MacHeth himself wasn’t at the castle all of the time. He came and he went, and although he had a wife at the castle and a few children, it was common knowledge that he also had a mistress who lived to the north in Coldingham. When he left, it was usually by himself, as he apparently didn’t see the need to travel with a contingent of men.
However, they noticed something over the past week that had their interest. MacHeth had been present more than usual and there had been an inordinate amount of activity at the castle. Men were coming and going, but mostly coming. There was some kind of a buzz going on that neither Addax nor Essien could quite get the pulse of. Something seemed to be happening, but they didn’t know what it was.
Given that MacDuff had ample time to return to Edinburgh after the battle at The Keld, it was quite possible that William the Lion was sending men to shore up Berwick’s defenses because he suspected the English knew that Berwick would be the entry point for the Northmen. The only flaw in that theory was the fact that the castle still had loose security and men came and went at all hours in any case. If William knew that the English were on to him, keeping the castle open didn’t make much sense.
Unless, of course, they were expecting reinforcements from the sea.
On exactly the one-month mark since their venture into Berwick, Addax and Essien found themselves in the tavern called Blankenship because this was the tavern frequented by so many Scotsmen. There had seemed to be a particular buzz about the castle today because a group of Scots had arrived from the north the day before, and Addax and Essien wanted to know why.
They had a plan to put into motion.
Essien had been watching the tavern most of the day and he knew that several Scots from the castle had visited, but he wasn’t watching them so much as he was watching the women they kept company with. Like most taverns, Blankenship had its share of local ladies. Addax had been inside the tavern, pretending to be drunk, also watching to see which men found company with which women. That would be key when Essien joined him, because Essien would then go after the women who had spent the afternoon with MacHeth’s men.
He wanted information.
At dusk, Essien entered the establishment, grabbing the first woman he came to and laughing seductively. The serving wench had seen him in the place many times, and he was a favorite, so she laughed right along with him and give him a big kiss. Essien asked her to bring him some ale as he left her and made his way across the crowded common room until he came to his brother, sitting at a leaning table with his back against the wall.
There was a half-filled cup of ale in his hand.
“Greetings, my drunken friend,” he said, slapping Addax on the shoulder so hard that drink splashed out of the cup. “The night is young and so are the women. It will be a good evening!”
He was being boisterous and loud, as he usually was, but the regulars at Blankenship were used to him. In fact, he was so obnoxious sometimes that they tended to shut him out, which was exactly what he wanted. He plopped down next to Addax, who was using his fingers to wipe up the spilled ale and then lick them. He portrayed the perfect drunk, unwilling to lose even a drop.
“No one else has a chance with you on the prowl, you alley cat,” he said. “The evening will be good for you, I think, but not me.”
He put the cup to his lips as Essien leaned back against the wall. “What do you have for me?” he muttered, his gaze on the room.
Addax still had the cup to his lips. “Celandine,” he whispered. “MacHeth’s man has just left her.”
Essien’s attention went to the wench named Celandine who was over near the kitchens. She was busty, dark-haired, and pretty. Essien had spent time with her before and it was never wasted because she chattered like a magpie. He kept his eyes on her as he spoke to Addax.
“We have been here for a solid month,” he mumbled. “We’ve learned what we could, we’ve made nuisances of ourselves to every tavern in town, and everyone thinks we are drunken fools. I will glean what I can from Celandine, but regardless of what she tells me, we must return to Pelinom tomorrow. We have enough to tell de Velt.”
“We have everything except when the longships are coming,” Addax said, his lips still on the rim of his cup. “That is what we need, Es. We estimated a summer arrival, but summer is nearly upon us. De Velt must have time to rouse armies and move them to Berwick.”
Essien’s nostrils flared. “We are men of many talents, but I am tired of pretending to be a drunkard with a flair for jewels,” he said. “I have more jewels than I know what to do with. Who am I going to give them to, anyway?”
Addax sighed heavily. “That is the least of our worries.”
“Untrue,” Essien countered. “This entire month has been beneath us. I do not want to do this any longer.”
“You will do as you are told.”
Essien looked at him. “We are knights, not fools,” he said. “I want to be at the tournament in Morpeth where I belong.”
Essien often showed distain for things he felt were beneath him, as a man of royal blood. Addax had been dealing with that since Essien had been a child, and in moments like this, pretending to be men they were not so they could glean information against the coming invasion was when Essien strained against orders. It was true that he was excellent at what he did, and he made a splendid spy, but there were times he had resented the position he found himself in.
Like a wild stallion, sometimes Essien had to be reined in.
It was the powerful nature in him.
Addax understood because he had much that same nature, but he had more discipline than Essien did. He drained the last of the watered ale in his cup.
“Go to Celandine,” he said. “Get what you can from her, if anything, and we shall depart for Pelinom on the morrow.”
“Swear it?”
“Follow your orders, Es. Do as you are told.”
Essien grunted unhappily but when Celandine appeared again, carrying drink, he smiled brightly and got up from the table, heading in her direction. As Addax watched, Essien gave her his very best seductive expression, took the tray from her, and sat it on the nearest table. Then he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her off towards the rear of the tavern, which had a yard that contained a small livery. That was Essien’s destination.
Literally, a roll in the hay.
Addax waited for him.
And waited.
The tavern filled up as the night deepened. A cog from Copenhagen had moored along the dark river shore and the tavern was overrun with big, blond sailors who were loud and happy. Addax pretended to be mostly passed out, awakening only to pretend to drink more ale when what he was really doing was spitting it out in the corner. Still, he had managed to imbibe enough that he was fairly drunk and as he sat with his chair tipped against the wall, his head back as he struggled not to fall asleep, Essien reappeared from the rear of the tavern.
The expression on Essien’s face had Addax up and moving.
The Princes of Kitara didn’t wait until morning to depart.
By the light of a full moon, they headed back to Pelinom.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Edinburgh
One week later
“Damn the man,” William hissed. “And he started a battle because of it?”