Chapter 36

Though The Red Lion looked much the same as Kate’s tavern, or any tavern, for that matter, Josselin found little comfort there as she huddled by the fire. They’d stopped here because Simon’s leg was troubling him. She hoped he’d recover soon. The pair of rough Englishmen in the corner giving her hooded, sidelong glances made her feel as if she wore a banner proclaiming she was Scots.

She rubbed her wrist. At least Drew had removed her shackle. In this hostile environment, she wasn’t about to leave his side. Nor would she speak, lest she betray her Scottish birth, which seemed to satisfy Drew’s uncles all too well.

Her silence, however, didn’t indicate peace of mind. Raging in her brain was a fierce moral battle, rife with contradiction.

She’d sworn to the queen to take her life if she fell into enemy hands. She’d already made one attempt.

But was Drew the enemy? He’d sworn to protect her from English foes. And he’d all but promised to return her to Scotland.

If he did return her to Scotland, his own life would be in jeopardy.

But why should she care? He was English and therefore a foe.

Lord, the circle of logic made her head spin.

Still, no matter how much she thought about her murdered mother, no matter how vital her mission was to Queen Mary, no matter how long she’d trained to take up the sword against the English, she couldn’t summon up enough moral weight to counterbalance the way she felt about Drew.

To Josselin, he wasn’t English. Even if he spoke in that hated accent and had traded his saffron shirt for one of sun-bleached linen, his tartan trews for simple brown, she’d fallen in love with Drew the Highlander. ’Twas hard to imagine he could be a different man just because he was born across the border.

Drew wasn’t responsible for her mother’s death. He wasn’t an enemy spy. He owned a blade, but he had no appetite for bloodsport, preferring to wield a golf club. Even then, though he admitted it gave him some satisfaction to relieve Lowlanders of their coin, he mostly won his matches fair and square.

How could she then despise him?

The two leering strangers finally departed, leaving her alone with Drew and his uncles. She sat, staring into the flames, while Drew went to fetch her an ale.

So lost in thought was she that she didn’t notice Simon approach. He must have been sitting beside her a long time, for when he suddenly swore under his breath, it took her completely by surprise.

She looked up, and her heart slammed into her ribs.

He had her note.

How she’d forgotten about it, she didn’t know. It must have been on her person from the time she’d left the Musselburgh links. She supposed in all the excitement of chasing after Drew, being abducted, and trying to kill herself, it had slipped her mind.

The thing must have fallen out of her pocket just now. Simon had picked it up and was squinting at it.

She looked away quickly with studied nonchalance. As Philippe had told her, to the untrained eye, the missive would appear to be a harmless love letter.

“What the…” Simon breathed.

Josselin stole a clandestine glance at the missive, which he was holding upside down and which he’d brought close to the flames to peruse. As she watched, her eyes widened in awe, for between the lines of sugary prose, entire new lines seemed to materialize like magic.

Simon frowned, and she hastily returned her attention to the fire, as if nothing was amiss.

“What’s this, wench?” he asked.

Her heart was thrumming like a hummingbird’s wings. But she couldn’t let him put her on the defensive.

She furrowed her brow at the note. “Where did ye get that?” she whispered furiously.

“It came off your person,” he said pointedly.

She held her hand out for the missive, hissing, “Well, give it back. ’Tisn’t yours.”

“Oh, I think it might be of interest to me.”

“What—a love note?” She made a grab for it.

He snatched it out of her reach. “’Tisn’t a love note.” She frowned as he raised his voice so his brothers could hear. “’Tis something else, isn’t it?” He held it up to the light. “In fact, I’d say it looks like a hidden message.”

All the breath left her lungs. She lunged for the missive.

But Simon pulled back, waving the note smugly in the air, out of her reach. “I think, brothers, we have a spy in our midst.”

Josselin might have done something rash and stupid then, perhaps pushed Simon into the fire, note and all, if Drew hadn’t intervened at that instant, snatching the missive from Simon’s gleeful grasp.

“What’s this?” Drew asked, glancing cursorily at the note.

“’Tis a secret missive,” Simon said.

Drew looked closer. “’Tisn’t a secret missive, Uncle. ’Tis a love letter.” He chuckled. “Too bad the poor sot, Duncan, doesn’t know his beloved can’t read a word of it.” He looked at her, saying pointedly, “Where did you get this, lass? Did that lovesick lad at the links give it to you?”

Relief flooded her. As amazing as ’twas, Drew was coming to her rescue, pretending to read the missive while keeping it out of his uncles’ grasp. She managed to choke out, “Aye, ’twas Duncan.”

Drew shook his head. “There’s never a shortage of admirers around the lass.”

“But ’tis more than just a love note,” Simon argued. “Strange letters appeared when I held it up.”

“Strange letters?” Drew asked. “Uncle, with all due respect, how would you know strange letters from not so strange, since you can’t read?”

“The words appeared like objects out of mist.”

“Out of mist.” Drew turned to his other two uncles and raised a skeptical brow.

Simon scowled. “She’s a spy, I tell you.”

“She’s just a beer wagon wench,” Drew scoffed. He started to hand the missive back to Josselin, but Thomas stopped him.

“Wait!”

Josselin froze, resisting the urge to incriminate herself by jumping up to seize the thing. She held her breath for so long she feared she might faint for lack of air.

Thomas stared at Drew, his face grave. “I’ve heard of this before. The words are written with the juice of a lemon. The letters are invisible until they’re held up to flame. Then they appear…” He glanced at Simon. “Like objects out of mist.”

Shite. Drew knew he should have thrown the damned thing into the fire.

Simon he could outwit. But Thomas was bright. He was the one who’d taught Drew how to read. And at the moment, both of them knew exactly what the letter was.

In fact, the instant Drew had seen the note in Simon’s hand, everything fell into place. He knew now what Philippe had hired Josselin to do for the queen.

“I’m afraid your mistress is a spy,” Thomas said.

“I told you!” Simon crowed.

Drew shook his head in disgust. “How can she be a spy when she can’t read or write?”

Simon jutted out his chin. “I can’t read or write, and I’m a…”

He silenced at the sharp looks from his brothers.

Drew lifted a brow in surprise. Then he smugly crossed his arms and perused his uncles, who suddenly looked as guilty as monks in a brothel. “Well, well. Is that what you three were doing in Edinburgh? Spying for—”

“Shh,” Robert said, glancing nervously over his shoulder, though there was no one in the tavern but the innkeeper, who was rolling a cask noisily across the floor.

“In any case,” Drew said in hushed tones as the innkeeper disappeared into the cellar, “I assure you if she’s involved in espionage, ’tis without her knowledge, which is more than I can say for the lot of you.”

Robert frowned, whispering, “You said yourself she had ties to the queen.”

“She does,” he whispered back. “The queen likes to golf, and Josselin brings her beer on occasion.”

Thomas eyed the missive, clearly itching to snatch it from Drew. But Drew returned it to Josselin before Thomas could make his move, and she tucked it quickly out of sight.

“Now,” Drew murmured, dusting off his hands, “I suggest we forget about these intrigues…on both sides.”

Thomas fumed. “You should give that message to Elizabeth,” he bit out.

Simon jabbed his thumb toward Jossy and muttered, “We should turn her in as well.”

“You’re harboring a spy,” Robert said under his breath. “’Tis treason.”

“Aye,” said Thomas. “What do you think your father would say about that?”

“He’d be ashamed,” grumbled Robert.

“Haven’t you learned anything about the scurvy Scots?” Simon hissed. “Did your father die for nothing?”

Their words were like blows of a sword. They cut Drew to the quick, dealing him mortal wounds that left him gasping.

But no sooner was he reeling from their attacks than Jossy leapt to her feet to defend him.

“Listen, ye arse-wisps!” she hissed as loud as she dared. “Ye can say what ye like about the Scots. I’d expect no less from a bunch o’ pulin’ Englishmen. But I’ve heard enough o’ ye belittlin’ your own. Ye should be ashamed o’ yourselves! Have ye no decency? Lucifer’s cods! Ye three might have lost a brother, but Drew’s father was taken from him when he was but a wee lad.”

While Drew’s uncles stared in amazement, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, and her eyes flashed with fire.

“Any man would be bloody proud to call Andrew his son,” she scolded. “He’s a fine man. He’s kind and fair and brave and decent. He’s got a strong arm and a good heart.” She pierced them with her gaze and stabbed at them with an accusing finger. “Don’t ye dare throw your own pitiful failin’s at his feet. And don’t ye dare rest your bloody vengeance on his shoulders. Ye’re cruel bastards to force him into his father’s empty boots. He’s his own man. And whether that man is someone ye can be proud o’ makes not an arse-hair o’ difference. I know his father would be proud o’ him.”

She was magnificent, and Drew looked at her with awe and admiration. No one had ever fought so valiantly for him, and he loved her more in that moment than he’d ever loved anyone before.

For an instant there was stunned silence. Drew’s uncles stood in shamefaced, open-mouthed shock while Josselin towered before them like an avenging angel, her face glowing with power, her breast heaving with passion. And Drew beamed with grateful pride.

Then the innkeeper, who’d returned from the cellar to catch the last of her tirade, broke the silence. “God’s bones! Did you bloody fools bring a Scotswoman into my tavern?”

It took a great deal of persuasion and considerable coin to calm the innkeeper, and Drew had to promise to keep his “wife” behind a closed door the rest of the evening.