stamping restlessly. A man led one horse away while a second man stood with his back to her, talking to a third still on horseback.
That man nodded and dismounted, tossing his reins to a second rider.
The man with his back to her and the one to whom he’d been talking turned then toward the alehouse. Alyson recognized the first man at once.
Darting to her door, she yanked it open and stepped onto the landing, just as the door opposite opened, and Jake stepped out.
“What’s amiss?” he asked her.
“It’s Mungo… in the yard. I must go and ask him—”
“Nay, lass, think first. What do you mean, he is in the yard? Are you sure?”
“I am, aye. And he must know what has become of Niall.”
“Did you not tell us that Mungo serves Orkney, and did Will not say that Mungo insisted they all board the pirate ship, if in troth it was a pirate ship?”
“What makes you think it was not?” she asked, chafing at the delay. If Mungo left before she could even ask him about Niall—
“The fact that its captain recognized Jamie when he saw him,” Jake said, interrupting that thought. “You heard Will. That captain had no doubt who Jamie was. They may be pirates. But if that’s all they are, they know more than any pirate
should
know. The fact that Mungo is apparently free again—”
“There were men with him. Mayhap they are his guards.”
“Did he act as if he were under guard?”
Gritting her teeth but unable to insist that Mungo had looked anything like a man under guard when he had walked inside the inn with only one person, while others rode out of the yard, Alyson sighed. “Nay, he did not. He is below in the common room now, I think, with one other man. Both of them were smiling.”
“If they came from Bridlington, they are traveling north,” Jake said.
“We must find out where Niall is,” Alyson said more sharply than she had intended. Nevertheless she met his narrowed gaze resolutely.
“Aye, we must,” he replied. “But we must also take care not to endanger ourselves whilst we do. I’ve a notion that the men who took Jamie and Orkney would not be happy to know they’d left witnesses behind.”
“But Mungo is no enemy,” Alyson said. “I cannot say I like him, for I do not. But he
is
Orkney’s chief secretary.”
She started to turn away to go downstairs, but he caught her by the shoulders. Gently but firmly, he turned her back to face him.
“Hear me now, lass, and heed what I say. If the captain of that English ship knew Jamie by sight and had been seeking ships from the north for a fortnight, he was
seeking
Jamie. And if that is so, he had knowledge that none save Bishop Wardlaw, the King, and Orkney shared. Therefore…”
When she gasped, he paused but held her gaze, clearly inviting her to finish the sentence.
Dampening dry lips, she said, “Therefore, someone close to one of those men must have shared knowledge that he had no right to share.”
Chapter 6
E xpelling a sigh of relief, hoping he had persuaded Alyson of the danger that lurked around them, Jake said, “Someone certainly shared the fact that Jamie was leaving Scotland by ship. I’d like to see this Mungo of yours—”
“Please, sir, he is
not
mine. He is merely Henry’s secretary.”
“And he is apparently riding northward now with a company of armed men. Art sure that your husband was not with them?”
“Had I seen Niall, I would have recognized him at once,” she said. “I did not see all the riders. But I’m sure that Niall would not leave this area—not to ride away to the north—without first learning what had become of me.”
Gentling his voice, he said, “Someone likely told him the
Maryenknyght
had sunk, lass. Judging by the way the pirates treated anyone who did not obey them quickly whilst she was sinking, I expect they’d have treated anyone else who gave them trouble in a similar manner.”
Her face paled. “Do you think they might have thrown Niall overboard? But he cannot
That man nodded and dismounted, tossing his reins to a second rider.
The man with his back to her and the one to whom he’d been talking turned then toward the alehouse. Alyson recognized the first man at once.
Darting to her door, she yanked it open and stepped onto the landing, just as the door opposite opened, and Jake stepped out.
“What’s amiss?” he asked her.
“It’s Mungo… in the yard. I must go and ask him—”
“Nay, lass, think first. What do you mean, he is in the yard? Are you sure?”
“I am, aye. And he must know what has become of Niall.”
“Did you not tell us that Mungo serves Orkney, and did Will not say that Mungo insisted they all board the pirate ship, if in troth it was a pirate ship?”
“What makes you think it was not?” she asked, chafing at the delay. If Mungo left before she could even ask him about Niall—
“The fact that its captain recognized Jamie when he saw him,” Jake said, interrupting that thought. “You heard Will. That captain had no doubt who Jamie was. They may be pirates. But if that’s all they are, they know more than any pirate
should
know. The fact that Mungo is apparently free again—”
“There were men with him. Mayhap they are his guards.”
“Did he act as if he were under guard?”
Gritting her teeth but unable to insist that Mungo had looked anything like a man under guard when he had walked inside the inn with only one person, while others rode out of the yard, Alyson sighed. “Nay, he did not. He is below in the common room now, I think, with one other man. Both of them were smiling.”
“If they came from Bridlington, they are traveling north,” Jake said.
“We must find out where Niall is,” Alyson said more sharply than she had intended. Nevertheless she met his narrowed gaze resolutely.
“Aye, we must,” he replied. “But we must also take care not to endanger ourselves whilst we do. I’ve a notion that the men who took Jamie and Orkney would not be happy to know they’d left witnesses behind.”
“But Mungo is no enemy,” Alyson said. “I cannot say I like him, for I do not. But he
is
Orkney’s chief secretary.”
She started to turn away to go downstairs, but he caught her by the shoulders. Gently but firmly, he turned her back to face him.
“Hear me now, lass, and heed what I say. If the captain of that English ship knew Jamie by sight and had been seeking ships from the north for a fortnight, he was
seeking
Jamie. And if that is so, he had knowledge that none save Bishop Wardlaw, the King, and Orkney shared. Therefore…”
When she gasped, he paused but held her gaze, clearly inviting her to finish the sentence.
Dampening dry lips, she said, “Therefore, someone close to one of those men must have shared knowledge that he had no right to share.”
Chapter 6
E xpelling a sigh of relief, hoping he had persuaded Alyson of the danger that lurked around them, Jake said, “Someone certainly shared the fact that Jamie was leaving Scotland by ship. I’d like to see this Mungo of yours—”
“Please, sir, he is
not
mine. He is merely Henry’s secretary.”
“And he is apparently riding northward now with a company of armed men. Art sure that your husband was not with them?”
“Had I seen Niall, I would have recognized him at once,” she said. “I did not see all the riders. But I’m sure that Niall would not leave this area—not to ride away to the north—without first learning what had become of me.”
Gentling his voice, he said, “Someone likely told him the
Maryenknyght
had sunk, lass. Judging by the way the pirates treated anyone who did not obey them quickly whilst she was sinking, I expect they’d have treated anyone else who gave them trouble in a similar manner.”
Her face paled. “Do you think they might have thrown Niall overboard? But he cannot
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