Kai nodded, keeping his face neutral. “Aye, it was—” he began to answer but trailed off when he realized that MacGuinness wasn’t talking to him. Instead, the man bobbed his head deferentially to Caitlin.
Caitlin glanced at Kai and back to MacGuinness. “Aye, it was,” she replied, doing a passable job of a Highland accent.
MacGuinness smiled. “I’m glad to hear it, my lady.” He flicked his gaze to Kai and nodded in acknowledgement before carrying on the conversation with Caitlin as if Kai—or rather ‘Alfred’—wasn’t important at all.
“We’ve been waiting for ye,” MacGuinness said. “I must admit, I expected ye a little earlier. The message said ye would be here by midday. The lads were getting a bit fidgety.”
“We, er, broke a wheel on the cart,” Caitlin said quickly. “And had to stop to replace it otherwise we would have been here on time. Our delay hasnae caused any problems, I hope?”
“Oh, nay, my lady, ye are here now and that’s what matters.” He swallowed and glanced around again. His voice dropped low. “Ye have the delivery?”
Caitlin nodded. “It’s in the back.”
The man moved over to the wagon, his eyes flickering over the piled goods in the bed. “Excellent. Please, bring it inside.” He nodded to his men and they pushed aside a cart that had been pulled up at the side of the stall. It made a small gap, just wide enough to fit their wagon through.
Kai smoothed his face into an impassive mask and clucked to the horses, driving the cart through the gap and into the space beyond. They emerged into a sort of enclosed compound behind the merchant’s stall. Several wagons had been drawn up in a circle and cloth hung between them to create a wide area away from the prying eyes of other stall holders. Crates filled most of the carts and a large pavilion had been set up at the back. This was the real area of operations, Kai realized, with the stall at the front merely being a decoy to make it seem that MacGuinness was a small-time trader like everyone else.
MacGuinness followed them in and his men pulled the cart back into place at the entrance, effectively trapping Kai and Caitlin inside. The skin on the back of Kai’s neck prickled. This felt like a trap although he couldn’t see any signs of danger. Most of MacGuinness’s men returned to their positions at the front of the stall, leaving only two behind to start unpacking the cargo.
“Wait,” Kai said as the men climbed into the back of the cart and began unloading the goods that lay atop the false floor. “Ye dinna touch any of that until we’ve been paid.”
The men hesitated, looking at MacGuinness. The merchant in his turn, looked at Caitlin.
“Ye heard the man,” Caitlin snapped. “We had a contract, remember?”
MacGuinness bobbed his head deferentially. “Of course, of course. If ye’ll just step this way.”
He held up a hand to help Caitlin down from the wagon. She took it, stepped down, and allowed him to take her arm and escort her towards the tent at the back of the compound. She glanced over her shoulder and shot Kai an enquiring look. He nodded slightly, telling her to keep up the ruse, even though his stomach was churning with unease.
Kai followed the two of them towards the tent. MacGuinness didn’t spare him so much as a glance, all of his simpering attention fixed on Caitlin. Kai didn’t like it. He’d assumed that Alice Brewer had been dragged into this by her husband and was just an unwilling participant who’d been roped in to add a little credibility to her husband’s activities. Now he wondered if he’d assumed wrong. If Alfred Brewer was the important one, then why was MacGuinness paying such attention to ‘Alice’?
As they entered the tent, Kai’s eyes adjusted to the dim light. Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of musk and incense. A low table held a variety of implements—inkpots, parchment, weighing scales, weights and the usual paraphernalia of a successful merchant.
“Please, take a seat,” MacGuinness said, gesturing towards a makeshift bench in the center of the tent.Caitlin sat down on the bench, smoothing her skirts. Kai took up position behind her, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
MacGuinness sat down opposite Caitlin and opened a small chest at his feet. He pulled out a pouch, opened the drawstrings, and tipped a mixture of copper and silver coins onto the table.
“I think ye’ll find it’s all there. Our mutual friend is most fastidious about these things.”
Kai scooped the coins into his palm and made a show of counting them, but his thoughts were racing. Mutual friend? Was he referring to Leif Snarlsson?
He dumped the coins back onto the table and stepped back again, nodding to show it was all there although, of course, he had no idea what price had been agreed.
Information. He needed information. And that meant he had to take a risk.
“The cargo we’ve brought ye is very valuable,” he said. “And our mutual friend wouldnae be happy if he discovered some of it had disappeared onto the black market instead of being used for its intended purpose.”
MacGuinness’s eyes widened and he glanced at Caitlin, a flash of fear crossing his face. “I wouldnae!” he protested. “I’m loyal to our mutual friend and his cause! I would never betray him! We have stuck to the plan, I swear!”
The plan? So, this mandidknow what Snarlsson intended for the gunpowder.
Kai had to tread carefully. “I didnae mean to imply that ye were untrustworthy,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “But given the value of the cargo, I just wanted to make sure that everything is in order before we leave.”
Kai could see the wariness in the man’s eyes. “Everythingisin order, I assure ye. Our mutual friend’s agent arrived to set the fuses early this morning. He’s spent the day setting things up. Everything is laid. We’ve just been waiting for yer delivery so we can begin.” He grinned suddenly, the affable smile gone, and a hungry gleam in his eyes instead. “This place is going to go up with a bang and the Order will have quite the surprise!”
Kai felt his hand moving towards the hilt of his dagger and forced himself to remain still. How did this man know about the Order of the Osprey? And what did he mean about this place going up with a bang?
Something was wrong here. He had assumed this man was an intermediary and that he would take the gunpowder to Leif Snarlsson, leading Kai and his men to their quarry. But what if he wasn’t taking the gunpowder anywhere? What if—
