Midnight Runner: A Novel

by Marilee Jackson

  “Excellent!” Lord Niall smiled. He had arrived before them, just as he had hoped. “I just have one last question. I know I have missed lunch, but do you know where I might get a bite to eat and perhaps a wash?”

  “You’ll want to see Ms. Wilson. She’s always in the kitchens and she knows everything that goes on in the castle. She can tell ya where to go.” Derby pointed toward the back of the castle.

  “Thank you. Now you better keep your mouths shut or you’ll regret it, mark my words!” He patted each boy on the head a little too hard. As he walked toward the stable doors, he heard:

  “He wasn’t nice,” Derry said.

  “Yeah, he’s the first one of ’em to even talk to the stable boys. And I kinda wish he hadn’t,” Derby said. “Come on back to work. These stalls aren’t gonna muck out themselves.”

  * * *

  Lord Niall stopped just outside the kitchen door and tried to dust the dirt and hay from his clothes the best he could. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out as he pushed the door open.

  “Derry! If yer ’ere fer more sweets, ya can jest turn yerself right around or face me spoon!” An elderly woman that resembled a teapot with white hair turned a wooden spoon in hand. “Oh! M’lord, I’m so sorry!” She dropped her spoon and curtsied awkwardly as her face grew red. “I thought ya was one o’ the stable lads.”

  “No, clearly I’m not one of the lads,” he said, mocking her. “But I will let it slide because you probably don’t have the guests come in the kitchen door very often. I just didn’t want to come through the front because I’m in dire need of washing up and a change of clothing. I would hate to meet the other guests looking as I do. What would they think of me?”

  “Of course, m’lord. I’m Ms. Wilson and can help you out.” Ms. Wilson snapped her fingers toward a young woman. “Ceana, take Lord, er, what’s yer name?”

  “Lord Conell. I’m Lord Niall Conell. Don’t forget it.” He introduced himself without taking his eyes from Ceana.

  Ms. Wilson shifted slightly and continued, “Take Lord Conell to a room an’ bring ’im a basin an’ a towel.” The young woman nodded and began to fill a basin with boiling water from the fire.

  “I was so sorry ta ’ear ’bout yer father’s untimely passin’. ‘E was a good man,” Ms. Wilson said quietly.

  “Yes, whatever.” Niall still watched the young woman fill her basin.

  “Is, um, yer, uh . . . Lady Nuala ’ere yet?” Ms. Wilson asked nervously. Lord Niall’s head snapped back to Ms. Wilson. Hearing his sister’s name brought him back from his lustful thoughts and reminded him why he was here.

  “No, she is not. We came separately. However, I believe she will be arriving soon. So I better go and get ready to greet her. Ceana, was it?” The young lady bobbed her blonde head, never pulling her eyes from the floor. “Good, if you’re ready I would much like to retreat and freshen up.” He grabbed an apple and a roll on his way out of the kitchen and followed Ceana up the stairs to the sleeping quarters on the third floor.

  Ceana stopped in front of a large oak door. “This will be your room, my lord.” She pushed the door open and put the basin and towel on the table beside the bed. “If there is anything else you require, just let me know.” She bowed as she started to back out of the room.

  “Ceana, wait!” Niall called out.

  “Yes, my lord?” Ceana asked.

  Lord Niall stared shamelessly at her until her face grew warm as she finally lifted her eyes to meet his. They were the color of bluebonnets in the spring. “Come again this evening,” he commanded.

  “I have duties in the kitchen, my lord.”

  “I can tell you what to do; you know that, right?”

  She nodded and turned toward the door.

  He crossed the room and took her left hand in his and brushed his lips across her knuckles. “I will see you later,” he whispered.

  Her eyes grew wide with shock, and she fled the room.

  28

  Blane jumped up from his chair. He was in the front room of Brian’s farmhouse, anxiety and a helpless feeling welling up in his chest. If they waited much longer, he didn’t know if they would be able to save Isobail. He began to pace the floor. “I don’t mean to be rude,” he called to Brian, “but are you ready to go yet? I fear we may be taking too long.”

  “I will be done momentarily. I’m just as worried about her as you are, Blane,” Brian called from the kitchen, where he was folding a letter. He put the letter into the old leather bag with the other one and took one last look around the house he had lived in his whole life. Brian let out one last sigh as he blew out the lamp and went to join Blane in the front room.

  “It’s about time. Are you ready to go?” Blane asked as he came through the door.

  “Yes, I’m ready to go. I just need to stop by the inn and ask Barra to look after the farm for me, and then we can be on the road.”

  When they got outside, Blane went to the stables to get the horses ready and Brian walked next door to the inn.

  * * *

  “ ’Ello, Brian. What can I do for ya this fine day?” Dolidh pulled her hands from a large batch of dough and wiped them on her apron.

  “I had a few things I would like to discuss with you and Barra. Is he around?”

  “BARRA!” Dolidh yelled. “What’s this about, Brian?”

  “Why’re you shouting like a banshee, woman?” Barra said as he came in from the dining room. “Oh, Brian. How are you?”

  “Blane, the young man looking for me last night, and I will be taking a little trip to Dòmhail. I would like if you would please keep an eye on my farm for me.” Brian refused to meet their eyes.

  “Why?” they asked in unison.

  “Blane is Isobail’s friend and he came to tell me that Moira came back. She has taken Isobail. Only she doesn’t go by Moira anymore. She calls herself Lady Nuala.” He paused, waiting for recognition to show on Barra’s face.

  “You mean that lady that came by here a few days ago was Moira?” Dolidh asked.

  “Yes, and when she couldn’t find me, she went after Isobail. And now she has taken her on as a lady-in–waiting. They left yesterday for Dòmhail. We aren’t sure what she wants with her—or me, for that matter. But it can’t be anything good.”

  “So what are you gonna do? Go storm the castle?” Barra asked quietly.

  “If that is what it comes to. I have to protect my daughter. I won’t let Moira ruin another life. So will you take care of things while I am gone?” When they nodded, he continued, “There is one more thing I need you to do. If I don’t come back, I want you to make sure that Blane and Isobail get these.” He pulled the folded parchment from his bag and handed them to Barra.

  “What are you talking like that for? Of course you’re coming back,” Barra said.

  “I just want to be prepared in case something happens, that’s all. Please, if you would do this for me, I would really appreciate it.”

  “Of course we will.” Dolidh wiped a tear from her face.

  “Thank you. I also wanted to tell you two how much I love you,” Brian began.

  “Stop it!” Barra protested.

  “Please let me finish.” Brian held up a hand to stop Barra, “I love you.” He looked from Barra to Dolidh. “Both of you, so much. I’m grateful for everything. Everything you’ve done for me. You’re my only family and I love you.” Dolidh pulled him into her arms. “I don’t like long good-byes, so this is it.” He was still hugging Barra when Blane came in the door.

  “Brian?” Blane asked awkwardly.

  “Yep, let’s go.” Brian picked up his bag and followed Blane out to the waiting horses.

  “Be safe,” Barra called, and waved as the two men mounted their horses and rode away from the inn. After they had ridden in silence for a while Blane cleared his throat. “Um, sorry I interrupted you back there.”

  “No need to apologize. I was done.” Brian shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t like long good-byes.
”

  “Why were you saying good-bye? Are you expecting something to go wrong?”

  “Moira is the kind of person that doesn’t let anyone stand in her way. If she wants something, she is going to get it. I have come to realize that you should never underestimate her. I’m not sure what she is capable of and I’ll do everything I have to do to save Isobail,” Brian explained. “Even if that means giving up my own life,” he added as an afterthought.

  They rode in silence for a few hours while Blane pondered what Brian had said. When he thought of what Lady Nuala could be capable of, he drove his heels into his horse’s flanks, urging the beast to go faster.

  “No,” Brian said, breaking the silence, “there’s no need to kill your horse. We have a long trip ahead of us. You’re going to need your horse the whole way. If you push him too hard now, he’ll give out before we are halfway there.”

  “But . . .”

  “No buts. Do you want to walk the last half of the trip? Be nice to your horse and he’ll be nice to you.”

  * * *

  Blane wasn’t happy about it, but he had to admit Brian was right. He had to calm down and take this one step at a time. If they rode wild and half-crazy into the city, they would do nothing but get themselves killed. What would that do for Iso? They had to come up with a plan. If Lady Nuala was half as clever as she was beautiful, this wasn’t going to be easy for them.

  “So, do we have a plan?” Blane asked.

  “Yes. Not to get killed.”

  “Wow . . . anything else?” Blane really hoped he had something better than that up his sleeve.

  “Not really. Moira is charming and manipulative. There is no telling what we can expect from her. I think the first thing we need to do is to set ourselves up with the servants and see what we can find out.” Brian stopped, jumped down, and led his horse off the road to a stream for water.

  “Why the servants?” Blane followed, and they let their horses drink and rest for a few minutes.

  “Because the servants know everything that goes on in the castle. They gossip about everybody and everything. They will know what is going on and where we should focus our attention.” Brian stretched his tired muscles and walked around for a few minutes. “Besides, they will all be more than happy to have Lady Nuala gone too.”

  “I’m impressed. I would never have thought of that.” Blane knelt down and stuck his head in the cool water. When he pulled his head out, Brian was already back on his horse.

  “Don’t be so impressed. Every once in a while I do have a few good ideas. Are you ready to go now?” Blane nodded and climbed back into the saddle. “Then let’s ride.”

  29

  Isobail stared out the window, watching the trees pass by. As each silent minute passed, she was becoming more and more uncomfortable riding in a carriage with a total stranger. She had nothing to say to this beautiful regal woman sitting across from her. She had no idea how long they had been on the road or how long it would take to get to Dòmhail. She had never left her own small village before. She glanced over to find Lady Nuala staring at her, which did nothing to calm her nerves. Lady Nuala was studying her with an expression that was unreadable. Was it sadness or regret? But as quickly as the look was there, it left again. Maybe I imagined it, she thought as she started chewing uneasily on her fingernails.

  “Please stop.” Isobail jumped as the silence was broken. “You have no reason to fear. No one is going to harm you. You are a lovely girl that will do just fine,” Lady Nuala said and Isobail dropped her hands and eyes to her lap. “I’m sorry. This must be hard for you. It’s hard to leave your home for the first time.” Isobail nodded. “I’ll help you to adjust. Just follow my lead and everything will be just fine.” Lady Nuala offered a kind smile.

  Feeling completely overwhelmed, Isobail was suddenly very homesick. Thoughts of her parents and what they would be doing at that moment came to her mind. By the position of the sun, she figured it was late afternoon. Her mother would be starting dinner preparations and her father would be finishing up his chores before dinner. Then her mind wandered to Blane. He had probably already made it to the port. She hoped he had found a fishing company and that he would be safe when he set out to sea. A sad smile touched her lips.

  “What’s the matter? Thinking about your family and all the things you’ve left behind? Don’t worry. It will get easier. I promise.”

  Isobail swallowed the lump that filled her throat; she didn’t want to hurt Lady Nuala’s feeling by crying. She was only trying to help. Isobail knew Lady Nuala didn’t realize those words were making Isobail only feel worse. Isobail spent the remainder of the trip staring out the window, avoiding Lady Nuala’s probing eyes as she watched the passing trees and crags.

  * * *

  Lord Niall sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. He had been standing at the window watching for Lady Nuala’s carriage for a little more than two hours. Now that he was here, he was becoming anxious and confused. What if he couldn’t expose her? What if he did expose her and no one cared? Then his mind wandered to the scullery maid Ceana. Ceana, such a beautiful name. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Ah, those eyes, those lips, that hair. Later! he chided himself. Remember why you’re here. It’s not for the scullery maid. That will be your victory celebration!

  A commotion in the courtyard brought him back to reality. He looked down and saw several horses coming in the distance. As the first horseman came across the drawbridge, he could make out Lady Nuala’s carriage in the distance.

  He pulled the heavy oak door open and took the stairs two at a time. There would be a crowd to welcome his sister, and he wanted to be at the front. With amusement he imagined the look of shock that would be on her face. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t see Ceana walking past the bottom of the stairs and he ran right into her, causing her to drop her armload of pewter plates.

  “Oh!” she called out.

  “You really should watch where you’re going,” he said, bending down to pick up the plates. “It isn’t my responsibility to watch for the servants.”

  “I’m sorry, my lord. I didn’t see you.” Her face flushed.

  “You can make it up to me later.” Her face grew even redder, and she dropped her eyes. Lord Niall smiled at her obvious discomfort.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as he handed her the last of the plates.

  “Now get out of my way. I must go. Lady Nuala has just arrived, and I would very much like to see her.”

  “Of course. You must get to your family.”

  “Yes, my family,” he said viciously.

  Ceana looked at him questioningly.

  “Until we meet again, my dear Ceana.” He once again pressed his lips to her knuckles a little longer than he should have, but he didn’t care about her feelings. She rushed away from him and disappeared into the kitchens. After she was gone, Lord Niall turned and began to whistle as he strolled to the front entrance of the castle.

  When he got to the front doors there was already a large group waiting to greet Lady Nuala and offer their condolences. He decided to stay toward the back, close to the wall so she wouldn’t see him right away. The door creaked open, and the aging Squire Drustan cleared his throat.

  “Presenting Lady Nuala Conell of Allail.” The squire turned to the door and bowed as Lady Nuala glided gracefully into the room, followed by a young girl Lord Niall had never seen before. She was a pretty thing who looked to be about sixteen years old. She had chestnut brown hair, smooth pale skin, and a sad look on her face. She looked at the crowd with fear in her eyes—her green eyes. Lord Niall’s breath caught when he looked at her eyes. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think those eyes belonged to Lady Nuala. He started moving closer to the front of the crowd, and as he did he could hear the people offering their condolences.

  “So sorry for your loss, Lady Nuala,” one said.

  “He was a good man,” came another.

  “So glad you decided to join us,” the
woman next to Lord Niall said.

  “Thank you. I’m sure my dear father would have wanted me to come anyway and try to have a good time.” Lady Nuala finished hugging the other woman.

  “Yes, I’m positive that is what he would have wanted, my lady,” Lord Niall hissed. Lady Nuala narrowed her emerald eyes at him.

  “Why, Niall, whatever are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be passed out in some pub right about now?” Lady Nuala smiled cruelly.

  “Indeed, and shouldn’t you be in Trom with the Bards?” he whispered, his smile just as cruel. Lady Nuala’s eyes grew wide with shock and she was at a loss for words. “What’s the matter, sister? Peasants got your tongue?” He pulled Isobail closer and took her shaking hand in his. “And who is your new friend? What happen to Brie? No, I’m sorry. Brie was three maids ago. What was the last one’s name? . . . Oh yes, Anya. What happened to Anya?” Niall smiled knowingly.

  “She just left one night. I stopped in a quaint little village and Anya was gone when I woke up. So I was in need of a new lady’s maid and was fortunate enough to have found Isobail here. Isobail, this is my brother, Lord Niall Conell.”

  “P-p-pleased to meet you,” Isobail stammered as she curtsied. Lord Niall couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. He watched her wipe a tear off her cheek. She was obviously scared to death. And rightfully so—Lady Nuala’s maids had a bad habit of disappearing. He made sure of that.

  “Well . . . ” Lady Nuala turned to the small crowd that had begun to talk among themselves. “I hate to leave you so soon, but it has been a long ride and I would like to freshen up before dinner. Would you be so kind as to show me to my room? Isobail, please ask the driver to bring our things.” Isobail went quickly back out to the carriage.

  “Of course, Lady Nuala,” the queen said. “We shall see you this evening for dinner. Tomorrow there is a boar hunt in the morning for the men. There has been a boar roaming the forest around the castle, so my husband thought this would be a fun way to get rid of it. Then in the evening following dinner, we’re going to have a masquerade. Doesn’t that sound exciting?” The queen motioned for a servant to show Lady Nuala to her room.