Page 25 of Deception

Linnae followedthe wagon carrying Lady Alison’s body through the gates, then stopped and watched as it continued toward the bridge. Rebecca and Dina had no family, so Lyel had consented to bury them in the cemetery across the bridge. Lady Alison, however, was on her way home. Her brother would likely be away, but she would be buried alongside the parents she’d never known.

It seemed wrong to send her off alone, especially on an overcast day that promised rain, but Jacob and Lyel had been adamant that she not leave the safety of the castle. Whoever had killed Lady Alison might make an attempt on her life.

A cool breeze raised gooseflesh on her arms, but Linnae watched until the wagon reached the mainland and passed a group of riders. The wagon began to turn the bend.

“Goodbye, my friend,” she whispered, and stood there long after the wagon had disappeared from sight.

“Linnae!”

She turned to find Jacob striding through the gate. He hurried and caught up with her an instant later. “I have been searching for you. What the devil are you doing out here?”

A lump rose in her throat as she glanced toward the road. “I was saying goodbye.”

“What—” he broke off and pulled her into his arms. “I am sorry.”

She didn’t cry this time. But the pain dug deep in her heart. She allowed herself a moment of comfort in Jacob’s arms, then pulled back. They started back through the gate.

“I would like to be there when Dina and Rebecca are buried,” she said. “Their bodies are ready for burial.”

He nodded. “The cemetery is in a clearing not far from the road. I will make sure the graves are prepared.”

They passed through the gate and he pulled her aside to make way for half a dozen warriors who rode into the courtyard.

“Those are some of the men who spread the word that I have married Lyel’s adopted granddaughter,” Jacob said, as the riders continued toward the stables.

A tremor rippled through her. Jacob had sent men to spread the news of his marriage in hopes of flushing out Lady Alison’s killer.

“How many people do ye think will attend the wedding feast?” she asked.

“Cook is preparing food for at least three hundred.”

“Three hundred?” Linnae blurted. “She cannae be happy about having to prepare a feast for so many on such short notice.”

“She’s been in Lyel’s service for over forty years.” He laughed. “I think she would follow him into the grave, if possible.”

“Perhaps I should help with the preparations.”

“If ye mean giving guidance, aye,” he said.

She snapped her head up and met his gaze. “No more work in the kitchen?”

“Nae, lass. I promise, once we reach Dunakin Castle, you will be too busy running the household to do the actual cooking.” He paused, then asked, “Where did ye learn to read?”

“Some lasses at the abbey could read. One in particular, Helena, could read quite well. There were a few texts left in the scriptorium. She used those to teach anyone who wanted to learn.”

“Can you add?”

“A little.”

A group of girls, no more than sixteen years of age, passed. The lassies glanced at them—at Jacob, Linnae realized—and when they passed, giggles drifted back.

Linnae hid a smile and said, “Rumor is that ye can make a lass swoon just by looking at her.”

He looked sharply at her. Two heartbeats passed before he said, “That the rumor, eh?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Aye. According to legend, you can also break a tree in half with your bare hands.”

He turned his attention forward, and she glimpsed the amused upturn of his mouth. “I am a legend, then. Are ye duly impressed?”