall we be СКАЧАТЬ