Page 47 of Conquer the Highlander

“And ye want tae be the one.”

“I think so.”

“There’s something more tae think of,” Cam interjected. “If ye want tae be nice tae her, and ye want her tae like ye, most women dunna like competition.”

Titus looked at him, curiously. “What competition?”

“The half-dozen women ye cavort with after each victorious bout,” Cam said honestly. “If ye want the Spanish lass tae warm tae ye, I suspect she willna take kindly tae that. Now, the question is – can ye give up the gangs of women for just one, Titus?”

Titus hadn’t really thought about it, mostly because the women after the games didn’t mean much to him other than income. That’s really all they ever were – a means to an end. But it had been their adulation and worship that he needed, too.

He wondered if one woman could supply all that he needed.

Cam and Brody were about to go in for another round of questions when Titus discreetly waved them off because Christos and Galan were returning. Therefore, further interrogation on the subject of the mysterious Esme would have to wait.

But come, it would.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Esme wasn’t surprised when she awoke in the morning to find Titus gone.

What did surprise her was the disappointment she felt.

It was her second day at the Ludus Caledonia and, already, she felt as if she’d lived there forever. She was looking forward to seeing Isadora and Lilia, to cleaning Titus’ cottage, and to finding her place among the warriors and women of the Ludus Caledonia. She knew she could fit in here if she tried, and she intended to try very hard.

The Ludus Caledonia wasn’t like any other living establishment, like a castle or manse, where there was a hierarchy based on blood and tradition. It seemed to her that anyone could be anything in a place like the Ludus Caledonia, which is how Titus had been able to make himself a top warrior in spite of his past.

He’d been able to thrive with no one holding him responsible for his past.

On the second day of her new life, Esme hoped for the same.

Rising from Titus’ bed just after sunrise, she bathed quickly in cold water from the night before and the bar of soap Lilia had given her. She dressed in the brown broadcloth that Titus hated, but it was very serviceable for what she needed to do.

Today was going to be a great day.

Yesterday, she had cleaned as much as she could, but today she was going to do more. She was also going to ask Isadora and Lilia if they could help her find men to teach. The sooner she got to earning money, the better. The sooner she would be able to return to Navarre.

… but return to what?

Thoughts of her father had been heavy on her mind. Last night, she’d even dreamed of the tall, golden walls of Santacara, wondering if it still belonged to her father. After all these years, she couldn’t imagine why he hadn’t come for her but, deep down, she suspected that she knew. Only death could keep him from her.

Still, she had to discover the truth.

She had to go home.

It was a bright morning outside, promising to be a warm day. Since she’d dirtied one of the sheets from the day before when she fell on it, she dragged it outside to wash again. Lilia was already outside with both infants, and she joined Esme as the woman prepared to wash the sheet again. Esme learned that Isadora wasn’t feeling well, but it was still a morning of laughter and conversation, just her and Lilia. As the morning waned, the infants grew restless and Lilia took them indoors for a nap.

That left Esme alone, but she didn’t mind. She put the linen sheet up on a branch so it could dry and headed back to the cottage to see if there was anything else that needed washing. She also found herself taking a look at the cottage itself. It was made from stone with window frames of wood and a sod roof. She didn’t think it needed repairs or cleaning from the outside, but she leaned in one of the window frames, peering at what she thought was a crack.

And that’s when she saw it.

A big black and yellow bumblebee.

There were wildflowers growing around the cottage, and nearly everywhere else in the Ludus Caledonia this summer season, and she noticed a big bumblebee on the ground, laying on its back. Its legs were flailing about, panicked about being on its back.

Esme was a lover of all living creatures, even those who could sting. As a child, she’d had pet lizards and tame birds, even a pet goat. Her father had called their home la casa de fieras, or The Menagerie, because she collected so many creatures. Therefore, a bumblebee on its back warranted her sympathy.

Crouching down, she took a stick and gently flipped it over.