“How many men dae we have?” she asked.
“Right now, we’ve got a couple of dozen,” he replied. “But we can get more.”
“A couple of dozen, eh?” she murmured. “Nae a mighty host.”
“Nay. But mebbe enough tae dae what we need,” he said. “They’re good men. Hard men. Loyal tae the clan.”
“Mebbe. But I’d feel a whole lot better with more men at our backs.”
Dand nodded. “Aye. As would I. But we’ve got good fightin’ men, and Bruce isnae in a strong position. He lost most of his fighters in a dispute with Clan MacDermott nae one winter ago.”
Aileas stopped and pulled Dand into a space between a pair of stalls and looked at him. She cast a wary eye around to be sure they weren’t overheard. Nobody seemed to be paying them any undue attention, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thae time tae strike is now,” Dand pressed. “While he’s weak. Unprepared.”
“We need more information first,” she replied. “We’ve got yer couple of dozen men. And me crew is a couple of dozen strong. We’ve got a good group of fightin’ men. But I willnae risk their lives needlessly. We need information.”
“And what sort of information are ye needin’?”
“Thae exact number of men at arms he has. Their disposition,” she started. “Strength of his keep, any weaknesses, ability tae withstand a siege-”
“I daenae think even between yer men and mine, we’ve got enough tae sustain a siege of his keep,” Dand said with a rueful chuckle.
“Fine. Ye ken what I mean though,” she said. “We need tae ken what we’re walkin’ intae, so we’re nae careless with our men’s lives.”
“It’d be a lot easier tae go in and start smashin’ people. Take back what’s rightfully yers,” he said.
She favored him with a small smile. “Aye. I agree. And probably a lot more satisfyin’ tae,” she agreed. “But we’ve both lost so much already in this life. I daenae want us tae lose anymore.”
He let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. Dand stared at her for a long moment and nodded.
“For bein’ so young, yer awfully wise, Aileas. Yer a lot like yer father,” he said.
Aileas stiffened, and her eyes widened at his use of her real name. Dand seemed to realize it a beat later, and a deep frown pulled at his lips. They both looked around quickly, and her eyes fell on the man working the stall next to them. He wore a startled expression for a moment, but then he gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, followed by a nod.
“G’mornin’,” he said. “I’ve got sweet honey cakes for sale.”
Dand cleared his throat. “What dae ye say, Alice?” he started, emphasizing her false name - a little too hard. “Fancy a honey cake?”
“Aye. Why nae?”
The man smiled as Dand handed him a coin, then handed over a couple of honey cakes. Dand handed her one with a broad grin on his face.
“Here ye go, Alice,” he said, again putting too much emphasis on her name.
She gave the man a nod in return, then led Dand away from the booths and the curious eyes. The one thing they had going for them was the element of surprise, and that was something she did not want to lose.
“We need tae work on yer subtlety,” she groused.
“Thought I did just fine,” he replied.
She flashed him a grin and shook her head. They quickly turned a corner between a pair of stalls, and she nearly crashed into somebody. Aileas stopped dead in her tracks and swallowed hard. The man before her looked as surprised to see her as she was him, but he was quick to flash her a crooked smile.
“Nice tae see ye… Alice,” he said.
Aileas looked at him, her insides turning to water. By the twist of his lips, the tone in his voice, and the glint in his eye, she had a feeling he knew that wasn’t her real name. She cleared her throat and put on the most charming smile she could.
“Nice tae see ye tae, Luke…”
Chapter Six
His heart hammered in his chest, and his mouth felt dry, like it had been filled with cotton, despite the fact that his palms were damp. He’d honestly not expected to find her again and was already preparing himself to return to Cherrythorn Manor, having failed in the mission the baron had set him to. His dreams of joining the Wolves teetered on the brink, but Luke knew returning to Baron Begbie empty-handed would be the nail in that particular coffin.
But then… there she was. She rounded a corner with the big man he’d seen at the tavern last night - her cousin - by her side, moving quickly, seemingly agitated, so Luke had acted; opportunity favors the bold and all. He’d put himself directly in their path and waited for her to run into him. Almost literally.
“Wh - what are ye doin’ here?” she asked.
Luke chuckled. “Dae I need a specific reason tae come tae market?”
She shifted on her feet and looked distinctly uncomfortable. He cut his eyes to the big man, who’d taken a step back and looked amused, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, which made Alice scowl at him.
“I need a drink,” the big man said. “I’m goin’ tae get a mug of ale and give thae both of ye some time tae talk. Good tae see ye, lad.”
Luke nodded. “Aye. Ye tae.”
He strolled off, and she looked for a minute like she was about to follow him. Luke thought for a moment that she was about to bolt away from him for the second time in less than a full day. He was surprised when she didn’t, though. She turned and looked at him, although she still looked uncomfortable.
“We should talk,” he said.
“Aye. I suppose we should.”
Luke led her through the market, stopping to grab a couple of cups of watered wine. They sat beneath a tree on the edge of the market and drank in silence for a few moments. Despite being angry about her lying to him and then running away, being near her again felt nice. It felt good. Calming.
But he breathed deep and let it out. He was here on a mission for his lord. He couldn’t lose sight of that. And he needed to remember that no matter how he felt for her, the woman he’d known as Alice had betrayed him. Twice. First, when she lied to him, next when she’d run away from him with no explanation.
The trouble was, Luke knew he had never been a subtle man. The skillful art of politics often eluded him. He was a man of action and one who felt most at ease looking an enemy in the eye, with a blade in his hand. But he knew for something like this, to draw out information she likely wouldn’t want to divulge, he was going to need a lighter touch than he was accustomed to.
Luke knew he couldn’t just grab hold of her and beat the information out of her. Nor did he want to. No, as he looked upon her smooth, tawny skin and those dark eyes he wanted to fall into, he wanted nothing more than to feel her body pressed against his, her mouth upon his.
“So, I wasnae expectin’ ye tae run off like ye did,” he started.
She looked down, a small frown creasing her lips. “I dinnae expect tae dae that either.”
“So why did ye?”
She shook her head. “I daenae ken exactly. I was just… scared.”
A wry grin touched his lips. “Ye strike me as a woman who doesnae fear much.”
“Which should tell ye how much it unnerved me.”
“What unnerved ye about it?”
She sighed and picked at the grass in front of her, tossing the blades out onto the small breeze that blew through the market. Luke watched her, then turned back and looked out at the mass of people milling around the stalls. The buzz of conversation was loud, and the air about them was saturated with the aromas of a hundred different vendors selling meats, sweets, and drinks. Luke had always enjoyed coming to the market.
She looked up at him, a wavering smile on her lips and a strange light in her eyes. Luke thought she looked… scared. Of what, he didn’t know though. He was not threatening or intimidating her in any way.
“I was scared of how I felt, all right?�
�� she snapped. “I’m nae used tae feelin’.. anythin’. I was overwhelmed, and I’m sorry.”
“Is that why ye gave me a false name?” he spat. “Because ye were overwhelmed?”
Luke glanced at her and saw her eyes widen as color crept into her cheeks. She drew in a sharp breath but at least had the good grace not to try and deny it.
“How’d ye ken that?” she asked.
Luke shrugged. “Sowkirk’s a small place. Words and rumors travel fast.”
“And what sort of rumors have ye heard about me?”
She looked at him, and Luke was struck by the idea that his opinion of her mattered. That for whatever reason, she wanted him to not think badly of her. It confused him, but it also warmed him somehow.
“Well, I heard ye’re a pirate queen, and nae thae merchant ye told me ye were,” he said.
A small smile flickered across her lips. “Tae be fair, I never said I was a merchant.”
“Ye did.”
Aileas shook her head. “Nay. Ye said I was,” she replied. “I just never corrected ye.”
Luke arched an eyebrow at her but thought back to their conversation. As he recalled it, he realized she was right. He had made the assumption, and she had been comfortable letting him think he was in the right of it. If it was a lie, it was one of omission - and his assumptions. And he could not rightly blame her for his own assumptions. Though, he could take issues with her for not correcting him - if he wanted. Luke chuckled to himself and leaned back, planting his hands in the grass behind him, looking over the bustling marketplace before them, deciding he didn’t want to take issue with her.
“Ye’re clever,” he said.
“Aye. That I am,” she said. “I have tae be tae stay alive and profitable in me line of work.”
“So it’s true then. Ye’re a pirate queen.”
“I daenae ken about the queen part. But aye, I’m a pirate. Scourge of the seas and pillager of thae fat, greasy, smelly merchant class.”
Luke laughed and shook his head. She had a way about her that Luke found appealing. There was a lightness and gentleness to her soul he would have never associated with a pirate before. To Luke, pirates were violent, ruthless criminals, out for nothing but gold and blood. And from what Baron Begbie had told him, La Renarde de la Mer was no different in that regard. She had built a bloody and fierce reputation…body…by body…by body.
“Does it shock ye tae ken what I dae for a livin’?” she asked.
“Tae be honest… aye,” he said.
“Why? Because I’m a woman?”
Luke shrugged. “I daenae many lasses who can wield a blade well,” he said. “And even fewer who can command a ship.”
“Well, ye did say I seemed unusual tae ye.”
He smiled at that. “Aye. I suppose I did.”
“Why did ye lie tae-” Luke bit his words off, a grin creeping across his face. “Why did ye let me believe somethin’ that wasnae true?”
She looked away, and Luke could see the emotions warring upon her face. At that moment, he knew she was there for a specific reason. This wasn’t a stop to sell things they’d plundered or for anything as simple as resupplying their ship. He just needed to find out what that reason was and whether she and her crew posed a threat to Sowkirk.
She finally turned to him, her soft brown eyes filled with emotion, though she quickly controlled herself. Her lips compressed into a tight line, and she let her expression become blank—one of cold neutrality.
“Tae be honest, I was havin’ a wonderful time with ye, Luke,” she said. “And knowin’ ye’re one of yer lord’s men at arms, I dinnae want tae ruin it with ye findin’ out - what I am.”
“So long as ye’re nae reavin’ and plunderin’ Sowkirk, we have nay problems,” Luke told her. “Ye’re nae plannin’ on doin’ that are ye?”
Luke grimaced inwardly, knowing it was a bit of a ham-fisted attempt to get at her reasons for being there, but it was the best he could do. He thought it fit well enough into their conversation that she might not notice. Hoped, anyway. But when she gave him a smile with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, he knew that she was far more intelligent than he’d given her credit for by far.
“Are ye pumpin’ me for information right now, Luke Addair?” she asked sweetly. “Tryin’ tae determine if we need tae call out yer men at arms and these Black Wolves ye’re so desperately tryin’ tae become?”
He grinned. “I admit. I’m nae much for interrogatin’,” he said and decided to drop the pretense and simply be honest. “But aye. I was asked tae find out what ye were about.”
“Why were ye asked?”
“Like I said, ye’ve got a reputation,” he replied with a grin. “La Renarde de la Mer is known ‘round thae world.”
She frowned and looked down at the grass beneath her again, that emotional conflict waging across her features. He knew instinctively that she was struggling with what - or how much - to tell him. When she looked up again, a wry grin had curled one corner of her mouth upward.
“Dae ye always believe thae stories ye hear?” she asked.
“Nay, nae all of them,” he replied smoothly. “But when I find out somebody’s lied tae me - if only by omission - it makes me wonder how much else might be true.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “Aye. I suppose that’s fair.”
“Aye. It is,” Luke said with a grin.
“Half of what ye hear is rubbish, ye ken. Maybe even more than that. It’s things people make up. Then thae next person makes me even bigger, and so on,” she went on. “But tis good for me. Makes people fear me and less likely tae fight. So I daenae normally even bother refutin’ it. I just let it grow and take on a life of its own. Let people make their own assumptions.”
He nodded. “Aye, like ye did with me.”
She laughed. It was high pitched and musical, reminding Luke of a set of hanging glass in a gentle breeze. It was a beautiful sound he would probably never tire of hearing.
“Aye,” she said. “I left ye tae yer own assumptions. Tis nae me fault you chose to believe ‘em.”
He waved her off with a chuckle. “Fine. Then let’s start with somethin’ simple,” he said. “What’s yer name?”
Like dark clouds rolling in off the ocean, the emotions were suddenly thick upon her face, and Luke could see her wrestling with the decision to tell him - or not - in her mind. That she didn’t immediately get up and walk away, he took to be a good sign. She very well could have, and just ended whatever this was between them once and for all. But she didn’t.
She finally turned her eyes back to him, a gentle smile upon her lips, a glint of uncertainty in her eyes.
“Tis Aileas,” she said softly. “Aileas Kerr.”
The name tickled something in the back of Luke’s mind. Some bell of familiarity rang distantly. But he couldn’t put his finger on it. Couldn’t say why. She looked stricken though, like she couldn’t believe that she had uttered her name out loud to him. Luke could see she did not trust easily, and he was, more or less, a perfect stranger to her. And that she had trusted him enough to reveal her true name gave him a sense of comfort and sparked those feelings she’d engendered in him the night before. He gave her a comforting smile.
“See? Twas nae so hard, was it?” he asked with a grin.
“Ye have tae keep that to yerself, Luke,” she said. “I only told ye because I feel like I can trust ye. But nobody can ken I’m here. Nobody.”
“Why is that then?” he asked. “What are ye doin’ in Sowkirk if ye’re not tae be piratin’?”
“I’m nae sure that’s a real word.”
He grinned wide. “Me either. But it sounded good.”
“Nae nearly as good as ye think.”
Luke sighed dramatically. “Fine. Have it yer way.”
“I usually dae,” she said, then fell silent for a long moment before speaking again. “I’m here tae fulfill an oath I made long ago.”
He cocked his head. “An oath, eh?
Blood feud or somethin’?”
“Somethin’ like that.”
Luke wasn’t naive enough to not know the clans often warred with each other. That sometimes, the clan even warred with itself. There was likely more bloodshed that way than from foreign invaders. And he knew that blood feuds between clans often stretched back generations.
Every Highland Sin: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance Page 6
