Lysander agreed, but no sooner had he climbed into the wagon than Catarina locked him inside.
“Cat!” he snapped angrily, rattling the door so fiercely that Nora half expected him to wrench it from the hinges. “Release me. I hate it when you do this.”
Cat smiled impishly at her and wiped her hands in triumph. “Ready to find out about this man?”
“Absolutely.”
United in mischief, the two of them made their way to the stable to find Viktor, Bavel and Ewan in there all alone.
“Maybe we’re early?” Viktor said as he and Bavel walked around the last stall.
“Maybe we were duped,” Bavel added. “Maybe he had no intention of ever paying us.”
Ewan’s reasoning made the most sense. “Or maybe he saw us arrive and is hiding.”
Viktor nodded. “That is most likely it. Bavel, stay here and let us look about and see if we can find him.”
Ewan loosened his ropes and handed them to Bavel.
Catarina stood up as the men passed by.
Ewan’s face darkened dangerously as he saw the two of them there alone.
“Where’s Lysander?” he growled.
Catarina didn’t even flinch at his tone or fierce demeanor. “Back of the wagon. You men are ever easy to trap when a woman knows how.”
Ewan didn’t appear to appreciate her words. “What is it with you locking people inside your wagon, Catarina? I think someone should set fire to it.”
Catarina gasped. “Don’t even say such a thing. That wagon belonged to my grandfather and his father before him.”
“Aye,” Bavel said. “‘Twould be bad luck to lose it now. Their ghosts would haunt us forever.”
Ewan apologized and then the men left her and Catarina alone. Verbally at least.
They did, however, return with them to let poor Lysander out, who chastised the women greatly.
“Next time, Cat,” Lysander growled, “I swear, father or no, I’m taking a hand to your backside for that.”
Catarina made a rude noise at him.
Ewan ignored their sniping and deposited the women and Lysander in a small pub before he went back to help Viktor and Bavel search for the unknown man.
The little room was crowded with people coming and going. There were four serving wenches and a heavy-set man who kept ordering the women about. They went to sit at a table in the rear corner that had just been cleared.
A buxom blond woman paused as they neared the table. She had the old dishes balanced carefully on a large tray. “No offense, my lord and ladies, but if you’re needing food, one of you’ll need to follow me to order it. We’re dreadfully busy and equally short-handed. But you shouldn’t have to wait too long for your meals.”
Lysander followed after the woman to order them food and while they waited for his return, Catarina left Nora so that she could attend her personal needs.
Nora sat alone at the table. She watched two men break out into a fight and saw the owner toss both of them out the door.
Lysander held his hand up to her to signal that he would be right back.
Nora waited patiently while the room’s conversations buzzed loudly in her ears.
Until one sentence rang out louder than the others...
“What are you doing here?”
