Chapter 116

Teárlag heard a knock at the door. God, she thought, I wanted to be done with my packing before any of the servants returned. I don't want any of them to know I plan on leaving tomorrow. She was certain some of them would have orders to stop her and hold her for Blackthorne if they knew. She tossed the small bags into her armoire and hurried down the stairs.

"Who is it?" Teárlag called through the door.

"Frang Cameron, Teárlag, open the door," he ordered.

Had Thorburn changed his mind and now wished to do something to her for her betrayal? Did he hate her so much he didn't even want to face her? She swallowed and opened the door.

The person standing before her was not the jolly, laughing, groom she remembered from the Keep. He was grim and foreboding, even angry.

"What can I do for you, Frang?"

"You need to come with me," Frang said, his voice hard, demanding.

She looked down in shame, unable to meet his unyielding stare.

"Whatever you want," Teárlag said.

"Are your servants here?" Frang asked.

"No, though I'm expecting them to arrive shortly," Teárlag said.

"Can you leave here without raising the suspicion of Blackthorne?"

"Not alone. He expects me to seduce one or all of you. As part of this plan, he expects me to spend time at Cameron Keep, but if I went there without the spies he keeps on me, my servants, I might as well tell him I'm with you. The result will be the same."

Frang thought a moment. "But if you were invited as a guest, and came with your servants, Blackthorne would be none the wiser?"

"I suppose not. It's in line with his plans."

"Could you come tonight, or is tomorrow better?"

"It would be odd if I came tonight. I don't do anything without planning. Tomorrow would be better."

"Tomorrow it is then. Please, don't leave the country."

Frang turned to leave and saw servants coming toward the house. He turned and loudly said, "We'll be expecting you tomorrow. I understand Thorburn has a big announcement to make. He's even asked us to spend the night tonight. It sounds important." Frang left, nodding to the servants as he passed. He hoped he'd been smooth enough.

Everyone else was ready to ride when he got back to the inn.

"What was that about?" Isobel asked.

"Not now," Frang replied, glancing significantly at the large crowd gathered in the common room for supper. They took his meaning and said no more.

Frang didn't speak until they were out of town and headed back towards their respective houses. When he was reasonably certain they could not be overheard, he rode up to Thorburn. "You're going to have some company tonight. We need to confer and we need to do it quickly. Teárlag will be joining us tomorrow."

"Nay, brother! I'll not have that traitorous whore in my house again. I want to kill her and if I see her again, there's no telling what I'll do. I nearly did it when she told me."

"I understand, Thorburn, I do. You feel betrayed and used. I'm sure I'd feel the same were I you. If you didn't want to see her again, I completely understand. But you've got the best strategic and tactical mind amongst us. You've been in dozens of battles against a multitude of foes. We're facing a wily enemy who'll stop at nothing, from employing women as spies, to poison, to torture, to threatening families. I need you, brother. We all need you. I'd ask you to restrain yourself from killing the lass until we've had a chance to speak to her. It's why I asked her to come tomorrow. We need more information."

"Aye. I'll try to restrain myself, but you'd best keep her as far from me as possible."

Frang put his hand on Thorburn's shoulder. "Thank you, brother."

He left Thorburn and informed the others they'd be staying at the Keep tonight and possibly the next as well. Stuart and Ailene were happy they could spend the night together. Isobel was never comfortable in McTavish's old house, but while reasonably satisfied to spend the night at the Keep, knew they had a lot to do, introducing a new housekeeper to Lady Luck. She was anxious to get started. She wondered where Frang had gone and the purpose of their staying at the Keep, but Frang said no more at the current time. Whatever his plans were, he was holding them close to his chest.

They arrived at the Keep, and due to the large contingent from Lady Luck Farm, had to find places for all to sleep. Stuart, Ailene, Muiríol and Bjarkë spent much of the next hour making those arrangements. Many had to be given beds in the barn on the hay with blankets against the night chill. Thorburn doubled the watches on the walls and gates due to the extra bodies in the Keep, many of whom he didn't know. When all was done, they met in the kitchen for a quick bite.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on, Frang?" Stuart asked. "I've never seen you so secretive before."

"Not here. Grab your food and we'll meet in Thorburn's room. It's the largest. Bjarkë, if you could stand guard outside the room and make sure no one comes near nor goes into any of the adjoining rooms, I'd thank you, uncle."

"Aye, I'll do it."

They all adjourned from the kitchen and regathered in Thorburn's bedroom, the three brothers and two wives, only Bjarkë standing guard outside.

The two women sat on Thorburn's bed, with Stuart between, Frang took a chair to face them while Thorburn paced the room.

"What's going on?" Stuart asked. "Why the secrecy?"

"You're the only one who doesn't know yet, Stuart," Frang said, voice low, "but we found another spy on Lady Luck Farm, one of the maids." Isobel and Ailene nodded in confirmation when Stuart looked at them. "She became a spy for Blackthorne not for money or gain, but because he'd threatened the lasses young sister, under ten. If she didn't cooperate, they would take her sister."

Once again he looked to Isobel and Ailene who confirmed the story.

"My God!" Stuart said, "The man's a fucking monster!"

"We already knew that from what he did to Màiri," Ailene said.

"But a child? He'd threaten a child?"

"Aye, brother," Frang said. "There's nothing so low, Blackthorne would not countenance it. We've arranged to send the family to Bjarkë's family where they'll be out of harms way and think we've ensured her cooperation by doing so. We hope she can feed false information to Blackthorne we control. The main point is we cannot trust anyone but the people in this room. Our most trusted servants, even those with us for decades, may not be trusted if Blackthorne can threaten their family. Muiríol has grandchildren. What wouldn't she do to protect them if they were threatened. The fact Màiri was tortured as she was, makes it even easier to subvert our own. No one wishes to see it happen to their own loved ones. From now on, if you don't want our information to reach that bastard's ears, the information must stay between us, agreed?"

"Aye," they all answered.

"The maid was able to hear our conversations by listening at the fireplace above our meeting room. I'm unsure if the same cannot be done here at the Keep which is why Bjarkë's making sure there's no one in the adjoining rooms and I'm speaking so soft. I'm not sure if we have a secure place to speak."

Ailene said, "The strapping room."

"Huh?" Frang said.

"The strapping room. We can secure that. It's in the basement and if the basement's cleared of folk and a guard placed on the stairs, no one can get in. There are no fireplaces or aught to worry about, and sound does not carry out of it, which is why it's used to strap people. It's the perfect place."

"She's right," Stuart said, "it is the perfect place."

"Then we'll be able to use it tomorrow. Teárlag's coming and we need to speak with her."

"Teárlag! Why speak to her," Stuart said, "she's already betrayed us."

"Aye," Frang agreed, "she's already betrayed us. Think about it. She betrayed us, then she told us. We were none the wiser. It could have gone on much longer. She knows what happens to those who turn against Blackthorne. She witnessed it, or at least the aftermath. She was the one who released Màiri. She told us she sold us out and was going to flee the country, to France or the American colonies because she knows what Blackthorne would do to her. Why? Why would she do that?"

Isobel looked up at her husband, a startled look on her face. "She fell in love. She fell in love with Thorburn."

"I can't explain it any other way," Frang agreed. "She fell in love with this big lout and could no longer betray him. Why else?"

None of the others could think of a rational explanation. Thorburn had stopped pacing, but was not participating.

"Even if what you say is true, brother," Stuart said, "how can we ever trust her?"

"I don't know if we can," Frang admitted. "We'll have to be careful what information we share with her. But right now, she's the only person we know who might have any idea what Blackthorne's plans are, what he's done, what he might do in the future, how to get at him. She's a peek into his inner world which we have no clue about. We need to find out everything she knows, everything she's willing to tell us."

"What she's unwilling to say, we can wring from her scrawny neck," Thorburn grunted.

Ailene stood and went to him, putting her hand on his arm. "Nay, Thorburn. I know how she's hurt you. But we can't stoop to Blackthorne's level, no matter what she's done to you. You were right to walk away today before you harmed her. You can't undo the grace you've previously shown her. She witnessed the brutality and evil of Blackthorne and chose to betray him for you. She didn't do it because you're worse than Blackthorne, or scarier. She did it because you're better. Don't undo her belief in you."

Thorburn shrugged her hand off and started pacing again.

Frang said, "Ailene's right, Thorburn. Let her help us if she's willing, but we can't betray her faith in you."

"I'll nought have anything to do with her," he said, still pacing. "She's a stinking Judas whore."

"Aye, though we still need you to help us plan, but if you don't wish to speak with her, I understand," Frang said. "We need her to tell us everything she knows, or thinks, or suspects. Everything she's overheard or overseen. The more questions we think to ask her, the more information we can glean. Think about what we need to know. When she arrives tomorrow, we'll bring her down here and speak with her. For now, this meeting is over."

They all found their own bedroom's, deep in thought, restlessly sleeping through troubled dreams.