To Be a Spy

Chapter 24

There was a knock at the door, causing her to jump. Who was it? Briana with another warning? Donngal trying to kill her? Trian with a proposal? She took a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves. Out of all of them she wished it was the middle of them. She knew how to handle an attack, but a marriage proposal? The door opened to reveal a maid. Rowen almost laughed with relief when she saw who it was.

The servant curtsied. "Me lady, dinner be ready."

"Me thanks for telling me. Will Lord Trian be joining us?"

"Aye, me lady. I just came from his room."

"Very well. I will be there shortly."

The maid nodded, curtsied again and left. As fast as she could Rowen changed into a suitable dress and plaited her hair into a side braid. As an afterthought, she put on a necklace that Briana had given her. It was an emerald, an exact match for her eyes.

When she reached the table Briana and Donngal were already there, but Lord Trian hadn't arrived yet. The silence between the trio became awkward. Briana switched from glaring at her brother to pointedly ignoring him. Donngal seemed to be trying to catch his cousin's attention without Briana noticing. Rowen tried to ignore both and was almost wishing that the Lord of Munster would appear. In a few minutes, he did, apologizing for his delay. His eyes were red as if he had been crying, but he tried to put on a smile. 

The meal consisted of good food and stilted conversations. Briana refused to acknowledge her brother's existence but pretended like everything was fine. Trian answered any questions with as few of words as possible and sighed quite often. To keep from screaming in frustration, Rowen studied her guest. The brown eyes once full of joy were emotionless. Lips that had been quick to smile was tensed as if to keep any sobs from bursting from them. What a cruel and bitter thing happened to that poor man. And yet... something wasn't right. Perhaps it was the tension between her cousins.

After the meal, Rowen decided to try and relax. If any more problems arose, she was going to crack under the stress. She told a servant she was going for a walk in the woods. If she could avoid another scene like the one that had occurred after her midnight snack, she would. 

In the quiet of the forest, she began to calm down and logically think through some of her problems. She breathed in deeply. The smell of hundreds of columbines floated by her nose. The fresh air seemed to clear her head. A stoat scurried far ahead of her. Its small brown body disappeared then reappeared. Fascinated, Rowen watched it for several seconds as it popped into view than just as quickly vanished. Then it was gone and she continued walking. 

Hearing something to her left, she stopped trying to determine what it was. A flash of color caught her eye; it was no red deer or fox, but a person. Her breath quickened and her hand rested on one of her throwing daggers. She side-stepped behind an oak, hiding herself. As the sound of footsteps grew closer, her hand tightened around the blade.

"Lady Orlaith?" a voice filled with nervousness said.

Startled, Rowen walked around the tree. "Donngal? What be you doing here?

He cast a glance around them. "Me lady, I've been reading some things about our guest. He be up to no good. Though he may appear charming, he be a deceiver."

"I see." She desperately wanted to be able to trust him; to trust anyone, but she couldn't afford to make a mistake.

Seeing her skeptical expression, he said, "You dona believe me, do you, me lady?"

"I want to, but I dona think I can."

A small smile teased his lips. "I understand, me lady. If I was in your place, I would say the same thing. But perhaps this will be enough to persuade you." He handed her three scrolls all bound together with a thin leather cord.