Infinite Devotion (48 page)

I push her off my lap. “I am a generous man, go on.”

Síofra spins between us and lands on the lieutenant’s lap, and seeing the troops have finished their pints, I say, “Another two rounds of pints on me!”

Lucas is too enamored with Síofra tickling his chin to have heard it. I lean over to Lucas, annoying him slightly since it distracted Síofra away from him, and say, “Lieutenant, I would give anything to see a swarthy fellow like Power. Is there any way I can get a little peek?”

He says, “Go, it’s the second room on the right of the stairs.” He turns back to Síofra, who is giggling and leaning into him.

I walk upstairs and wave to the four guards, who stand at my appearance. “The good lieutenant has allowed me to get a little peek at your prisoner. I’ve heard much of your outlaws and wanted to see one for myself.”

They look at each other. One nods and opens the door a crack. I already know which room Sean was going to get the lieutenant to pick, but I have to check if there are any guards within the room. I peek in, and Captain, seeing me in my ridiculous disguise, beams and gives a girlish wave. I nearly laugh and pull my head back quickly to compose myself.

“Oh, he is a shady fellow. To show my thanks, I will send you up a couple of rounds.”

They give me a quick bow of thanks, and I walk down and nod to Sean, who brings strong drinks up.

Síofra’s now holding the lieutenant’s cognac up to his lips and giggling away as he drinks. I walk over to Lucas and say, “I’ll be right back. I have to go make my water.”

But Lucas sweeps his hand for me to go, too engaged in Síofra to care. I pretend to be looking for a place to go and dart around back to the window I know Captain to be at, and check that Lucas didn’t put any guards back there. Seeing ’tis all clear, I whistle three times for the all-clear signal, and eight of my men come out of the trees.

“William, Art, Cahir, Kelly, Ned, Liddy, and Hogan go in the secret chamber to the upstairs hall and tie and gag the four guards. Captain is alone and manacled, so you will have to break the shackles with the butt of a musket—”

“That will make a terrible noise, though. What will we do about that?” Ned interrupts.

“I was about to say there, when you jumped in, that I will get Sean to play his fiddle, and Síofra and I will get everyone dancing and singing to an old English song. We’ll cause such a ruckus, they won’t hear a thing.” They all nod. “Cahir whistle for Ghost and get him to put his legs up like you trained him and you all can slide down his back. The rest of the plan still stands, and Bawn, you stay to hold the horses.”

I head back in, and the room’s swaying with drink. I look to Sean to bring out his fiddle, and he starts playing. I start to sing at the top of my lungs, and some of the more intoxicated fellows join in. Síofra bounces off Lucas’s lap and begins to dance around the floor like a pixie. She keeps her eyes fixed on Lucas as she spins around, and it appears that she’s dancing just for him. I glance up, seeing the boys struggling in the hall, and even see Cahir turn to look at Síofra wide-eyed in jealousy, but a hand pulls him back. Since the whole room’s singing the chorus, nothing’s heard from the landing.

I yell at the end of the chorus, “One more time!” and Sean keeps playing while the men keep singing. I hear one slight bang and know they’re breaking the manacles, and I start to stamp around on the floor at every beat. Síofra throws her weight down to do the same, and it catches on, and all the men are stamping. The old tavern seems to rock with vibrations as the plaster starts crumbling in places on the ceiling, and at the last note, I stamp wildly, ending with one loud jump.

Everyone cheers, and Lucas immediately brings Síofra back to his lap. I sit back down with them out of breath and I say, “I forgot to send the guards upstairs a round of drinks.” I turn to Sean. “Go bring them two bottles.”

Lucas hardly notices. After five minutes, I say, “Where has the barkeep gone to?”

Lucas turns slightly. “Upstairs.”

I go back upstairs and to my dismay see the guards all lying in blood on the floor. I check each one for breath‌—‌all dead. Sean comes limping in from the other room with a knife stuck in his leg.

He whispers, mighty proud of himself, “What do you think, Redmond, look good?”

I say, “Lie down, then, so you appear badly injured, and put some of their blood on you so you look like you’ve got more stabs.”

I take a moment to check out the back window to be sure they all got away, and once I see no one, I run to the landing and yell, “Lieutenant, come quick!”

He sobers up immediately and pushes Síofra off his lap so fast she falls to the floor with a yelp. Lucas and four men run up the stairs with arms, see the dead men with bloody Sean moaning on top of them, and search the room for Power and the intruders. Lucas picks up the broken manacles and swings them at the window, breaking the glass.

He screams, “Check all the rooms to be sure, and everyone to their horses!”

They file out of the tavern, and each man‌—‌so clearly drunk‌—‌has difficultly mounting his horse. Lucas throws his hat down and yells, “Pull yourselves together, men!”

He kicks his horse and speeds down the path. I whistle for my horse and catch up quickly. He gives me a glance. “Glad to have you with us.”

“Let’s catch the scoundrel! Where do you think they’re headed?”

He squints at the road. “They look like they’re headed away from the mountains. We’ll just keep following them.”

I smile, knowing Hogan has reversed all of their horses’ shoes. I check behind and see that the troops are in terrible formation, some lagging way behind. After following the tracks back to the woods, he looks back at his men and curses. The woods are pitch black, and the tracks are lost. Lucas spits, and rears his horse. “Men, go back to the tavern. We’ve lost the trail. We’ll have to begin again in the morning. And don’t mention to any superiors about any liquor!”

He charges down toward the tavern and I slowly drift off to follow the path to where they’re really headed. By the time I reach them, they’ve started a fire in the middle of the bog and are laughing about the events of the night.

Once they see me, Captain stands up. “Three cheers for O’Hanlon!”

They give three cheers for me, and I take a bow. We laugh and toast into the night, even in the midst of treachery.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

In the morning, Captain pulls me aside. “I’d love nothing better than to tarry and fight alongside you, Redmond, but it looks like you have a caged wolf here.”

I nod. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“No worries. It is a long road that has no turning.” He breathes out. “I’m going back on my own again, and I suggest it might be the best thing for you to do too.”

I shake my head. “I will find out who did this.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He smiles and gives me a pat on my back. “I’ll never forget you, though, O’Hanlon, and my promise still holds that I’ll come back to help you if you ever need it.”

“I know you will, Captain.”

“Say good-bye to everyone for me. I think it’s best they don’t see which direction I’m headed in.” He laughs heartily as he gets on his horse.

“Captain!” He turns. “May you die in bed at ninety-five, shot by a jealous spouse!”

He laughs. “May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

And rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

I watch him saunter off with his face to the sun.

Chapter 23

Alister sits beside me in the snug. He has a worried look on his face. “What is it now?” I sigh, getting used to bad news.

“Where’s Sean?”

“Oh, he stabbed himself in the leg to cast suspicion away during the breakout. He’s mending at his ma’s.”

“You’ve got some pretty loyal members there, O’Hanlon. Don’t know if I’d stab myself in the leg for you.”

“I hate to tell you now, but you’re putting your life on the line for me just meeting like this.” He smiles. “So what’s the word now?”

“My troop was invited to guard William St. John’s party two nights back. I was trying to keep my eyes and ears open, when none other than Lieutenant Lucas walked in. St. John went to greet him like an old friend, and the two of them had a long discussion out of earshot.”

I’m quiet.

“It all makes sense. He’s paying you back for what you did to his father. He hired that boy to be his go-between, and now he’s forced to meet with him in person.”

“But he was there with us in the house when we were ambushed. He got shot.”

Alister sits back. “He probably thought they would’ve killed you all quickly, and what better cover than to be there too?”

“I don’t know; it doesn’t sit right.”

“You’re not seeing what’s right in front of you. Here, was William close to this boy?”

I nod.

“And did William know you’d be on that road the day of the roadblock?”

I nod.

“Did William know about meeting at the house?”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing, he knew. And didn’t he tell you to take that carriage from the ferry? Plus he met with Lucas that blazing night to confirm that you were after it? This William’s a blue lookout.”

I take it all in. “I better go have a talk with him, then.” I go to slide a pouch over, and he pushes it back toward me.

“No, I did this as your friend, Redmond.”

“I’ll have none of your slack-jaw, soldier. Take this money.”

But he just smiles and walks out.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

I gather everyone back at camp that night. I start, “What I am afraid to hear I’d better say first myself. We all know there’s a bad member here among us.” Everyone looks around at each other. “I hate to think it, but it’s plain to see.” I take a breath and stare at William. “I hear Lucas attended your party.”

Everyone makes some sort of noise at the surprise, but William keeps his eyes on mine. “He did come to my party, but I didn’t invite him.”

Cahir speaks. “Did you talk to him?”

He glares at Cahir. “Why, then, I did talk to him.”

Everyone’s in an uproar I put my hands down to quiet them. William starts to speak,

“When I saw him come through the door, I decided it might be a good idea to talk to him, try to find out who might be meeting with him.”

Art shrieks, “Likely story, St. John!”

That’s the first time anyone called him that for a while, and it seems like it struck a nerve.

William turns back to me. “Do you think me a stag? That I’d inform on you?” He looks deep in my eyes. “Why would I be the snitch when I got myself shot and almost killed in that house?” He holds up his tied-up arm.

“I don’t know, maybe you had some kind of deal or something?” I give away my uncertainness by making it a question.

“Look.” William’s getting upset now. “I didn’t need to stay with you all. I could’ve gone back right after you released me to go to Lucas, but I didn’t. I fought with you all. I gave you the best tips for the fattest purses. I’ve risked my life along with you all for years! If I wanted to get some kind of revenge, why would I wait this long?” After he speaks, he puts his thumbnail in between the space in his teeth, deeply anxious.

He’s right; he wouldn’t have waited this long if ’twas revenge from the kidnapping.

William keeps going. “So you all figured out a way that makes this sound like me, but every one of you knew Rory, and many of you had the opportunity to go meet with Lucas after I told you all about the carriage that night.”

He’s right again; they all had access to the boy, and all went out in the day that Captain was taken.

“Redmond, you’re not actually listening to this Gobshite!” says Art. “What would the cat’s son do but kill a mouse?”

“Well, then, if you did talk to Lucas, how come you never told any of us about it?” Ned asks.

“Because I didn’t get anything out of him! He talked incessantly about being brought up in rank and could I put a good word in for him. I said, ‘Not until you’ve caught O’Hanlon,’ and he laughed and said, ‘All in good time, all in good time.’ Do any of you think that’s newsworthy? I forgot all about it when I heard that Captain was taken.”

I can tell the others don’t trust him anymore, and I realize I shouldn’t have done this in front of everyone. I look in his green eyes, and I don’t see a touch of guilt or deceit. I know I have to prove to everyone that he can be trusted again.

“If it’s true, why would William have waited so long for revenge? Doesn’t make a bit of sense, not one bit. I believe him when he says he didn’t give information to Lucas, and I trust William.”

Some nod, and some look away.

“Well, on a whole other subject, there’s the fair in Banbridge tomorrow, and we all know the gents and ladies that come back are loaded with money and prize animals.” I give a stern look around and say, “And I won’t be telling anyone which road I’m going to wait on for my health!”

Cahir looks up. “You want me and Art to come, then?”

I almost agree but see William sitting there, deflated. “No, Cahir, I think I’ll bring William to help me, to show good faith.”