Before I could think about the wisdom of the situation, I said, “You forget he is in line for the throne.”
A slithery smile spread across her face. “Och, I remember. The poor man, who could be a king. He has a chance at a throne, at power... explain to me why I should allow him to keep on living?”
I gulped. “Because he doesn’t want the throne and you know if something happens to him Magnus will kill you. Or I will. Or Quentin.”
She shook her head sadly. “Ye are in verra far too deep, Madame Hayley. While my family is in crisis, ye come tae me with threats and asking my favor. Meddling in a family matter. I daena care a whit about your husband or his lineage. Magnus decided tae include him in the discussion and I am going tae allow him tae live as I daena want to lose the good favor of my son, my king. In so doing, I will expect that ye will walk from this room and daena address me again.”
“But...”
She cocked her head. “Aye?”
“Um, I just want an assurance that you will rescue Katie, and that if you can’t maybe I can...”
“You can what?”
“Help.”
“I assure ye, I hae this under control.” Her smile widened. “But what if I dinna? What if I decided nae tae rescue them? What then, Madame Hayley?”
“I don’t know, ultimatum or something? We need to find them, we need to figure out how to get them, and we need to go fast so nothing terrible happens.”
“Ye want me tae go fast, so for instance, if I left them for a few days ye would find fault with me?”
“Yes, I mean, no, I mean, please don’t. If you can get them go get them and—”
“So leavin’ them tae consider their fate for a month would be too long? Ye would want me tae spare them the danger of it?”
“Yes, please don’t... I...”
“I suppose three months would be too long for them, tis winter, I canna be sure they will survive.”
“What do you want me to do, please don’t leave them for three months...”
“I want ye tae get down on your knees Madame Hayley and do some proper begging for my good favor, because every minute ye remain on your feet in my presence makes me less inclined.”
I looked at her shocked.
“Six months seems verra long tae live in the past, but I imagine...”
I climbed down to my knees clasped my hands and said, “Please Lady Mairead, please don’t leave them there–“
“All right, Madame Hayley, ye seem properly deferential, a year tis. I much prefer tae go in the fall, before winter sets in, the cold weather is hard on my skin.”
“But you can’t be serious — you can’t do that to them! You can’t be that...”
“I canna? My son has given me an ultimatum, one year or your husband is king. You would like tae add tae it? Dost ye think I am tae be threatened?”
“No, actually not.”
“You see that coming tae me with all of this, might have been a mistake?”
“I do, I see that now. I apologize, Lady Mairead.”
“Your apology is accepted.” She swept from the room.
I stood up and brushed my skirts as Quentin and James entered.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. That went awesome.” I furiously huffed. “I’m pretty sure I just sentenced Mags and Katie to a year of hard time in the dark ages.”
Quentin said, “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know what just happened! I was talking to her and she kept adding months to how long it would take her to get them and by the time I realized the only way to get her to stop was to get on my knees and beg her she said she would get them in a year.”
“Fuck, Hayley.”
“I know! I don’t know what just happened.”
James said, “I mean, she’s probably just screwing with you, that’s not plausible, that she’d let her son stay there for months on end, she’s just trying to freak you out. Want me to talk to her?”
I said, “God no. Just... we need to just leave her alone, she’s going to go get them, Yeah, she just needs to decide to do it.”
Sixty-one - Hayley
This is what I was going to do: Return to Florida with Quentin. Make sure Katie was there, back, home, settled. Then return here to Fraoch. Hammond and his physician were here to make sure he was recuperating well and James wanted to stay because Sean had a hunting party to go on, a big one. James had been invited and he was really excited.
So, on the third night we gathered at dinner to discuss our plans.
Fraoch was up sitting in a chair while I made sure dinner was brought to him. “I want tae go huntin’.”
I deposited the plate in front of him. “You don’t get to. You have to mend your broken bones, and guess what? They don’t mend that well because why...?”
“The vile scurvy.”
“Exactly, so you don’t get to horseback ride gallivanting around the countryside chasing meat. You have lie here and heal yourself.”
He scowled. “I like gallivantin’. I daena like the vitamins and medicines and the physician bossin’ me.”
“But you have to anyway, for me.”
Quentin and James sat down with their own plates. James said, “Going on a hunt tomorrow morning, bright and early. Can you imagine how cool it’s going to be?”
I said, “Careful, James, Fraoch is depressed he can’t go with.”
“Sorry, man, that does suck, you’ll be missed. Got any advice?”
“Daena stand in front of Dubghall, he canna shoot straight.”
James laughed.
Quentin said, “James, here’s the truth, I’ve done it many times, have fun, but don’t let your guard down. Don’t trust anyone else, ever. Hide your valuables. Don’t be the drunkest guy at the party. And last but not least, keep Sean on your good side. He’ll take care of you if he likes you. If you do piss off Sean try to remember how to get back here.”
Quentin took a big bite of food. “The vessel will be here in Lizbeth’s secret room. Just ask her. But Hayley and I are only going to be gone for a few days.”
James said, “Tell Katie and Mags I said Hi. I’ll transport some deer home when I’m back.”
Quentin said, “Shit man, they don’t need the deer, keep the deer here, this food fucking sucks.”
I looked at Fraoch. “Sorry I’m leaving, I just need to see that they’re home.”
“I ken. I’ll be here when ye get back.”
Quentin and I landed on the south end of the island a few days after he and James had left, breaking all of Magnus’s rules of the ‘one week turn-around’.
Zach met us and seemed disappointed, crouched beside us in the sand, shaking his head. “So where’s Magnus and Katie?”
I opened my bleary eyes and said, “They aren’t here?”
“No, it’s been days.”
“Shit,” Quentin and I said in unison.
Sixty-two - Hayley
Everyone was home, Emma was in the driveway holding Isla when we drove up. “What’s happening, where’s Katie?”