Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Theo shifted in his seat as he brushed his fingers over his upper lip. Lavina’s scent lingered, pulling his focus from the council meeting. Images of her pulling him into the shadows of the garden flashed through his mind.
“Laird McGowan?”
He blinked until the garden faded into the council chambers. Arching an eyebrow, he shifted his attention to the councilman across from him.
“Are ye listenin’, or is there a more pressing matter that needs yer attention?”
Theo didn’t like Howard’s tone. He could feel the challenge rising in him.
Just as he opened his mouth to rebuke the councilman, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Hope and fear spiked through him as he recognized the rider instantly.
He rolled his shoulders back and straightened.
“As a matter of fact, there is a more pressing matter. Gentlemen, I trust yer judgment on the cost of repair to the fences in the south. We need to ensure that our borders are secure. We dinnae need anyone causin’ a ruckus or questionin’ where our lands begin. ”
“And what of the archways for the border wall? Some of them have fallen into disrepair and either need to be replaced or mended.”
Theo made his way to the door and, with the wave of his hand, answered, “I leave it to yer capable hands. I trust ye’ll do what is needed.”
With that, he was out of the room before the councilmen could rope him back.
His steps echoed through the corridor as he made a beeline for the stables.
The familiar scent of straw and leather greeted him like an old friend. Stephen came up in a rush and dismounted just as quickly. The glint in his gaze was unsettling.
“I take it ye took the horse back to its rightful owner?” Theo asked, trying to dispel the tension in his shoulders.
“Aye, of course,” Stephen answered with a chuckle. “But between us, I dinnae see why ye returned it. That man was horrid. Believe me, I wanted to keep it. It was a fine beast. But it wasnae right to do so.”
“Aye,” Theo said agreeably, but he was clearly disgruntled. “And what of the other matter I had ye look into?” he pressed, his chest tightening.
Stephen stiffened. “Nae good. The bandits work for Laird Lewis.”
“Aye, I suspected as much when they tried to take the girls back to his lands. Tell me something I dinnae ken.”
“I’m afraid there’s nothing to tell,” Stephen sighed. “The bandits had marks on their wrists, though.”
“Come again?” Theo asked, his eyebrow arching with suspicion as he gave his man-at-arms his full, undivided attention.
“The men who tried to take Maisie were branded as pirates.”
“That cannae be a coincidence…” Theo trailed off. He felt as if more bricks were being dropped on his chest and he was being crushed into the ground. “We’ll have to widen our net if we’re goin’ to catch a bigger fish.”
“And who exactly are we tryin’ to catch?” Stephen furrowed his brow in confusion.
“A killer,” Theo answered, glancing around, ensuring the stables were empty.
“Intriguing, but who would be dumb enough to do such a thing on yer land?” Stephen asked.
“That’s the conundrum,” Theo answered. “All we have to go on is what Lavina heard from her father’s man-at-arms when he came to tell her the news of her family’s passin’.”
“That’s nothin’ to go on,” Stephen answered with a disbelieving expression plastered on his face.
“Maybe if ye can find the man, we can learn more. He goes by the name of Johan. Maybe he’ll be able to point us to someone who would have wanted to kill them.
But I dinnae want ye to make a fuss or let Lavina ken what yer doin’,” Theo said.
He flexed his jaw as he mulled over what he was going to do.
It wasn’t like he knew any of the McBride clan.
They had kept their distance from his lands for so long that he barely batted an eye in their direction.
“Johan is it? I’ll start askin’ around the village and such to see what news I can gather for ye. But why nae start with someone a bit closer to the family?”
“Ye’re thinkin’ the uncle killed them?” Theo asked without a hint of shock lacing his voice as his attention shifted to Stephen for a moment. Stephen gave a small shrug as if he agreed with the idea, but was too scared to take credit.
“Aye,” Stephen answered after a few moments.
Theo bobbed his head. “I’ve thought of it too. And he does have the most to gain by bein’ laird. Lavina’s uncle sent those men to kidnap Lavina. What if he hired the same people who killed her family, too?”
He rubbed his temples to soothe the throbbing ache there as the pieces fell into place. As much as he didn’t want it to be true, he couldn’t deny the plausibility.
“And has Lavina figured it out yet? That her uncle is responsible?” Stephen asked.
Theo began pacing the stables. “I dinnae think so. She claims her uncle is tryin’ to marry off Maisie.”
“Seems to me Laird McBride has gotten himself into some hot water,” Stephen chuckled, confusing Theo.
“And why do ye say that?” Theo asked as his chest swelled with an anger he didn’t want to quell.
“Why else do lairds go to such measures to get a lass back? I’ll bet ye he’s got debts to pay and is usin’ that poor girl to pay them off for him,” Stephen said with disgust.
“Find that information for me,” Theo said. “I want to ken how much he owes and to whom.”
“Ye goin’ to pay off his debts to buy Maisie?”
“If that’s what it takes,” Theo said. “Maisie means the world to Lavina. Lavina is me wife, and I’ll nae see her hurt, nae when there’s somethin’ I can do about it.”
“I’ll leave first thin’ and report in the mornin’.”
“Ye’ll need more time. Report by the end of the week,” Theo said with a nod, as he wished he could settle the matter once and for all.
“And Stephen, Lavina cannae ken. I have to figure out how to handle this. It’s nae like I can just charge into his territory—it would be war.
And I doubt the council would agree to that. ”
“But if he decides to come here, our people arenae ready for such a conflict,” Stephen countered.
“True. The council willnae like this, but it’ll be hard for them to understand goin’ to war for a lass. Unless the threat comes to us,” Theo said, rubbing the stubble on his chin.
“Then, the council will beg ye to defend the clan,” Stephen said encouragingly.
“Perhaps what we need to do is use the girls to lure Laird Lewis here,” Theo said.
He hated suggesting it, but it made sense. Laird Lewis had been on a rampage, looking for his nieces, and now Theo was willing to dangle them like carrots to lure the man right into his hands.
“If Lavina finds out ye’re riskin’ her sister’s—”
“I willnae be, and she need nae ken. Ye and I will make sure that they are protected. Nay harm will come to either of them,” Theo asserted, placing his hand on Stephen’s shoulder. “And we always have Plan B.”
“Ye really trust the cave system? How long has it been since someone used those tunnels? For all we ken, they’ve caved long ago.”
“Then I suggest ye get a man on that and have him map it out so we can have a clear view of what’s under us. I want all options on the table. Lavina’s life and her sister’s hang in the balance. They are both mine to protect, and I willnae let them come to harm.”
His jaw clenched. “Dinnae ye see? This is the only way we’ll be able to get rid of this problem. Laird Lewis must die. Lavina and Maisie deserve their vengeance. I only ask that I be the hand God uses for such a task.”
“Surely there must be a mistake,” Lavina said as she spun around, the hem of her skirt brushing her ankles. She peered down the corridor and counted the doors, shaking her head.
“Something I can help you with here, Me Lady?” a maid asked the second she came out of the gallery filled with portraits of her husband’s ancestors.
Lavina hesitated a moment before dropping her shoulders in defeat.
“I’m afraid I’m lost. I’m lookin’ for the library.”
The maid blinked, as if processing her words was complicated. Slowly, she stood straighter and lowered her eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry, Me Lady, but there is nay library in the keep.”
“Well, that cannae be right,” Lavina scoffed, shocked by the confession. “Where does the Laird keep all the books?”
“Books? Well, those ye can find in the large study, but I doubt ye’ll find the sort ye’re lookin’ for. There’s nothing but old ledgers and family journals in that room. Then again, I’ve only been here for a season. I could be wrong. Yer best bet is to take it up with the Laird himself.”
“Oh, I intend to,” Lavina grumbled as she turned for the study.
It appalled her that there was no library in the keep. What did her husband do for a pastime? But more importantly, how educated was a man who only had a handful of tomes?
Surely there was a mistake, and she was going to figure it out.
She made for the study, the words already like arrows twitching to be released from her tongue. She paused at the door, wringing her hands. The tension in her shoulders betrayed her nerves, but she lifted a hand to the oak door and knocked nonetheless.
The knock rang out like a clap of thunder over the moors. It stole the fire from her belly.
Stephen’s beady eyes peered through the crack in the door.
“I need a moment of the Laird’s time,” Lavina demanded, trying to keep her voice calm yet firm.
“Lavina? Let her in,” Theo’s voice ordered.
The door swung open, revealing Theo behind his desk with wide, eager eyes.
“I’m sorry to bother ye,” Lavina said, walking past Stephen without sparing him a glance.
She could still feel his gaze on her, a warning that seeped into her bones. She was interrupting something important.
“Why have ye come?” he asked, following her to Theo’s desk.
Theo shook his head and, with a wave of his hand, ordered Stephen to leave.
As Stephen turned and headed for the door, Theo called, “Report back in three days.”
The door moaned in protest as Stephen shut it, sealing Lavina in the room with Theo.