“Oh. I hadnae realized he was so close to us here.”
Mora began to think of how she could get to her uncle if it was only that far away. She was not sure how much it would take to get to Robert’s father, but it could at least be considered. Then she could get in and speak with her uncle. He had always been a reasonable, friendly, and understanding man. Mora did not think that had all changed. She felt certain she could get him to believe her if she could just talk to him.
Annys got up to leave, breaking into her thoughts. Mora watched as the woman gracefully walked away, stepped out the door, and was grabbed by her hobbling husband. She then listened to the woman scolding Harcourt on walking and carrying something on his broken foot.
“I hope he isnae injuring it,” Mora murmured.
“Nay, he wouldnae do that,” Gybbon said. “He believes in what she says when it comes to healing. And, she is light so I doubt carrying her off somewhere is going to damage him, but he will put her down quickly if he feels it is doing damage. And what are ye doing?”
“Fixing a few of Andrew’s shirts. He can be verra hard on clothes.”
“Aye, my mither used to complain about that with all of us. Freya went up to the bedchamber and Mary told me she let her in. She didnae wish to go out and watch us practice. So, are ye feeling better?”
“Oh, aye. I am nay certain why I got feverish again, but it has passed.”
“Just as long as ye dinnae do too much.”
“Aye,” she replied, and pushed aside the thought of going to face her uncle.
She began to pack up what she had brought into the room and soon had Gybbon escorting her back to her bedchamber. Mora did not know if she was to offer an invitation or leave it until he made some move to join her. Then Andrew skipped up and took her by the hand, ending all debate. Despite his presence, however, she leaned forward and intended to kiss Gybbon on the cheek. Gybbon turned enough to make her kiss land on his mouth, and Andrew made a noise of childish disgust.
Grinning, Gybbon said, “I will see ye later.”
Mora walked off to see where Andrew was sleeping and wondered if she was right in thinking he was saying he would be back in her bed. She would readily accept him, too, for she was determined to enjoy that as much as she could before she attempted to go and speak with her uncle.
Chapter Fourteen
David frowned up at the sky as he and Niall rode into the small village. They had only been gone two, almost three years, but there were visible changes in the village. Riding along easily in the open air was a pleasure, especially after the many times he and Niall had had to hide after fleeing the place where they had been held prisoner. The vast, starlit sky was now just black, the soft light shed by the moon vanquished. He could feel the touch of a damp coolness in the air.
“’Tis going to rain soon,” he muttered to Niall, who rode at his side.
“Aye. We have been wet before. Filthy too,” Niall said, scowling down at his travel-worn clothing.
“True enough, but I would prefer to avoid being so again. We will go to the inn.”
“We could go to Aunt Maggie’s.”
Glancing at the row of the old laird’s leman cottages with the one burned out shell in its midst, David felt his heart clench with a sorrow he had no answer for, although he had cared for Aunt Maggie. “Nay, we cannae.”
Niall looked where David did and cursed with a fluency in three languages that David had to admire. “Sad to say, cottages burn all the time,” Niall said with a slight lilt at the end, which made it less of a statement and more of a question he wanted an answer to.
“Aye, they do,” said David, “but I have a verra bad feeling about this time and this cottage.”
“Ye have had a bad feeling since we left France.”
“I have and it hasnae faded, just grown stronger with each mile we have drawn closer to our home.” David turned toward the stables next to the inn. “Mayhap we can get some news while we are at the inn.”
“Nay sure I want to hear any,” muttered Niall as he reined in next to his brother and let David chat with the lad who would put the horses up in the stable.
Just as they stepped inside the inn the sky opened and let go of the rain the clouds had been holding. David hastily shut the doors. He got a room for them both to share and ordered their meals. The innkeeper would have been someone he could ask, but he was so gregarious and talkative, David decided not to chance it. He then chose a table near to the windows and Niall sat on the small bench across the heavy wooden table from him.
“Now what has ye frowning?” asked Niall as he nodded his thanks for the tankards of cider a girl brought them. “I have learned to worry when ye frown like that.”
“’Tis just that I thought I would be happy and eager to get home, yet I am not. I keep waiting for the feeling but it just doesnae come.”
“It has been two cursed years. Near three.”
“True. Yet, some touch of those feelings should be there when we are so verra close to home.”
“Mayhap it was seeing Aunt Maggie’s house burnt down and nay kenning why or e’en if she got to safety.” Niall smiled widely at the plate brimming with meat and a few vegetables set in front of him by a shy serving maid. “Some food will help.”
“I dinnae think so, but my belly is telling me to cease fretting and eat.” He grinned when Niall laughed.
For a while Niall and David quietly enjoyed their meal. David kept looking out the window and he was not sure why. He watched one of the maids hurry by with full tankards, caught Niall doing the same, and they shared a grin. A moment later he was staring out the window again and suddenly he knew why. Four men rode up and dismounted. They stood by while one argued with the stable lad. The torches lighting the front of the inn gave off enough light to show him the man’s face, and David cursed.
“Grab your food and cider,” he told Niall as he collected his own. “We will finish this in our room.”
Niall picked up his plate and drink, then frowned at David. “Why?”
“The Ogilvy brothers have just arrived.”
Niall cursed and gently grabbed the arm of the busy serving maid as she started past them. He asked if there was another way to get to their room and, after she refilled their tankards, she quickly led them to the back stairs the servants often used. Once David and Niall were in their room, they locked the door and settled at the small table there to finish their meal.
“Are ye certain it was them?” Niall asked as he finished his meal and sat back to sip at his cider.
“Oh, aye. It was them.” David carefully stacked their plates, then sat back to savor his own tankard of cider. “Robert was arguing with the stable lad. The other three just stood there watching him and getting wet.”
“Do ye think they are all in it together?”
“If they are, the other three are in it due to fear of Robert. They have always feared that fool.”
“Aye, that is true. Yet, to follow him when he is trying to kill off his own blood kin is rather odd.”
“We dinnae ken how or for how long he has kept his boot on their necks. I do ken that the laird made certain young Murdoch was guarded weel until he learned how to fight with some skill. Also recall often thinking that the three, Duncan, Lachlan, and even Murdoch, should just get together and beat the meanness out of him.”
“How did ye learn that about Murdoch?”
“Heard Maman and Da talking about it once. Something happened that made putting a guard on the boy a necessity. Da said he was of the opinion one should be put on Robert.” He grinned when Niall laughed, but his expression grew worried. “We should have gone home.”
“Aye, but now we need to ken what happened to Aunt Maggie and why her house was burned.”
“We will despite how strongly my innards tell me I dinnae want to ken.”
“We could just ask one of the people here.”
“And I would if Robert and his brothers were nay here.”