Chapter 6
Trevor shook the stupor away from his mind and rubbed his aching jaw.
He hadn’t been in a fight for some time and had almost forgotten what it was like to be hit so hard.
His chest heaved as he gasped for breath and allowed the aching pains to sweep through his body.
He glanced across at David, who was surrounded by the other Scots. At least the fight was over.
“Are ye well?” Emma asked, approaching in a tentative manner. Her company was welcome, and her words were gentle. He turned to face her, and she winced at the sight of the bruises that were blooming upon his face.
“I’m sorry that happened.”
“It was not your fault, Emma. He said one too many things that I took offense to.”
“Aye, but I should nae hae enraged him like that. He haes always been quick tae raise tae his temper.”
“At least it’s over now,” Trevor said, opening his eyes and stretching various parts of his body to make sure there would be no lasting damage. “I think I could use another drink, though.”
Before he could enter the tavern, however, the innkeeper was in the doorway, staring at Trevor sternly.
“And just where dae ye think ye are gaeing?” he asked.
“I was going to get a drink and then go to bed, I think,” Trevor said, groaning a little as the pain wasn’t subsiding as quickly as he would have liked.
The innkeeper, a man named Shem, placed his hands on his hips.
Two dark eyes stared out from underneath bushy eyebrows.
“I dinnae think ye are gaeing anywhere. Look at what ye hae done!” he said, his voice rising to a squeak as he pointed into the bar at the broken tables and shattered glass.
Trevor ran his hand around the back of his neck.
“Hmm, yes. Well, I suppose things did get rather out of hand.”
“Aye, that’s one way of putting it. Ye are nae welcome here, lad. I cannae let ye stay the night,” Shem said.
“Shem!” Emma cried out. “Ye cannae dae this!”
“Oh, I can, lass. I can, and I am,” Shem said.
“But David was involved as well!” Emma said.
Trevor was touched by the way she came to his defense.
“Believe me, I will be haeing words with him tae,” Shem said sternly, and then turned his back, for as far as he was concerned, the matter was closed. Emma went to call out after him again, but Trevor shook his head.
“There’s no use trying to change his mind. I think it’s charitable enough of him to let me leave without helping him clean up. I certainly wouldn’t let someone like me stay if I were in his position. I’m sure I shall find somewhere else, and if not, then I can find solace under the stars.”
“Under the stars? It gets freezing at night. Ye will catch yer death,” Emma said, and then spent a moment considering a certain matter.
“I am partly tae blame for this. I cannae let ye sleep out in the open. Ye shall come back tae my farm and sleep in the barn. It may nae be glamorous, but at least ye shall hae shelter in case of rain, and there is plenty of straw tae keep ye warm.”
“Your hospitality is appreciated,” Trevor said, inclining his head.
He was hardly going to decline the offer when he suspected that Emma could lead him closer to his quarry.
But he also liked the idea of spending more time with Emma as well.
“I suppose we should move away swiftly before David regains his wits and wants to go another round,” he said, and Emma agreed.
They walked as briskly as Trevor could manage. He had a slight limp in one leg that he was certain would go away in time, but for the moment, it stung, and he had to endure the dull throb.
“Where did ye learn tae fight like that? I hae never seen anyone in the village fare sae well against David.”
Trevor pursed his lips before he spoke and then wished he hadn’t because there was a cut on his lip that was quite sore. “It was a long time ago, another life. Truth is, it’s been a while since I’ve done anything like that. I didn’t realize how out of practice I was.”
“If that’s ye out of practice, then I’d hate tae see ye in full flow,” Emma said with a smile.
Trevor swallowed a lump in his throat as he thought about Catherine and how she had fled from him in terror, calling him a monster after he had nearly killed a man.
Even though it had been years since that moment, he hadn’t been able to shed that part of him, and he was afraid that if anyone looked into his eyes too deeply, they would see that the monster was still there.
“As I said, it was a long time ago, and I do not wish to talk about it,” Trevor spoke sharply, and his words cut through the air.
Emma turned away from him, the excitement and the smile fading from her face.
Trevor thought back to just before David had interrupted them, for Trevor had been about to confront Emma with his suspicion that she did indeed know who Lyndsay was.
However, now that they were walking through the village in the peaceful night, he wasn’t sure he wanted to bring it up again.
If he pushed too hard then perhaps she might rescind her invitation of hospitality, and he would have to sleep under the stars.
As much as he said he was content to do so, he would much prefer to have a roof over his head, even if it was the roof of a barn.
“So David seems to care about you,” Trevor said after a time.
Emma wrung her hands and wore a disconcerting look. “Aye, that he does.”
“I assume from your reaction that the feeling is not mutual?”
Emma sighed. “My parents think I should because he is the most eligible man in the village, but…”
“You mentioned something about what happened when you were young?”
“Aye, he teased me, ye know, as boys dae tae girls. Still, it’s nae something I can easily forget, and he doesnae seem tae think it matters at all.”
“I can see why that would be troubling for you,” Trevor said.
“Aye, and I dinnae think I should marry someone just because they’re the only suitable man in the village. I want tae marry a man I love. Are ye married, Mr. Whitehall?”
“Please, call me Trevor. I’ve never gotten used to people addressing me by my usual title. As for your question, no, I’m not married. Work has taken up much of my time, and I suppose I have not gotten around to it yet.”
“It must be nice tae be a man and hae this freedom. When ye are a lass, ye start hearing talk of marriage as soon as ye become older, and it hangs over ye like a storm cloud. Everywhere ye gae, there are people asking if ye hae an engagement or offering their sons or wondering why there haes been no news. It’s enough tae make a girl crazy. ”
“I can imagine it would. I don’t envy you,” Trevor said.
They came to a gate, and Emma unfastened the lock.
The grass was soft, and in the distance, Trevor could see a large building framed in moonlight.
It did not take them long to reach the barn.
The smell of hay greeted him. There were rakes and scythes and other tools leaning against the wall while a bed of hay awaited him.
“What’s it like being sae far away from home? Didnae anyone try and stop ye from leaving?”
“Well…actually, my uncle did, but not because he was going to miss me. He thought there were more…profitable things I could be doing with my time in London. I was free to dismiss his advice, though.”
“Dae ye miss home?”
Trevor tilted his head from side to side. “I suppose there are parts of London that I miss, but I quite like being in this other country and being able to see new places. It will make me appreciate London all the more when I return, I suppose.”
Emma nodded and wore a thoughtful look. “I hae thought of leaving the village on occasion, but I could nae bear tae leave my parents. I’m their only child, and I dinnae know what they would dae without me.”
“I suppose that is the burden all children must bear,” Trevor said, feeling a knot of tension twist in the pit of his stomach.
“Speaking of your parents, I assume you are going to tell them that I’m here?
I’d hate to be chased away by your father if he thought I was stealing the comfort of his barn. ”
“Ye will be safe, I’ll make sure of it,” Emma said, and pointed him to a well he could use if he were thirsty.
They bid each other goodnight, and Trevor watched her pleasing form fade into the darkness.
She was a most uncommon woman, yet thinking about his past made him uneasy.
He arranged the hay into a comfortable bed and settled into the warmth, but as he closed his eyes, he was unable to stop his mind from wandering to places that were best left forgotten.
“Come on now, Trevor, this is what I’ve trained you for. You can do this. I wouldn’t tell you to do this if I didn’t think you could win, would I?”
Trevor looked up at his father. His body was lean, his face unshaven, his body yet to be blemished with scars.
“I’m just not sure, Father. There must be another way to earn money,” Trevor said.
“There is no other way,” his father hissed.
Black eyes and yellowed teeth stared at him.
A claw shot out and gripped Trevor’s shoulder.
The man stank of alcohol and a special medicine he said helped him with his pain.
His leg was crippled, and he was no good to anyone, so he had trained his son in the only art he knew: the art of fighting.
“Now, this man thinks he already has you beat. When he looks at you, he sees nothing but a lad. But you’re more than that, aren’t you? What are you?”
“I’m a fighter,” Trevor said after a moment’s pause. His voice was filled with hesitation, which was not to his father’s liking.
“What are you?”
“A fighter,” Trevor said, this time with more conviction.
His father smiled a toothy smile and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Good, good. Just remember everything I’ve taught you, and you’ll be fine. He might be stronger than you, but he’s also arrogant. You can cut him down before he even realizes what’s happened, and then you’ll see just what a fighter can do.”
Trevor still had misgivings in his heart, but he nodded because he had faith in his father.
He walked out to the pit underneath the bar where people stared at him and hollered at him and told him he didn’t belong here.
They called him the baby. Trevor looked across at the man who stood opposite him, a man with leathery skin that was covered in patterns of ink.
He drew a thumb across his throat and snarled.
The fight began, and Trevor tried to remember what his father had taught him, but training and fighting were two different things.
The impact of the punches sent him reeling.
Pain flared, and the sensations were dizzying.
The jeers of the crowd were distant, and at the same time, they echoed in his mind.
A fist crashed into his chin, and he felt his teeth rattle.
The world spun, and suddenly, everything was upside down.
The breath was driven from his lungs as he landed flat on his back.
Never before had he realized that the ground was so hard.
His head lolled to the side. Through blurred vision he saw his father yelling at him, berating him, ordering him to rise. Spittle flew from the man’s mouth.
Trevor pushed himself up in time to see his opponent coming toward him, ready to finish the fight.
A knee was thrust into Trevor’s face, but he raised his hands to block it.
He caught the man’s leg and surged upward, using his own momentum to unbalance the man.
Now Trevor was the one standing over his fallen enemy.
He sank down, and his fists were like hammers, pummeling his enemy swiftly.
His opponent raised his fists to try and block the blows, but Trevor was rampant.
His arms formed a blur, and he could feel the bone cracking underneath his fists, but he didn’t stop because his father had told him never to stop until the fight was over.
Trevor was panting when he was pulled away. Sweat glistened all over his body. His knuckles were calloused and covered in blood, although he knew it was not his own. The other man was dazed, wearing a crimson mask, his nose sinking into his face. Trevor was pulled back to his father and embraced.
“I’m proud of you, Son! I knew you could do it.”
The crowd was shocked at the upset, and many of them vowed never to bet against this young man again. As Trevor was congratulated, a wad of notes was thrust into his hand. He was richer than he had ever been before, and all he had to do was fight.
At the time, it seemed like the simplest thing in the world.