Violet slipped from the horse and went to his side. She peered into the well and smiled, even though all she saw was black. “That is a precious lesson to learn.”
“Aye,” Ethan added. “I never forgot it, nay matter how hard-pressed I am to cut corners.”
Looking at the well, Violet decided on what she was going to say. “Ethan, me faither had decided to bar me from helping with this investigation, but I willnae. I want to help ye, and for that, I need ye to help me. I need to ken if ye would assist me, because I am determined on solving this murder, even if I have to go about it meself.” Her chest soared with hope when she saw his shock turn into contemplation. “Will ye work with me?”
6
Ethan reached out and took her hands, tugging her closer as the air grew colder. He had to know if she meant it or not, so he had to search her eyes. It was getting dimmer, but he saw nothing but truth in her eyes. “Ye mean it…truly?”
“Aye,” she said. “I don’t want this to pass by like it’s nothin’. Whatever I can dae within me power to find this miscreant, I’ll dae.”
The sincerity of her words sank to his soul, and he felt gratitude bubble up in his chest. He slipped an arm around her back and pulled her into him. Resting her head on his chest, he held her close, “I’ll be with ye every step of the way, and thank ye. Whatever ye have with yer mind, I’ll dae.”
Her whole body warmed with elation at his reply. “Thank ye.”
They were still on the hillside, but music from the feast was loud in the air, and Ethan asked, “Dae ye dance?”
“Er,” Violet’s hesitation was audible. “I have little coordination. I once tried to dance the reel and ended up looking like I was having convulsions. And besides…” she looked pointedly around. “There is nay space for that kind of dancing. But if ye want to go back down and dance, there’s nothin’ to stop ye.”
Thinking of the sorrow already inside him that might be compounded by others who grieved over his brother, Ethan opted to stay where he was. Up here with Violet, he found a breath of peace; down below, he would only find noise and drunken revelry anyway.
“We’ll sway then,” he said, taking her hand in his and resting it on his shoulder while his rested his on her waist. The length of her body was pressed close to his and the soft fragrance from her skin wafted up into his nose. The brush of the skin of her cheek on his neck was silky soft, and the flitter of her breath across his collarbone made gooseflesh rise.
Her curves were gentle under his hand and she moved with tentative steps. He felt her blunt nails scratch across the back of his neck, and he shivered. “What is yer first plan, lass?”
“I was kenning how to find this woman who lured yer brother out,” she said. “If she is nay in this village, she might be in the towns or villages over. We can search there, clad in disguises. I can go as a boy and ye can use a cap to cover yer hair.”
“But…” he hesitated while shifting her on her feet. “Wouldnae she run further? I mean, anyone under suspicion of murdering a Laird’s son would be in England by now.”
Violet sighed, “I realize that, but I dinnae ken she would run far. The soldiers did say that she is nay strong enough to kill a man. I ken she only took Finley out because she needed a coin. Perhaps she’s a single mother or a daughter of a widow that needs food.”
“How d’ye ken that?” he asked, trying to follow Violet’s thoughts but failing.
“I’ve seen many dae worse,” her voice was hushed. “Over the years, Faither and I have made categories why people would kill—lust, anger, and poverty. Without fail, we’ve seen one or the other and even a mix of all three together in such cases. I dinnae see how we might be wrong with this one.
Having no experience with matters like this, Ethan had to only trust Violet’s judgment. A cry of drunken elation had their heads spinning and a bonfire suddenly flared up. It seemed the revelers had added something more to the celebration; they were probably dancing around it.
If she is going to risk her life to help, the least I can do is be by her side. I ken she might even solve this murder before her faither.
Ethan pulled away and gently led her back to the horses. “I ken we should get back. If our faithers are out, and ye decide on what to do, just call on me, I’ll help.”
Helping her back onto the saddle, he made sure she was settled and then went to his. It was dark, so they took the trail slowly back to the castle grounds and circled the courtyard where the feasting was taking place. They entered the stables and Ethan used the light from the bonfire to unsaddle the horses, brush them down, and get them settled inside the stalls.
Riding back to the castle, he debated with himself. He knew that they were out for a while and he wanted to have more time with her, but he imagined she had to be tired and wanting food. “Ye must be hungry. D’ye want me to send ye something from the kitchens to yer room?”
“Or…” Violet’s tone was hopeful, “I’m nay tired, what if we go to the kitchens and eat together?”
His chest warmed with relief. “We can dae that.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder as they made their way to the castle, and then through the empty corridors to the kitchens. A few servants were there, and Ethan ordered one to get them what was left of the feast. Seated, he mused over her word about finding the woman who had lured his brother out from the protection of his fellow soldiers.
Two bowls of soup were placed before them with platters of roasted goat meat and rolls of brown bread. He thanked the servant-girl then started with the soup. “There are a few places this tavern-woman could have run to. Between here and Clan Hofte, there are a few farms and dotted settlements that she could have come from.”
“We’ll begin the search tomorrow.” Violet sipped the warm brew. “What I need from ye is to get a vivid description of the woman, whom they saw, and then meet me at the stables.”
“And ye?” he asked. “How are ye going to be sure that yer faither will dismiss ye?”
“Even if he doesnae, I only have to say that ye offered to take me on another ride to show me around. I guarantee ye he’ll give me his blessing.” Violet grinned. “If we find the woman, we’ll be that much closer to find the killer. Me faither hasnae told me if they have found who had supplied the sleeping draught, but they can take care of that. Our business is to find her.”
Finished with the soup, he moved on to the roasted mutton, and then asked, “And how will ye pull this off?”
Violet’s grin was sly, and he felt his stomach stir at the sight, “Ye’ll just have to wait and see.”
The intrigue from her cryptic statement had a thread of excitement running through him. The jolt of emotion—something other than the crippling grief he had been feeling for days now— was so welcome to his spirit. It felt as if a well had sprung up in a barren land and was watering dry cracked ground.
“I…” he smiled while sopping up gravy with his bread. “I ken things arenae going to be normal with ye here, innit?”
“Would ye complain?” she teased.
Smiling widely in happiness—an emotion that he hadn’t felt in days, Ethan said, “We’ll see… on the morrow.”
* * *
After a quick run to the soldiers’ quarters, Ethan had earned exactly what Violet had asked him to get, a vivid description of the woman who had lured Finley out. Someone remembered seeing a faded scar and blue eyes. He knew Violet would be happy to know these things when they set out.
It was just after dawn and the weak sun was still trying to pierce through the mist lingering over the treetops and hovering over the grass. Clad in plain trews and a linen shirt, he hurried to the stables to meet Violet and begin their mission. The door to the stables was half-cocked, so thinking Violet already be inside, he tugged it open and went in.
He heard a noise from a stall and assumed a stable boy was there, so he called out, “Who’s here?”
A slender form clad in slim-fitting breeches, a baggy brown shirt, and a
short wig hiding dark hair stumbled into his view. Ethan gave her the once over and his jaw dropped. Violet in a dress was lovely, but clad in a lad’s clothes?— he felt stunned. She moved with confidence in boy’s clothes, and her grin was unrepentant. She spread her arms and sported a huge grin while she spun on her heel. “Surprised?”
“Utterly flabbergasted,” he uttered while shaking his head, “But in a good way.” He went to a row of shelves and took down a saddle. “Where did ye get all this?”
“I carried it with me,” she explained. “Once or thrice, I’ve taken it upon meself to help faither by using this disguise. I had carried it on the off chance that I’d need it.”
Does her free spirit have nay bounds?
“I got good news, Violet. One of the soldiers remembered the woman had a scar on her forehead and really strange pale blue eyes. I ken we can use those in our search,” he remarked while resting the saddle on the ground.
“That’s wonderful,” she called over the stalls while he took down another.
With both saddles on the floor, he went to get the horses, “So what did yer faither say when ye told him I offered to take ye on a ride?”
“Only to keep watch and carry Shadow,” she giggled. “He said he’s sure ye will protect me in the odd case that we do find trouble, but just to be sure, go for the jugular.”
“The jugular, eh?” He saddled the first mount, his.
“Or the eye or the shin…” she replied while coming into view. “The point is to make sure I live or hamper me attacker enough so I can run away.”
With the last girth on the underbelly of the second horse tightened, Ethan stood and tapped the steed’s shoulder, “We’re ready for ye.”
Grasping the reins, Violet led the horse outside. Ethan followed her closely and helped her up before mounting himself. “There’s a seldom-used path through the hills that takes us to the little settlement beyond our village. She might be there. But may I ask, when did ye first begin to dress as a lad?”
“To be fair, almost the same time I began to wear dresses,” she grinned over her shoulder. “Me faither… doesnae enforce such roles that others do. He made sure that I ken how to survive in any circumstances, in dresses or breeches.”
Ethan shot a look at her, unsure of how to respond to that. He knew Scotswomen were not the delicate sheltered flowers English women were, but he never really took it to mean some men were so broad-minded to allow their daughters to wear lad’s clothes. He could only utter a paltry, “Oh.”
They mounted a slope and entered a path in the middle of a steep, stony hill pass. Many thick hawthorn bushes were flush against the rocky hillsides and cool breezes fluttered over them as they rode.
“Ye dinnae sound as if ye approve,” Violet said.
“Nay, nay,” he rushed to apologize, “I dinnae mean it like that, I just wasnae aware that men would allow their daughters to be so…untraditional. I dinnae ken it would have worked for other women, but it suits ye just fine.”
“It’s nay as enjoyable as it looks, being one-of-a-kind,” Violet said, and her glum tone had him feeling curious about the emotion behind it. He chose, however, not to dig into it. Her voice picked up. “So, where are we going again?”
“To find the little settlements resting between here and Clan Hofte,” he clarified. “The three of them, Sellek, Turren, and Ackwell, were the point of contention between us and Clan Hofte, before Finley made peace with them. The closest, Sellek, is an hour away, the furthest, Ackwell, a full day and a half ride.”
She looked over, “Why were ye feuding?”
“It all sprawled out from a misunderstanding,” Ethan snorted. “For years there were many disagreements about where Clan Hofte’s land ended and ours began, But to add fuel to the fire, a mix up of goat kids grew to stealing flocks, that lead to a shepherd being killed, and then to a landowner having his shed of tools being burnt down. Soldiers were deployed on farmlands as high tension led to bickering, bickering let to fighting, and then the feud was in full force.”
“That’s horrible,” Violet surmised. “Did ye ever get the root cause sorted out?”
“Nay,” Ethan shook his head. “When me brother went to make peace, he said that it would rack up more tension if they went and dug into the past. He proposed that they just let bygones be bygones and leave it at that.”
“I’m sorry ye had to lose yer brother,” she said. “He sounds like a very wise man.”
“Aye, he was.” Ethan held back a sigh. “He would have been a wonderful leader.”
Both felt the unspoken words that, with his brother’s death, he— the younger brother—would be the one to take that slot. He was lightly worried that she would remark on it and felt thankful when she did not. That was an issue he had begun to struggle with, knowing that he was the only one in line to take up the helm when his father passed it on. He still did not feel ready to be the leader that his clan needed. He felt that he was a shadow of his brother in wisdom and actions.
“…I ken we should start with the local taverns and possibly the marketplace,” Violet threw out. “With such a unique description, someone must ken who this woman is.
“And what would be our story for finding this woman?” Ethan asked. “We need a reasonable excuse for searching for her, else others might get suspicious and warn her off. We might never find her then.”
* * *
Violet paused, worried that the reason she had come up with was going to be a massive gamble. She was not ready to share them yet as she needed to know more, “Before I answer that, I must ken, was Master MacFerson the sort of man to…er… use those women frequently?”
“Nay,” Ethan said, praying that she would not ask of him the same question. “As far I ken, he seldom used such services.”
Glad for his answer, Violet nodded. “It seems to me, from all ye’ve said about Master MacFerson, that he was someone who could read a person in a moment and know how to charm them, am I right?”
Ethan’s head snapped to her, his jaw-dropping for a second time that day. “Yer…Yer right on the mark.”
Now that Ethan had validated her suspicions, she was ready to give her answer, “As yer fellow soldiers had stated, she was new to the area. I ken yer brother would have taken some time to speak to her first, ye ken, to get some basics like her name or where she was from. If she was that desperate for the coin, she might have spilled out a part of her life’s story to him. T’would make him even more ready to help her.”
Ethan’s glance was startled. “How did ye ken that?”
“Because that’s what I would do if I were in that position,” Violet said. “Thankfully, I am nay.”
“I meant how did ye come to even ken that’s what she would do?” Ethan asked.
She licked her lips nervously, then replied, “Over the years, I realized that one of the tricks me faither would use to predict a villain’s actions is to put himself in the mindset of the man and then ken what he would do. I picked up on it and used it too. It’s a risky thing sometimes, to ken like an evildoer. If ye set yerself to stay in the darkness for too long, ye may forget about the light.”
Those last words were her father’s, after he had caught her using the trick. He explained that it would not do much help if they, while trying to catch a villain, would become evildoers themselves.
“Wise words,” Ethan said. “Yer faither’s I take it?”
Now, it was her turn to be startled. “How did ye ken that?”
“Yer tone dipped when ye said the last parts, as if ye were remembering something,” he mentioned. “Kenning how ye and yer faither worked together for so many years, I assumed.”
He’s quick on the take...
Appeased that Ethan could follow her, Violet said, “News about yer brother’s death has spread far and wide, that’s a given, but I am betting that we use his ‘final’ last words. Before he died, he mentioned to a fellow soldier that he wanted to help her through her troubles.” She eyed Ethan. �
�It’s a gamble, I ken, but if me suspicions about this woman is right, we’ll find her.”
“I hope we will,” he added. Twisting, his eye caught her smile and her eyes shining at him, and his chest tightened oddly. His leaping pulse began to thunder in his ear and a myriad of emotions began pounding in his chest, the prominent—and unbidden one— selfishness.
7
He hoped Violet had not caught his wince as he had jerked his head away to hide it. How could he not with the thought ringing through his head?
I hope we won’t find her too soon, I want to spend more time with ye…
He knew it was inappropriate. The only thing he should he wanting is to find the man who was responsible for killing his brother and make him pay. Then, he would be free to grieve as he needed. But her smile…it was like the sun’s rays breaking through his darkness. He wanted it all to himself. They were near the closest settlement when he asked, “We start in the pub, right?”
The Highlander's Captured Bride (Steamy Scottish Historical Romance) Page 5
