CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
It was late in the afternoon, the colors of sunset stretching across a sky that had seen more than its share of rain as of late. On the muddy road below, Andrew and Sully had made excellent time, covering a great distance quickly. Neither had eaten since the previous evening, and they’d had very little to drink, but they weren’t hungry, nor did they feel thirsty.
They were focused on reaching Edinburgh Castle.
They did stop twice to allow the horses to rest and to drink. During these stops, they talked about small things; of future events, and other small talk. But during the second rest, Andrew talked of something not even Josephine knew of. It had simply never come up in conversation. It came about when the men were speaking of where Andrew and Josephine would live after they were married.
“Two years ago, I purchased a castle on St. Mary’s Loch,” Andrew said. “It sits on a rise overlooking the water and was built over the ruins of an abbey. It was in a deplorable shape when I purchased it from the Earl of Buccleuch, but the location is outstanding, in some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. There is a small village near it and the villagers are a good-natured and hearty bunch. When the purchase was complete, I set the villeins and about fifty soldiers to its repair last year. It should be nearly complete by now.”
Sully regarded him with some surprise. “I thought you were a vagabond,” he said. “I had no idea you had actually intended to lay down roots.”
Andrew grinned, lopsided. “I knew it would be wise to plan for a time when I could no longer lead my army,” he said. “That time comes to us all. Josephine will love Descanso Castle. It’s three times the size of Torridon and the only fortress for fifty miles in any direction.”
“Sounds remote,” Sully sniffed. “Did you name it Descanso?”
Andrew nodded. “It means ‘rest’ in Spanish. And that is what I intend to do when I live there.”
Sully could well understand that. He pondered the castle in the Lowlands of Scotland, remote and rugged, and a thought occurred to him. “Andrew, if you kill your brother, you will inherit the title and the earldom,” he was thinking aloud. “Will you not live at Haldane?”
Andrew didn’t look too perplexed. “We can spend summers at Haldane and winters at Descanso,” he said. “Haldane is the family seat, but Descanso… that is mine.”
Sully was thinking other things, too, like Torridon and its future – he had always intended to return it to Josephine but if she and Andrew already had two homes, then he saw little point in returning Torridon to them. Perhaps he was destined to remain the Earl of Ayr, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
With a weary sigh, he stood up and went to his horse, tightening the animal’s cinch. “Come along, lad,” he said to Andrew. “Let us get on with retrieving your fair maiden.”
Andrew watched Sully for a moment. He knew that Sully had planned to return Torridon to Josephine as soon as the circumstances permitted, and he was sure that Sully was now confused as to whether or not he should. After all, Andrew would have two fine castles. What would he do with a third, even if it was rightly his wife’s? He sought to put Sully at ease.
“Sully,” he said as he stood up and went to mount his horse. “Keep Torridon for yourself and for Justine. It’s as much in your blood as it is in either of the ladies’. After Josephine and I are married, she will do well knowing you are taking good care of ‘her’ fortress.”
Sully gave him a lopsided grin as he gathered up his reins. “How did you know I was thinking about that?”
“Because I would be thinking about it.”
Sully simply shrugged as he mounted his horse. “We think alike, you and I,” he said. “If you wish for me to keep Torridon, then that is what I shall do. But the title goes with it.”
“I do not want that bloody title. I’ll have one of my own.”
Sully simply chuckled. Spurring their horses forward, they continued on their journey. They began to pass people on the road as they drew closer to Edinburgh; farmers with empty carts, merchants, and even a troop of traveling minstrels. One of the acrobats bent over backwards and walked along the road like a spider, bringing a hearty laugh from both men. Drawing closer to the city and watching the people was great entertainment, making a bright spot in a situation that lingered over them both like a storm cloud.
Darkness approached but Edinburgh was illuminated by thousands of torches and candles as the two entered into the city. Their focus was on the castle on the tall hill; they’d been able to see it for miles. It was a huge structure and was well-guarded, with only one road leading to and from it. It was a steep road, making the castle seem most inaccessible.
Now, the reality of the situation was settling as they arrived at their destination. Sully eyed the fortress, even from a distance.
“Have you any knowledge of the castle?” Andrew asked Sully.
Sully shook his head. “No, I have never been here.”
“Not to worry,” Andrew answered. “Let us find an inn near the fortress. It shall be ripe with information.”
They wound their way down the streets of dirt, noticing how the city closed up tightly after dark. It was quiet, too; virtually no sound emitted from the rows upon rows of dingy, structures. There was an eerie feeling to the streets, as if phantoms lurked in every corner. Darkness surrounded them.
Finally, they came upon an inn very close to the road leading up to the castle called The Falcon and The Flower from the sign over the door. They tethered their horses at the watering trough and carefully entered the dimly-lit establishment. One always had to be on guard when entering taverns because in cities like this, they were often filled with cutthroats and rabble.
But Andrew had no intention of dealing with men at that level; he was more interested in what the inn employees or regulars knew. He spied several whores near the rear of the establishment and that was exactly what he was looking for – who knew more about their surroundings than whores? He looked at Sully, who was evidently following the same train of thought. They were both looking at the same dirty women, and they nodded imperceptibly to each other. This was where they would start.
Andrew and Sully were not hard to miss. Andrew was as tall as a tree with rich auburn hair, and Sully was fair and handsome with his pale blue eyes. The two men lumbered over to a table and sat heavily, bellowing for ale.
A barmaid and three whores came on the run. They bumped and pushed into each other as they hurried to sit next to Andrew. As the barmaid sat down two tankards and smiled a buck-toothed grin, a red-haired, skinny wench smiled lasciviously at Andrew.
“What’s yer pleasure, beauty?” she asked.
Andrew gave the women his sauciest expression. “A drink and a woman,” he said. “What else did you expect?”
The women at the table laughed loudly, thrilled to perhaps be part of his plans for the evening. “Then ye’ve come to the right place,” the wench said. “We’ve got both!”
More laughter from the women as Andrew took a long drink of ale, smacking his lips with satisfaction. “Who do we see about renting rooms for the eve?”
“That would be Esme,” said a dark-haired whore.
“Get her for me,” Sully said, as he ran a finger along the woman’s cheek as she fled.
They drank and made small talk until the whore came back leading a buxom blond. The woman was a very large and very shapely woman with a strong Nordic look. Her blue eyes locked in on Andrew.
“Can I be of service, m’lord?” she asked seductively.
The whores all shot her the evil eye as Andrew stood up, outwardly appreciating the female form.
“My friend and I need rooms,” he said.
“I shall be pleased, m’lord, to escort ye myself,” Esme replied smoothly.
Sully could see what Andrew was up to. An innkeeper would know and hear more than most. And there was one sure way to retrieve such information.
“Thank you,” Andrew said, as he took a final swig and moved to follow the woman.
Sully made brief eye contact with Andrew as he left, and then turned his attention back to the three whores purring for his attention. He lit up with his handsome smile and turned on his considerable charm but, all the while, he felt he was being unfaithful to Justine. Normally, something like this wouldn’t bother him in the least, but he had a wife waiting for him back at Torridon. And she was a wife he was coming very much to appreciate, so he felt guilty for what he needed to do in order to help out Andrew. But he made himself a promise – other than flirting, he would go no further.
For Justine’s sake, he couldn’t.
As Sully fought off the amorous whores, Esme led Andrew up narrow stairs and pushed open a warped door. As Andrew entered the room, looking about him, she closed the door softly. She waited politely while he pulled off his mail and his sword; all the while devouring his long legs and tight buttocks with her eyes.
Esme, as the owner’s daughter, seldom attended the patrons herself, but she was going to make an exception in this case. This man was the most incredible male specimen she had ever seen. He moved with the muscular grace of a god. When he finally turned his gaze to her, she felt her insides turn to mush.
“Will ye be… needing anything tonight, m’lord?” The question was obvious.
Andrew took four steps and was on her, his hand entwined itself viciously in her hair and yanked her head back. His mouth clamped down so hard on hers that she uttered a small yelp of surprise. He kissed her roughly with no passion or emotion, and it was used purely for the fact that he wanted to discover everything she knew about the castle.
The woman was big, hard, and heavy as he took her to the bed. She was moaning and writhing, and was pulling at his hair as he ripped away her bodice and cruelly sucked on a nipple that was the size of a small apple. His hand went up her skirt to the most private of places, and began stroking her expertly.
“Esme,” he breathed. “Do you know anything of the castle?”
She squirmed. “Like what?”
“Daily business.”
She gasped as he hit a tender spot. “Mostly,” she said. “The soldiers come here all of the time.”
Andrew thought that might be the case. “And you see the business coming to and from the castle?”
“Always.”
“Were there any special visitors today?” he asked, his lips brushing against her hard nipples. “Did you see anything? Or… hear of anything?”
The woman parted her legs, begging for his male organ, but Andrew wasn’t even aroused. All he wanted was information.
“Such strange questions, m’lord,” she panted. “But I did see that a woman was brought in today.”
“How would you know that?”
“Because we are very close to the castle and visitors must pass by the tavern to enter the grounds,” she muttered, trembling when he rubbed her in just the right spot. “She passed by with one of the king’s knights. I’ve seen the man before; he’s Sassenach. And a large troupe of actors and musicians also came in today. Why? Are ye an entertainer?”
He didn’t answer her, but began to manipulate the sensitive nub between her legs. She bucked and cried, and Andrew felt oddly detached, watching as if he were a disinterested bystander. It was the most un-arousing thing he’d ever done.
“Where are the guests housed?” he whispered hotly in her ear. “Do you know?”
She cried out before answering. “My sister serves at the castle,” she groaned. “In the past, I think she has said visitors are in the residence to the south of the gatehouse. That’s where she works. But the entertainers are housed with the servants. Why do ye ask so many questions about it?”
Any more questions and she would more than likely become suspicious, but Andrew had heard most of what he needed to know. At least, he had an idea now. In the residence to the south of the gatehouse. He could find it once he was able to gain access to the castle. And then, hopefully, he could find Josephine from there.
His fact-finding mission was over and he needed to get away from the woman. He manipulated her quickly until she reached her climax. Then, he jumped from the bed, going over to the basin of water to wash the smell of her from him.
Esme stretched like a cat and smiled, putting herself back together as she sat up. He turned and looked at her coldly.
“Get out,” he said.
Her smile faded and she looked at him questioningly, but she obeyed. He waited until she left before he pulled off his leather vest and threw it on the bed. Then, wearing only his trousers, black linen tunic, and thigh-high black war boots, he strapped on his sword and went to find Sully.
*
Sully was having a merry time where Andrew had left him. He and the three women were howling with laughter when Andrew came upon them.
“Montgomery,” he said and jerked his head towards the door.
Sully nodded, patting the women as he stood up and followed. He waved and blew a kiss as if he were actually sorry to be leaving.
“God in heaven!” he exclaimed softly once they were outside. “I thought you would never come back!”
Andrew looked grim. “I had to discover what I could,” he said. “Believe me when I say that I took no pleasure in it.”
“What did you discover?”
“That Josephine was probably brought in today,” he said. “She said a woman had been brought in by a knight. Who does that sound like to you?”
Sully’s eyes narrowed as he pondered that question. “A knight brought her in?” he said. “Who could that be? The king took everyone with him when he left.”
Andrew shook his head. “Clearly, not everyone,” he said. “He sent a knight to retrieve Josephine and bring her to Edinburgh. Did you meet any of the knights that the king brought with him?”
Sully thought hard. “I think there were a few,” he said. “But I think I saw them with the king when he left.”
“All of them?”
Sully shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure,” he said honestly. “But who would he have sent after Josephine?”
“His best, probably.”
A light went on in Sully’s mind. “What about that bodyguard who shadows him?” he said. “The big bastard. Someone told me he was an English knight, gifted to Alexander from Henry.”
Andrew knew to whom he was referring and, suddenly, what Esme told him made some sense. “Sassenach,” he hissed. “The woman told me the knight who brought the woman to the castle today was a Sassenach. It had to be the bodyguard. I met him when I went to greet the king’s entourage when they first approached Torridon and he was out in front, protecting the king. De Reyne, I think his name was.”
“De Reyne?” Sully repeated. “I think I ran into him once or twice, but I can’t say we shared any conversation.”
“Conversation or not, he is the only Sassenach I know within the king’s entourage and Esme identified him,” Andrew said. “He is our culprit. Esme also said that visitors are housed in a structure south of the gatehouse, so I would assume that was where he took Josephine. We have a starting point now.”
“One of the vultures you left me with in there told me that her sister is a kitchen servant at the castle,” Sully said with a twinkle in his eye. “She will do anything for the right price.”
That was good news, exactly what they’d been hoping for. They’d reached their horses at this point and paused, determining what they were going to do next.
“Mayhap she can tell me where Josephine is,” Andrew said. “How do we find this woman?”
Sully was rather smug in his reply. “Even as we speak, my new friend is sending word to her sister at the castle that there is money to be made for information,” he said. “Her suggestion was that we stay until very late tonight or even tomorrow morning and wait for her sister to come to us. We will need the woman’s help to enter the grounds because there is only one way in and one way out. We will need her advice.”
Andrew glanced up at the massive castle behind them, perched high on a rock. The crag itself was rocky and sheer, and to try and climb into the castle would be impossible at best. He hated that he was so close and could do nothing to get any closer to Josephine; anxiety ate at him but he fought it off, knowing that there was literally nothing he could do until the morrow.
But the thought was killing him.
I am coming, Joey! Be brave!
“Very well,” he said unhappily. “Then we will stay here tonight and meet with this woman when she arrives. I suppose there is nothing we can do until then, anyway.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Now that their path for the night was set, they collected the horses and headed over to the livery across the road to bed them down. But after that, they would return to the inn for a good meal, a warm bed, and to fight off the women they’d so openly seduced. It could prove for a very interesting evening.
“Tell me, Sully,” Andrew said as they collected their weary horses. “How did you obtain such information without resorting to physical bribery?”
Sully grinned. “Quite simple,” he said. “I am persuasive as well as handsome and charming. Have you not noticed?”
He could hear Andrew laughing all the way into the livery.