To Be a Spy

Chapter 13

They seemed to be nearing the end of the swampy section. Eager to regain lost time, they picked up their pace again. For six hours, they rode, alternating between walking, trotting, and occasionally galloping. Then they were there. Rising before them were over fifty stone cottages. Barking, dogs ran out to confront the two travelers. Off to one side, two urchins wrestled in the dirt over a bruised apple, oblivious to anything but their fight. People appeared to gape at the strangers. Heavily Irish accented sentences with a few Gaelic words sprinkled throughout were whispered between people. Most of the clans-people were dressed in rags, with dirt smudged over everything including any bare skin. Rowen kept the look of disgust off her face with the thought that they were her people. She had been born here, too.

They rode to the village square, if that is what it could be called. It was only a bare patch of dirt near the center of the cluster of the houses. Ailen slipped of his horse.

In a whisper, he said, "Me lady, dona be dismounting just yet." She tipped her head to acknowledge that she had heard him. It had been agreed between them that Ailen would be the speaker. It looked more formal that way.

Ailen cleared his throat. "People of the Maverick Clan, hear me words. Your lady has returned! Sitting on the fine horses be Orlaith, the true lady of the Mavericks." Astonishment crossed dirty faces. Somewhere a baby wailed, but no one stirred. Then, a hundred voices began speaking. The sentences ran over each other, blurring the meaning of both.

"What be the meaning of all this?" A man strode out of the largest stone hut and the closest to the square. His clothing stood in sharp contrast with what the rest of the people wore. His outfit was black with a few bits of silver here and there. It was all immaculate. Rowen noted his face. It was strong, with the usual stubborn Irish chin. His eyes were green, but they had enough brown in them to be called hazel. His hair was a dark brown. He presented a handsome but hard figure.

"Donngal."

For the first time he seemed to notice the person sitting on the horse. His gaze traveled over her from the top of her head to the bottom of her boot-shod feet. "And who be you, me lovely lady?

Rowen suppressed a shudder at the way of he said lovely. "I be the lady Orlaith, who has been missing these twenty-two years past."

A hint of a smile played across his face and he cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, well, then, welcome long-lost cousin." He was mocking her.

She straightened. "I be serious."

"You have a funny way of saying things, dear relative. You sound like one of those English." He spat the last word out like it had left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I was raised there. On that fateful night when me parents were slain by the Limerick Clan, me nurse escaped with me. She took me far away, to England, in an attempt to keep me safe. But there was a cost; her life. I was only a babe at the time and me heritage was hidden from me. So I grew up, never thinking that I be Irish. But the lady who raised me show me the dress I had been wearing when she found me. Around the bottom of that dress was a pattern stitched with golden thread. It was the sign of nobility in the Maverick Clan. So, I returned as soon as I found out who I be."

"An amusing tale. Tell me, clever maiden, how long did it take you to come up with such a story?" The tone of his voice was patronizing, as if he was telling a chile to give up believe in wee little men in green. Mirth danced around his mouth, but his eyes were cold and calculating. Rowen took a deep breath to keep her frustration hidden.

Before she could reply to his taunting, Ailen said, "How dare you! For over twenty years, your true ruler has been away and now that she has returned how be you treating her? You should be bringing gifts that honor her, but instead you shame yourself with your insults. Show the proper respect due to the Lady Maverick." He turned to Rowen. "Me lady, I be begging your pardon for this disgraceful conduct of me countrymen." Annoyance flicked through Donngal's narrowed eyes.