Chapter Nine
It had been three long days since Brody had seen Lilia and as the sun rose on the fourth day, something told him this day, too, would pass without seeing her.
It was just a feeling he had.
Something was wrong.
He’d been to The Sticky Wick three days in a row, remaining from morning until very late in the evening, watching the alley behind the place for Lady Currie’s fine carriage to roll in.
But it never did. Meanwhile, he’d asked the tavernkeep about the Ludus Caledonia and was met with stony silence.
Either the man didn’t know or didn’t want to answer.
Brody suspected it was the latter.
He’d therefore spent those three days asking about the Ludus Caledonia to anyone he could strike up a conversation with, hoping to glean some information. Brody had spent enough time in the place that he knew the regulars, men who drank hard and sometimes fought harder.
What he was told was what he already knew – that the Ludus Caledonia was a secretive fight guild where men gambled on the bouts. A couple of the regulars had become irritated with his questions and had thrown punches to silence him, which only earned them a hammer-like fist to the side of the head.
The Sticky Wick was not for the faint of heart.
Brody had his share of fights in the place over the past two years.
Mostly, the fights weren’t directed at him and were things he simply found himself caught up in, but he had a devastating blow and the regulars knew not to tangle with him.
Brody would come in, sit in the corner, and make his ale last as long as he could because he didn’t have the money for more.
But today, things were different.
He wasn’t going to spend another day and night at The Sticky Wick, watching for a carriage that would never come. A storm had rolled in and rain was coming down in sheets as he made his way through Edinburgh, heading east.
He was going to Hawkhill.
He knew that Lilia didn’t want him near the manse, but he simply couldn’t stay away. He knew the place well enough to know that he could probably sneak in through the postern gate because Laird Currie’s guards were lazy.
He’d learned that from his brief time there.
Men that Laird Currie paid to protect his home would gather up at the main gate in the guard room and drink until they could hardly stand.
As Brody made his way to the great stone bastion in the driving rain, he was certain the guards would not be out in this weather in any case. He had to take that chance.
As he knew, the postern gate was unguarded.
The stable yard was vacant as he made his way inside, rushing to the stables where he knew he would find old Angus.
He was as nervous as a cat as he ducked and dodged all the way to the stable, terrified that the screeching old woman would see him.
The last thing he wanted to do was cause trouble for Lilia, but he felt very strongly that something was amiss.
He had to discover what it was.
Ducking into the stables, he mercifully had cover so he could watch the kitchen yard for someone he recognized without fear of being seen. He had no idea where Angus was, because the old man was usually somewhere around the stable. The seconds ticked away and Angus didn’t make an appearance.
But someone else did.
Brody could see Tynan as the lad entered the stable yard.
He had a bucket in his hands, but he was evidently hunting for something from the way he was swinging his head about.
When he came across another bucket, he picked it up, looked it over, and then swapped it out with the bucket he’d been carrying.
He turned around to leave the stable yard and Brody knew he had to act.
Quickly, he stepped out of his hiding place.
“Tynan!” he hissed.
The lad came to a startled halt, looking over at Brody with big eyes. Brody motioned him over and the lad trotted towards him, the bucket banging against his legs. When he reached the stable, Brody stuck out a big hand and pulled him inside.
“Brody!” the boy gasped. “Ye came back! She said ye might come back and ye did!”
The child was clearly glad to see him, but Brody didn’t have time for a happy reunion. Every moment was valuable. He grasped the lad by the arms.
“Do ye know where Lilia is?” he asked.
The child’s joyful expression morphed into a grimace. “Aye.”
“Where?”
“Colly took her away,” he said, suddenly fearful. “I saw it.”
Brody felt as if he’d been hit in the gut as his fears were confirmed. “I knew it,” he hissed. “I knew something was wrong. What happened, lad? What did ye see?”
Tynan looked around anxiously, making sure no one was listening. At the very mention of Colly, he looked like a frightened rabbit. It was clear to Brody that this woman Lilia had spoken of as a vile creature had some kind of hold on Tynan, too.
The child was terrified.
“Lilia was bringing food tae m’lady,” he said quietly. “I was helping her when Colly came tae the kitchen. She hit Lilia on the head and put her in the vault until Lady Currie told her tae let her out, but Lilia isna allowed tae leave the house now.”
Brody frowned. “Hit her on the head?” he repeated. “Is she hurt?”
Tynan shook his head. “I dunna know,” he said. “I’ve not seen her very much since it happened.”
“When did this happen?”
The boy counted his fingers. “Three days ago.”
“But ye have seen her since?”
“I saw her sewing something in m’lady’s chamber when I went tae bring my mam hot water.” Tynan’s little hand grasped Brody’s big hand. “Colly says that Lilia lies and m’lady believes her.”
“And that’s why she’s not allowed tae leave the house?”
Tynan nodded seriously. “She stays inside and Colly watches her.”
“Does she not even go out with m’lady when the woman leaves in her carriage?”
“M’lady hasna left the house, either.”
Brody loosened his grip on the child. At least he knew Lilia wasn’t horribly injured, but she was evidently being kept as a prisoner.
Lady Currie hadn’t gone about her usual nightly visits to the Ludus Caledonia, which was why he hadn’t seen the carriage, and all fingers pointed to the old witch, Colly.
Clearly, the woman had some kind of a grip on the inhabitants of Hawkhill, Lady Currie included.
Brody was relieved that Lilia wasn’t badly injured, but it was an effort to keep his fury at bay as he realized what was happening. He knew that anger wouldn’t do him any good.
It wasn’t as if he could help her.
At least, not yet.
But the puzzlement in what had happened tore at him because he had a hunch that, somehow, he’d delayed Lilia’s return on that sweet morning in Edinburgh and she had been punished for being gone too long.
Was that what Colly had meant by Lilia’s lies?
Perhaps she’d lied to cover up her actions with him.
It had been his fault.
“Brody?” Tynan asked, breaking into his thoughts. “Are ye here tae stay now?”
Brody looked at the lad. Above all of the turmoil he was feeling for Lilia, he still had the capacity to feel some compassion for the child who was clearly lonely.
It seemed to Brody, and had since the beginning, that Tynan simply wanted to be loved.
He was a kind, open-hearted child who had been forced to grow up quickly in harsh servitude.
He put his big hand on the boy’s head, dwarfing it.
“Nay, lad,” he said. “In fact, I’m not supposed tae be here. Ye mustna tell anyone that ye’ve seen me. Do ye understand?”
Tynan nodded, though he really didn’t understand. “But why must ye leave?”
“Do ye know why I left in the first place?”
“Lilia said ye had tae go because ye were a busy man.”
He realized she hadn’t told the child the truth. Brody would leave it that way. “I am very busy,” he said. “But I want ye tae tell Lilia something for me and it must be a secret, Tynan. Ye must be very careful that no one sees ye when ye tell her. Can ye do that?”
“I can,” Tynan nodded eagerly. “What do I tell her?”
Brody paused as he thought of something simple yet meaningful. Tynan probably wouldn’t remember a long message, so he had to make it short.
“Tell her that I will return for her,” he said. “Can ye remember that?”
Tynan nodded. “Will ye really?”
“Really what?”
“Return for her?”
Brody nodded. “I will,” he said. “But ye mustna tell anyone that. Only Lilia. Tell her… I’ll find a way, I swear it.”
Tynan nodded solemnly. “I will.”
Brody smiled at the boy, patting his head. “There’s a good old man,” he said. “Now, go about yer business and remember… ye dinna see me. I was never here.”
With that, he slipped from the stable, leaving Tynan to run after him, stopping at the stable entry only to watch Brody as he flew across the stable yard, staying out of sight until he managed to slip from the postern gate.
The boy watched him with the naked admiration that only a child could give, admiring a man he’d not known long, but someone who had left a mark on him.
Kindness to a young boy who’d not known much of it in his short life.
Tynan found himself wishing that when Brody took Lilia away, he’d take him away, too.