The lad licked the icing off the top before he spoke. “Aye, he locked her up, and he says he will no’ let her go until he knows she does no’ carry a babe.”
“How in hell did you find that out?” Brodie glanced at Nicol. Could it be true? It made sense. The plan must have been planted in Ivarsson’s head by Father Padraig. He would sleep better at night if he didn’t have to think of his wife with that man’s hands all over her. Perfect. The more he thought about the arrangement, the more he liked it. She’d be safe for at least a fortnight, which would give him plenty of time to kidnap her.
“I knocked on the back door and the cook gave me scraps to eat. I heard the kitchen lasses gossiping about it.”
An idea popped into Brodie’s head. He grinned at Nicol before he spoke. “Aye, lad, here’s the plan. You have to prove to me you are a hard worker and smart, too. Can you find your way back to the tower if Nicol brings you on his horse?”
“Aye.”
“Then here is your test. I have something you need to bring to the lass. Then you have to return with the proof that she received it.” He nodded as he talked, suddenly excited at this new prospect. “If you are successful, we will commence your training.”
“Aye, master. I’ll do it.” Loki pointed to Nicol. “You heard him promise me.”
“Lad, I am a Grant. I do no’ go back on my word. My name is Brodie, no’ master. And this is Nicol.”
“Aye, Master Brodie, tell me what to do. And you have to feed me, too.” Loki grinned at him. “Do no’ worry…they dinna call me Lucky Loki for naught.”
Chapter Thirteen
Celestina is locked up in a tower and surely did not expect to see a lad climb up the garderobe, endearing as he was.
Then, all at once, a wee face popped up through the opening and a small urchin landed directly in front of her.
She waited in shock as the boy held his finger to his lips to shush her. While a snake or a bat might elicit a scream, this small child wouldn’t. He was the cutest she had seen in quite some time, though she hadn’t met many children to whom she could compare him.
She backed up to the table, never taking her eyes off the wee lad. When she reached her chair, she rotated it until she sat facing him. After a moment, the boy strolled over to her and whispered, “Good morn to you, Angel. My name is Lucky Loki. Master sent me, rather, Master Brodie.” He giggled and then shushed himself. “We must be quiet. If I get caught, Master will no’ make me a Grant warrior.”
Ignoring the odor that filled the room from the wee one, Celestina swallowed and smiled at the lad. “Brodie? You know my husband, Brodie Grant?”
“Aye, he sent me. Look what I have for you.”
The urchin stood close to her and promptly lifted up his shirt. A note with her name on it was at the front of a pile of blank papers tied to his belly. “These are for you, missy angel. Take them off.” He jutted his wee belly at her, his shirt raised up over his head to give her access.
Her hands trembled as she untied the string, but she managed to catch the papers and set them on the table before they fell. The boy pulled his shirt down and handed her a writing utensil. “Master Brodie says I have to wait for your answer. He says you can write. Can you, missy angel?”
“Aye.” She grabbed the utensil, still stunned by the sight of the lad standing in the middle of her tower prison. “How did you get here? Where did you come from? What is your name again?”
He giggled and, without any preliminaries, plopped himself on the bed. “My name is Loki. Master Brodie sent me with this note. If I bring him one back from you, he and Master Nicol will train me to be a Grant warrior. He promised.”
“But how did you get in here?”
“Och, ‘twas easy, missy angel. I climbed up the rungs in the garderobe.”
Celestina wrinkled her nose at the raw odor emanating from the young one. “There are steps inside the garderobe?”
“Och, aye, you can sneak out in case of an attack. Course, you can no’ because you are too big for the wee hole. I tried to move the piece of wood, but ‘tis nailed shut. But I can sneak up. See?” He giggled and leaned back against the pillow. “I’ll just rest my eyes a bit while you read and write, if you dinna mind. Wake me when you are ready, and I will take your letter back to Master Brodie. He keeps me verra busy, you see.” He closed his eyes and settled back.
Celestina smiled at the lad on her bed. He was by far the dearest thing she had ever had this close to her. Children were rarely seen in her world, and he was definitely the most wonderful thing that had happened to her since her imprisonment. She reached for the note on the table, and her hand stilled, almost afraid to open it. Had Brodie changed his mind about her now that the wedding to Ivarsson had actually taken place? She closed her eyes, saying a swift prayer that he still loved her and would help her escape this prison.
As if sensing her troubled thoughts, Loki’s eyes opened. “Tis all right. He is verra sweet on you, missy angel.” He nodded his head in assertion and closed his eyes again.
Chapter Sixteen
Brodie loses Celestina again, but he knows who can help him find her. Lucky Loki demonstrates just how clever he is.
Loki backed away as if he was preparing to bolt. “And you also said Highlanders were to do the honorable thing and protect the weak.”
Brodie held his hand up to stop Nicol’s next words. His voice dropped to a whisper, understanding dawning in his gut. “Aye, we did, Loki. Tell us what you have been about.”
