Chapter 14
“ L uke, come out here right now. I need to talk to you.” Hunter stood in the door of the stables, calling out his young nephew.
Regina was with him, fingering the brooch, feeling it in her heart that the boy couldn’t possibly be the thief they hunted.
“What is it, Hunter?” Luke walked out with the cat in his arms and Fred right behind him.
“Alone,” said Hunter in a commanding voice. “Give the cat to Fred and follow me.”
“But we were just going to?—”
“Now!” shouted Hunter, taking the cat from him and pushing her into Fred’s arms. Then he grabbed Luke by the back of the tunic and yanked him toward him.
“Hunter, mayhap you don’t need to be so rough,” suggested Regina, seeing this was already not going well.
“You’re hurting me,” cried Luke, even though Regina could see that the boy was only acting.
“We can talk in the mews,” said Regina. “I’ll ask Cassian and Roger to step out. That will give us some privacy.”
“Good idea,” said Hunter, following her with the boy still in his grip.
“Lady Regina. Lord Hunter,” said Roger when they walked into the mews. “Did you find Lightning yet?”
“It’s just Hunter without the Lord,” Hunter corrected him.“And no, we haven’t found the missing bird yet.”
“Roger, can you and Cassian please step out for a minute? We’d like a little privacy,” Regina told him.
“Of course. Cassian. Cassian!” Roger yelled to the older man who slowly turned around. “Let’s go,” said Roger, waving his arm. Cassian eyed them up curiously, but followed Roger out of the mews.
“Let go of me.” Luke struggled against Hunter’s hold.
“We need to talk,” said Hunter.
“About what?”
“I found a crossbow in the trunk in our chamber. I also found this.” Hunter held out his hand and Regina gave him the brooch. He held it up and Luke’s disposition suddenly changed. The boy looked to the ground and kicked at the straw rushes on the floor. “Did you steal these things, Luke?” asked Hunter. “I want the truth, so don’t even think of lying.”
“Nay. I didn’t steal them.” Luke couldn’t look at Hunter and Regina realized the boy was not telling the truth. Or at least not the whole truth.
“I don’t believe you,” snapped Hunter.
“Hunter, please.” Regina took back the brooch from him. “This brooch was missing before you and Luke ever came to the castle. He couldn’t have stolen it.”
“True, but why has it suddenly appeared in a trunk in our chamber?” asked Hunter.
“I was just holding it for someone,” explained Luke.
“Holding it? Holding a stolen item? Who the hell for?” Hunter demanded to know.
Luke looked down and kicked at the floor again. “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Then why don’t you start by telling me where you got the crossbow, the boots and while you’re at it, the cat, too. After all, it is odd that you told me you wanted those things and as soon as we got here you suddenly had them.” Hunter was not happy with the boy and Regina couldn’t blame him. Still, she could see he was scaring the boy and that Luke would only end up rebelling if Hunter didn’t pull back.
“Let me try,” she said softly, resting her hand on Hunter’s arm.
“Be my guest.” Hunter turned away and crossed his arms.
“Luke, sit down,” said Regina, sitting on a wooden bench and patting the seat next to her.
“I don’t want to sit.” Anything they suggested now, the boy was sure to object.
Hunter looked up as if he were going to command the boy to sit, but Regina raised her hand in the air to stop him. “That’s fine,” she said, playing with the brooch. “I’m really sad about Lightning being stolen. I am scared that I might never see her again.”
“I didn’t take her. Honest, I didn’t.” Luke’s eyes opened wide.
“I know you didn’t,” said Regina. “I just want you to know that it isn’t right for anyone to steal anything. No matter how small or insignificant it might be.”
“I didn’t steal nothing, Lady Regina. I got the boots by bluffing,” Luke told her. “Hunter does it all the time.”
She saw Hunter look up and then drop his arms to his sides, shaking his head slowly.
“Hunter?” Regina gave him an opportunity to explain what this meant.
“Luke, I was wrong by bluffing to get things I wanted,” said Hunter. “You shouldn’t do it either. It’s just not right.”
“Bluffing? What exactly does that mean?” She looked over to Hunter once again.
“Lying,” said Hunter softly.
“Oh.” She sighed and put the brooch into a pouch at her side.
“I won the boots playing cards with the guards,” Luke continued. “Hunter taught me how to gamble.”
“He did, did he?” She didn’t need to even look at Hunter to know he was probably cringing right now.
“Even though I bluffed and didn’t really have a winning hand, I still won the game.” Luke slowly sat down next to Regina. “You believe me, Lady Regina, don’t you?”
Regina’s gaze shot over to Hunter and then back to the boy. “Yes. Yes, we both believe you. Right, Hunter?”
She was afraid Hunter was going to object, but when she shook her head slowly, he went along with her plan.
“Yes, I believe you, Luke.” Hunter came over and sat on the bench next to Luke, making it cozy between the three of them. “What about the cat? William from town says Inky has a white spot on her paw just like his did. He swears she is his cat.”
“She is,” said Luke, looking so sad. “It was Fred’s idea.”
“What do you mean?” asked Regina, really having hoped that this part wasn’t true. She saw how happy the cat had made the boy and how much love he gave her.
“Well, I told Fred I always wanted a black cat,” Luke explained. “Fred said he saw one in William’s tailor shop and said I should take her.”
“So you really were hanging out in front of the tailor’s like William said?” asked Hunter.
“Even though Fred wanted me to take her, I just wanted to pet her,” protested Luke. “Then it was Fred’s idea to start feeding her. Once we did, she started to follow us.”
“All the way back to the castle, I’ll bet,” said Hunter. “With a little coaxing?”
“Yes. I’m sorry,” said Luke. “But I really love Inky. Do I have to give her back?”
Hunter looked over to Regina, obviously not sure what to say.
“I’m sure if we talk to William he might let us buy her from him,” suggested Regina.
“Really?” Luke came to life, becoming excited by the idea.
“Slow down,” said Hunter. “We will discuss the cat later. Right now, you need to tell me more. Like how in heaven’s name did you get a crossbow? I’m sure you didn’t win that in a game of chance.”
“Nay, I traded for it.” Luke looked to the ground again.
“Traded for a crossbow? You don’t have anything valuable enough to make anyone—oh hell, no. You traded my father’s sword for it, didn’t you? That’s why I didn’t see the blade in the bedchamber.”
“It’s the only thing the huntsman wanted.”
“That wasn’t yours to trade,” Hunter scolded.
“I thought you gave it to Luke,” said Regina, getting a scowl from Hunter.
“Yes, but as a family heirloom,” Hunter told her. “I wanted him to keep it, not trade it away. It was to stay in our family.”
“In his defense, you didn’t tell him that. Did you?” asked Regina.
Now it was Hunter’s turn to look in the other direction. “Well, not exactly.”
“Luke, this still doesn’t explain how you got a hold of Lady Sage’s brooch.” Regina tried to be gentle to coax the truth from the boy.
“I told you. I didn’t steal it.”
“Who did?” asked Hunter.
Luke remained quiet. Finally he answered. “I don’t know who stole it. Fred told me he found it on the ground in the stables and asked me to hold on to it.”
“That’s a lie,” snapped Hunter.
“Mayhap not.” Regina stepped in before another argument took place. “It could be possible that the thief really did drop it and Fred found it, just like Luke says.”
“Where did he find it exactly and who had been there who could have possibly dropped it?” asked Hunter.
“I don’t know.” Luke shrugged. “Fred didn’t say, but he probably doesn’t know either. There are a lot of people who go through the stables during a day.”
“You need to ask Fred about it,” said Hunter.
“Why? Are you going to accuse Fred of being a thief and throw him in the dungeon?” Luke shot daggers from his eyes at Hunter.
“Well, if need be, then yes,” said Hunter. “I can’t let a thief walk free.” Hunter wasn’t letting up with the boy and Regina realized it was probably because his father had been tough with him as well. Still, this wasn’t really working.
“Mayhap we can use this to find the real thief.” Regina took the brooch out of her pocket and looked at it in thought. “As bait.”
“Yes,” said Hunter. “Mayhap Luke can try to trade it for something else and see who wants it.”
“Wait. You want me to gamble and bluff again? I’m confused.” Luke scratched his head.
“Forget the idea,” said Hunter. “It was a bad one. Too dangerous, and besides, I don’t want Luke to lie anymore. “Luke, look.” Hunter sat back down and leaned forward to talk with the boy. “I know you’re not a thief and that you want friends your own age, I understand that. But you need to know that Fred might turn out being a thief if you don’t help him go down the right path.”
“What do you mean?” asked Luke.
“Don’t let him or anyone talk you into doing something that in your heart you don’t feel is right. And if Fred doesn’t know wrong from right, then you help him decipher it. Understand?”
“So I should help Fred be a better person?” Luke seemed touched that Hunter wasn’t accusing him or shunning him anymore.
“Do you think you can do it?” asked Hunter.
“I know I can.” For the first time since they’d entered the mews Luke was smiling.
“All right then, no more bluffing,” Hunter told him. “Now, we have a thief to catch, you and me and we need to get to work.”
“What will we do about the brooch and the crossbow?” asked Regina. “If we tell anyone they’ve been found, they’ll want to know more details. They’ll need to know that you’ve caught the thief, Hunter.”
“We’re not going to do anything about those things right now,” said Hunter. “First, we’ll catch the thief. Then, we’ll deal with the rest of it. I think since one bird went missing, it is a good bet the thief will try again. Mayhap even tonight. Then he’ll most likely be in a big hurry to pawn them off somewhere to get his money.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” said Regina, feeling her nerves shake at the thought of losing another bird.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan,” Hunter assured her.
“Well, what should I do with the brooch for now?” she asked.
“Give it back to Luke,” Hunter told her.
“What?” Regina blinked, not sure she’d heard him correctly.
“Luke, I want you to put the brooch back in the trunk in our chamber, but make sure you don’t tell anyone it’s there. Keep the crossbow and boots there as well. It should be a safe hiding place for now since the thief won’t think of looking there.”
Regina fingered the brooch in hesitation. As much as she wanted to trust in Hunter and this plan, she didn’t want the expensive brooch to disappear again.
“It’s all right, sweetheart.” Hunter reached out and touched her on the arm. “You can trust Luke and you can trust me. Now give the pin to the boy.”
“Yes,” she said, nodding her head. “I do trust you, Hunter.” Then she looked over at Luke and flashed a smile, handing him the brooch. “I trust you, too, Luke.”
“We’ll find the thief, Lady Regina.” Luke stood up taller and prouder and nodded toward Hunter. “And we’ll bring back Lightning for you too, don’t you worry. Right, Uncle?”
Hunter looked up in surprise when the boy called him Uncle and Regina realized they had just mended the bond between them. Then Hunter smiled at Luke and nodded back. “Like we always do, son.” He stood up and put his arm around Luke’s shoulders. “Like we always do.”