The Tower of Ravens (60 page)

“So I understand.”

“I thank ye again for your hospitality and your help,” Iven said rather shortly. “If ye would be so kind as to arrange for all our luggage to be brought down?”

“O‘ course,” Lord Malvern answered, waving one hand at Irving, who was as always hovering in the background. Irving bowed and went silently away.

“I’m sure ye willna mind if I pack up my own belongings?” Nina said, coming down the caravan steps and shutting the door behind her. “I do like to make sure I have everything in place. Lewen, happen ye could accompany me, while the other lads get the horses ready?”

“Shannley, Jem, ye will o‘ course assist?”

“O‘ course, my laird,” the old groom said with an obsequious bob of his head.

“Cameron, ye stay here and guard the prisoner,” Iven said. “Maisie, my dear, happen ye had best go and lie down, ye are looking very pale.”

“I dinna want to go in there with
her
.” Maisie shrank back.

“She’ll sleep a while yet,” Iven said wearily, “and even when she wakes, she’s tightly secured. She canna hurt ye.”

“Still,” Maisie said.

“Very well, ye may rest in our caravan, if ye like. I do no‘ want ye trying to ride yet.”

Maisie nodded and limped over to the blue caravan and hauled herself up the stairs with great difficulty. The door shut behind her.

Lord Malvern smiled and inclined his head, and Nina gathered up her skirts and followed him. Just as she passed through the doorway, she turned her head and said sternly, “Roden, stay with your
dai-dein
, do ye hear? No more running off!”

“Aye, Mam,” Roden answered in long-suffering tones and, hand-in-hand with Lulu, he dawdled along behind his father.

Nina was obviously eager to cross-examine Lewen but she could not speak because Lord Malvern had turned to them and asked them a polite question about their plans. As Nina answered, just as politely, they came up the side of the central garden and Lewen saw Lady Evaline sitting under the apple tree. She looked at him and raised one lace-mittened hand to beckon him. Reluctantly Lewen approached her, the scent of sun-warmed lavender rising around him.

“Ye are all leaving now?” Lady Evaline asked wistfully.

“Aye, the road is clear and we must be on our way.”

“The laddie too?”

“Aye, o‘ course Roden is coming too,” Lewen said.

“Aye, best get him away quickly,” she said. “Too many ghosts here already.”

“Aye,” Lewen agreed, not knowing what else to say.

“Such a bonny lad he is,” she said sadly. “Such a shame.”

“What’s such a shame?” Lewen asked, confused and unnerved by this peculiar old lady with her crumpled, vacant face.

“That he must die,” she answered. “They all die, ye ken.”

“Do ye mean, everyone? Everyone must die?”

“Aye, everyone must die in the end,” she said with a sigh. “I hope they let me rest when I die.”

“Evaline!” Lord Malvern called. “Ye must no‘ keep the lad gossiping. Lady Nina wishes to be away.”

“Away,” Lady Evaline murmured. “I wish I could be away also.”

“Why do ye no‘ go then?” Lewen asked, his sympathy stirred.

She raised her soft eyes to his. “Where would I go?” she asked simply. “At least here I have my ghosts.”

“Evaline!” Lord Malvern called impatiently.

She patted Lewen’s cheek. “Goodbye, lad. Have a care for yourself.”

“And ye yourself,” he answered and broke away so he could rejoin Nina and Lord Malvern by the steps. He felt shaken and unnerved by his conversation with the old lady. She was indeed quite mad, he thought.

“I must apologise for my sister-in-law,” Lord Malvern said, smiling. “She is very auld now, and quite vague.”

Lewen nodded, smiling perfunctorily. He had a sudden overwhelming desire to be away from this cold, vast pile of stones and out in the fresh, clean air. It took a strong effort of will for him to force himself to follow Nina up the stairs and into its front hall, and he glanced over his shoulder as he went in, for a last glimpse of sunlit green. He thought he understood why Lady Evaline spent so much time sitting under the apple tree.

It did not take long to pack up all their belongings and help the footmen carry them out to the gatehouse. All the horses had been saddled and bridled, and were eager to be off. Irving had supervised the loading of sacks and barrels of fresh supplies, and Dedrie had come down to say farewell to her patients. She looked rather pale and tired, and did not have her usual brisk manner as she pressed a basket of herbal remedies upon Nina, as well as a fresh tussie-mussie of lavender and herbs.

“Lady Evaline picked them for ye,” she said. “She wants… she wishes…”

“Aye?”

Dedrie cast a quick glance at Lord Malvern, who was chatting with Iven some distance away. “She says to have a care for yourselves and for the lad,” she said then, in a fierce, low voice. “Get him away from here, my lady! This place is no good for laddies.”

Nina opened her mouth and then shut it. “Never fear, we are out o‘ your hair now,” she said lightly. “Thank ye for your help.”

“I’m glad I could do something to help. Have a good journey now,” Dedrie said.

Nina quirked her mouth in sudden ironic amusement. “Let us hope it is a quick one,” she answered and then turned to give her hand to Lord Malvern as she thanked him again. Then the apprentices all mounted, Nina was handed up to the driving seat of the red caravan with Roden beside her, and Iven leapt up to the seat of the blue, clicking his tongue at Steady. The massive gates groaned open, and the cavalcade rode out from the shadowy gloom of Fettercairn Castle and into the quick bright windy day.

TO THROW A PRINCE

“They say princes learn no art truly

but the art of horsemanship. The

reason is, the brave beast is no

flatterer. He will throw a prince as

soon as his groom.”
 

Ben Jonson (1573-1637)

Tales of the Past

The road went down at a steep angle, so they had to go carefully, Nina and Iven both leaning on their brakes. For quite a long way they were enclosed within high walls, then gradually the wall dropped away and they were able to see down into the lowlands, which spread before them, the river winding away like a broad silver ribbon.