“What are we doin’?” Paige asked as Cleo spun her around and walked her out of the room.
“We are bringing that to the Laird,” Cleo said smiling brightly.
“Are we now?” Paige said as she glanced around. “Do ye ken where Felix is?”
“No, can’t say that I do,” Cleo said. “Jude has promised to keep the guards at bay. His exact orders were that I was free to roam where I pleased without an escort. Unless I want to go outside. In which case, Felix will escort me.”
“Did he now?” Paige said as her eyebrows rose. The servant glared at Cleo with a hint of skepticism.
“Oh, it’s fine,” Cleo said as they walked arm in arm down the hallway as if they were the best of friends. “You can ask him yourself when we get to the study to surprise him.”
“Daenae mind if I do,” Paige said. “And if I may be so bold, can I ask ye a few questions?”
“Go right ahead,” Cleo said. “I have nothing to hide.”
“Is it true the Laird has an eye for ye?” Paige asked. Cleo glanced over to the servant and noticed her cheeks turning a brighter shade of red.
“You could put it that way,” Cleo answered.
“Rumor has it ye’re goin’ to be the next Lady of the House,” Paige said. The fact that the servants were already gossiping about such things didn’t really surprise Cleo. After all, in her Father’s house word spread faster than fire.
“Would that be so bad?” Cleo asked glancing to the girl next to her. Paige shook her head and giggled.
“Truth is, it would be quite grand to see ye as the Mistress here. There are certain things that the Laird just doesnae understand about decoratin’. He thinks every room should look like a huntin’ party came through.”
“Yes, well, that would be one thing I would certainly change,” Cleo said as she realized almost every room did have a stuffed animal head hanging from a wall or two. She thought it was normal as she had grown up in a house that was decorated the same way.
Cleopatra stopped at the bottom of the stairs and glanced about, searching for anyone who may have been watching them. She leaned in closer to Paige and cupped her hand over her mouth to muffle her voice so that only Paige heard her. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Paige nodded slowly as she stared at Cleo.
“Jude has asked me to marry him,” Cleopatra confessed. Paige just giggled as she shook her head.
“I hate to break it to ye, but that’s nae news,” Paige said, “there are a few of us who’ve been gossipin’ about when he would pop the question.”
“How did you know? Did he tell you? Has he spoken to someone about it?” Cleopatra asked as she watched Paige.
The servant shook her head.
“The Laird hasnae said anythin’ to anybody, but it’s obvious by the way ye two have been fraternizin’ about the Castle. Everyone can see that there’s somethin’ goin’ on and just so ye ken, I bet two shillin’s that he would pop the question before winter came. And thanks to ye, I will win that bet.”
“Thanks to me?” Cleo asked in quizzically. She stared for the servant completely befuddled with the fact that she knew the secret at all.
“In truth, nobody kenned for certain until ye just said it,” Paige said with a wink. “But daenae worry, the news willnae spread beyond me until the Laird announces it himself.”
“How are you going to prove you won the bet then?” Cleo asked as she tilted her head and stared at the servant.
“Daenae ye worry about that. I will be able to hint at it ever so subtly without the other servants gettin’ too caught up in the major details.”
“Do you suppose the Laird will mention this to anybody anytime soon?” Cleo asked as she felt her heart tighten. It wasn’t that Jude had kept the secret from his servants, but more that he was keeping to himself. She wondered why news of a marriage, that was usually a happy event where she came from, had to be shrouded in secrecy here.
“Perhaps ye should talk to the Laird about that yerself,” Paige said as they moved to the closed doors of the study. Cleo sucked in a deep breath as she paused a moment. Slowly, she drew her hand up and rapped her knuckles on the door. Pressing her ear to the door, Cleo could hear the shuffle of footsteps growing closer. Her heart fluttered as she stepped back and waited for the door to open.
“Can I help ye?”
Cleo glanced through the sliver that the old man had cracked the door. “Is Jude in?”
“Nay, he’s nae here,” the Ian said sharply.
“Well, where has he gone to?” Cleo asked as she stepped back. By the glare of the old man’s eyes, she felt as if she was intruding on something.
“I daenae ken,” he said.
“Good, sir,” Paige said stepping closer to the door. “I’ve brought food. Surely ye and the Laird are hungry.”
“I told ye,” the man said as his eyes narrowed. “The Laird is nae here. Now be gone. This is nay place for the likes of ye interlopers.”
With that, the old man shoved the door closed. Cleopatra glanced over to Paige as her heart pounded in her chest. Every fiber of her being sparked with concern.
“Where’s Jude?” Cleopatra asked Paige. The servant shook her head as shrugged.
“Nay idea.”
“Did that seem a bit odd to you?” Cleo asked pointing to the door.
“Ian was never really one to be kind to the staff,” Paige said.
“But he knows the Laird favors me,” Cleo said. “Why would he stop us going into the study? And tell me I’m an interloper?”
“I daenae ken,” Paige said as Cleo’s heart began to pound in her chest.
“There is something wrong about all this,” Cleo said as she scanned the room behind her.
In the corner standing at attention, she spied Ronan. Since she had arrived at Jude’s castle, he was the one person one who seemed to be at the heart of all their calamities. Even now, as he eyed her with Paige, she wondered what role he had to play. Pressing her lips into a tight line, she knew in the pit of stomach, that Ronan may be the only one who knew the truth about what was going on.
Pulling in a deep breath, she walked to Ronan. Stopping a few feet before him, she cleared her throat. His dark eyes shifted to her as the scowl on his face reminded her of the first time they had met.
“Good day, sir,” she said trying not to have her voice break.
“What do ye want?” Ronan growled.
“Do you know where Jude has gone off to?”
“Cannae say.”
“Really?” Cleopatra glanced over her shoulder to Paige as the poor girl still held onto the tray of food reserved for Jude.
“Do you know if they left the castle?”
“Ye’ll have to check with Aidan on that,” Ronan said glancing to Paige.
“Oh? And why is that?” Cleo asked as she snatched the tray of food off Paige’s hands and handed it to Ronan with a huge smile stretching across her lips.
“He was supposed to go with them,” Ronan said as he eyed the tray of food.
“And where can I find this Aidan?” Cleo asked as she held the tray of food away from Ronan. His eyes didn’t leave the food as he shrugged.
“Suppose ye can check his room,” Ronan said. “I daenae ken if he has left yet. Aidan was supposed to go with the Laird and Hugh for protection. But if he’s not there then ye can guarantee that Aidan will be with the Laird.”
“Thank you,” Cleopatra said handing Ronan the tray of food as she turned on her heels and stared at Paige.
“Where is Aidan’s room?” Cleo asked Ronan. The soldier pointed down the long corridor at the opposite end of where Cleopatra and Paige stood. Cleopatra had never roamed in that area before and was often told not to go there. A chill raced up her spine as she bowed quickly to Ronan and Paige. “Thank you both, and if you happen to see Jude before I do please, tell him that I’m looking for him.”
Walking down into the servants’ quarters, Cleopatra felt the shiver that had started up h
er spine growing worse. It was as if the sun had been blocked out and a shadow lingered around her. The sound of heavy feet romping down the hallway startled her. Turning she spied Ronan rushing towards her.
“Can I help you?” Cleo asked as she felt her heart sink.
“If ye’re goin’ to Aidan’s room, best ye have someone with ye,” he said.
“Why is that?”
“Ladies daenae come this way,” Ronan said. “Especially ones favored by the Laird.”
“Well thank you,” Cleo said. “But I think I can handle this.”
“All due respect, m’Lady,” Ronan said as he slapped his hand to his chest. “If the rumors are true, ye’ll be the Lady of this Castle soon enough and I cannae in good faith let ye roam alone.”
“All right, then,” she said feeling a bit relieved that Ronan was just a few steps behind her. Still there was a heaviness to the air that caused her to worry. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked to Ronan. “Which room is Aidan’s?”
“Two doors down on the right,” Ronan said.
With each step that she took Cleopatra wondered if she was making a mistake and if she was going too far.
Should I be intruding on the servants’ quarters like this? What if he is gone, then what am I to do? I cannot just go rushing to Jude side just because I want his attention. I should give him space and allow him to have the free time with Hugh. The poor boy has missed his father so terribly and I know that I’m no substitution for a mother.
Cleopatra stopped at the wooden door and hesitated with her hand on the knob. She wondered if it was the right thing to do to step inside the soldier’s room, but she had already come down this way and realize that if she was going to find Hugh and Jude, she at least needed to know whether or not they were in the Castle.
Swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, Cleopatra turned the knob and stepped into the small room. She pulled in a deep breath and quickly put her hand to her mouth to shield her from the aroma seeping out of the room.
“What is that smell?” Ronan asked as he stepped back from the onslaught of the odor.
“I’ve smelt this before,” she said as she scanned the quarters.
A single bed with a tall canopy lingered in the center of the room. A few trunks were scattered about and there was a small wooden hutch that allowed for a fire so that the soldier would be warm during the dead of winter. The strange smell lingered in the room catching Cleopatra by surprise. The odor reminded her of moss and oak mingled with the grotesque hint of something rotten.
Stealing another step into the room, she wondered where the odor was coming from. There was nothing in sight that could give off such a stench, yet she knew there was something there that shouldn’t be.
“M’lady,” Ronan said trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible. “Clearly there’s nay one here.”
“True, but you must help me. That odor is the same one that tainted Hugh’s food at breakfast,” Cleo said as she began searching every nook and cranny. “Don’t you see? If the smell is so strong here, then this is where it was made. We must find it.”
“This is Aidan’s room,” Ronan said. “He’s been with the Laird since he was a boy.”
“Either Aidan is being framed for a crime he didn’t commit, or he is the cause of the crime. Don’t you want to know who was behind the poisonings?”
Cleopatra watched Ronan’s face shift as he dropped the bit of food he had been nibbling on. He was clearly troubled by her accusations, but quickly nodded.
“I’ll help just to prove ye wrong. I’ve fought by Aidan’s side. He is a good man and a decent fighter.”
“Then pray I’m wrong,” Cleo said as she began turning up the trunks hunting for the source of the odor. As she stepped closer to the bed, her foot slipped and she reached out for the post. The bed rocked and instantly she was showered in white and purple flower peddles.
The small purple flowers drifted down from the canopy and Cleo’s eyes widened as she realized the flowers that lingered on the floor came from the deadly nightshade.
“Ronan, you need to quickly get the healer and have him determine what these petals are. If I’m right, he will discover they are of nightshade, but do not touch them. They are highly toxic.”
Ronan’s eyes widened as he glanced around at all the petals resting on the stone floor. Slowly he drew his eyes to Cleo as he dropped the tray in his hands which rattled on the stone floor. “Forgive me.”
“It’s all right,” Cleo said.
“Ye daenae understand,” Ronan said. “The Laird and his son are with Aidan. They were to go fishin’ in the river outside the castle.”
“Get the healer, now,” Cleo order. “I’ll go after Jude and Hugh.”
“Ye cannae go against Aidan, he’s trained.”
“You know this castle better than I do and where to find the healer. Please, Ronan, you’re our only hope in case others are poisoned. Go, quickly.”
Cleo said with such determination in her voice that it rattled Ronan. He nodded once and darted out of the room. Cleo pulled in a deep breath and inched her way to the door, trying not to step on any of the petals. Carefully, she made her way out of the room and bolted down the hallway. She knew there wasn’t much time. All she could do was pray she wasn’t too late.
Cleo pulled open the mighty oak doors and rushed out into the courtyard. Her bow and arrow still lingered where she had left the day before and she quickly snatched up and threw it over her shoulder.
Please let me get there in time. I don’t know what I will face, but I will not see my home destroyed. Not now, not ever.
Hold on Jude, my love. I am coming.
22
Dark gray clouds drifted over the afternoon sky blocking out the sun. There was a harsh chill to the air causing Jude to cling to his cloak a bit tighter than normal. As he glanced at his son, it was clear that Hugh paid no attention to the weather for the boy was just happy to be outside pulling up rocks in searching of grouse eggs.
Jude had nearly forgotten the last time that they had been outside of the castle walls. Jude’s heart sank as he realized that he was denying his son the pleasure of the outdoors. Jude could remember a time when he was younger and played on these very moors. It was a simpler time for him and he only wished he could return to that time when things were easier and less stressful.
“Look, faither,” Hugh said pointing to a patch of grass. “I think I found some.”
“What did ye find?” Jude asked as he rushed to his son’s side and peered over the boy’s shoulder. There, nestled in the tall grass were three speckled eggs. They weren’t much bigger than the end of his dagger, but it was a sign that the birds were mating.
“Well done,” Jude said patting Hugh on the shoulder. “What are ye goin’ to do with them?”
“Leave them,” Hugh said replacing the clump of grass he had pulled up. “They’ll be better as full-grown birds to hunt later, than what they are now,” Hugh explained.
Jude couldn’t be happier with his son’s decision. It was clear that Cleo was teaching the boy more than just reading and writing, but critical thinking as well. A trait Jude wished his father had taught him.
Pausing, Jude glanced around the moors and he noticed the clouds hovering on the hills and drifting down into the valleys. The birds chirped around them as the crickets sang a hunting lullaby that pulled Jude out of his melancholy.
It surprised him to find he felt more alive than ever before and understood completely that Cleo’s words were correct. Life should be an adventure and he shouldn’t have to worry about the little things he had no control over. Yet there was a shadow lingering around his thoughts as he sat down to watch Hugh collect tiny pebbles of various colors.
Heather grew wild around them and filled the air with such a sweetness that for a moment Jude wondered whether or not he should pick a handful of them to bring back to Cleo.
“Look, faither,” Hugh cried out again as he pointed to t
he river that rushed over the smooth stones.
“What is it that ye see?” Jude asked as he arched an eyebrow and looked to the shimmering water. Before Hugh could answer, two large fish sprang forth from the water before crashing back down into it.
“Best get yer pole set up,” Jude said as he rose and headed toward Hugh who had made his way to the river’s edge.
“What should we use for bait?” Hugh asked as he watched Jude tie off one line from a large pole. Turning his head, Jude gave his son a quick wink.
“There is an art to this,” Jude said remembering how his father once taught him how to fish from the streams and creeks. “Ye have to be quick about it,” Jude said as he slipped off his shoes and peeled his stockings from his legs.
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