Page 82 of Laird of Smoke
He’d be damned if he’d heed that advice.He’d absolutely pursue her.There were irreplaceable things in his satchel.The costume he’d used for King Malcolm.Holy vestments.Hairpieces.Weapons.A notebook of cures.Keys to manors all across Scotland.A pick for those places for which he didn’t have keys.His spare braies.Most importantly, it held his Rivenloch medallion.
He dared not lose that.It was his identity.If it fell into the wrong hands…
She probably wouldn’t believe it was real.At least that was his hope.Indeed, he hoped she’d be disappointed with the cache she’d stolen.It contained little of worth to the average person.
But it was of immense value to him.
Oh aye, he’d follow her.
He wouldn’t let her get away with this crime.
He’d insist on justice.Demand the return of his satchel.
And he’d hope, where his chest felt empty and silent, for the return of his heart.
Fueled by pottage and the thirst for retribution, he set out with renewed determination.This time he’d ride south as had been their original plan.
She’d gone on foot.She couldn’t get far.
By nightfall, he arrived at the village of Cumbernauld.
Adam had no way of knowing how Aillenn was dressed or what identity she’d taken.She might be visiting a castle as an Empress from the East or sleeping in a stable as Joan the milkmaid.
He found lodging at the local inn as Sir Robert, a nobleman who’d fallen on hard times.He softened the wealth of his lordly garb by covering himself with a ragged cloak from her satchel.
As he sipped ale by the door of the common room, he peered closely at its inhabitants.A beggar hunkered by the fire.An aged crone slurped at her pottage.A mercenary all in black stared at the floor.None of them were Aillenn.
Where could the deceitful wench have gone?
Eve had a rule when she traveled.She rarely wore the same guise two days in a row.That way, anyone following her wouldn’t be able to accurately describe her.
The strategy hadn’t worked with Adam.He seemed to be able to see through every disguise.But it worked with everyone else.
So when she departed the convent, she made a small detour into the thick of the woods to change her clothing.
Adam’s garments were naturally too large for her.She had to be creative.Since there were a number of monasteries where she was headed, she opted for the identity of a monk, Brother Matthew.She wore a loose-fitting cassock bloused over the cord that secured it and an oversized hood that covered her hair and hid her face.
While she searched for the wooden cross she knew he carried, she found another piece.A small silver medallion.It looked very old.She squinted at the engraving.
Amor vincit omnia.Love conquers all.
Then she inhaled sharply.
She recognized the words.It was the motto of the Rivenloch clan.
She was still on a mission for the Rivenlochs.After she returned to the convent, she intended to pay a visit to Hew and Carenza, the couple she’d united, to let them know they were safe from Gellir’s wrath, that he’d been wed to another.
But if Adam had engaged recently with the Rivenlochs…
Lucifer’s ballocks!Had he stolen the medallion from them?
The idea filled her with a mixture of horror and admiration.She too had tangled with the clan, and it was perilous work.The Rivenlochs were a discerning lot.Not much got past their notice.
Still, to steal from one of them?Adam must have a target on his back now.Perhaps she should count her blessings that they were no longer traveling together.
Still, his absence didn’t feel like a blessing.
It felt like a curse.
