Beyond a Doubt

chapter Thirty-Eight




The feel of her hand wrapped around his arm sent fresh tingles along his skin. His heart raced as her chin tilted upward, displaying lips which spread into a beautiful smile. Bryce moved his free hand. The back of his knuckles grazed the fresh, soft skin of her cheek. Her eyes closed and her lips parted. He leaned forward and felt the blood rush between his ears. His palms grew sweaty.

Their lips were a hair’s breadth from connecting when they heard a loud banging and jumped apart. Now his heart raced for a different reason.

“Who is that?” asked Lucy. Breathlessly and with a smile, she added, “Because I think I want to kill them.”

Bryce laughed under his breath while heading for the vibrating door. He released his pent-up frustration as he opened the wooden door with a rough jerk.

A stranger stood on the landing. “Pardon me, sir. A thousand pardons, but my wagon threw a wheel. I need assistance in repairing it.”

Bryce didn’t speak but followed the man into the street. Bryce inspected the apparatus. Indeed the wheel lay crookedly against the base. The top covering of the wagon was pulled aside and several tiny heads poked through the opening, until a female voice spoke, with confidence exuding from her tone. “Children, please be still. Father will have us moving again in no time.”

This caused the man standing to the side to twist and squeeze his hat within a tight grasp. A grimace rested upon his face and a shrug lifted his shoulders.

Bryce whispered to avoid embarrassing the man in front of his wife and children. “I can help ye but yer family will have to come out.”

The stranger lifted his brows, and his eyes widened with fear. “Nay, they cannot.”

“But sir, there is no way to place yer wheel back in place with the extra load inside. I may be strong but that is beyond even my abilities.”

The man shuffled his feet back and forth and Bryce couldn’t understand his worry. A glance at his pocket watch let him know they would need to be at the park soon. Should they help the man and risk missing their connection at the park, or should they tell him to find other assistance and live with their guilt?

Lucy appeared. She whispered words to the husband that seemed to ease his worries. Wife and children were ushered inside and out of the street. While Bryce watched the retreating group, the young man walked to the carriage and struggled to right it himself. Bryce snapped from his thoughts and assisted. They completed the task without another word shared.

Once the wheel was back in place, the woman and six small children were ushered from the house. They climbed inside the carriage and left. The whole event left Bryce confused.

Lucy held out his cloak. “Are we ready?”

Words of argument came to his lips. No longer clean and dashing, he felt dirty and unkempt. She spoke of her need to have him by her side, and he acquiesced. He took the cloak from her arm and donned it. Before they left, he grabbed a basket and laid it over one arm.

They wound their arms together and set out at a brisk pace.

“Smile at me as we walk. Laugh occasionally,” she said.

The expression upon his face felt more like a frown but he did try to do as she suggested. Between clenched teeth, he asked, “What are we doing?”

“Why, we are headed to the park, my dear,” she said loudly before softening her tone to add, “We are being watched.”

Bryce’s head reared back and he roared with fake laughter. He patted her arm and said, “My dear, you do so tell the funniest stories.”

Lucy shared the imaginary joke as they found the path and headed to the nearby park. They walked beneath overhanging limbs. Bryce plucked a flower which Lucy took and placed to her nose. To anyone out and about, they appeared as a couple in love. They shared tender touches, and looks of caring passed between them. Bryce was almost able to forget the real reason they were here.

They spread a cover upon the grass and pulled out food stored in a basket. Lucy sprawled in a languid fashion. Bryce followed. He placed a cheese wedge to his lips.

A smile tugged the corners of Lucy’s mouth. She said, “The lady from the wagon warned me that someone watches us. Even if we spot a contact in the park today, to approach them would be too dangerous.”

Bryce used a napkin to wipe crumbs off his face and in the process covered his mouth as he spoke. “Why did the strange woman warn ye?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps the queen has ordered everyone from the art show to be followed, so they might find a connection to Joshua.”

“Did ye let the woman know about ye?”

“Of course not. I looked at her like she was insane. Half of her words I pretended to ignore by fussing with the children.”

Bryce nodded in acknowledgment. But what if Lucy was wrong and the lady warned her she was being followed in order to protect her? What if the lady was on their side?

They lounged on the blanket, eating cheese wedges and biscuits. Time passed with no hint of anything out of the ordinary. The afternoon would be unsuccessful as far as Lucy’s objective was concerned, but maybe it didn’t have to be a total waste.

Bryce said, “Ye have some verra interesting neighbors.”

“Oh, the twins?”

“Aye.”

“Winifred and Winnie Townsend. They’ve lived there for as long as I can remember. I’ve never had aunts, but I’ve always imagined if I did, they would be like them.”

“Where is yer extended family?”

“Oh, here and there, I suppose. I’ve not had a lot of contact with them. From what I gathered from Father, some lived in China, which I’ve never visited, and the others lived in France, which we only visited on holidays.”

“Why do ye live in London if yer family isn’t from here?”

“In 1540 during Henry VIII’s reign, and the churches’ separation from Rome, we moved here. I was three years old and Father felt it would be safer.” Lucy twisted the fabric of her gown. “No one could have foreseen Mary’s reign.” Here her voice faltered and she added, “And what of your family? I know so little about you.”

Bryce settled back, resting his arms underneath his head as he stared at the clouds above. “I guess ye know the important stuff. My name is Bryce Cameron. I’m the son of a sheep farmer. My cousin Grant is next in line to be laird of the Cameron clan.”

“You sound disappointed. Shouldn’t you be proud of him?”

“I am, but he—“

“He what?”

“He wanted me to be a warrior.” Bryce noted the confusion on her face and continued, “Because of my size and strength, he wanted me to train so I could lead his men. He wanted me to be his second-in-command. I told ’em I wasn’t interested but he convinced my father. So when he left home and traveled to the Sinclair keep, which is a long story, I went along as well. I’m afraid I’m nothing but a disappointment to him.”

“I take it things didn’t work out as planned.”

Bryce shook his head. “Ye could say that. I believe my father sent me away in hope of dislodging what he called my ‘foolish notions’.” She knitted her brows together and Bryce realized she didn’t understand. Continuing, he spoke the words he’d treasured in his heart and had been afraid to share aloud since he’d told his parents years before. “I’m a follower of Christ.”

Lucy leaned closer, excitement lighting her eyes.

“Mind ye, my family believes in the Savior as well as anyone, but not in the same way. I guess ye could say I’m of the Protestant faith.”

“But how?”

“Think ye have the market cornered, do ye?” He added a smile to ease the words. “Believe it or not, my laird’s son, Samuel, is a Protestant minister, although few outside the clan are privy to this information. He heard a lecture on Martin Luther’s teachings and it changed his life. The corruption of the church and his unworthiness of redemption hit him like a bolt of lightnin’.

“Fortunately he shared with a few of us, which is one reason I never learned how to wield a sword. I didn’t have it in me.”

“When Grant convinced your father to send you away to lose your foolish notions, where did you go?”

“Like I said, I followed Grant to the Sinclairs’ keep. Little did he know that was the worst place to send me to change my thoughts. Of course, when I first came to the Sinclair keep it wasn’t that way, but I managed.”

“That’s because Duncan wasn’t in charge yet, right?”

“Aye. This is true. The first laird, Cainneach, a close personal friend of Grant’s, believed in very little. He took care of his family the way he saw fit. When they perished, he had nothing to live for. But when his brother came, everything changed. Duncan married a Protestant and converted.”

“I remember Arbella mentioning something about the former mistress. Lyall was her name, I believe.”

Bryce nodded.

“Were you there when Lyall pulled her tricks?”

“Aye. It was my fault.”

Lucy arched her brow. “But from the tales I heard, the woman was crazy. She thought Arbella and Duncan’s daughter was her own lost child. How could you possibly be at fault for such a thing?”

Bryce ignored her questions. It was not a discussion he wanted to have at that moment so he changed the subject. “After everything with Lyall ended and everyone was safe, Grant and I both decided to head for home — back to Cameron lands. I left before him, which is why ye found me headed home alone.”

Fortunately she took his lead and didn’t ask any more questions. That caused his worry to decrease. He had no desire to explain his faults to the woman he was fast falling in love with. There would be time for her to discover those later.

Lucy said, smiling broadly, “I guess it was a good thing I came along when I did.”

“Aye, it was. I bent down to wash and next thing I know I’m chasing my tunic, and then the water swept me right off my feet. I hit so many rocks, I lost count.”

“You did seem addled when I found you.” She played with the brocade cord of her gown.

Bryce grabbed it and stroked her delicate fingers. “I was, but ye rescued me.”