A Laird and a Gentleman (All the King's Men #4) - Gerri Russell Page 0,21

had been doing in Mariam’s chamber last night.

An image from her dream came back to her. In her mind’s eye she saw herself tied to a pyre with flames at her feet. If Thea wanted revenge against Mariam for all the bad things she had ever done to her, all she had to do was spread word about what she had seen this morning and someone would surely come after Mariam, calling her a witch.

Then she would be at her father’s mercy once more.

Cameron must have sensed Mariam’s distress. He scowled as his gaze ran over her. “What troubles you now?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“We must talk about it if I am to see you are safe. But I can’t protect you if you do not tell me what or who I should be protecting you from.”

She looked back to where Thea had been. She was gone. The stiffness in Mariam’s shoulders eased. She would have to tell Cameron something or he would keep after her until he extracted the truth. “If you must know, I am still upset about the dreams I have been having.”

Relief showed on Cameron’s face. “You have nothing to worry about. They were only dreams, Mariam.” Cameron gave her a soft smile as they approached the drawbridge. “Besides, you are safe behind these castle walls.”

“I hope you are right.”

The clatter of hooves on the wooden planks fractured the morning silence as they made their way into the outer bailey. “I’m right, you’ll see.”

Chapter Five

Thea entered the White Horn Tavern in the village just beyond the castle. Seeing her brother at a table with two other young men across the dark and smoky chamber, Thea ducked her head and hurried toward them. She sat in the open chair next to her brother. The three men regarded her with curiosity. “What brings ye here, sis?” Kendric asked.

Thea straightened. “Ye told me tae report tae ye if somethin’ interestin’ happened.”

The red-haired man on her brother’s left raised a brow. “What happened?”

Thea shifted her gaze between the man who had spoken and the third younger man who offered her a friendly smile.

“’Tis all right, Thea.” Kendric nodded toward to the younger man. “This is Jimmy, and on the other side is Niall. They want revenge against that Mariam Swinton as much as we do. John Swinton nae only sent our ma tae the flames, but Jimmy’s as well, and Niall’s sister tae the noose. We’re all lookin’ fer a way tae destroy that man. If we can do that through his daughter, then that’s what we’ll do.”

When all eyes at the table were directed at her, Thea swallowed thickly. “Only one problem.”

“What’s that?” Kendric asked, his voice sharp.

Thea squirmed in her chair at the intensity of her brother’s gaze. “I . . . don’t think the girl is very important tae her da. I doubt he would even miss her if ye did somethin’ tae her.”

Kendric’s eyes narrowed. “But the man is very proud of his name and his role in the witch trials. Through the girl we can tarnish his name and his reputation.”

Niall frowned. “And how are we supposed tae do that? We’d have tae find a way tae accuse the girl of being a witch.”

Jimmy laughed. “That would be rich—the witch pricker harboring a witch in his own house.”

Thea clenched her fingers together. “It might nae be as impossible as ye think. Mariam Swinton might very well be a witch.”

All three men gaped at her. “What makes ye say such a thing? Those are terrible words tae be throwin’ around these days,” Niall asked with a scowl. “’Twas Agnes Sampson that accused my ma of bein’ a witch, even though she wasn’t. Then Swinton tortured my ma ’til she admitted tae bein’ a witch just tae make him stop.”

Jimmy’s eyes went wide. “Are ye sayin’ ye saw her doin’ the ’craft?”

“Nae exactly. There was no conjurin’ or spells,” Thea replied. “But I saw something strange, something unexplainable. Milady was able tae call sheep tae her from afar without any words or motions. The whole flock simply ran tae her, as though they were eager fer their mother’s milk.”

“We could hardly call her a witch fer that,” Niall said, contemplating the liquid in his tankard. “The last thing anyone needs, is tae bring a false claim on the laird’s ward. Cameron Sinclair is a powerful man, with a strong army, and is associated with a band of brothers who answer only tae the king. What