Page 21 of Conquer the Highlander

That thought had crossed Ambrose’s mind, too. At the time of Titus’ release, to maintain some control over the situation, Ambrose had convinced both Titus and Hugh that neither wanted anything to do with the other. It was a ploy to keep them apart, to further punish Hugh because, deep down, that’s what Ambrose wanted to do. Punish the man. Much as Conan was jealous of Titus, Ambrose was jealous of Hugh.

The brother of a king who had more power than Ambrose could ever hope to have.

But he couldn’t think on that now. He was too focused on the possibility of reuniting with Titus Stewart and using him against his father.

“No father could refuse tae save his son if given the chance,” he said. “But think on it – what vengeance Titus must have in his heart for his father because he believes his father hates him. We’ll give Titus the opportunity tae seek revenge for Hugh’s wrongs.”

That made perfect sense to Conan. Vengeance and other primitive emotions were something he completely understood. He smiled at his father and lifted his cup.

“Tae the wounded heart of a bastard son,” he said. “May it play in our favor.”

Ambrose lifted his cup, as well. Already, he could taste victory.

As father and son toasted the future, Agnes had been listening. She often lurked in the shadows when the two were speaking simply because she wanted to know what hell she could be expecting from them. With Ambrose, something was always afoot, and with Conan… her son was always trying to ruin someone.

She’d failed as a mother when it came to him.

But tonight, the plans they were making were for Titus, someone they’d not spoken of since the moment he’d left Culroy. They’d made the effort to separate Hugh Stewart from his bastard so they could control the situation, and now they were making plans to use Titus against his father.

Once again, Titus Stewart would be a pawn.

But that didn’t sit well with Agnes. She never interfered in her husband’s affairs because she usually had no emotional investment in them. But this time, it was different. She knew Titus, and she knew that hatred and jealousy had driven her husband and son to manipulate Titus’ life. It had been selfishness on their parts, something that had condemned a young boy, now a young man, to perhaps a lonely and detached life.

Now that they were going to use him again, she wondered what would happen if Hugh Stewart knew all about their plans for Titus, and the fact that Titus never hated his father, after all.

Perhaps she couldn’t do anything to help Titus, but perhaps his father could.

It would certainly be a way to ruin Ambrose and Conan’s plans.

And what mistreated wife wouldn’t be agreeable to a little revenge…

PART TWO

VITA NOVUM (A NEW LIFE)

CHAPTER SIX

The Ludus Caledonia

Was it all a dream?

It was the first thought on Esme’s mind when she opened her eyes. For a moment, she simply stared at the ceiling, a pitched roof that was covered in sod in a chamber that she didn’t recognize.

It took her a moment to remember where she was.

Rays of golden light were streaming in between the closed shutters on the windows and from underneath the door. Slowly sitting up, Esme looked around the room, orienting herself. This was the first day of the freedom she sought.

She could hardly believe it.

But her path to the Ludus Caledonia had not been without issue.

After the apothecary brothers had directed her to the church in Morningside, it had taken her several hours to walk to it on a road that was well traveled. She wasn’t convinced that Lady Ayr’s soldiers weren’t somehow tracking her, so she hid from every sound, every traveler.

The priests at St. Eustace knew of the fight guild but, surprisingly, had no hesitation in telling her. She was instructed to continue to follow the road south until she found a pile of rocks with a rusted shackle embedded in it. The road to the Ludus Caledonia would be in the range of rocky hills south of that marker, and Esme had faithfully followed their advice. She made her way up into the hillside and found a road in the trees.

But that was where the problems started.

Just as she was making her way up the road, men in cloaks bearing nasty crossbows surrounded her. Even when she explained her purpose, they tried to chase her away, but she insisted that she had come to see Titus Stewart. That name seemed to have an impact, for she was escorted to a castle on the top of a hill where she spent several hours being interrogated by the mercenaries who protected the Ludus Caledonia.