Caillen said, “Aye, for now at least,” and left Banting to mop his sweating brow.
Next, Caillen went to the guards’ house. The captain was not there, so he went looking for him at the training grounds. The men were busy at bow practice, and Caillen stopped to enjoy watching the skilled sport for a while. He had always been a swordsman at heart but was tempted to stop and try his hand at the targets. Then he realized that he did not have the time.
Sighing, he motioned for the captain to come to him.
“Take a break, lads,” the man said to his soldiers and marched to where Caillen was standing to one side, “Aye, sire, how can I help?”
The two men began to walk around the courtyard together as they spoke.
“I have tightened the noose, Buidheach, although some danger still exists,” Caillen began and knew the man would understand to what he was referring, “now, there can be nae one leaving or entering the castle gates at the outer perimeter walls without me permission.Nae one.”
“But me Laird,” Buidheach interjected, “Tis an impossibility! This is a castle keep. After all-folks must come an’ go!”
“Aye, but nae without ye and yer men making a record of it. The day they come or leave, and what o'clock it is. They also have to state their mission, even if they say they are a messenger come from the King himself, ye must insist.”
Buidheach thought about these new orders for a moment and then commented, “Many of yer villagers and townsfolk will be egregiously insulted, me Laird, having been loyal to ye for so long...”
“Tis a risk I’m prepared to take,” Caillen replied.
“It’s when a man is insulted that he might take it into his head to go to the Sutherlands for the respect he needs, me Laird.”
Caillen considered this for a moment, “Well said, Buidheach. That’s why ye’re the captain. I tell ye what-if anyone raises a fuss, call me to the gates, and I will pour oil over the churning waters. How does that sound? And remind me to get the men some muskets to practice with.”
His captain saluted and then, before marching away, thought of another thing he wanted to say.
“Me Laird, if ye are on the lookout for suspicious behavior, ye might want to take a peek at that new maid o’ yers. Emer is her name if I recall correctly.”
Caillen’s heart lurched in the most unpredictable way when he heard his captain mention that name. He tried to quiet the small voice inside him that pleaded:Nay! Nae Emer, please dinnae let it be Emer!
“Go on,” he managed to say in as steady a voice as he could hope to have.
“Well, sir, the guards tell me she’s been going round to all the staff, themenon the staff, I should add, and questioning them about their whereabouts on the night of the feast,”
Caillen said, “And..., what else?”
“She asks them if they were in a specific bedchamber in the east wing turret on that night. She said there were nae male guests staying in that room, at least none she kens, and she prods the men’s memories by saying there’s a writing desk in the room next door to it.”
Caillen felt as though a bucket of hot water had been poured over him and hoped the captain did not notice his face becoming warmer.
Could this be the proof I need to be sure Emer is the girl I kissed? Is she as determined to find the person she kissed in the dark as I am?
“Me Laird?”
Caillen realized his mind had wandered, “Och, aye, carry on,” he said.
“Now, me men are nae the type to leave a pretty girl alone when she’s asking the sort of questions that make it sound as though she’s on the search for a beau if ye take me meaning. But she wouldnae divulge one word about why she wanted to find the man who had been up in the room. I thought to take it upon meself to ask cook if she kens what it was about, but all she had to say was that she sent the girl up to the east wing on the night of the feast to get some twine from a writing desk drawer.”
Caillen said nothing.
“Could it be she met with someone who asked her to spy for them? Maybe forgotten his name and now wants to find him?” the captain sounded anxious and was not sure why Laird Maclachlan was not taking this more seriously.
“Nay, I dinnae think we should worry about that, thank ye, Buidheach,” Caillen said, a distracted look on his face. He prepared to leave.
“One more thing, yer Lairdship,” Buidheach shouted out to Caillen before he walked out of earshot.
He turned and motioned with his hand to show the captain he was listening.
“She asked every last man if he wore lavender perfume. She even went so far as to sniff the great plaids they’d draped on their chairs! Could it be a woman we should be looking for as the spy?”
