The shouting above stopped at once, and the sober voice called, "Who goes there?"

"Kade Stewart, son of Eachann," he shouted back. "And who are you?"

"Aidan Stewart, cousin and first to Laird Eachann Stewart," came the grim answer even as a drunken voice crowed, "See I told ye we werena bein' invaded, Aidan. 'Tis me brother. Lower the damned drawbridge, ye silly fool."

The drunk speaker wasn't his father then, but either Gawain or Brodie, Kade surmised. Both of his brothers were younger and had not enjoyed the opportunity to be trained away from Stewart. Unfortunately, that meant that all they'd been trained in was raising a mug of ale to their mouths. Not for the first time, Kade sent up a silent prayer of thanks to his mother for insisting he be sent to his uncle Simon the moment he was walking.

A head appeared at the top of the wall. "Yer wearin' English clothes and riding under an English flag."

Kade nodded. It was the man named Aidan who he knew was actually a second or third cousin to his father. The man had been a loyal soldier and Eachann Stewart's first for as long as he could remember. Noting that he sounded grim and calm despite the drunken slurs still being cast at him from above, Kade explained, "Aye. I've no clothes of me own at the moment. These are borrowed from Mortagne, as are the soldiers. He offered to accompany us to see his sister, my bride," Kade added, gesturing to Averill beside him, "safely to her new home."

Aidan considered that, then asked, "Where are Domnall, Angus, and Ian?"

"That's what I'd like to ken. They made it here then?"

"Aye, and left more than a week past."

"Only a week?" he asked with disbelief. "I sent them here more than three weeks ago."

Apparently convinced, Aidan shouted to the men to drop the drawbridge, then explained, "They arrived here in good time then, but had to await yer father's pleasure to speak to 'im. He was ...indisposed," the man finished dryly, then gave up talking as the drawbridge began to lower with a loud rumble.

'"Indisposed,'" Kade muttered with disgust, knowing it was a euphemism for drunk to the gills. He gave a start and glanced to the side when Averill's hand suddenly covered his own where it rested on his reins.

"'Twill be all right, husband," Averill said quietly, offering him a reassuring smile.

Kade forced a smile in return and watched the drawbridge lower, his thoughts on the confrontation ahead. As it dropped the last few feet, he turned back to Averill. "Remember, stay close."

"I am your wife, my lord. My place is at your side," she said simply.

Kade nodded, but as he faced forward, it struck him that there was an air of determination about her that was rather disconcerting. It gave him the sneaking suspicion that she might be up to something. He turned back to eye her narrowly, but she merely smiled sweetly back, the same dear woman who had tended him through his illness and married him at Mortagne.

The deep thump of the drawbridge slamming to the earth distracted him. Shaking off this worry for now, Kade caught up his reins and started across the bridge to his childhood home. Some would think poorly of him for what he intended to do, but this had been his mother's intention from the moment she began to natter at his father to send him to Simon for training. Maighread Stewart had loved her husband, but she had not been blind to his faults. She had known he was in the grip of drink and that it would one day have him so firmly in its clutches that all at Stewart would suffer. Every time she had visited with Kade, she had drummed it into him that the day would come when he would have to take over the running of Stewart from his father--by force if necessary--for the good of their people.

Today is the day, Kade thought grimly, as they rode across the bailey and straight up to the keep stairs.

As he stopped and dismounted, Kade could hear the drunken calls of whichever brother had been on the wall. The man was crossing the bailey to greet them, but Kade had no interest in stopping to talk to someone in the shape his brother was. Ignoring his calls, Kade lifted Averill down from her mount and immediately urged her up the stairs into the keep, aware that Will was directly behind them with his sergeant at arms at his side.

He moved so quickly in his effort to avoid his brother that Kade didn't take note of the shape of the bailey. It was impossible not to note the state of the keep itself, however. He entered the great hall and stopped abruptly, mouth tightening and nose twitching at the scent that filled the air.

From what he'd been told, it had only been seven months or so since his sister, Merry, had married and moved to England. It seemed obvious that little, if anything, had been done in the great hall in that time, and it wasn't hard to figure out why when overloud laughter drew his gaze to the trestle tables, and he saw his father and another man seated there. Obviously, the brother on the wall had been Brodie, for Gawain was the second man at the table, or rather, under it, Kade thought grimacing as he watched the younger man laugh his way right off his seat and onto the rushes.

His gaze swept the rest of the hall, taking in the smoke-stained walls that were in need of a good whitewashing, as well as the dirty tapestries that hung there. Some of them were attached by only one hook and hung like sad, windless flags. He turned his attention to the room itself, taking in the lack of furniture except for a couple of trestle tables, then he glanced at the floor, noting the beyond-filthy rushes littered with food and other things he didn't care to identify. There were also broken bits of wood about that he suspected at one time had been furniture.

What seemed worse to him was the complete lack of bodies in the room. The great hall was the heart of the castle, and at both his uncle Simon's home as well as Mortagne, it had always been full of people--soldiers coming and going, maids bustling about, and people just sitting to speak or eat. But here there was no one but his father and brother. The heart of this castle was broken, and no one wished to enter.

"Bess, I will need my bag from the cart."

Averill's whispered words drew his attention to the fact that the cart had apparently reached the bailey, and his wife's maid had entered in search of her. Kade turned to see that the maid had not entered alone. There were several Mortagne soldiers behind her, holding up his now apparently unconscious brother, Brodie, with his arms drawn over their shoulders.

"He took a tumble on the stairs," one of the men explained in hushed tones, avoiding his eyes as he spoke. All the men were avoiding his gaze, Kade noted, and felt shame rise up within him for the showing his kin were making.

"Take him to his room, and I shall tend to him there," Averill ordered quietly.

"Aye, my lady," the man who had explained their presence said. Then he cleared his throat, and asked, "How do we sort out where that is exactly?"

Kade saw Averill blink twice, then she turned to him to whisper, "Do you know where his room is?"

When he shook his head, she glanced toward the two men at the table and bit her lip. Gawain was flat out on the floor, snoring, and h

is father wasn't far behind. The laird's eyes were closed, his head hanging down on his chest, and he was sliding from his seat to join his son in the filthy rushes.

Kade was grinding his teeth together at the shameful sight when Averill suddenly called out, "You there! Boy!"

It was only then he saw the small head poking through the door to the kitchens. It was a lad of no more than six or seven, with huge eyes presently locked on the duo now napping under the table.

"Hello!" Averill called again, moving forward.

Apparently satisfied that his laird and the laird's son were unconscious and, therefore, no threat, the boy turned his attention to her. His eyes grew even wider, though Kade wouldn't have thought it possible, then he stuck a thumb at his own chest, eyebrows rising in question.

"Aye, you," Averill said with a touch of exasperation. "Come here."

He hesitated briefly but then slid through the door and moved reluctantly forward.

Kade couldn't help noticing he gave the table and its two snoring men a wide berth and suspected that was due to the violence he'd heard accompanied the drink his kin enjoyed so much. Noting a couple of fading bruises on the lad, Kade deduced that he didn't always move cautiously enough.

"What is your name?" his wife asked gently, once the boy paused before her.

"L-Laddie," he stammered anxiously.

Averill stiffened, but simply said, "Good day to you, Laddie."

"G-good d-day to you, me l-lady," Laddie murmured back.

His wife's face softened at his stuttering. She dropped to her haunches before the boy so that their faces were at the same level, then leaned forward to whisper to him. Kade was very curious and wanted to move closer to hear what she said, but restrained himself and merely waited.

As Averill whispered, the boy nodded and nodded, acknowledging every word she said, and when she finished, he beamed a wide smile and nodded once more. Apparently satisfied, Averill straightened and led the boy back to him.

Tags: Lynsay Sands Devil of the Highlands Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net