With so many of the king’s men about, Edinburgh was a dangerous place for a MacGregor. Normally, Alex would have his squire with him at court, but he couldn’t take any chances that the lad would be identified.
Robbie shook his head. “No, my laird.”
“Patrick and the others?”
“They’re ready.”
“Good.” While Alex discovered what he could at court, Patrick and the rest of Alex’s warriors would blanket the taverns and alehouses frequented by mercenaries and soldiers, listening for rumors of any forces leaving for the Isles. Robbie would take messages back and forth between Alex and his men. His youth and comparatively less imposing stature would make it easier for him to slip in and out unnoticed.
“Have our friends arrived?” Robbie asked in code, referring not to friends, but to the Lowland scourge intent on sailing for Lewis.
“As we expected, not all of them could make it.”
Robbie’s eyes lit with understanding. The absence of key Lowland gentlemen at court supported the rumor that the Fife Adventurers were gathering for a second attempt on Lewis.
“Will they be traveling this summer?” Robbie asked.
“I don’t know yet. But if they want to be settled by winter, they will have to leave soon. I hope to have more information by the end of the week.”
Robbie nodded.
Alex cast his gaze around the room, making sure they were not the subject of undue attention. “We will meet again on Saturday a week hence. We should be able to speak more freely then.”
“Where?”
“Beyond the city gates. A place called Sheep’s Heid Inn. Have you heard of it?”
Robbie shook his head. “No, but I’ll find it.”
“It’s situated at the eastern edge of Holyrood Park, at the rear of archer’s seat, in the village of Duddingston. Wait for me. I don’t know what time I’ll be able to slip away.”
Alex gave him a hard look. Robbie was quick with a blade, but so many things could go wrong. “Have care, Robbie. The city can be a dangerous place for a lad on his own.”
The boy couldn’t hide his pleasure, proud to have drawn his laird’s concern. Alex didn’t know what had come over him. A week at Dunvegan with his brother and wife, and he had grown soft. But attachments and war, he knew, didn’t mix.
Unbidden, his thoughts slid back to the wee green-eyed enchantress.
Robbie slid off the bench and stood up. “And you have care as well, my laird.”
Alex chuckled. “Get out of here before I decide to step up that training now.”
Robbie flashed a jaunty grin and left before Alex could make good on his word.
Leaning back on the bench, Alex took a moment to relax as he scanned the room and its occupants. Taverns and alehouses were the great equalizers. Perhaps a dozen men from all strata of society mingled in apparent ease and drunken camaraderie. A couple of men slid into the compartment in front of him. Wedged into the corner and hidden in the shadows, Alex doubted they could see him. But neither could he see them. He was just about to stand up to leave when one of the men began to speak in Erse with a brogue that identified him as a Highlander.
“You’ll get no more money from me until the job is done.”
“But I lost most of my men in the first attack,” the second man complained. “I’ll need to find replacements before I can try again.”
A Highlander also, Alex realized.
“That is not my concern. You were paid well for your skills.” The man’s voice rose in anger. “Skills that were obviously exaggerated if you could allow a group of vagrants to defeat you.”
“These were no vagrants, but trained warriors. I’ve never seen any man fight like their leader. He fought with the strength of five men.”
The first man snorted his disbelief. “So you’ve said. But that doesn’t explain how a handful of men defeated a score of your cutthroats.”
“It won’t happen again. It was bad luck that they came upon us as they did. I’ll finish the job, but it might take some time. It will be more difficult finding an opportunity in Edinburgh.”
