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8
Kinsley, Ireland,
1844
“I should pound your skull in for this,” Boyd growled through clenched teeth. He stood outside of the Goose & Gander tavern as twilight fell, glowering at Liam like an angry boar. In his fist he clutched the paste jewelry Cora had given Liam the night before. “You and I are practically brothers, but—”
“He’s not my brother.” A sharp crack exploded against Liam’s face, and his head snapped back. One of the Bricks—Liam could never tell the twins apart—had just walloped him upside the head with a fist the size of a Sunday ham. “We were supposed to raid the squire’s house together.” Spittle flew from the man’s flattened lips, and his blunt face was twisted in anger. “You had no business goin’ off on yer own last night.”
Liam rubbed his aching jaw and pointed at the large hulk of a man. “I’ll give you that one, but if you touch me again, you’ll spend the rest of your days looking even uglier than your identical twin here.”
The Bricks squared off together, facing Liam like a pair of angry bulls, but neither of them made a move. No one would ever accuse them of being smart, but at least they knew enough to be wary of Liam’s threat. Liam wasn’t as strong as they were, but he was much faster, and he knew how to fight dirty when he had to.
“I’ll tell you again, and try to get it through your thick heads,” Liam said, swiping a fleck of blood from his mouth. “Squire McLeod is as broke as a swayback mare. His house is falling apart. Anything of value has been sold off or traded away, and if there ever was any treasure, that—” he pointed to the tangle of necklaces Boyd clutched in his fist “—is all that remains. The squire’s been keeping up appearances for a long time, and from the looks of it, he won’t be able to carry on much longer.”
“But I’ve seen the squire’s daughter drive through the village with that old maid of hers,” one of the twins snarled. “Riding high in that fancy carriage, snooty as you please. She doesn’t look hard up.”
“An illusion,” Liam said quickly. A bolt of alarm shot through him at the thought of these men even thinking of Cora. They were unpredictable, and he wanted to keep them as far away from her as possible. “All of it’s for show. The squire is deeply in debt. I overheard the servants talking. Most of that place goes unused, with rooms full of nothing more than dust and shadows. I’m telling you, there’s not a single thing in that house of value.” Nothing except the lovely Cora, whose value had become immeasurable to him.
Boyd swore foully and shoved the necklaces against Liam’s chest. “Maybe we should take a look for ourselves tonight, just to be sure. You might’ve missed something.”
Liam took the jewelry and pocketed it, never taking his eyes off Boyd’s angry face. Even the tips of his ears were red. “You know I’m better at stealth than any of you, and I searched the entire house from top to bottom, which was no easy feat. There are more servants on the premises than we expected. It’s not worth the risk.” He gave Boyd a pointed look. “Your wife, Alice, will be none too pleased to see you dangling at the end of a hangman’s noose for nothing if you were to get caught.”
Boyd spat on the ground and cursed again. Then he began to pace. “She’s been nagging at me to bring in more money, and this was going to be our big break. Now what am I supposed to tell her?” He raked his hands over his head, yanking at tufts of his hair. For a moment, Liam pitied his friend. Alice had a sharp tongue, and they’d married very young. She was as bawdy and loose in morals as her husband, which made it an easy match in the beginning, but the harder times got, the more bitter and angry Alice had become. Liam knew things at home weren’t good for Boyd, but he also knew not to mention it. Boyd was a prideful man, and he’d never admit he couldn’t keep his wife happy. It was surprising he’d mentioned her at all.
“You go home tonight and tell Alice to be expecting a great pile of riches before the week is over,” Liam said, launching into his new plan. He’d been sitting on it all day, and he prayed it would divert their attention away from Cora’s house.
“What are you on about?” Boyd demanded.
Even the Bricks looked more alert, which was saying a lot.
Liam jumped right in. “I overheard the servants talking last night. The grand party the squire attends is north of here, off the main highway. There are dozens of wealthy families in attendance there for the next few days. All we’ll have to do is wait it out. We can camp in the woods, and as the carriages make their return trips home after the party...” Liam held out his hands in a foregone conclusion.
“We pick them clean,” one of the Bricks said.
“Like raptors on a fresh carcass,” the other twin added. Both brothers glanced at each other and a silent communication passed between them. Then, in unison, their craggy faces broke into identical leers.
One of them gave a curt nod. “Hang the squire’s house. We’ll go where the real money is. We’ll go after the carriages.”
Thank God and all that was holy.The Bricks were on board. Liam waited for Boyd to chime in. It didn’t take long. Once the twins began speculating about the piles of riches in store, the excitement caught, and soon Boyd became just as motivated. By the time they all parted ways, a new plan was underway, and more importantly, Cora’s house was safe again.
Relief flooded Liam as he walked down the main road toward the path leading to his brother’s farm. The night sky was brilliant with stars and the full moon shone like a crown jewel, but he barely noticed. He was too blinded by the dazzling memory of Cora’s sweet face and soft voice from the previous night. Now that the crisis was averted and his friends no longer wanted to raid her house, he had the luxury of replaying the precious moments he’d spent with her. He hadn’t slept a wink since meeting the beguiling young woman who’d made him feel more alive than he had in ages. Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he was already devising a plan to see her again. He wasn’t sure how or when; he just knew he had to find a way.
A carriage rumbled up the road behind him. Liam stepped into the weeds to let it pass, but it slowed to a stop. He recognized the crest on the door and swore under his breath. This wasn’t going to go well.
An elegant, gloved hand pushed the carriage door open, and Margaret Brady’s regal face appeared. She was a beautiful woman, with porcelain skin, wide gray eyes, and a long, graceful neck. Her shiny dark hair was arranged in perfect curls high on her head, and as always, she was impeccably dressed in a pale silk gown and gleaming jewelry.
“Liam. I haven’t seen you in a while.” Her throaty voice was low and sultry, and there was a time not long ago when it would’ve worked like a magic spell. “You haven’t answered my messages this past month.” Whenever her husband had business out of town, she’d leave a note tucked into the hollow of a tree at the edge of her property to alert Liam. She’d tell him when it was safe to visit, and he’d steal away in the dead of night and meet at the designated hour. Their clandestine affair had been mutually satisfying for a while, but Liam had begun to suspect Margaret was growing restless and wanting more. She’d been careless the last few times her husband left town, sending servants to approach Liam with notes to meet more often—sometimes even during the day. It wasn’t safe, and her husband was a cold, jealous man with enough wealth to do Liam serious harm if he ever found out. Liam had been wanting to break things off with her for some time, and now he was more determined than ever to end it.
“Margaret, we must talk.” He kept his voice low so the coachman wouldn’t overhear, though he suspected the servants at her house knew everything that went on behind closed doors. The danger was in not knowing whether they were loyal to Margaret or the master of the house. “We can’t carry on anymore. It’s too dangerous.”
She let out a soft, melodious laugh. “Since when has my brawny Liam been afraid of a little danger?”
“It’s more than a little if your husband were to find out about us. He’d see me flogged or hanged. You know it as well as I do.”
Her delicate brows drew together. “You’re seriously worried. What brought this on? It’s never been a problem before, and the risk has always been there.”
That’s because before he’d never had much to live for. Now that he’d met Cora, he suddenly wanted to do better with his life. To be better. “I’m sorry, Margaret. It isn’t right, what we’ve done, and it’s best if we end it.”
