Chapter Eighteen #2
A smile spread across Lady Currie’s face as she turned for the silk-cushioned couch to await the delivery of the man she’d been trying to know for two days. Clegg went to the man he’d been speaking with when Lady Currie so rudely interrupted them and lowered his voice.
“Bring Brody here,” he said. “Tell him why so he is prepared.”
Cam had been that man. He and Clegg had watched Brody’s fight together to assess his performance and were speaking of it when Lady Currie barged in. He eyed the woman on the couch.
“Brody has a woman, m’laird,” he muttered. “I know Lady Currie and I know what she wants. It is unfair tae put Brody in that position.”
Clegg grunted. “She is also one of our best patrons, so I will not deny her the chance to meet him,” he said.
“Tell Brody he is expected to apologize to her but, beyond that, I expect nothing from him as long as he is polite about it. If he is to decline her offer, then he had better explain why. Meanwhile… meanwhile, send Warenne to me as well. If one man denies her, mayhap the comfort of another man will satisfy her.”
Cam nodded and headed out of the chamber, out into the icy night that was beginning to fog over. Clegg went to sit with Lady Currie, making sure she had warmed wine and making small conversation as they waited for Brody’s appearance.
In truth, Clegg wasn’t looking forward to it.
*
“I what?”
“Ye must apologize,” Cam said steadily. “Brody, I know it seems ridiculous, but part of being a warrior with The Cal is also being an ambassador between The Cal and the patrons. Without the patrons, there is no fight guild. It is imperative that ye never show anger or irritation towards one of them. Ye must always be polite, even if ye dunna want tae be. Lady Currie is furious because she believes ye slighted her.”
“I did.”
Cam sighed heavily. They were standing in the staging area below Clegg’s viewing box and Cam was only now coming down off of his battle high. Cam could see from the look in the man’s eyes that he was quite serious about insulting Lady Currie.
That made little sense to Cam.
“But why?” he asked. “What do ye have against the woman? Do ye know her?”
Brody eyed him, debating how much to tell him, but he opted for all of it. He liked Cam; he was coming to trust the man. He knew that whatever he told him would remain in confidence. For Lilia’s sake, it had to.
He forced himself to calm.
“There’s a woman with Lady Currie,” he said quietly. “Did ye see her?”
Cam thought back. “I think so,” he said. “Briefly. My attention was mostly on Lady Currie. Why do ye ask?”
“Because that is my Lilia. That’s the lady whose freedom I intend tae buy.”
Cam’s eyes widened in surprise. “She serves Lady Currie?”
Brody nodded. Then, he started to look miserable.
“It was Lilia who first told me about The Cal and how the fighters earn money,” he said.
“She’s the entire reason I came here. I knew even before I came here that Lady Currie uses this place like her own personal stable of men and it did occur tae me that she might take a fancy tae me.
Now I’m faced with a problem. I will refuse anything she offers, Cam.
I willna service the woman like a whore. ”
Cam stared at him a moment before puffing out his cheeks. “God’s Bones, lad,” he said. “I’d say ye have a problem. She wants ye badly from what I can see.”
“Clegg said I could refuse her.”
“Ye can. But what about yer lass?”
“Lady Currie doesna know about me and Lilia,” Brody said. “For Lilia’s sake, we need tae keep that secret at all costs. She says that Lady Currie can be jealous and if the woman knows Lilia and I are fond of one another, it could go badly for Lilia.”
Cam understood. “’Tis a bind ye’re in,” he said. “Clegg should know, however. He is the only one who can truly discourage Lady Currie if she’s on yer scent.”
“He willna tell her?”
“He willna if ye ask him not tae.”
Brody hesitated a moment before nodding his head. “Very well,” he said. “If I dunna have the opportunity tae tell him, ye have my permission to do it.”
Cam didn’t envy Brody his situation. “Come along, then,” he said. “Ye might as well face this now and get it over with.”
Brody simply nodded, letting Cam take him by the shoulder and guide him towards the staircase that led up to Clegg’s private box.
The closer he came to Lady Currie, the angrier he became.
He desperately didn’t want to do anything to create havoc for Lilia, but he was furious that Lady Currie had her eyes on him.
He wasn’t about to become the woman’s stallion.
Even if Lilia had never existed, he still wouldn’t have been interested.
Calm, lad, calm!
The door opened into Clegg’s private domain and the heat from the blazing hearth was like a slap in the face after the chill conditions outside.
Cam entered first, followed by Brody. The moment Brody entered, his attention went straight to the couch where Lady Currie was sitting and Lilia was standing.
For a split second, his gaze fell on Lilia and all he could see was fear in her expression.
That only fed his rage.
Lady Currie was on her feet.
“Do you know who I am?” she demanded. “If you do not, then you should.”
“Brody, this is Lady Currie,” Clegg said, gaining control of the conversation over the irate lady. “She passed you her favor after your bout and she says you threw it to the dirt. I have assured her that you did not intentionally do it, that you simply didn’t realize who it was.”
The way he was looking at him made Brody realize that Clegg was trying to defuse the situation. But the lady was angry, and Brody was angry, and the woman’s spoiled manner wasn’t helping things.
But Brody knew he had no standing in this situation. He knew he couldn’t do, or say, anything that might provoke the woman. His was a position of submission. Not only did he want to protect Lilia, but he would not shame Clegg or Cam, who had gone out of their way to accommodate him in all ways.
He had no choice.
“I… I dinna know,” he said his gaze moving from Clegg to the irate Lady Currie. “I dunna even remember what happened, m’lady. I was still in the heat of battle.”
Surprisingly, Lady Currie folded immediately. No argument, no demands for an apology that she’d made earlier. She simply smiled and made her way over to him, inspecting him from head to toe.