Return to Alastair (15 page)

Lorne rode through the streets, knowing she hadn’t had time to get very far. But there was no sign of her. He was upset with himself for letting this happen. He should never have let her out of his sight, regardless of the circumstance. He’d had his assignment. A good guard doesn’t set duty aside for something else. He should have known. He rode closer to the old painted house and saw that there were horses out front. At first he didn’t know them, but then he saw Smoke with Tahn.

“Oh God.” His stomach knotted; he dreaded seeing Tahn’s reaction to this. But he rode swiftly toward them.

“What’s wrong?” Tahn asked at once.

“I’m so sorry. She tricked me. She took off alone.”

Tahn only nodded. “She feels safer alone than with us, I guess. There’s no sign?”

“No. I’m sorry. There were street children. They said she told them she wanted to do something alone and she’d be back.”

“She’ll have to be,” Tahn agreed. “For the sake of the old woman. But she has her free will, Lorne. We can only offer our help. We can’t make them want it.”

There was sadness in Tahn’s eyes, but he spoke no more of it with business at hand. He motioned toward the men with him. “This is Marc Toddin and his brother Lem. They’ve agreed to help us, thank God.”

“Does this change things?” Marc asked.

“No. If she wants away from us, I’ll leave her alone. She can come and go as she pleases, but I could still keep her safe if Alastair were policed. And there should be a guard at the church. They’ll learn they can find Lucas there, if they don’t know that already.”

“Are you sure of what they’ll do?”

Tahn shook his head. “I can only be sure Burle will do something. He’ll let his anger fester over the wound I gave him till he won’t be able to manage not avenging himself. He’s like that. I stopped him twice. And Lucas did once. He won’t be able to let it go. He won’t let us challenge his authority that way.”

“It will take a while to get men from Onath,” Marc said.

“Are you sure it will be necessary? There are four of us. Five when we find Mr. Corsat. And we could recruit more.”

“Would it could be so simple.” Tahn was looking down the long street. “Even to stop the bandits who plague them, Marc, men in this town will not rally to me. And if they knew the cause only and came, they would back away when they learn I am involved.”

“I can’t fathom this town!” Marc exclaimed. “In Onath, in Joram, in Merinth, you are a hero. People know what you’ve done for the Triletts.”

Tahn sighed. “I must be a clever deceiver then.”

“Dorn . . .” Marc shook his head. “I wish we understood. I wish we’d been here then to know the root of all this.”

“We’ll learn. Eventually. But right now I must not think only of my sister and Lucas. Any traveler who ventures this way is in danger, and any woman the bandits take a fancy to. I can’t let that go on, knowing it will just get worse now that Burle is out to prove a point. But I need authority to stop it, and Benn Trilett can give me that.”

Lorne knew what he meant but questioned it. “Alastair’s such a way from Onath. Are you sure he’ll want to stretch his hand so far?”

“And this is Baron Trent’s territory,” Lem Toddin added.

“Have any of his house been assaulted?” Tahn asked.

“Not to my knowledge,” Lem answered.

“Then he’ll do nothing. But it might upset him to find me with a Trilett guard set up here.”

“Then we’re asking for more trouble?”

“He won’t oppose Benn Trilett openly. That image could destroy him. He’s still trying to prove to the other nobles that he’s not like his father. Lorne, go on to Benn Trilett and take the Toddins with you. Explain everything and send back men. Just don’t let him leave himself short there.”

“I don’t like leaving you here alone.”

“I don’t like it either, Tahn,” Marc agreed. “You’re the one most vulnerable to trouble here. You go. I’ll watch for things.”

“I’m not leaving,” Tahn insisted. “I can’t help but think God led me to this, and I’m not running from it.”

Marc shook his head. He’d once seen this man deliberately ride into a trap and pay dearly for it. Tahn’s own principles put him in danger. It wasn’t the bandits who troubled Marc so much as the undercurrent in this town, the unspoken tension he could see as they rode the streets with the Dorn. “Let me stay with you, then,” he suggested. “We have a friend by Batan Falls. I think he could be persuaded to go with Lem and your friend. He’s a good man with a strong arm. I wish I could name more I could place confidence in. But after eight years, I’m still a newcomer here.”

“There might be trouble on the road,” Tahn told them.

“There might be trouble here.”

Tahn was quiet for a moment. “All right. We’ll do it your way.”

Reluctantly, Lorne rode off with Lem Toddin, aware of the little spying eyes that were watching them. He prayed for those children, and for their difficult friend, Tahn’s sister. He hated to leave, not knowing what would happen next. The secrets of this town worried him as much as the bandits did.

12

T
iarra stood just inside the Ovnys’ door, looking in wonder at the stunning piece of jewelry before her. She’d never seen anything so beautiful. “Can I hold it for a moment?”

“Dear me, no, child!” Mrs. Ovny exclaimed. “This is old now! And you don’t know how to handle valuables!”

Tiarra frowned. It wasn’t easy to abide this selfish woman. “Did you know my mother?”

“Oh . . .” she hesitated. “Not very well. She seemed due a measure of respect, though, you know. And she had some lovely things. Like this necklace. I’ve kept it in a case all this time. I never even wear it on account it’s such a special piece, worth a lot of money.”

Tiarra looked up at her with a sudden fire. “Did you give Martica a lot of money for it, then?”

Mrs. Ovny’s face reddened. “I—I gave her what she needed,” she stammered. “Exactly what she needed at the time.”

“She needed a fair value.”

“She was happy with our bargain. How dare you imply I cheated her!”

“Martica had little choice. And I had nothing more of my mother’s memory. You could have been fair.”

“How dare you! The money I gave her fed you, girl, when Martica couldn’t work for all the time it took caring for the sickly thing she was stuck with!”

Tiarra stared at her. “I was sickly?”

“For a time, I suppose, missing your mother’s breast. You were trouble soon enough, though! I had a time, purging Mikal of the things he learned from you.”

Tiarra thought it better not to address that topic. She could surely enflame Mrs. Ovny by telling tales of her son. “I am sorry,” she said politely. “But I’m sure you can understand why this would be important to me. I have nothing of my mother’s. I would love to be able to claim it, for her sake. Please, Mrs. Ovny, let me repay you what you require—”

“What!”

“I’d like to pay you for it.”

“You have no money.”

“Not yet. But I can work. For you, if you wish. Or I’ll bring you part of my pay every week, ma’am. I’ll be true as gold to my word.”

“I have no intention of parting with this. And you’re a tavern maid! What need do you have of it? You couldn’t possibly take care of it. I heard you were robbed. You would probably lose it in a week!”

“It was my mother’s,” Tiarra pressed. “What does it mean to you?”

“There’s nothing else like it in this town, girl! It shouldn’t be cast about the streets!”

“You said my mother seemed worthy of respect.”

“Well, yes, child. I thought so.”

“As her daughter, aren’t I worthy of consideration?”

“That’s not the same.”

“Why?”

“This is ours now. You have no need of such things. Besides, it’s already spoken for. I promised to give it to Mikal’s bride.”

Tiarra’s heart pounded. “Did you tell him that?”

“Of course.”

“Does he know it was my mother’s? What did he say?”

“He said it would look stunning on Mary Stumping’s neck! I suppose you think he should be marrying you so that he could be placing it on yours. Well, I thank God that he’s got the good sense to understand you’re not right for him. You weren’t raised to be any woman of standing, Tiarra Loble! You had a scoundrel for a father, and that’s just the way you are!”

Tears burned Tiarra’s cheeks. “But it was
my
mother’s! Mary could wear a hundred other things for her wedding! Mikal could buy her whatever he fancied!”

“But this is special,” Mrs. Ovny cooed. “And I bought it fairly. Now why don’t you go home? You’ve seen it. Perhaps one day Mary will let you see it again.”

But Tiarra stood her ground. “I’ll manage any amount you say, if it takes years.”

“I said no, girl. Can’t you hear me?”

Tiarra stared at her for a moment. Then she wiped her eyes and turned away.

Alastair seemed so quiet. She left the Ovnys behind her, feeling numb. She thought she should go back home and check on Martica. But then she thought of Lorne and what she had done. Would he be angry? Would her brother be angry? They would have some right. They were true in their concern. But she didn’t feel like facing their presence, or their displeasure. Would
they
think her worthless and irresponsible too?

She went to the alley behind Market Street, where she knew she would find familiar faces. Some of the street children huddled together there at night, using wooden crates for shelter.

“Miss Ti?” It was Ansley, peeking out from behind a box. “You look sad.”

She didn’t want to reply to that. “Was the young soldier angry, Ansley?”

“He didn’t do nothing to us.”

Little Rae suddenly poked her head up. “Aren’t you going home?”

“I don’t think I can yet.”

“But I told him you would.”

“I will. Just not now.” She fought back the tears that pressed at her. “I’m afraid they’ll despise me, like everyone else.”

“We don’t, Miss Ti!” Rae objected. “He might be mad. But he don’t seem to want to hurt nobody.”

“Will you go for me, then?” she asked. “Tell him I’m fine. Check on Martica for me. I just need time to think.”

Rae looked at her a long time and seemed to be struggling with something. “You could say you’re sorry. You could explain what you had to do.”

“But I wouldn’t get out of his sight again. And Tahn Dorn might be worse still. And I think there’s something else I need to do tonight.”

Rae looked truly worried. “He said to be careful.”

“I know. Tell him I understand. Ansley, go with her. See that Martica has eaten. Tell them I’ll be back tomorrow.”

She turned away from them with a churning tightness within her and addressed her mother in her mind.
I know you never liked a thief, Mother. Martica has told me, more than once. But I’ll be doing this for you. Because I’ve always wished to be close to you somehow.

Ansley and Rae obediently made their way to Martica’s house. Jori had joined them, as he always did. But they stopped up the street, seeing the two different horses. Marc Toddin was standing near the house.

“He’s really big,” Ansley said uneasily. “Where’s the one we fooled?”

“I don’t know,” Rae whispered. They snuck closer and saw Tahn step into their view.

“That’s the one who was here before,” the girl told the others. “He’s scary.”

“Maybe we should go,” Ansley suggested. “The other man’s not here.”

“We can’t,” Rae insisted. “Miss Ti told us to check on Martica, remember?”

“But how do we get in? They’ll see us!”

“You reckon they’ll thrash us good?” Jori asked.

“I don’t know,” the girl answered. “I don’t even know what Martica will say. But Miss Ti told us to. And we owe her plenty.”

“Not a beating,” Ansley protested.

“Maybe two,” Rae reasoned bravely. “We’d have starved by now, I think. Come on.”

“But Rae!” Jori exclaimed.

“I’m going,” she insisted. “You do what you want.”

She stepped from their hiding place toward the house, and Tahn turned his head.

“Please, sir,” she begged him. “Let me go in to see about the old woman.”

“Do as you wish, miss,” he said. “We’ll not trouble you.”

Relieved beyond words, she smiled and bowed and then darted inside. In a few moments, Tahn could hear Martica shouting angrily.

“What the devil are you doing here? Where’s Tiarra?”

“She told me to come,” came Rae’s reply.

“Go tell her to get herself home! There’s men outside my door! Tell her to get rid of them and do it now! I don’t need no beggar coming to gawk at me!” She took to a fit of coughing.

Marc looked over at Tahn. “Difficult woman?”

But Tahn didn’t interrupt his thoughts to answer. Tiarra knew how sick Martica was. She was worried enough to send someone. But still she didn’t come. What could be of such importance to her? He waited in silence until finally the little girl came out.

Rae started to run as soon as she passed the doorway.

“Wait, miss,” Tahn called.

“I don’t know you,” she said. “Miss Ti told me what to tell the blond one, but you’re not him.”

“He had to leave. I’m his friend, and we have common concerns. Do you know where she is?”

“I know where she was, but I don’t know where she went.”