Page 42 of Defy the Highlander

The oath Brody had taken had been the Fionnadh Fuil, or the Blood Oath, of the Ludus Caledonia. With that oath, he had become part of something that was far bigger and far more brutal than he could have ever imagined. He’d only come to the place to earn money, but what would happen in the days and months to come would far exceed that hope.

It would define him.

The education for the Highland Protector had begun.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It had been over a month since she’d seen Brody.

Not knowing where he was or what he was doing made every day a venture between hope and despair. Sometimes the angst was so bad that she could hardly concentrate and for what she was doing these days, she needed her concentration.

All of it.

It had been a month of hell.

Tynan had told her about Brody’s visit and the message he bore. That gave her some hope that he hadn’t abandoned her but was simply off looking for work. Part of their last conversation had revolved around the Ludus Caledonia and the possibility of making money, but she didn’t honestly believe he’d go there. Surely, he’d find something else that didn’t involve bloody combat.

Whatever he found didn’t really matter to her as long as he was a man of his word. He said he’d return for her and she clung to that belief. As it stood, she wasn’t getting any closer to working off the debt.

Quite the opposite.

Since that day that Colly had overwhelmed her in the kitchen and threw her in a locked chamber, only to be released when Lady Currie demanded it, she had been on her best behavior. After her conversation with Laird Currie, she tried doubly hard to behave. She didn’t want to jeopardize any chances of finally being released from her servitude.

But she prayed for the day that Brody would return.

If he returned…

The passing weeks had seen more than simply her semi-imprisonment and Brody’s disappearance. Lady Currie had taken ill over those weeks and although Lilia hadn’t been privy to the details, there were whispers of a miscarriage for Lady Currie. No one really knew for certain, of course, except the physic that tended her and probably Colly, but she was in bed for that entire month before she was finally encouraged to rise and take exercise.

If the woman has a son, it will not be the laird’s.

That’s what Lilia had told Brody.

Perhaps any miscarriage, in that case, had been a blessing.

Winter was in full bloom and as Lady Currie walked the chambers and stairs of Hawkhill to regain her strength because of the poor weather outside, Lilia remained tucked into a small chamber that was used for sewing and dressing. All she’d done during the month was sew garments for Lady Currie, including the Roman garb she’d requested. It had turned out splendidly, with beautiful embroidery on the hem and neckline in red silk.

Even now, Lilia was working on a pink garment for Lady Currie because her last encounter with Colly had emphasized one thing – no matter what, Lady Currie would always side with Colly, which meant the old woman had the true power at Hawkhill.

Perhaps that wouldn’t have mattered so much to Lilia before she met Brody, but now that she had hope for her future, she wanted to remain in one piece, waiting for the day when he would come and take her away from all of this.

Ironic how the man had made her less combative.

“Lilia?”

Shaken from her thoughts, Lilia looked up from the sewing in her hands to see Tynan’s mother standing there. When their eyes met, Amy smiled timidly at her.

“Lady Currie wishes tae see ye,” she said. Then, she lowered her voice. “I do believe she wants tae leave Hawkhill tonight. I heard her speaking tae Colly.”

Lilia’s brow furrowed. “Leave it?” she repeated. “And go where?”

“The Ludus Caledonia.”

Lilia set down the sewing. “That again,” she said softly. “I’d hoped she’d forgotten about it. I suppose it was a foolish hope, after all.”

Amy nodded as she came into the chamber. “She seems determined tae go back,” she said quietly. “Poor Lilia. Forced to escort the woman tae that horrible place.”

Lilia felt sorry for herself, too, but she caught the pitiful expression on Amy’s face and she smiled, patting the woman on the hand as she stood up. “There is one thing I like about it.”