Ria Cantrell - Celtic Storm 03 (28 page)

“Alright, we will discuss the hows and whys of this later. For now, I need to know what sort of danger we are dealing with.”

Erik may not have had the gift of Sight but he was an excellent tactician when it came to planning and securing a situation. He would put that gift to work immediately upon learning what he was up against and just what was at stake.

Rhianna spoke first. She said, “This is more than just a threat to our defenses. There is something very sinister and evil behind it. Erik, I am not easily frightened, but this sort of evil scares me.”

“Evil? We already know that Aaron Jasper is responsible for the pain caused to Randall. Of course he is evil.”

“My love, you would call me a witch, and maybe to some I am, but this evil comes from Dark magic; something I do not know how to deal with.”

Erik nodded, suddenly lost in thought. He knew that there was very little that frightened his beautiful Rhianna, except an errant thunder storm now and again, but the way she spoke of the evil that had invaded her vision, Erik knew that she spoke with genuine fear.

“What would we be able to do to counteract such a thing, Rhi? Is there anything we can even do?”

Rhianna shrugged and said, “I am a healer, Erik, with the Sight, but I do not dabble in either white or dark magic. I truly do not know what we can do.”

“Is there someone who can?”

Both Drew and Rhianna blurted out simultaneously, “Andarra!”

“Andarra? Truly?”

“Andarra is from the high hills of Scotland.”

A look of disgust marred Erik’s face for he had little to no use for anyone who came from that part of the world. “She does not speak as one from there,” he grumbled.

“Nay, for she was married to an Englishman when she was really just a girl, so she is more English than Scottish, I suppose, these days. But she is from an ancient clan where the Old Ways run deep. She taught me the healing properties of plants and herbs, but hers is the way of old magic, although she does not speak of it much. It is believed her mother’s sister was hanged for witchcraft when she was just a babe so she has always been careful to not disclose too much about that part of her life, I suppose.”

“Yes, I would imagine that her
gifts,
as you call them, would be wise to hide in these times.”

“I will seek her council on the matter, my love. She will know what to do.”

After taking in the information that had been brought to light, Drew finally spoke up.

“There is one who I do not trust. I am leery of her doings here in the keep.”

“Who, Sir Drew?”

“I do not aim to falsely accuse anyone, but every time she makes her presence known, I am filled with such disgust and ill ease, that I must trust my instincts on it. It is the one who brings the casks and barrels for this household’s use.”

“Devina, the cooper’s daughter?”

“Aye, the very same. I caught her skulking in the corridor leading to the great hall and heard her whispering to one of the servants for a long period of time. I watched to see who she was speaking with, but the person was ever in the shadows. At first I thought it was just idle gossip, but as she approached me, I felt her malice straight away.”

“Yes, she is a distasteful tart, to be certain, but I suspect she is just a baseborn woman with little schooling in proper manners. She is very common, indeed.”

Rhianna eyed Erik and though she wanted to agree with his observation, she could not discount what Drew had said. Sometimes those who wish to increase their standings would stop at nothing to reach their desired station and that want would drive them with avarice and evil. Drew retorted, “She is more than a distasteful tart, Erik. She is absolutely offensive. And there is something behind her colorless eyes that is not right. They are black; soulless, like the eyes of a serpent.”

Erik had not really gotten a good look at her, but he surmised that Drew probably would have. Women of all stations threw themselves at Drew so Erik was quite sure that this harlot had done no less. He said to Drew, “Perhaps you can find out more about…”

“Oh, no. No, Erik I cannot. She is abhorrent to me. She curdles my stomach and I can hardly hold my breath long enough to bear her presence.”

“I did not say to bed the whore. I just said to see if you could find out what she was whispering about in the corridor. Perhaps we can find out if she is here under the guise of plying the cooper’s wares but really serves another.”

“I can only guess who that
other
would be,” Rhianna said bitterly. Just thinking about what had befallen her brother at the hands of Aaron Jasper made her cringe and she had no doubt that he would stoop to the most vile actions to cause more harm to du Montefort. She looked at Drew and her eyes implored him silently to help her cause. He swallowed deeply and he said, “Alright…I will do what I can, but I will not bed that loathsome harpy. I can vow that heartily.”

“Sir Drew, I would be most grateful for any help you can provide. I would not think for you to bed that woman and I will keep a watchful eye on her when next she arrives at the keep. She will be bringing casks for the wedding celebration, no doubt, so I will observe her more carefully.”

Feeling like he had been mesmerized into compliance, Drew was none too happy by the turn of events. Try as he might, Drew believed that he could not resist Rhianna’s request and he now knew that Erik had been taken in by those same beautiful eyes, he was certain. Sometimes the gift of premonition was truly a curse indeed.

~Chapter Thirty-Three~

Devina was livid. She stormed out of the keep in ire and tramped back to the cooper’s croft. Her own by-blow was waiting there, lying around doing nothing, as usual. Devina was tired of supporting the whining little chit, but she could not turn the useless brat out on the streets. It was high time for her daughter to pull her weight and Devina was in no mood to listen to the complaints of Lenore at the moment. She could not believe that the handsome guard had thwarted her advances. She had almost gotten caught prying information out of the gossipy kitchen maid and she was certain that if anyone had found her gleaning information for Aaron Jasper’s use, there would no doubt be hell to pay.

As she watched her lazy daughter picking at her food and listened to her whine, “Mama, you know I don’t like this to eat. It gives me stomach aches.”

Devina wanted to explode. Instead she smiled evilly and said, “I know, my little daffodil, but it is all mama could get at the moment. I have a plan, though, and you will be able to eat anything your heart desires.”

“What, Mama…”

The words grated on Devina. Her daughter from an unknown dalliance was approaching her twentieth year and she had indulged her to become the most spoiled and ungrateful wretch. Devina could not even get her to wash the eating utensils after she had used them. While she, herself, had to lie with countless oafs just to keep a roof over their heads, Lenore sat about whining and complaining at just about everything. She had created this lazy creature by overindulging her every whim and Devina decided today was the day that it would stop. It was bad enough that she had to ply her wares and fawn over people in higher stations just to sell a few barrels.
Not to mention the men she slept with just to have a little extra coin in her purse!

“I was thinking that perhaps you would like to help at the du Montefort keep. They are planning a big celebration for a double wedding of both the lord and lady and if you were to aid in the kitchens, surely you could eat anything you desire, my sweet daffodil.”

“But, Mama, I don’t want to work in the kitchens. It will be too hot and you know how the heat affects me.…”

“Mama needs you to do this. More than working in the kitchens, I need you to listen to the talk and tell me things that you hear. I have a man who will pay us good money to gain the information he needs. Can you do this for me, Daffodil?”

With an exaggerated pout, Lenore said, “I would have to listen to gossip and such?”

“Yes. The man who needs it will pay us well. He wants to learn about the mistress of the keep and her betrothed. He has an interest in the family and will make it worth our while to get him valuable information. He is very rich, Lenore and he will pay me…uh, I mean us, for anything I can tell him. I have already brought the casks this week and it will be suspicious if I go back there before the wedding. But if you were in the kitchens, you could bring back many stories, I am certain.”

The idea of sitting around in idle gossip appealed to the young woman, and though she was loath to work in the kitchens, she was certain she could skip out unnoticed in a keep the size of du Montefort enough to be able to do as little as possible.

She started to whine again, but Devina pulled a face of woeful self-pity for she was as good at maudlin faces as her daughter.

“You have to do this for me. I have worked hard to make a name for myself in these parts and it has been through my smarts and talents that we have survived as well as we have in these trying days. I have made many sacrifices for you, my Daffodil. You can do this for your mama, can’t you?”

Devina had no patience for her simpering daughter at the moment. She was still frustrated and put out by the handsome guard’s rejection of her advances, but she had to be careful. She did not want to draw unnecessary attention to herself by being in the keep without reason. With the weddings approaching, there would be more people needed for kitchen help and it would suit her purposes perfectly two fold. First, she would get her lazy, whining daughter off her arse and she could draw a purse for her work in the kitchens and then she could carry word back to Aaron Jasper for a pretty reward.

Lenore stretched her neck and she said, “Well, you know my back aches so easily, Mama. I don’t know how much work I can do. Besides, I thought all you really want is to make
me
happy.”

“Of course I do, my daffodil, but I need your help this time.” Devina was trying to school her growing annoyance at her useless and spoiled daughter.

“Al---right, if I have to.”

“I am sure you will not have to work terribly hard. Come, ready yourself to look like someone the cooks would want to aid them in their tasks. Comb out your hair, for it looks snarled and frightful,” she said, stroking the long locks that had tangled into the semblance of a rat’s nest. God’s bones, the chit was so lazy she could not even comb out her hair.

Lenore laughed and said, “Mama, if anyone’s hair looks frightful, it is yours. What have you done to it now? It is yellow and it sticks up most unnaturally.”

“I plied it with some of the fullers’ bleach to make it look more youthful. You know that part of the money I earn is from the young men who…enjoy my company. So many men like a woman with blonde tresses. I think it looks charming.”

Lenore could barely contain her amusement. It not only looked ridiculous, she could not see any man being duped into thinking it was
youthful
. She knew her mother for the whore she was, but still, she could not care too much about it. After all, it gave them both the coin they needed and left Lenore free to do little to no work as a result of her mother’s dalliances with various men. Lenore had tried her hand at that sort of thing, but she did not want to be left with a squalling brat of her own, so she kept her trysts to a minimum and preferred to sit idle rather than lie with filthy men who wanted her to do disgusting things with them. She knew she would just have to give her mother a pout or whine about something and Devina would see to it that Lenore would not have to work for additional coin. It seemed that Devina enjoyed doting on Lenore and so Lenore took full advantage of the situation.

Devina picked a simple tunic for Lenore to wear so that she would appear presentable when she went to seek work in du Montefort. She still stewed over the rejection of that handsome guard, but she had already moved on. The coins she would earn from Aaron Jasper would far surpass anything she could gain from a pretty faced lad. She was going to set Lenore in a place to gain the most information. She hurried to get her mule cart filled with casks for the lord of Morcar as she would tell him of the wedding plans already in place. She could almost taste the riches he would lace her palm with once she presented the latest news to him.

She sent Lenore toward du Montefort to ask for work in the kitchens, glad to be rid of her sniveling brat for a few hours and she began her trek toward Morcar. She knew she would reach Aaron’s lands before nightfall and she already was counting the coins she was sure her tales would earn.

~~~~~

Aaron Jasper stood at the tower and saw the mule cart approaching with the lone figure driving it toward his gates. While he could barely tolerate that hideous woman, he had to give Devina her due. She traveled alone when many would not dare to approach Castle Morcar even armed to the teeth. Yet, here she was riding up as if her safety was not in danger at any given moment; and not just from the threat that laid in wait for her behind Morcar’s walls. Any number of perils could befall her as she traveled unescorted through the darkening twilight on the rutted roads.

Aaron’s one good eye blinked at the sight of the shock of Devina’s bleached and spiked hair. What in the hell did she think was attractive about that? Nay, ebony tresses that could wrap around a man was much more to his liking. Aaron had seen women do crazy things to their hair, but he had never seen something so garish as the things this mad whore did to her head. He hoped, at least, if he was forced to abide her company, that she had some information he could use to further the demise of du Montefort. Then, the black haired witch would think twice to have thwarted him.