Hannah Howell (15 page)

“ ’Tis very difficult to send them off as if they are ill-approved guests one must hide from one’s mother.”

Thorson nodded as they bolted the gates. “True, but such stealth must be used. These troubled times demand it.”

“Aye. Curse the Douglas and his treasonous plots.” Nairn slumped against the cold damp stone of the wall. “There is more to do before the dawn. The corbies upon the border are certain to come banging at our gates when they catch no sight of their prey. I am sure they expect Revan and Tess to ride out of here at dawn or soon after.”

“Then we are left with little time to clear away all sign of your brother and his lady.”

“Best to set about it, then.” Nairn stood up straight.

“The sooner we finish that chore, the more time we shall have to prepare ourselves.”

“Prepare ourselves? For what? Do ye think they will fight us?”

“Nay. I speak of preparing ourselves to appear properly astounded when the Douglas’s and Thurkettle’s lapdogs come yapping after Revan and Tess.” He and Thorson exchanged a grin.

 

 

Morning was half gone when the small force on the Douglas border finally rode down to Nairn’s tower house. Nairn sat at his table in his great hall and sipped his wine, smiling faintly over their bellowed demands to be let inside. They echoed the arrogance of their liege, the Douglas. It was past time the great earl was brought down. Nairn hoped the king did not falter or forgive this time.

It was several minutes before anyone appeared in the great hall. Nairn was certain that Thorson had delayed and been as obstructive as possible. When Thorson entered, followed almost too closely by the Douglas’s and Thurkettle’s men, Nairn offered the intruders a sweet smile. Inside he seethed, frustrated by the need to do nothing at all when he ached to act.

A bulky man of medium height, wearing the Douglas’s colors, pushed by Thorson and strode over to the table. “Where is your brother?” he demanded as he halted inches from Nairn.

“I believe he is with our father. That is correct, is it not, Thorson? Colin rides with my father?”

“Aye.” Thorson moved to stand at Nairn’s side, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

“Dinna play games with me. I am sergeant-at-arms to the earl of Douglas. I seek Sir
Revan
Halyard. We ken very well that he is—or was—
here!”

“Thorson, ye never told me that Revan had come by.” Nairn affected a look of surprise as he turned to Thorson.

“Mayhaps I never told you because he never passed by.”

“Ah, I see.” Nairn turned back to the Douglas man. “I fear ye are mistaken, sir.”

“Ye willna succeed in keeping him safe from punishment for his crimes.”

“Crimes? What crimes?”

“All of Scotland has heard of his black deeds.”

“Not all. I have had no word of Revan being cried an outlaw.”

“He isna outlawed yet, but he is guilty of kidnapping Sir Fergus Thurkettle’s niece, of rape, and mayhaps even murder by now. Aye, and there is talk of treason.”

It was very hard not to strike the man, but Nairn took a slow drink of wine to soothe his rage. “Ah, the lass. I have heard of a lass. Mayhaps, sir, they but ran away together. Revan always has had a way with the lasses.”

“ ’Twas
kidnapping!”
The man banged his fist upon the table. “Now, cease this play and give me Sir Revan.”

“I fear I dinna have him to give. He isna here.”

“He is. His horse was seen. One of your people was hiding it.”

“There are many horses that look like my brother’s. Seeing a horse tells you little or nothing when no one has seen the man who was riding it. I havena seen Revan for several months. Nor has anyone here. Ask about if ye have a mind to.”

“I mean to do more than ask. I will search this place—now.”

“Well, if ye feel ye must,” Nairn murmured, affecting a languid, bored attitude.

The moment Douglas’s sergeant and his men had left the great hall, Nairn asked Thorson, “Are our people readied to play the game? Do they understand what must be done?”

“Aye.” Thorson helped himself to a goblet of wine and sat down at the table. “There will be people everywhere those fools look. When I finally let those strutting curs into the bailey, it was full of folk and the walls looked to be well staffed with men-at-arms. ’Tis good that they didna look too closely at our soldiers. A sword and doublet canna hide everything. I think I would rather be seen to be undermanned than have it kenned that we had lasses and old men standing guard.” He grinned when Nairn laughed.

“Rest easy, Thorson. ’Tis clear that they didna see the trick. Let us pray that they continue to be so blind. One of them might have wit enough to realize that he has seen that man or that lass before. Then our deceit will be uncovered.”

“As young Meg assured me, these soldiers will only take a look at the lasses and they willna be allowed to linger at it. She says a change of kerchief, of apron, or of bonnet should be enough. And if one of those men does say that he has seen her before, she can say she has finished that chore and moved onto this one or that the one he saw was her cousin or her sister. Dinna worry on it. Our folk will do very well. In truth, they were eager for the chance to dupe these men. We have suffered this annoyance for too long. Aye, and the threat of their presence all around us.”

Nairn gave a faint nod of agreement and prayed that Thorson was right, that their ploy would work and Douglas’s minions would leave thinking that his keep was fully staffed. If he could emerge from these troubled times with his lands unscathed and his people unhurt, it would be some recompense for the need to be so meek and nearly servile toward his arrogant neighbors. Douglas’s downfall would not be quite so satisfying if he returned from fighting for the king to find his lands devastated and his people suffering.

As soon as he finished his wine, Nairn strolled out into the bailey, Thorson quietly following him. He watched the number of guards upon his walls begin to increase and knew Douglas’s men would soon leave. It was only a few moments later when Douglas’s men began to gather in the bailey and the sergeant marched over to him. Nairn could tell by the expression upon the man’s face that no sign of Revan or Tess had been discovered. That allowed him the strength to meet the man’s insolence with a semblance of calm. He just hoped God would grant him the chance to meet the man on the battlefield later.

“I dinna ken how ye did it, but they arena here,” the man grumbled. “We found naught.” His gruff voice was weighted with accusation.

“Mayhaps that is because ye were mistaken.”

“Nay, I think not. We will find them. Mount up, men,” he bellowed. “We set out upon a hunt.” He glared at Nairn. “Your brother shall not escape justice and punishment for his crimes, Sir Nairn.”

“There is no proof that he has committed any crimes.”

“Enough. Mayhaps he didna kill that king’s man. Mayhaps that fool niece of Thurkettle’s did run off with him willingly. It doesna matter. He has taken the wife of one of the earl’s nephews. ’Tis an insult that must be paid for.”

“The lass is wed to a Douglas?” Nairn made no attempt to hide his shock.

“Betrothed. ’Tis much the same. Best ye prepare his winding sheets, for Sir Revan Halyard willna see another summer through.” He strode over to his horse, mounted, and led his men out of Nairn’s bailey.

The minute the gates were shut behind the men, Nairn looked at Thorson, whose weatherbeaten face was wrinkled in a frown. “Revan never said the lass was betrothed or wed.”

“Mayhaps she didna tell him.”

“Aye, and mayhaps she didna ken it herself.”

“I am inclined to believe that possibility. She didna strike me as a lass who would keep such a thing secret.”

“Nay. When one considers all she has told Revan, it becomes even more unbelievable. ’Tis possible this betrothal was arranged and she wasna told about it. ’Tis also possible that it was settled only after she left with Revan. Even if all else they charge Revan with is disbelieved, they can still hold that against him. It canna be proved or disproved, yet it gives them the right to pursue Revan, even kill him. Curse it, Revan should be told, but there is no way for me to reach him with this news.”

“It doesna matter. He has enough threats against him. A new one willna make him any more wary than he is now. The moment he reaches Donnbraigh, it willna matter any longer. The Comyns and the Delgados would vigorously fight such a marriage. In truth, soon such a marriage will be impossible anyways. Douglas and all of his allies will be dead or fighting for their lives, if they arena running to cower in some hole.”

Nairn sighed with relief. “Of course. Once treason taints the earl of Douglas and his followers, no betrothal will be honored. We must pray that Revan continues to elude those who are so eager to murder him.”

“He will.”

“He now has near to twenty men hunting him down.”

“That lot couldna catch a blind deer that had two wooden legs.” He grinned when Nairn laughed.

“True enough.” He grew serious and then sighed. “So, all we need to worry about is whether Revan has the wit to hold fast to that wee brown lass ere he loses all chance to do so.”

The sound of Revan cursing fluently brought Tess out of her half-sleep. For two days they had ridden hard and fast, driven along by constant pursuit. At night they had slept huddled together, their passion killed by exhaustion and their stomachs nearly empty, for they had not dared to light even the smallest of fires. The hunt for them had been increased. The Douglas and Thurkettle had men everywhere. Now, within walking distance of Donnbraigh, they were encircled by their enemies. She had dismounted, sprawled on the ground, and left Revan to the chore of scouting out a possible approach to her kinsmen’s keep. Sitting up, she frowned at him and found little encouragement in his black expression.

“The whoresons are everywhere I turn,” he snapped as he sat down in front of her.

“I am surprised my uncle Silvio has allowed it.”

“He is probably as undermanned as Nairn. I believe he hasna ignored them completely. They dinna act as boldly as they did at Nairn’s. Your uncle may not have set any men after them, but I think he hasna let them run free, either.”

“Even so, there are enough about to hinder us?”

“More than enough. I couldna find a single path to Donnbraigh that didna have someone watching it. I canna be certain that waiting until nightfall will even help us this time.”

“Mayhaps we should just draw as near as we can and then bolt for the gates. I ken that isna the best of plans—”

“Nay, it isna, but ’tis the only one left to us.” He smiled faintly. “I but pondered a way to tell you about it and make it sound both clever and safe.”

Tess laughed softly. “Even ye canna find words for that, sweet-tongued devil though ye are.” She grew serious again. “Do we crouch here until it grows dark, then?”

“Aye, and pray that none of those curs sniff us out. ’Twill be dusk soon. The gates will close when darkness falls. We dinna want to be stuck outside. So as the sun begins to set, we will start on our way. We will move cautiously until we are seen, and then we will spur our mounts onward, straight for Donnbraigh’s sturdy gates.”

“And pray that my kinsmen dinna mistake us for some foe and fill our poor mortal frames with arrows?”

Revan sidled closer, took off her cap, and began to unbraid her hair. “Ye shall leave this beautiful pelt flowing free so all who see you will ken that ye are a lass. That will stay their hands.”

“Are ye certain of that?”

“Aye. From all Nairn told me of these Comyns and Delgados, they willna harm a lass. Are ye not so sure?”

“Five years past I would have been.” She leaned against him when he sat behind her to finger-comb her hair. “Now I am not certain of anything. The kinsmen I kenned back then would never have lifted a hand against any lass. But they are caught up firmly in these troubled times. Who can say how deeply mistrust may have settled in their hearts?”

“There is some truth in that, but I still dinna believe we need to fear them. Aye, they may well grab us the moment we enter their gates and hold us tightly until they are sure ye are Contessa, but they willna kill you. And that, my sweet Tess, makes you my shield.”

“ ’Tis only fair, sir. Ye have been mine for most of this thrice-cursed journey.”

“This time we shall both have our backs to the enemy.” He wrapped his arms around her, tugged her closer up against him, and kissed her on the top of her head. “Ye are to ride as low in the saddle as ye can, lass. If our enemies have any archers, ye dinna wish to give them too large a target.”

“Aye, I understand.” She glanced up at the sky. “Well, at least we dinna have to wait too long to start this mad game.”

 

 

Tess grunted in protest when she was shaken awake. Straightening up, she blinked and realized that she had fallen asleep against Revan. The light of day was beginning to fade.

“I havena slept too long, have I?” She quickly stood up and brushed herself off.

“Nay, but we best not dally here any longer.” Revan got to his feet, gave her a quick kiss, and took her by the hand. “Keep your eyes open. The moment we see one of the earl’s or Thurkettle’s men, we ride hard.”

“Straight for the gates of Donnbraigh. Aye, I remember.” She mounted her horse and, grimacing faintly, looked down at her outfit. “I wish now that I hadna tossed away that blue gown. ’Twas torn and stained, but it would have shocked my kinsmen far less than this travel-worn lad’s attire.”

Revan mounted, then smiled at her. “I believe that, after so many days of not kenning whether ye were alive or dead, or even where ye might be, your kinsmen will take little heed of your attire.” He frowned when he noticed her glancing about and peeking into her saddle packs. “Have ye lost something?”

“My hat. I ken that ’tis worn and old, but ’twas my father’s.”

“I have it in my saddle packs. Ready?”

“As ready as one can ever be for such a mad venture.” He nodded and started toward Donnbraigh. Tess kept as close to him as she dared, letting her mare amble behind Revan’s mount while she kept an eye out for their enemies. It was not long before the trees she and Revan had been sheltered in began to thin out and Donnbraigh came into view.

The tall, el-shaped tower house was a welcome sight. The high, thick wall surrounding it promised safety. There was little activity at the gates, and Tess knew those heavy iron-studded doors and the yett, that ominous gate of heavy interlaced iron bars, would soon be shut. She could remember from her youth how everyone returned to the keep or left it for their homes before dusk had truly settled. An hour or so would pass while the gates remained opened for the rare straggler. Then, just as the last gray light of dusk was fading into night, there would be the sound of those gates shutting tight. At first it had frightened her, but she had quickly grown to acquaint the sound with being safe. She had come to realize that those gates did not lock her in so much as they locked out all danger.

“To your left, Tessa,” hissed Revan, yanking her free of her memories.

She barely had the chance to look at the man Revan had spotted. That man gave a cry of discovery just as Revan yelled at her to race for the gates. Tess crouched low in the saddle as he had told her to and spurred her mare into a gallop. She glanced behind to see Revan fitting an arrow to his bow. When she slowed a little, he gave her one sharp look, a clear order to continue on. Tess obeyed and an instant later she heard a man scream. She then heard the rapid approach of a horse and chanced a quick peek. Revan was right behind her. He had said she would be his shield this time, but he clearly meant to shield her as well.

Her concern about Revan was pushed aside as she espied riders converging upon them from three sides. The air was soon peppered with arrows. Tess prayed that her kinsmen would decide to aid her and Revan simply because the Douglas men were after them. Although none of the Comyn men could possibly recognize her now, she hoped they would decide to help two people hunted by so many and ask the why of it all later.

The moment they were within arrow range of the walls of Donnbraigh, Tess’s fervent prayers were answered. She saw one of the Douglas men thrown from his saddle by the force of several arrows entering his chest and heard the screams of others. Although she could not be exactly thankful that men were dying, she was nevertheless relieved. She and Revan now had a better chance of reaching the safety of Donnbraigh alive.

Even after she passed through the outer gates, she did not relax. The covered passage between the outer and inner gates was not a welcoming one. It suddenly appeared to be a long, dark, and dangerous tunnel. Glancing upward, she caught the glint of arrowheads aimed down at her through the murderholes in the roof. She tensed, waiting for those arrows to strike her flesh. Until she was recognized, she knew she would be seen as a possible enemy.

As soon as she cleared the inner gates and was within the bailey, she reined her mare to a halt. The animal was startled by such an abrupt stop and reared. It took her a moment to calm the horse. The instant the mare was still, several armed men encircled her, and one yanked her out of her saddle. She saw Revan arrive and be roughly pulled from his saddle as the loud slamming shut of the gates echoed throughout the bailey. Afraid that Revan might be hurt by her kinsmen, she began to struggle in her captor’s hold.

“Be still, wench. Your companion will suffer no more than a few wee bruises if he has the wit to surrender peacefully.”

That deep voice was familiar, and Tess turned her head to look at her captor. It surprised her a little to see that it was her cousin Tomas, for she would have expected him to be at his own keep or with the king. She saw him frown and knew he was beginning to recognize her. In the hope of hurrying along that recognition, she spoke to him in Spanish, praying that she had not forgotten too much over the last five years.

“Cousin, do you not remember me?” She saw surprise widen his brown eyes, then he scowled.

“I think I do,” he replied in Spanish.

“Then think harder, you brainless fool,” she snapped. “I am Contessa.”

“Your tongue does carry her sting,” he said. “Yet, this could be some trick. We have had a few played upon us by curs who thought to cheat us of the reward offered for your safe return.”

“Has your wife, Meghan, learned of how you walk and talk in your sleep yet?” He paled slightly, and she knew she had strengthened her claim. Few outside of the immediate family knew about those habits.

Tomas turned her to face him, gripping her by the shoulders. She tolerated his searching gaze, smiling faintly as she waited for him to realize his eyes and his memory could be trusted. When he gave a glad cry and hugged her, she felt somewhat weak with relief. She did her best to answer his barrage of questions. It was several moments before she recalled that they were still speaking in Spanish and that Revan might be in need of some assistance.

Revan frowned, not able to understand one word of the rapid conversation Tess was having with the tall, very handsome man who so vigorously hugged and kissed her. He was nettled over how long it was taking her to remember him. The two men flanking him, each firmly holding one of his arms, were doing him no harm, but Tess had not really looked his way enough to know that. Watching the man handle her with such familiarity was also beginning to enrage him. He decided to remind Tess that she had not come to Donnbraigh alone.

“Tessa,” he called, ignoring the way his guards frowned at him in open disapproval. “Now that they are assured that ye are a friend, do ye think ye could spare a moment to tell them that I am no enemy?”

Startled, Tess turned to look at Revan. After studying him quickly but carefully, she relaxed. He was not hurt, simply irritated. Probably doesna like being forgotten any more than I do, she thought and smiled. She was tempted to ignore him a little longer, but Tomas spoke up.

“Who is this man, Tess?” Tomas asked in English, glaring at Revan.

“Sir Revan Halyard.” She was shocked when Tomas stepped in front of her and drew his sword.

“So this is the low cur who kidnapped you.”

She grabbed Tomas’s arm to halt his advance on Revan. “Nay, ye canna hurt him. He is one of the king’s knights.”

“I dinna care if he is the Pope’s brother.
He
is the man who kidnapped you—aye?”

“Well, aye, but he never meant to hurt me, and he has saved my life.”

“After he put your life at risk.”

“My life was at risk ere he took me out of Thurkettle’s hands.”

“I begin to think there are a great many twists and turns to this tale. Release him,” he ordered the guards.

Tess hurried to Revan’s side. “Are ye hurt?” she asked even though she could see no sign of a wound.

“Nay, I am fine.”

“We will go and join our uncle, Silvio, in the great hall,” Tomas said, then ordered the men to see to Revan’s and Tess’s horses. “Come.” He signaled Tess and Revan to follow him into the keep.

When Revan took Tess by the hand and started after Tomas, she did not immediately fall into step with him. “Is there something wrong?”

“Mayhaps this wasna such a good idea.” Tess suddenly dreaded confronting her uncle Silvio.

“We need their help. These are your kinsmen, and ’tis clear to see that they welcome you.”

“Uncle Silvio will take one look at me, and he will ken all about us,” she whispered, seeing that Tomas had stopped to watch them and not wanting her cousin to overhear what she was saying.

“He willna ken a thing.”

“He will. I am certain of it.”

“There is no brand upon your forehead, lass. ’Tis our secret.”

She shook her head. “Uncle Silvio will ken it all with but one look. Tomas and his bride anticipated their wedding night. They never told Uncle Silvio, either, but the first time he looked at them, he kenned it all.”

“Foolishness.” Revan hoped he sounded more confident than he suddenly felt.

He started toward Tomas again. The man hesitated to be sure they were following him, then started toward the keep again. Revan ignored Tess’s heavy sigh of resignation and the foreboding expression she wore, but both infected him. He did not want to believe that her uncle could guess they had become lovers simply by looking at them, but Revan had to admit to himself that he was beginning to feel a little bit worried.

As they stepped inside of the keep and walked toward the great hall, Revan saw the first signs of the Comyn-Delgado wealth. The alms table set near the door held a silver tray and was draped with fine embroidered linen. On the wall above it hung a beautifully woven tapestry. Beside the table was a heavy, elaborately carved chair. To use such expensive items for the alms table, used to set out offerings for the poor and the occasional traveling holy man, was something only a rich man could or would do.

That opinion was confirmed as Tomas showed them into the great hall. Here the signs of wealth were everywhere, from the tapestries hung upon the wall for warmth to the large number of candles burning. Chairs were as numerous as benches around the cloth-draped tables. It was not the display of a man eager to boast of his riches, however, but of one who used his money to better his surroundings, to achieve some comfort. Revan also suspected that the wealth was honestly earned, unlike that of far too many others he knew.