Chapter Fifteen
It was a full schedule at the Ludus Caledonia.
That’s what Lady Currie was told as soon as they arrived at the torch-lit venue.
Hundreds of torches lined Caelian Hill, the warrior village to the south, and the Fields of Mars.
As Lady Currie’s fine carriage rolled in, one of the guides at the Ludus Caledonia explained that there were four preliminary novicius bouts before the main events took place.
“Did you hear, Lilia?” Lady Currie said excitedly. “There will be many fights tonight. New men to see!”
If Lilia hadn’t known better, she’d swear that Lady Currie was drooling at the prospect. More than a month away from her favorite entertainment had the woman twitching with glee and all of the wine she’d imbibed from her personal flask on the ride from Hawkhill had her drunk.
It made for a loud and dramatic combination.
On this night, Lilia and Amy, Tynan’s mother, were the only maids permitted to accompany Lady Currie to the Ludus Caledonia for her triumphant return.
She was wearing the exquisite Roman-style garment that Lilia had made for her, her hair done up in curls and braids that emulated the hairstyle from the Roman vase that Lilia had taken inspiration from for the garment.
Amy had copied it down to the last curl.
The carriage pulled into an area north of the warrior’s village where other carriages and horses were parked, and there were men to help them disembark.
Lady Currie exited first followed by Amy in a red dress that had been loaned to her by Lady Currie, and then Lilia in an amber silk that Lady Currie had given her last year.
It was faded but still serviceable but, most importantly, it didn’t outshine Lady Currie.
That was critical.
There was great excitement in the air as the patrons flocked to the arena for a good seat.
Lilia and Amy followed Lady Currie as she charged towards the Fields of Mars, determined to sit down in the very first row so she could observe the fighters close up.
That was her usual position for the best view.
“Lilia,” Lady Currie said to her as they walked briskly towards the arena. “I am hungry, so find the men selling food and hot wine. I want some before the battles begin.”
That was Lilia’s usual job. She usually ran all over the place, looking for the food vendors, the men who sold hot wine, and hunted down the officials when Lady Currie found a warrior she wanted a closer look at.
At the moment, Lady Currie was heading over to the staging area next to the arena that was in full view of the spectators.
It was where she would look over the stock.
As Lady Currie and Amy headed over to the staging area, Lilia went on the hunt for the food vendors, but she was also hunting for something else.
Brody.
Since their last conversation had been about the Ludus Caledonia, she found herself hoping that he was here. She wasn’t sure if she believed it, but there were great crowds and new recruits, so it was a very real possibility that he might be among them.
She hoped to find out.
Spectators were pressed up against the iron fence that lined the top of the staging area, which was several feet below. Lady Currie was at one corner of it, standing with an official from the Ludus Caledonia, who was pointing out the men to her below. Undoubtedly pointing out newcomers.
With Lady Currie occupied for the moment and so many people gathering around, Lilia dared to push through the crowd around the fence so she could peek down into the yard below.
It was full of men.
In fact, it was quite full of men preparing for the bouts.
She pressed her face between the bars, searching for Brody’s familiar form.
She didn’t see him right away, which discouraged her, but she told herself that simply because he wasn’t below didn’t mean he wasn’t at the Ludus Caledonia. It just meant he wasn’t fighting.
She had to hold firm to that thought.
Reluctantly, she pulled away from the iron fence and went on the hunt for the food vendors.
The Ludus Caledonia was more crowded than usual, with great groups of men and even women moving about.
There was a warrior’s village off to the southwest and she could see the small cottages, all lined up.
Tendrils of smoke snaked into the air from the cooking fires.
It was possible that Brody was in the warrior village, but she knew it wouldn’t be safe for her to walk around and look for him. She didn’t want to be mistaken for a harlot.
Therefore, she headed to the area where the food vendors were.
Tables were lined up and she found a vendor selling meatballs made from ground meat, ginger, and boiled in beef broth.
They were then seared over an open flame and placed on a stick, and Lilia purchased two of those for Lady Currie.
There were also little pork pies, some other kind of skewered meat that looked rather suspicious, and pies that were made from brains and eggs, which she avoided since Lady Currie wasn’t fond of organ meat.
With her bounty of meatballs and pork pies, she found the hot wine vendor and purchased a bladder of the stuff. With her hands full, she began to make her way back towards the Fields of Mars, but her trek was interrupted as some of the men from the warrior’s village were brought out to the arena.
Pausing with hot food in her hands wasn’t ideal, but Lilia had to wait until the men passed before she could continue.
The pork pies were seriously burning her hands and she shifted them, impatiently waiting for the men to pass.
But the moment she looked up from the pies in her hands, she recognized one of the men as he walked on the far end of the group.
He was bearded and shaggy, but there was no mistaking him. She’d seen him in that state once before, in a dirty alleyway in Edinburgh. He walked with the grace of a stalking cat, power in his movements, grace in his limbs.
Her heart lurched.
“Brody!”
He heard her. Brody had been looking ahead, not paying attention to the spectators, but the sound of a familiar voice had him urgently scanning the crowd.
The moment he spied Lilia, his eyes widened with shock.
Shoving men out of the way, he rushed to her but a sharp word from Galan, the English trainer, stopped him.
“Move along, McKay,” Galan boomed. “Straight ahead.”
Brody couldn’t come any closer to her but the expression on his face told Lilia he was very close to disobeying the command.
He was as surprised as she was. Therefore, she started to walk on the fringe of the group of men, holding her food and wine, tears stinging her eyes as Brody, too, began to walk at a proper distance alongside her.
Moving forward, each one trying to pretend that there was no great reunion to be had.
It was almost too much to bear.
“Ye’re here,” Lilia said, her voice hoarse with emotion. “Ye’re really here!”
Brody nodded. “My angel,” he muttered with satisfaction. “I have been waiting for ye. I knew ye’d come at some point. Ye’re here with Lady Currie?”
She nodded, so eagerly that her hair came undone from its braid. “Aye,” she said. “She has been ill. It’s our first visit in over a month.”
Brody was trying very hard not to move closer to her, fearful he would get in trouble if he did. But, God, he wanted to reach out and grab her.
“Did ye receive my message?” he asked as quietly as he could.
“From Tynan? He told me.”
Brody shook his head. “I paid the man at The Sticky Wick tae send someone tae tell ye that I’d gone tae The Cal. No one told ye?”
“Nay.”
Brody couldn’t hide his exasperation. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I paid the man tae get a message tae ye. Ye must have thought I’d run off and left ye.”
She smiled faintly, shaking her head. “Nay,” she said softly. “I had faith. I’d hoped ye were here. It was the very last thing we spoke of.”
“It was something I was serious about,” he said. He paused a moment, looking her over as much as he dared. “God, I’ve missed ye. Ye have no idea how much I’ve missed ye.”
“And I’ve missed ye,” she said fervently. “So very much.”
They were nearing the gates that led down to the staging area and Brody glanced up ahead, almost in a panic when he realized his time with her would soon be cut short. “Are ye well?” he asked. “Tynan told me that Colly…”
She cut him off, knowing what he was going to say. “I am very well,” she said quickly. “Please dunna worry. I’m restricted tae the house and all I do is sew. Truly, I’m fine. Ye needna worry at all.”
The group of novicius had come to a halt while the big, iron gates were opened. Knowing their time was at an end, Brody dared to move closer to her.
“I have a cottage at the end of the warrior’s village,” he murmured. “If ye can find me when this is over… I’ll look for ye. If not, I’ll see ye the next time ye come. And… Lilia?”
“Aye?”
“I’ve never said this before tae anyone, but I’ve been thinking about it and ye need tae know that I…”
“Move on, McKay,” Galan said as he came up, putting himself between the pair. “Move along. No fraternizing with the spectators unless they pay for it.”
Lilia stood there, crestfallen, as Brody was pushed along by a big brute who spoke like a proper Sassenach. Before Brody was herded through the gate, he mouthed words to her over the heads of the others.
I love ye.
At least, that’s what Lilia thought he said. She couldn’t be sure, but it certainly looked like it to her. Perhaps it was wishful thinking.
But she didn’t think so.
She stood there a moment as Brody disappeared through the gate, feeling tremendous joy and tremendous sadness. She was walking on air and felt like crumpling in tears, all at the same time.
He loved her.
But the Ludus Caledonia had him.
Taking a deep breath to steady her composure, she headed back into the crowd, on the hunt for Lady Currie.
*
Clouds rolled in before the bouts could begin and by the time they started, a dusting of snow was beginning to fall.