Page 84 of Defy the Highlander

Laird Currie waved him off. “He’s yers,” he said. “The horse is growing fat for want of use, so take him and welcome. If I tried tae ride him, I’d probably end up on my head.”

Brody was truly appreciative. With a lingering expression of gratitude to Laird Currie, he took his possessions out of the chest, few as they were, and quit the chamber. Laird Currie had his money returned and Lilia’s debt was paid. Everything was working out, just as he’d planned.

Quickly, he made his way back to the stables to prepare the big, fat, white horse with the gloriously long mane and tail. When he told Angus that Laird Currie had given him the beast, Angus was more than happy to help him prepare the animal for travel.

Time was growing short.

Lilia was packing and he had to be ready.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The little sewing room where Lilia did all of her work was also her sleeping chamber.

It was a tiny interior chamber with no windows and only a door. The way the second floor of the manse was configured, it was built into the curve of the stairwell. It had a small hearth and a transom built over the door for ventilation, but in all, it was a small and dingy chamber. It had been Lilia’s home for the past two years and she was glad to be rid of it.

When Lilia had first come to Hawkhill, she’d brought everything she owned in the world in a little reed basket – two extra shifts, a broadcloth dress, a comb, hose, shoes, and little more. But her two years at Hawkhill had changed that situation dramatically – Lady Currie had been generous in giving Lilia her cast off clothing, so Lilia had accumulated quite a wardrobe of nice dresses.

Her favorites were an amber silk, a blue brocade, and two dresses of the exact same style, one in unbleached linen and one in a dark green wool. But those were dresses strictly reserved for the visits to the Ludus Caledonia. For her chores around the manse, she wore a standard shift with a broadcloth skirt and leather girdle. All of those possessions, new and old, went into a satchel with a torn corner that Lady Currie had given her.

Lilia was able to shove a good deal into the old satchel, including shoes and combs and soap. Everything she would need to start a new life with Brody. She was careful in packing things, never leaving the satchel sitting out in the open for all to see. At the moment, it was sitting under the bed.

As she promised Brody, she was being discreet.

It was a good thing, too, because when her back was turned, the door to her chamber pushed open, almost gently, and Colly stood in the doorway. Glancing up, Lilia could see the expression on the woman, grim and focused as she stood there.

Immediately, Lilia’s defenses went up.

“Does m’lady need me?” she asked. “I heard her earlier… yelling. Is she better now?”

Colly stepped into the chamber. “She’s still quite upset,” she said as she closed the door quietly. “Lilia, we must talk.”

With the door closed, Lilia fought off a creeping sense of fear. “Why did ye close the door?” she asked. “Open it, please. I dunna want tae be in a closed room with ye.”

Colly didn’t open the door but she didn’t advance, either. She simply stood there, looking Lilia over in an appraising manner.

“Did ye think I wouldna notice?” she asked.

“About what?”

“The warrior Lady Currie brought from The Cal,” Colly said. “It’s the same man ye brought here tae Hawkhill those months ago, the one ye said saved ye from the sausage thieves. The one who almost killed me.”

So the old hag had noticed. That answered the question that had come up between Lilia and Brody. But Lilia wasn’t prepared to confess anything. Brody looked differently enough now with his beard and clothing that she could say the old woman had made a mistake. Colly couldn’t prove otherwise because she knew Brody would never admit to it, either.

Therefore, Lilia had to take a stand.

“They do look a bit alike,” she said evenly. “The man I knew… he was clean-shaven and dressed in rags. Lady Currie’s warrior has a beard and wears fine clothing.”

“That makes no difference,” Colly snapped, already becoming frustrated that Lilia wasn’t telling her what she wanted to hear. “I’m not blind, Lilia. It is the same man.”

Lilia shrugged, trying to keep her end of the conversation calm. “If it is, I’m unaware.”

Colly sighed sharply. “Ye’ve always been a liar,” she said, trying to provoke her. “Ye’re lying now. Why can ye not tell me the truth?”

“Ask the man yerself if ye dunna believe me.”

“I’m asking ye,” Colly said, her voice becoming stronger. “Ye may as well confess because I know it’s him. I’ve told Lady Currie and she knows it’s him, too.”

“She never saw the man that was here before. How can she know it’s the same man?”