Page 26 of Bride Takes a Laird
A group of men shot their gazes at them but they returned their attention to the game at hand.
One man strolled toward them with a glare in his eyes. “This be a private place. Ye be trespassing. Ye best be leaving afore Aldo comes.”
Wyren scoffed and then grinned. He held a pouch of coins and shook it, and the tinkle of them drew the man’s gaze. “I am looking to place some wagers. I heard there was a game of dice happening here.Och, if ye don’t want my coins, say so now, and we shall be on our way.”
“If ye be willing to part with your coins, step this way.” The man turned back to those immersed in the game and held his arm out as if guiding Wyren onward.
Wyren turned and spoke low, “Ye go on and question the others whilst I keep this knave busy and maybe I shall come away with some extra coins.” His brother flashed a wily grin.
Magnus lingered by the group of men. He asked if anyone knew his brother Ned. Two men shook their heads. A man who stood by an old pen trudged toward him. He appeared to want to talk so Magnus drew him away from the others.
“Did ye see Ned of Clan Cameron here about a month or so ago? He’s about my height with lighter hair. He went missing and we found him dead, but we are trying to trace his last moments.”
The man bobbed his head. “Aye, I know Ned Cameron. I saw him here oft. He played dice with that man,” he said and pointed to another man who seemed to be in charge. “I heard he owed a good bit of coin to Aldo, at least, half a dozen shillings. I do not think Aldo ever collected the debt though because Ned never showed up for their meeting.”
“He was going to meet Aldo to repay his debt?”
The man bobbed his head again. “Aye, I went with Aldo to meet him at The Tavern. We waited but he never showed. Then about a sennight later we heard Ned was dead.”
“Had Ned lost before to Aldo?”
“Oh, aye, he was not good at wagering and lost a good bit of coinsto him. The last time he was here, he said he was going to recoup what he lost, but in the end, he ended up losing. We all felt bad for him.Och, that’s what happens…the luck of the roll.”
Shouts came from the players and Wyren held his hand out. The man, Aldo, placed a few coins in his brother’s hand and he appeared disgruntled by it. Wyren always had a lucky hand at whatever he played, be it dice, cards, or even archery. “My thanks, sirrahs, for the coins.” He turned away and patted the seam of his tunic to ensure the coins were secure.
Magnus motioned to his brother with the tilt of his head. They retreated from the old barn and outside, he stopped and waited to see if anyone followed. Knaves akin to those inside the barn might want to recoup their losses, and by that, Magnus suspected they could be set upon on their ride home. But the barn door remained closed and no one followed. He hastily told Wyren what he’d found out.
“So Ned had wagered and lost. If he did not meet with Aldo then mayhap our coffers were not completely depleted.”
“God, I hope not. I will have to look into it when I get home. I vow, I trusted Ned and didn’t check the manuscripts or coffers. The thought never crossed my mind that he’d do something so indecent. I never should have listened to da and made him our steward.” Magnus’s chest tightened with woe. He should have been more diligent in double-checking Ned’s accounting and hadn’t ignored his untrusting nature. Why had he been so bloody daft and staunch?
“We do not know if Ned ruined us yet. Let us head home and find out.”
Magnus fumed. Even though the man told him Aldo never collected the coins from his brother, he had to wonder how many coins had Ned lost to him prior. And what if Aldo had murdered his brother for the unpaid debt? He wasn’t about to trust the word of the man or his croony. They could have murdered his brother. Until they had proof though, he would stay his hand and wait. Yet impatience wore on himto get the matter settled and behind him.
Never had he thought Ned would steal from them. Yet he did not know if that was certain. It would take him more than a fortnight to go through the accounting of their stores and coins. He hoped with all his heart that his brother had not been deceitful and caused his own death. If that was so, then his vengeance would be for naught.
Chapter Ten
Kendra wrapped thebed cover around herself, ambled toward the antechamber, and picked up a manuscript. She opened it and perused the writing. She had wanted to tell Magnus that she could aid him in the accounting of his stores and coins but then thought better of it. Men often scoffed at women who claimed to have such knowledge. Many times, their steward had disbelieved her ability until he’d recounted the numbers himself. The last thing she wanted was for Magnus to think her daft. She placed the manuscript back on the pile and sighed.
A knock on the door startled her and the sound nearly made her drop the bed covering. Kendra approached the door and called, “Who is there?”
“It’s me, Linet. I thought—” She opened the door and Linet almost fell through the threshold. “Good morn, Kendra. I thought I’d check on you. How did your night go?”
Her face warmed at the thought of telling Linet what happened between her and Magnus. “I was so tired and got a good night’s sleep. And you?”
“I slept soundly too, but you know that is not what I meant. How wasyour night?”
“I was not disappointed.” That was all she was going to offer as an explanation.
Linet laughed. “I’m not surprised to hear that. Your husband is verily handsome and I suppose he’s a good lover.”
Kendra feigned outrage at Linet’s teasing and moaned. “And you would know because…”
With a wave of her hand, Linet crossed the bedchamber to the hearth where she knelt to stoke the fire. She gazed at her from her position on the floor. “You only have to look at him to realize he would be good in bed. Well, I am not the demure maid you deem me to be.” She laughed and rose to her full height. “Now, let us see what we can do to make you presentable. Are you sore?”
Kendra’s cheeks burned and she turned away. “A little, but it’s subsiding.”