Page 2 of The Shadow of a Laird
Sable had been Gavin’s horse since he was a foal, and they understood each other so well that the stallion always obeyed his master’s instructions without hesitation. Now he waited patiently while Gavin mounted, and they set off, keeping to the shadows as much as they could. Fortunately, this was not difficult; since it was still night, Sable blended into the dark until he was almost invisible.
Presently, Gavin saw a light under the trees, and they moved towards it.
“M’Laird!” a voice called. The figure held up the lantern, and Gavin saw that it was one of the stable hands, the lanky eighteen-year-old Jerry MacKay. “I was sent tae get ye an’ take ye tae Carmalcolm.”
Gavin dismounted from Sable, who was his most beloved companion in the whole world. His heart ached to say goodbye to him, but he knew he had to, and he was glad that Jerry could not see the tears that had gathered in his eyes. He patted the horse’s nose and whispered a farewell.
“Get me there as fast as you can,” Gavin said stiffly, climbing up onto the farmer’s cart Jerry had brought.
As soon as they were out of sight of the sentries, Jerry speeded up a little, although it was impossible to make any kind of speed in the pitch dark. Gavin was incredibly confused, frightened and desperate to know why he had been evicted from his home in such a brutal manner.
As well as that, he was concerned about Archie. They were so close that Gavin had asked him not to use his title when addressing him after he inherited the Lairdship, but he hadshaken his head and refused, and nothing would change his mind.
“No, M’Laird,” he had said firmly. “We will aye be friends, but we cannae be wee boys like we were before. You are the leader now, an’ ye have responsibilities, burdens tae shoulder. The men under your command will no’ be pleased if ye have favourites.”
Gavin and Jerry plodded on through the night. There was only half a moon to light their way, so it was slow-going, and the fact that it was absolutely freezing did not help at all. Gavin knew that he still had at least five miles to go, and the fastest pace the carthorse could manage was a walk. At this rate, he would not reach Carmalcolm before early afternoon.
It was late October, and the nights were becoming longer and longer. Soon daylight would not appear till very late in the morning, but if he was obliged to go slowly, then so would anyone who was following. The thought gave him a sliver of comfort, but when he thought about his eviction from the castle, he felt a smouldering mixture of anger and bewilderment.
What right did anyone have to turf him out of his home? And for what reason? None of it added up, and Gavin’s head began to throb as he tried to make sense of it. Dawn broke very slowly, and the deep grey of the cloudy night sky gradually turned to a lighter tone of the same shade, heralding the day.
The colour matched Gavin’s mood as they went on. Rage soured his stomach; he felt sick with it, and vowed revenge on those who had taken away what was his.
Presently, the lie of the land told him that he was near Carmalcolm, and soon he saw the huddle of small cottages that made up the village. With half a mile to go, he instructed Jerry to stop.
“I will walk from here.” He reached for his sack of belongings and was just about to jump down from the cart when Jerry said suddenly, “Wait a minute.”
Gavin looked back at him, startled to see that there was no deference or fear in the boy’s face. Instead, he looked angry.
“I want tae be paid for my time,” he demanded, “or I will tell them where ye are an’ that ye forced me tae take ye there.”
Gavin was outraged. “How dare you! I am your Laird. I put food in your mouth and a roof over your head!”
The young man laughed cynically. “No’ any more, ye’re no’!” he pointed out. “Now ye are just a stranger on the road, an’ ye cannae bully us any more. So pay me.”
In the dim light, Gavin could see the smug look on the boy’s face.
He glared at Jerry, but seeing that he had no alternative, Gavin plunged his hand into his money pouch and pulled out a few coins, which he slapped into Jerry’s hand. The young man gave him a smug smile.
“Thank ye, Gavin,” he said with deliberate disrespect. If things had been normal, Jerry would not have dared to address the Laird by his first name.
However, they were not, and Gavin was powerless as he watched the wicked glee on Jerry’s face. Gavin tossed him a venomous look as he turned away and began to stride towards the village without looking back. He knew that the boy could break his word and betray him anyway, but he could do nothing about that.
When Gavin was some distance away, Jerry counted the money he had been given and raised his eyebrows in astonishment, then laughed heartily. This was his reward for putting up with his rude, arrogant Laird for so long!
1
When Gavin arrived in the village, he was absolutely ravenous. Jerry had given him a bannock and a little ale during their ride, but other than that, he had not eaten since the afternoon of the previous day, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger.
He went into the first tavern he found, and the first thing that hit him was the delicious aroma of meat cooking in the kitchen. It made his mouth water profusely and caused his stomach to growl even more loudly.
There was a plump young woman behind the bar whose brown eyes widened when she saw him. She stepped back, then, keeping her gaze on him, called to someone in the kitchen.
A moment later, a man appeared wiping his hands on his apron. He was silver-haired and elderly, yet still tall and muscular, and Gavin judged him to be an ex-soldier. He took one look at him and his face assumed a fierce, threatening frown.
“What dae ye want?” he asked aggressively. “Put your hood back so I can see your face, or dae he have somethin’ tae hide?”
Gavin hesitated for a moment, but that was long enough for the old man to reach up and pull it down for him. Gavin had been reluctant to do so, not only because he wanted to keep hisidentity secret, but because his face was filthy, scratched and bruised from the treacherous journey.
