Cora’s heart almost broke when she saw the destruction that had been wrought in her home. Many of the paintings of her ancestors were gone, no doubt sold or destroyed, and the beautifully carved hardwood furniture had been damaged or defaced by the blades of blunt knives. All the colorful Turkish rugs, each one a work of art in itself, were gone, and the walls were filthy. The kitchens were infested with vermin feasting on the food scraps that were littered everywhere; it would be a long time before anything edible could be prepared there.
“The entire place will have to be scrubbed from the towers to the dungeons,” Cora said hopelessly.
“But you have recovered your jewelry and your treasures,” Clyde pointed out. It was true. The family jewels, including Cora’s little pearl bracelet, had been hidden in a secret room under the dungeons that the brigands had not found.
“That is true,” she said, smiling. Suddenly she felt a little more hopeful.
“I have one more treasure for you,” Clyde announced, as he took Cora by the shoulders and turned her around.
“Hester!” Cora cried in disbelief. She threw herself into her maid’s arms. “I thought I would never see you again!”
“I am that glad tae see ye, milady!” Hester said happily, her blue eyes shining with joyful tears. “An’ lookin’ even bonnier than ever!”
The two women clung to each other for a long time, before Hester put Cora away a little to look into her face. “In love, as well, I see! Tell me a’ about it!”
Then they linked arms and walked away, chatting amiably.
Clyde walked behind them, and for once, he was happy to be forgotten.
“Do you want to see Angus Brown?” Clyde asked Cora as they sat at the breakfast table the next morning. “He is the leader of the bandits who took your castle, and I want to interrogate him later. And if you can bear it, we will go to Inchrigg and see what the damage is, but I will not force you, my love.”
Cora took a deep breath and nodded firmly. “I will see him, if only so that I can spit at him!” Her voice was throbbing with rage.
Clyde stood up quickly and pulled out her chair, then led her down to a deep, dark corridor lit only by the flickering light of torches on the walls. The whole place smelled of damp and unwashed bodies. Underlying all this was the nauseating stench of human excrement, and Cora had to fight not to vomit, and squealed in fright as she saw an enormous rat scurrying across the floor. It was like a vision from hell.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Clyde asked, frowning.
Cora nodded. “I need to see him,” she replied firmly. “Perhaps then my nightmares will end.”
“Very well.” Clyde put his arm around her waist and nodded to the jailer to open the gates. “He is in the cell right at the end. There is very little light, and many rats, so be prepared. If you change your mind, just tell me, and we will go back.”
The further they proceeded down the corridor, the worse the smell became, and as they passed the last wall sconce, they walked into thick darkness. Clyde lit a candle, and presently they came to a cell that was worse than anything they had walked past before. The stench of excrement and rats was so overpowering that Cora began to cough, even though she held a scented handkerchief to her nose.
In the wavering light of the candle, she saw the man who had led the band of thugs who had invaded and taken possession of the only home she had ever known, and a wave of pure hatred rose up inside her.
She could make out by the guttering candlelight that he was a tall man, and he was staring at her from the back of the cell as if he could not look away.
“This is Milady Henderson of Inchrigg, Brown,” Clyde informed him. “You took her castle.”
The man nodded resignedly. “If ye can find it in yer heart, please forgive me, milady,” he begged. He looked and sounded utterly miserable and hopeless.
Suddenly Cora realized that all he had to look forward to was a short space of time in the confines of a small room before his life was cut short at the end of a noose. “Why did you do it?” she asked.
The man sighed. “We began’ stealin’ because we were poor, milady,” he explained. “Then we had enough silver tae buy drink, but it became a sport, an’ God forgive me, I enjoyed it. I know I will hang, but it will be a blessin’, because I dinnae want tae live anymore.”
Despite herself, Cora felt sorry for him. He was a sad and pitiful excuse for a man. “You are forgiven,” she said curtly before she turned and walked away.
Clyde caught her arm and turned her to face him. “You are a remarkable woman, Cora,” he breathed. “I could never have done what you just did.”
“I feel better now, Clyde,” she laughed. “I have finally let go of my hatred for those horrible men. They may have despoiled my home, but things can be replaced, and I know Hester and the rest of my staff got out alive. My family treasures were safely hidden, and I retrieved them. For the moment, I am content.”
Clyde wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes and breathing in her wonderful scent. He knew now that he had finally found real love, and it was nothing like the shallow lust he had felt for Loraine. He would walk through fire for Cora. Abruptly, he realized that she was the other problem they had to deal with that day.
“Loraine,” he groaned. “And the baron...I almost forgot them.”
“I know,” Cora giggled. “You walked right past the baron!”
Clyde took her hand. “Go and see Minetta,” he ordered. “I will deal with this. You have suffered enough in these last few days.”
