AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eight
Fin
“Ye know yer a bleedin’ arse, daenae ye?”
Fin turned his head and looked at Hollis. “What? What dae ye mean?” he asked. “What did I dae?”
Hollis shook his head. “Are ye serious right now? Not even ye can be that dim, can ye?”
“What are ye talkin’ about?” Fin asked. “All I did was tell the truth.”
“Aye. And that’s the problem, ye bleedin’ bampot.”
Fin sighed as they walked down the corridor, heading for the stairs that would take them to the subterranean levels of the keep. They were bound for the dark cells to have a talk with Marcus to see if the night spent in the dungeon changed his perspective on things. Fin’s hopes weren’t exceptionally high, but as long as there was a slim chance, it was better than no chance.
“A woman like that, a noblewoman daenae want the bleedin’ truth,” he said.
“Nay?” Fin asked. “Then what dae she want?”
“Other than for ye tae fall to yer knees and worship her like a livin’ goddess?”
Fin laughed as they made it to the staircase that would take them below. He stopped, though, and turned to Hollis, curious to hear what he had to say.
“Other than that,” Fin said. “What did I dae?”
“The first thing is that ye insulted her by laughin’ like a bleedin’ idiot,” Hollis said. “The second is that ye tried tae tell her how tae talk tae her people. How tae treat her servants. Ye all but called her a bleedin’ tyrant, ye fool.”
“I didnae--”
“Ye did,” Hollis cut him off. “And if ye daenae believe me, yer a fool.”
Fin chuckled. If there was one thing he could always count on, it was that he would never fail to get the whole and unvarnished truth out of Hollis.
“She came tae see ye tae apologize. Tae ye,” Hollis went on. “Dae ye not ken how rare that is? Nobles daenae apologize tae commoners like us.”
“What? Col apologizes all the bleedin’ time.”
“That’s because Col’s not a normal noble,” he pressed. “In most ways, he’s more like us than thae Scottish or Ainglish nobles.”
“Fine, fine,” Fin relented. “Ye’re right. He’s nae like a real noble.”
“So, for a real noble like Lady Ivy tae seek ye out to apologize tae ye, that’s about as uncommon a thing as ye’ll find,’ he pressed. “And from her perspective, ye threw it right back in that lovely face of hers.”
Fin grumbled under his breath. Though it galled him to admit, he could see Hollis’ point. Perhaps that was not the ideal time to mention how poorly she treated her servants. It did not make it any less true from Fin’s perspective, but this is one of those moments Col was always in his ear about when political delicacy may have mattered more than the truth. He noisily blew out a long breath.
“Col should’ve sent a bleedin’ politician instead of me,” Fin growled.
Hollis laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “Ye’ll be fine, mate,” he said. “Tis nae like this is yer first failin’ with a woman. Nor will it be yer last.”
Fin flashed him a grin and shook his head. “Ye’re a bleedin’ arse. Yer lucky I tolerate ye.”
“Tolerate? Ye couldnae function without me,” Hollis quipped. “Daenae worry. I’ve a feelin’ ye’ll get a chance tae make amends. I saw the way she looked at ye over breakfast. She could barely take her eyes off ye.”
“Ye need tae stop drinkin’ mead with breakfast, me friend,” Fin countered. “She couldnae stand tae be ‘round me.”
“That’s called flirtin’, mate.”
They laughed together as they descended the stairs. The light of day coming from above gradually filtered away, and when they found themselves in the subterranean corridors, the only light was from the torches that hung on sconces in the wall. They strode into a small antechamber where a bored-looking soldier sat back in a chair with his feet propped up on the table in front of him, gnawing on a chicken leg. He was an older man with a craggy face that glistened with grease from his afternoon snack, droopy dark eyes, and wisps of white hair.
