Arsenic and Old Armor (17 page)

This was a dilemma, to be sure. Should he go
to Carlisle himself, since the two men were still missing, or
remain at Blackthorn Hall? His lordship expected the two men to go
south immediately. At the same time, Sir George didn’t want to
bring the marquis’s disfavor down upon himself by not being here
when he arrived. The nobleman was in the habit of sending an
entourage ahead to any country estate to see that all his requisite
comforts were provided for before he arrived.

He simply had to find the two rogues, Sir
George had decided. Asking Lady Elizabeth for every able body that
she could spare, he’d search every glen and hut and sheepcote
within twenty miles of the place. And that’s just exactly what
they’d been doing.

Unfortunately, many of the Armstrong workers
had been sent north as an escort for the laird and his future wife.
Still, the dowager had given him as many men and boys that she had
to join his own soldiers in the hunt. Accompanying one of the four
groups of men, he’d left Blackthorn Hall at midday yesterday,
stopping at every village and crofter’s hut they passed, but to no
avail.

He’d ordered everyone to continue the search
through the night. Now, with the morning sun moving high in the
sky, he questioned his decision. After all this, there was still no
sign of the two men. Their unsaddled horses had been found north of
Fleet Tower, but where the riders had gone was anyone’s guess.

“
Ye have been in the saddle
all night, m’lord,” one of the Armstrong men said, riding up beside
him. “This is unfamiliar country. Perhaps ye should return to
Blackthorn Hall to get some rest. We’ll continue to look for your
officers.”

“
No. My men will continue
the search, too.” Sir George was already preparing a defense for
when the marquis arrived. His lordship would want to be assured
that no stone had gone unturned. There would be the devil to pay
for the loss of Lady Dorset’s cousin, and Sir George wanted to be
sure it was the bloody Scots and not he who would be
paying.

“
As ye wish, but perhaps ye
yourself might return to Blackthorn Hall. I’ll send a couple of men
along to escort ye back.”

It was true. Sir George wasn’t adding any
value to the search. These parts were totally unknown to him. He
also had to admit that he was tired, in addition to being
starved.

“
I want every available
soldier to stay focused on the task of finding these men. I know
exactly where we are. That road we just left…all I have to do is to
follow it south, and I shall be at Blackthorn Hall in little more
than an hour.”

“
Well, that’s very true,
m’lord.” The Armstrong man looked doubtful. “I don’t know that it’d
be wise for ye to be traveling alone.”

“
Do not correct me,” he
snapped. “It is daylight. And I am quite capable to find my way.
Now, you do what must be done. I’ll be looking for you to return
with the missing men. Carry on.”

Sir George gave some orders to the English
soldiers and turned his horse back up the hill.

Fleet Tower lay between not a half hour out
of the way. It would be practically on his way. Yes, he decided. A
stop there would be just the thing. With the thought of some very
fine pastries before him, he spurred his tired horse and rode
off.

Alone.

Judith was clearly too agitated to sit
still. Brother Luke watched her put the decanter of the wine on the
table. A moment later, she decided against it and put it back in
the cupboard. Taking out a pitcher of spiced cider, she placed it
on the table. Bustling back to the cupboard, she returned with
goblets…two more than were needed. She put those back. One of the
goblets on the table had something at the bottom. She took that
away and returned with a clean one. She did everything but offer
him the platter of honeyed nuts and bite-sized fruit tarts.

“
You are a whirlwind of
activity, Lady Judith,” the portly cleric said. “Please stop
fussing over me. Come sit down so we can visit.”

“
A whirlwind? Why, nothing
of the kind, Brother Luke,” she replied, sitting on the edge of a
chair. She looked like a sparrow, ready to take flight again. “I’m
so happy that you’re back. Margaret and I were just talking about
you this morning. We’ve both grieved over your absence since you
went to Skye to fetch our wee lassie. Since you’ve been living at
both the abbey at Cracketford and at Blackthorn Hall, you’ve been
our only regular visitor at Fleet Tower.”

“
I’ve always enjoyed our
visits together,” he said, trying not to be too conspicuous about
eyeing the platter of sweets.

“
But I must tell you that
your absence has not been the only thing grieving us.”

“
No?” Luke looked around.
Nothing seemed to be amiss. The descending sun was still shining in
the windows of the great hall. “Have troubles found their way to
your door?”

Judith paused. Luke waited, nodding
encouragingly.

“
Oh, my dear…what was the
other thing?” She touched her lips, looked blankly ahead. A moment
later, she seemed to cheer up again. “Yes, yes, we’ve always
delighted in our conversations.”

Brother Luke folded his hands over his
stomach. “I feel exactly the same, Lady Judith, but what is it that
has been bothering you?”

The gentle lady jumped up again and held out
the platter of sweets to him. Luke selected what looked like a
blackberry tart and popped it in his mouth. It was as delicious as
he remembered, and he nearly sighed aloud as it melted in his
mouth.

Luke had been somewhat embarrassed for not
coming right over to Fleet Tower when he’d first arrived home
earlier in the week. He knew Judith and Margaret would be looking
forward to hearing some news of their niece. There had been so much
going on, though, when he'd ridden in the gates of Blackthorn Hall.
With all that was happening with missing Englishmen and wedding
preparations, Lady Elizabeth had a hundred and one duties for him
to see to. His visit with the sisters had simply needed to wait
until this afternoon. He hadn’t expected to miss Lady Margaret,
though. Judith told him the older sister had walked down to a
village on the far side of the glen to visit a sick tenant.

“
You see,” the younger
sister explained, “living in the same tower house where our father
and his father before him lived, we’ve always been so accustomed to
visitors coming our way regularly.” She sat down again, still
holding the platter of sweets. “But no more.”

“
Only the bloody English
intrude upon us now,” a gruff voice boomed from behind
him.

Brother Luke practically leaped out of his
chair. He hadn’t heard Sir William come down the steps to join
them. The cleric stared at him. The brother of the McCall sisters
was as odd-looking as always. Wearing a chain shirt over a kilt, he
also had on an old-fashioned helmet with a visor that kept tipping
forward over his face. It was not Monday, Brother Luke noted, so
the man’s face wasn’t painted blue. He was impressed, however, by
the length of the sword strapped at Sir William’s side. The tip of
the weapon was touching the floor.

“
No, Sir William,” Judith
quickly corrected. “No one visits us now. How do you like these
tarts, Brother Luke? I made them myself today.”

“
They are excellent,” he
said, turning to speak to Sir William.

The eccentric walked past Luke, ignoring
him, and popped one of the sweets in his mouth. As he did, the
visor slipped down over his eyes.

“
Nearly inedible,” he
announced, sitting on a chair beside Judith and raising the visor.
“Horrible things. Are they English?”

“
No. I made these, Sir
William,” Judith repeated, extending the tray in Luke’s direction.
“Won’t you have another piece?”

“
No, I really can’t. I have
promised Lady Elizabeth to return for supper with an appetite. If
you know what I mean?”

“
Why, of course I do. But
you should try one of these,” Judith insisted, pointing to a small
honeyed nut. “They are not filling at all.”

“
No, I really can’t,” Luke
explained.

William reached over and popped that one in
his mouth.

“
Horrible,” he asserted
again loudly.

Luke suppressed a smile and turned to him.
“It’s wonderful of you to come and join us, Sir William. It’s been
so long, perhaps months, since I had the pleasure of your
company.”

The pleasantries did not appear to be heard.
William never looked Luke’s way. He reached for another tart and
ate it again in one bite. His “horrible” was only a murmur, this
time from behind the visor.

Luke felt for the aging McCall sisters. He
couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be to deal with a brother
such as this. The man was obviously mad as a tanner.

“
Why, I beg to disagree,
Sir William. I believe these are excellent,” he declared. “In fact,
I must tell you, Lady Judith. Your talents were being discussed by
one of our guests at Blackthorn Hall only yesterday.”

“
Really?” Judith’s round
face broke into a smile. “Who?”

“
Sir George Harington,”
Luke explained. “The Marquis of Dorset’s right hand man in the
Borders. He is the emissary from the English king’s
court.”

“
The English king, sir?”
William asked sharply, acknowledging Luke for the first time and
slowly standing up.

“
Yes, Sir William,” the
cleric explained. “Sir George Harington was raving about your
sisters--”

“
Where are your weapons?”
William asked in a menacing tone.

“
My weapons?” Luke asked
incredulously.

“
Your sword, sir,” he said,
as if he were talking to an imbecile.

“
I carry no sword, sir. But
I certainly would not be prepared to fight. I’m a man of God
and—”

Judith stood up, too, and placed a firm hand
on her brother’s arm. “This is Brother Luke, William. He is Iain’s
uncle.”

He shook off his sister’s hand and took a
step toward Luke. “If you have no sword, laddie, how do you expect
to help me when we go into battle against the English?”

Realization dawned on the cleric. William
McCall was very much Sir William Wallace today, as he was every
day. Luke should never have mentioned the English at all.

“
Sir William,” Luke
responded, drawing himself up, “I shall fetch my sword before we go
into battle.”

“
Why, Sir William,” Judith
scolded softly. “You’re confused about—”

“
Sister…” Her brother
whirled to face her. As he did, the visor of the helmet tipped
forward again. He raised it with a sweep of his hand. “Your cooking
has caused the confusion. But where is the new recruit to be added
to my ranks?”

“
No more talk of battles,
Sir William.” She turned to the table, putting the platter of
sweets down and picking up the pitcher. “Can I pour you some spiced
cider, brother?”

“
No, indeed, horrible
stuff,” William grumbled, sitting down again as she poured it for
him anyway.

“
Brother Luke?” Judith
asked.

He wasn’t thirsty, but to bolster his
hostess’s mood, he asked for some. The smell of cinnamon wafted
from the drink. Luke breathed the sweet smell when he was handed
the cup.

“
It is so quiet and
pleasant here,” he said, sitting down. “Blackthorn Hall is brimming
over with people. One doesn’t know if there is going to be room at
the table during mealtime or a place to sleep at night.”

“
It’s quite lovely here at
Fleet Tower,” Judith said. “Have you been here before?”

Brother Luke stared up at her.

“
But of course you have.”
Judith looked about her contentedly. “Margaret and I were very
happy when Lady Elizabeth insisted on feeding us so many of her
cakes. We like it much better this way.”

Luke hesitated, trying to understand the
connection between the cake feeding and the wedding arrangements.
He knew Iain had asked Lady Elizabeth to consult with Marion’s
aunts and, between them, to take care of the preparations while he
was gone. He learned upon arrival that everything was to take place
at Blackthorn Hall. He sipped the cider and glanced at William, who
was muttering something under his breath to no one in
particular.

Everything stood a chance of going smoothly
this way, he thought.

“
Of course, our Marion
might insist on sitting down with cake and Lady Elizabeth, once she
gets back,” Judith added.

“
No, no, I think the laird
and Lady Marion will be quite satisfied with the arrangements.”
Luke reminded himself that he was not to mention to the two aunts
that their niece was already married to Iain. At Blackthorn Hall,
Lady Elizabeth had ordered him to hold his tongue about it. She
wanted to keep up the pretense of having the wedding taking place
on the steps of the old Armstrong chapel. To her thinking, it would
be more appropriate to formally unite the families in that
way.

Luke decided that even if he had been given
leave to share the news, there was no point in mentioning it now.
With Lady Margaret away visiting, some confusion could easily arise
with the younger sister.

“
Lady Marion is very
excited,” he said, “about returning to her family. She’s missed all
of you dreadfully.”

Judith reached over and touched William’s
arm, bringing him out of his trance. “Our niece, Marion, is coming
back.”