Page 53 of Highland Seduction

He nearly choked on the bit of oak cake, uncertain if he’d heard her correctly.

“Marta and Ian?” he asked stupidly, unable to form a thought after the morning he’d spent in the chapel.

“Aye. Early this morn a ship captain who’d heard of McGreghere’s search said a man and woman of the same description as they booked passage with him to France for Freya’s Day. She had a limp in her right leg and . . .” Ainsley leaned forward as if her next words were a secret. “The woman called him Ian.”

Tor sat back in his seat. The sounds of the inn, a low murmur of voices, pewter bowls clanging together, all fell away. He stared at his wife in disbelief. Aye, they’d been told Marta and Ian may be alive. May be headed to Berwick. But until now, they had not known for certain. The healer may have treated another man and woman who looked as Marta and Ian did. And even if they were truly alive, Tor had never been certain they could find the couple.

And yet it seemed they had.

“Freya’s Day. So we will go to this ship and intercept them.”

Ainsley nodded. “Aye.”

“And throttle them for the worry they’ve caused.”

“I am no’ certain that is a good plan.”

“Then I suppose instead we will convince them to return with us. Tell them of Broden and Catlin. If they truly ran away together for fear of retribution, we will explain such fears are for naught. Tell them of the king’s decree. And all that has happened since they left.”

“We will,” she agreed, as if that was not their plan all along.

The relief he felt at the news was tempered by his own information. “I am pleased, of course. But I do wish to tell ye something I find . . . disturbing.”

“The bishop—”

“We will discuss that too, of course.”

She looked at him with such despair that Tor’s heart leapt in his chest. Surely he had done the right thing. Had he not?

Tor brushed aside that most important topic for last.

“I made mention of his summons of Father Godfrey to Berwick.”

“Father Godfrey?”

Clearly Ainsley had not been expecting to discuss the priest. But Tor could not rid himself of the suspicion that Father Godfrey knew more of Marta and Ian’s disappearance than they first believed. In fact, the bishop had all but confirmed the priest was, if naught else, lying.

“I waited most of the morn for my meeting and was granted admittance not long ago,” he said, wishing to first explain his absence. “While there, I made mention of the priest. Told Bishop Timlin that we’d seen Father Godfrey, who explained that he’d been summoned to Berwick.”

“What was his response?”

Tor finished half of his ale in one long swig. “His response was decidedly . . . unexpected. He was none too pleased to hear of it.”

“That Godfrey is here?”

“Aye. He muttered something of, ‘he will be disciplined,’ but the bishop refused to tell me more. I believe he wished for me to disregard the priest’s presence. But I pressed him on this. The bishop admitted only that he hadnae been summoned to Berwick by him.”

“So Godfrey lied to us?”

“Aye.”

“Why?”

This was the part Tor could not untangle. “I am uncertain, but know only that he did indeed lie. Which means he likely came to Berwick after he learned ye and I intended to come here.” He could see Ainsley thinking, likely sorting through the conversation they’d had with the priest. “I’ve thought it all through. Godfrey either learned, as we did, that Marta and Ian were in Berwick and he’d planned to come to find them. Or he intended to follow us here, and perhaps them as well, after we went to him. Of one thing I am certain. The priest lied. From what the bishop said, I dinnae believe he is to be here, and certainly was not summoned.”

“What possibly could be the connection between Father Godfrey and Ian and Marta?”

Tor shrugged his shoulders. “I intended to find out.”