Genius
As the Gretna docks came into view, Corbin realized he didn’t have much time to formulate a plan that would accommodate his new circumstances. He worried about how to rid himself of the four crewmen. Initially, he planned to have them jump overboard, but the tide was going out and it was unlikely they would drown. In any case, he doubted Kyla could handle docking the galley single-handedly, proficient though she was, and Adrian wouldn’t be of much use.
The prospect of traveling ten miles to Carlisle Castle with two reluctant females in tow was bothersome. Kyla in particular would thwart him every chance she got. Imagine if he secured an audience with the king and she decided to denounce him there and then. There’d be nothing he could do.
Then inspiration struck at the very moment Kyla declared the boat secure. He chuckled at his own genius. “Adrian, find a horse for my betrothed and me.”
As the lad scampered off, Corbin relished the confused frown on Kyla’s face. Clever as she was, she hadn’t recognized the ingenious nature of his decision. “You’ll remain here, with the crew and the gunboat, and woe-betide Lily if you’re gone when I return as the new Warden of the Solway. A man can punish his wife however he sees fit.”
She merely gaped at him, the brilliance of it evidently striking her dumb. Indeed, he began to feel ridiculously disappointed and uncomfortable as Kyla and the four crewmen simply stared at him. He’d have preferred an argument, or some sort of attempt to stop him, then he could have pulled Lily’s hair again and given her arm another good pinch. That would shake the sullen glower off her face and make her cry.
He tapped his foot impatiently. Where was Adrian with the confounded horse?
*
Kyla was confident Nicolson and the other crewmen understood the best plan was to allow Corbin to get off the galley once the horse arrived. However, she could only hope Lily grasped the reason for their inaction.
The bairn had courage, that was for certain. Corbin hadn’t managed to make her cry.
The madman’s decision to allow them all to remain behind was proof of his idiocy. She’d fully expected him to force the crew overboard. Of course with the tide going out, they’d have had little difficulty reaching the safety of a mudflat, especially given that Nicolson knew the estuary well. In a way, she was disappointed he wasn’t taking her to Carlisle. She’d have done everything she could to make his life miserable. However, it was a relief to be rid of his leering gaze.
Now, she’d have traveling companions on the journey into Cumbria. Venturing into England was a daunting prospect, but it was her responsibility to reveal Corbin’s crimes to King James, for Broderick’s sake.
A lot depended on what Adrian decided to do. If Corbin took him along, she wouldn’t have to worry about him for the moment. If he was left behind, whose side would the youth choose?
She and Corbin stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity as the tide went out and the galley settled into the mud. He eventually sat down on one of the tholes, though the overlong sword rendered it difficult. She was tempted to laugh, until he dragged Lily to sit on his lap.
He grinned like an imbecile, his face reddening as the lass squirmed. Kyla fumed, wishing there was some way to tell Lily to keep still.
Gooseflesh marched across her skin when a pale-faced Adrian returned. She risked a glance along the dock to see if he’d left the horse there, but it was clear he’d been unsuccessful.
Corbin snarled. “Well?”
“There isna a horse to be be found,” Adrian replied. “I looked everywhere.”
Holding on to Lily as he stood almost caused Corbin to trip over the sword. “Not even a donkey?”
Adrian brightened. “Oh, aye. Donkeys aplenty.”
“So why didn’t you bring a donkey?”
Adrian shook his head. “Folks hereabouts see no value in a fancy dagger. They’d rather keep their donkey.”
Nicolson made a soft snorting noise.
Even Lily smirked.
Corbin exhaled an exasperated breath. “Do you still have the blade?”
“Aye, er…I mean yes, my laird.”
“Then you can stay here and guard my gunboat. Kyla MacKeegan had better be aboard when I return. You’ll suffer the consequences if she isn’t.”
“What about the men?” Adrian asked, drawing the dagger from his belt.
Corbin shrugged. “They’re of no importance. I’ll find another crew.” He picked Lily up and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of grain. “Keep an eye on them while I disembark. Seems I’ll have to find a horse myself.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Kyla had a difficult time hiding her amused contempt as he climbed the ladder to the dock impeded by the sword.
When Lily looked up briefly, Kyla mouthed, “All shall be well.” But the despair didn’t leave the bairn’s eyes.
“What a fyking idiot,” Delft muttered as Corbin strode away.
“That’s no way to talk about my laird,” Adrian said with a broad grin. “Even if ’tis true.”
To Kyla’s immense relief, he turned the dagger and handed it to her, hilt first. “Good lad,” she said hoarsely, filled with regret as she gripped Broderick’s finely-wrought weapon—her only link to the man she was beginning to have strong feelings for when he was so cruelly murdered. She would consider it her talisman.
Nicolson clamped a hand on the youth’s shoulder. “I ne’er dooted ye for a moment.”
Adrian leaned into his mentor. “As if I’d aid a mon who tried to drown me,” he rasped. “His father was a better laird, but he was no match for his son’s bullying.”
“This is all well and good,” Delft interrupted. “Lochwood’s an idiot right enough, but he’s dangerous, and he has my laird’s sister.”
“We must let him get ahead and be careful to stay out of sight,” Kyla replied. “Delft, ye and yer men will watch over the gunboat while Nicolson, Adrian and I follow him to Carlisle.”