They continued to walk in silence, drawing close to the city walls, until Lucia came to a halt. When he looked at her curiously, she pointed off to a small road that skirted the walls, heading east.
“I must go that way,” she said. “It will be faster than going through the city.”
“May I walk with ye?”
Lucia shook her head. “It would not be safe,” she said. “Ye never know who might see us together. If Lady Currie found out…”
He got the message. Since they were out in the open and there were a few people about, nearer to the city, he didn’t want to make a spectacle out of kissing her, so he lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it sweetly.
“Someday, we willna have tae meet in secret,” he said softly. “Someday, we’ll be together for all tae see and I’ll be the proudest man in Scotland.”
Her fingers brushed against his hand. “I hope so,” she said. “I do hate tae leave ye.”
“I miss ye already.”
Throwing caution to the wind, Lucia impulsively kissed him on the lips, a lingering gesture that had him grabbing for her, wanting to pull her into his embrace, but she pushed his hands away, quickly taking her basket from him and moving off. She was already heading toward the east where Meadowbank wasn’t more than a half hour away with a brisk walk.
Bane stood there and watched her walk away until she was nothing more than a dark spot against the green of the land. When she finally faded from his view, his attention turned toward that hive of human stain and corruption, the Sticky Wick.
He’d been genuinely surprised to hear that she had been there so many times and he hadn’t noticed her, or at least noticed the carriage, but if the carriage pulled into the alleyway behind the tavern, he wouldn’t have seen it.
Tonight, however, he was going to see it.
And he was going to find out what he could about joining the Ludus Caledonia.
Chapter Eight
“She was off fornicating again,” Colly hissed. “M’lady, ye must punish her. She’s lied tae ye!”
It was another face-off in Lady Currie’s lavish bedchamber that smelled of stale wine and exotic perfumes. Lucia had no sooner stepped into the chamber with her basket of flowers than Colly was shouting at her.
Startled by the shouting, but not entirely surprised, Lucia ignored Colly as she went to Lady Currie with the basket full of autumn blooms.
“Look what I found for ye, m’lady,” she said. “See these pink flowers? I had tae go tae the north of Edinburgh tae find them, but they’re very pretty. I thought ye’d like them.”
“Lies!” Colly shouted. “She went tae find him!”
Lady Currie was genuinely delighted with the flowers as she took them out of the basket, but Colly’s shouting had her holding up her hand to silence the woman.
“Colly, please,” she said. “Lucia has come back with some beautiful flowers. Will you not look at them?”
Colly was in a huff. “I was down in the kitchen yard when she came in,” she said. “Why was she gone so long?”
Lucia pulled out a long, perfect stalk with small pink flowers on it. “I told ye,” she said. “I went tae the fields north of the city tae find these. I thought m’lady would like them.”
“And ye went alone?”
“Of course I went alone.”
“Prove it!”
Lucia looked at the old woman with limited patience. “If ye’re so convinced I was with someone, ye prove it. I’ve nothing tae hide.”
Colly’s mouth was working as if she wanted to argue, but she wisely backed off because she had no proof for her accusations. Lucia was thankful of that but in the future, she knew she’d have to be very careful about meeting Bane.
Colly wasn’t beyond sending one of her minions out to follow her.
With the old woman corralled for the moment, Lucia turned back to the flowers she’d brought Lady Currie, who asked for something to put them in. There were two beautiful vases that Lady Currie had brought from her father’s home, porcelain pieces that had come from Paris, and Lucia quickly filled them with water from a bucket that was kept in a servants’ alcove. She gave them over to Lady Currie, who took delight in arranging the flowers.
As the woman shuffled the flowers around, the servants in her chamber watched. She always had at least six in the room at any given time because she didn’t like to be alone. Tynan’s mother, Amy Dalry, was in the chamber, a tiny woman with reddish-blond hair.
She was the one who created the elaborate styles for Lady Currie’s hair and Lucia caught her gaze from across the room, appreciating the woman’s gentle smile. When so much of the chamber was hostile when Colly was there, it was nice to have someone who wasn’t shouting at her.
“Is there anything else I can do for ye, m’lady?” Lucia asked. “I can go back and find more of those pink flowers if ye’d like.”
Lady Currie was nearly finished arranging the flowers. “Mayhap tomorrow,” she said. “These are quite lovely, Lucia.”
Lucia smiled proudly, noting that Colly was glaring at her from across the room. She ignored the woman. “Thank ye, m’lady,” she said.
Lady Currie put the last flower in place and then had Amy and another maid move them to various places around the chamber. Without much to occupy her time, and boredom a real threat, the placement of the flowers was an ordeal. When the vases were finally in the correct place, Lady Currie sighed with satisfaction.
“Excellent,” she said. “They brighten the chamber a great deal. That reminds me. Lucia, I was thinking on having you create another gown for me, a bright and beautiful creation made specially to wear to the Ludus Caledonia.”
Lucia cocked her head curiously. “I’d be happy tae, m’lady,” she said. “What did ye have in mind?”
Lady Currie went to her overstuffed bed, lying back on the mattress. “Since the Ludus Caledonia emulates ancient Rome, I was thinking on a gown that looks like something a woman from Rome would wear,” she said. “Don’t you think that would be stunning?”
Lucia wasn’t so sure, but she nodded. “I’m sure it would be beautiful, m’lady,” she said. “But…but I dunna know exactly what they looked like.”
Lady Currie waved a hand at her. “Laird Currie has pieces from ancient Rome in his solar,” she said. “Ask him to show you. Tell him I want you to make me a dress in that fashion.”
“Aye, m’lady.”
Lady Currie’s gaze lingered on her a moment before turning away. The woman seemed to be out of sorts on this day, looking a bit pale. Even Lucia could see that. In fact, she curled up on the bed, which was unlike her in the afternoon.
“I do not think we shall go to the Cal tonight,” she said. “I am feeling too weary to travel this evening.”
“Then ye should rest, lamb,” Colly said, moving over to the bed and already fussing over her. “Ye dunna need tae go out again tonight. Ye go out too much as it is.”
Lady Currie frowned as Colly pulled the coverlet over her, trying to swaddle her like a babe. “I am not ill, merely tired,” she said. “But your concern is sweet. Dear Colly, what would I do without you?”
Colly smiled at her but made sure to glance around the chamber, especially to Lucia, to make sure everyone had heard the praise.
“Rest, lamb,” Colly said. “I will chase everyone out so ye may sleep.”
“Nay.” Lady Currie grabbed hold of Colly’s hand. “Please… They may stay. I do not want to be alone. But I would like something to eat.”
“I’ll go,” Lucia said, quickly moving for the chamber door. “What would ye like, m’lady? Wine? Cheese?”
“Broth,” Colly barked at her. “Did ye not hear? She is feeling poorly. Bring her broth and watered wine.”
“And bread,” Lady Currie said. “If Cook has any sweets, I want those, too. Thank you, Lucia.”
; As Lucia scurried away, Colly seemed to be paying an inordinate amount of attention to the door that Lucia had just passed through. Those dark eyes were contemplating something, undoubtedly to do with Lucia. She patted Lady Currie’s hand.
“I’ll go with her tae make sure she brings ye back something tae tempt yer appetite,” she said. “Be still, lamb. I’ll return shortly.”
She moved away from the bed, but Lady Currie stopped her. “You’ll not fight with Lucia, Colly,” she said. “Please. No fighting.”
Colly forced a smile and nodded her head, but she didn’t reply. The moment she was certain Lady Currie couldn’t see her face, the smile vanished.
She headed out the door.
Unaware that Colly was coming for her, Lucia scurried through the servants’ passage that led to the kitchens. She thought she’d escaped unscathed from the situation, relieved that Lady Currie really hadn’t questioned why she’d been gone so long. Lucia had come back with a basket brimming with flowers, and that seemed to be all Lady Currie was concerned with.
The kitchens of Meadowbank were part of the vault, chambers with low barrel ceilings that could become quite warm when the hearths were going full bore. As Lucia came down a small flight of stairs into the kitchen, she saw Tynan lugging a full bucket of water. The child’s face lit up with a smile when he saw her.
“What’s wanting, Lucia?” he asked.
She smiled in return, putting her hand on his straw-like hair affectionately. “M’lady is hungry,” she said. “I’ve come tae see what Cook has for her.”
Tynan set the bucket down and the water sloshed out of it. “Cook is in the yard,” he said, rushing over to the hearth. “But there’s broth. I saw her boil the bones.”
Lucia went over to the hearth, getting her face steamed as she peered into the bubbling pot. “M’lady will want some of that,” she said. “Is there bread?”
Tynan wasn’t really a kitchen servant, but he spent enough time there that he knew a great deal about it. He began rushing around, finding bread and a half wheel of tart white cheese.
“Here,” he said, ripping off chunks and handing them to Lucia. “I think there’s pie left from last night. The pie with the apples and onions in it.”
Lucia nodded. “If you can find it, I’ll give it tae m’lady.”
Tynan banged around, looking in the larder that was off to the side of the kitchen. As Lucia found a tray for the food she was collecting, she called over to him.
“Did ye find the pie?”
“Nay!” he called in return. “But I found stewed sausages!”
“Bring them.”
He did, trotting over to her with his hands gripping a covered wooden bowl. He carefully gave it over to Lucia. As she peeled back the cloth to take a look at the contents, he watched her closely.
“Can I ask ye a question?” he said.
“Of course ye can.”
“Where’s Bane?”
She paused. “What made ye think of him just now?”
The child cocked his head curiously. “He’s not in the stables anymore. Angus said he had tae go.”
She smiled. “Ye like him, don’t ye?”
The boy shrugged his skinny shoulders. “He’s nice tae me,” he said. “He lets me watch him shave.”
Lucia chuckled. “Aye, he’s nice,” she said. “But Angus was correct—he had tae go.”
“But why?”
Lucia wasn’t sure she could really explain it because the child didn’t need to know the details with Colly and the hay shelter. She knew that Tynan had visited Bane during his stay, and given that the boy didn’t remember his own father, perhaps there was some father-figure adoration for Bane in that sense. Someone for a lonely little boy to look up to, because God only knew there weren’t any men of Bane’s quality at Meadowbank.
She put her hand on the boy’s head affectionately.
“He had tae go because he’s a busy man,” she said simply. “He could only stay with us a short while. But he may come back someday. Now, what else can ye find for m’lady? Are there any sweets?”
She diverted the child’s attention and he scurried off again, hunting for more food. He found little red apples and a rice porridge with apples, raisins, and honey that Cook had made for supper.
The porridge was sweet and Lucia began spooning it into a wooden bowl as Tynan found more wine for Lady Currie’s meal. Whatever alcohol that was in her chamber was usually exhausted by this time of day. As she arranged the tray and he went to hunt for a clean bowl for the broth, a figure entered the kitchen. Glancing up, Lucia could see that it was Colly.
She braced herself.
“I found broth for m’lady,” she said before the old woman could utter a word. “There is also a rice-and-raisin porridge that is sweet. She asked for sweets.”
Colly, surprisingly, didn’t answer. She made her way over to the table where Lucia was collecting the food, a move that made Lucia uncomfortable because the hearth was right behind her. She wouldn’t put it past the woman to try to shove her into the fire. As Colly moved in to inspect the tray, Lucia moved away.
She didn’t want to be in striking distance.
Behind Colly, Lucia caught sight of Tynan as the boy appeared with a bowl. When Tynan’s eyes widened at the sight of Colly, Lucia faintly shook her head at him, and he sank back into the shadows.
She didn’t want the child to become a target of the old woman’s vitriol.
“Where is the broth?” Colly asked, looking up from the tray.
Lucia pointed to the hearth behind her. “There,” she said. “I was looking for a bowl.”
“Then find it quickly. Dunna make Lady Currie wait.”
Lucia didn’t move. She wasn’t sure why Colly was there, but she knew she didn’t like it. “Why did ye come down here?” she asked. “Did m’lady send ye for something else?”
Colly shook her head, but her dark-eyed gaze was riveted to Lucia. “I came tae ensure ye brought her the right food,” she said. “Ye canna be trusted, Lucia.”
Lucia fought off her natural reaction to Colly, which was to argue with her. But it wasn’t safe to do that in a kitchen with sharp things around. In fact, Lucia glanced around quickly, looking for the knives which fortunately were closer to her than they were to Colly. That made her feel a little better.
But only marginally.
She was on edge.
“At least I dunna lie tae m’lady like ye do,” she said. “Why do ye do that? Don’t ye know that the servants would respect ye more if ye were simply fair and honest with them? Ye dunna need tae frighten everyone half tae death.”
Colly lifted a bushy eyebrow. “Ye foolish chit,” she muttered. “Ye willna last long here. Ye’ll be gone soon enough.”
Lucia shook her head sadly. “Colly, I’ve been here for nearly two years, and ye’ve done nothing but vex me since the day I arrived,” she said. “Did ye not stop tae think that if ye dunna bother me, I willna bother ye? I have no choice but tae be here. Believe me, if I could leave, I would. We have tae make the best of it.”
Colly stepped away from the tray as if contemplating what Lucia was saying. “Ye dunna belong with Lady Currie,” she said. “I know that yer father gave ye over tae Laird Currie tae pay off a debt.”
“That is true. Everyone knows.”
“But ye should serve Laird Currie, not his wife.”
Lucia threw up her hands. “I have no choice,” she said. “I go where I’m told tae go, and ye know that Lady Currie likes for me tae accompany her tae the Ludus Caledonia when she goes. I wish I dinna have tae go, Colly, believe me. None of this is my choice.”
Colly continued to move away from the tray, heading in her direction. “Ye set a bad example for all of the servants,” she said. “Ye’re bold and ye have an unruly tongue. Lady Currie is too fine a lady for the
likes of ye. Ye should have never come here.”
Lucia had nothing more to say to a woman in this increasingly circular argument. Even though Colly understood that Lucia was here against her will, she seemed to expect her to flee or hide or otherwise make herself scarce. But it simply proved to Lucia that the woman wanted to control everyone around Lady Currie.
Was Lucia a bad influence? Not at all. But she was invited to go to the Ludus Caledonia with Lady Currie, and Colly was not. Colly was always left behind.
Lucia suspected that might be the root of the jealousy.
Without another word, she turned around and began hunting for a bowl for the broth even though she knew Tynan had one. But the child was hiding, so she fumbled around until she came across a big wooden bowl.
Bent over a series of stacking shelves, she was just putting her hands on the bowl when she heard something behind her. She caught sight of a foot, Colly’s foot, before a sharp pain to her head knocked her to her knees.
In a panic, she knew that Colly was trying to kill her, and she cursed herself for turning her back on the woman. It had been a mistake.
A mistake that was going to cost her.
Another blow to her head and the world went black.
Chapter Nine
It had been three long days since Bane had seen Lucia, and as the sun rose on the fourth day, something told him this day, too, would pass without seeing her.
It was just a feeling he had.
Something was wrong.
He’d been to the Sticky Wick three days in a row, remaining from morning until very late in the evening, watching the alley behind the place for Lady Currie’s fine carriage to roll in. But it never did. Meanwhile, he’d asked the tavernkeep about the Ludus Caledonia and was met with stony silence. Either the man didn’t know or didn’t want to answer.
Bane suspected it was the latter.
He’d therefore spent those three days asking anyone he could strike up a conversation with about the Ludus Caledonia, hoping to glean some information. Bane had spent enough time in the place that he knew the regulars, men who drank hard and sometimes fought harder.
Highland Defender Page 7
