The Earl's Treasure: A Treasure Tale by Nancy Lee Badger

Author:Nancy Lee Badger [Badger, Nancy Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nancy Lee Badger
Published: 2020-11-30T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Adele stomped her cold feet inside the large open bailey, searching for Stone. High walls of granite, darkened in spots by rivulets of melting snow, made her stare in awe. She had never before been so close to the castle’s inner battlements. When he finally walked through the gate, armed men wearing similarly pleated plaids followed him. The color pattern was different than the one he’d created with the borrowed tapestry and others wore the colors of Stone’s grandfather’s clan.

The wearing of tartans had been ruled illegal after King George II’s Dress Act of 1746, which outlawed all items of Highland dress. Scots didn’t care for English rules, but caught wearing such garb meant death. Luckily, The English lifted the ban over thirty years ago.

She rarely noticed border Scots wearing such garb. Watching these muscular men wield swords and carry long rifles made her heart flutter. Seeing Stone surrounded by several armed men made her shiver with worry, but she soon realized he was in no danger. These were his people, whether he accepted that fact, or not.

That his mother could have died and fearing that the ruffians might have returned to kill him, had her trembling. The sight of him, appearing uninjured, reassured her. She could breathe again. The countess must have noticed her shaking hands, because she slipped her arm through hers.

Dragging her toward her son, she stopped the moment they reached him. “Livingstone, did those men strike again?”

Stone, having stopped several feet in front of them, adjusted his plaid. He took a moment to thank the men who had accompanied him from the moor. Several of the swords they carried had to be as long as Adele was tall.

“They did not return,” he answered, then turned back to the men. “They might attempt to enter the castle, so we need to close all the gates. Let no one enter, unless any of you know them by sight.” The men grunted their acknowledgment and headed away to tell the others.

“Sounds extreme, Livingstone, but they shot my horse out from under me, and I have related that story to yer grandfather. He is quite upset with those particulars. He’s anxious to know why this occurred.”

Adele watched as Stone’s eyes dropped to his feet. He scuffed his boots across the muddy ground. “Is grandfather…well?”

“He keeps to his room, though he wishes to join us for dinner. With yer help, we shall attempt to make this happen. Shall we speak then? Let us head to the main doors.”

They walked away from the gate, circled the bailey, and stopped at the main doors to the castle. A loud bark startled Adele, causing her to pull her arm from his mother’s grasp. “What’s that?”

The countess glanced from her, to the galloping black and silver beast, then back. “Have no fear, child. ’Tis only Broc, our dog.”

Adele hesitated, then glanced at the huge beast as it padded closer. She swallowed her uncertainty, until he veered aside and jumped on Stone, nearly sending him tumbling backward.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.