With that, the old man shoved the door closed. Cleopatra glanced over to Paige as her heart pounded in her chest. Every fiber of her being sparked with concern.
“Where’s Jude?” Cleopatra asked Paige. The servant shook her head as shrugged.
“Nay idea.”
“Did that seem a bit odd to you?” Cleo asked pointing to the door.
“Ian was never really one to be kind to the staff,” Paige said.
“But he knows the Laird favors me,” Cleo said. “Why would he stop us going into the study? And tell me I’m an interloper?”
“I daenae ken,” Paige said as Cleo’s heart began to pound in her chest.
“There is something wrong about all this,” Cleo said as she scanned the room behind her.
In the corner standing at attention, she spied Ronan. Since she had arrived at Jude’s castle, he was the one person one who seemed to be at the heart of all their calamities. Even now, as he eyed her with Paige, she wondered what role he had to play. Pressing her lips into a tight line, she knew in the pit of stomach, that Ronan may be the only one who knew the truth about what was going on.
Pulling in a deep breath, she walked to Ronan. Stopping a few feet before him, she cleared her throat. His dark eyes shifted to her as the scowl on his face reminded her of the first time they had met.
“Good day, sir,” she said trying not to have her voice break.
“What do ye want?” Ronan growled.
“Do you know where Jude has gone off to?”
“Cannae say.”
“Really?” Cleopatra glanced over her shoulder to Paige as the poor girl still held onto the tray of food reserved for Jude.
“Do you know if they left the castle?”
“Ye’ll have to check with Aidan on that,” Ronan said glancing to Paige.
“Oh? And why is that?” Cleo asked as she snatched the tray of food off Paige’s hands and handed it to Ronan with a huge smile stretching across her lips.
“He was supposed to go with them,” Ronan said as he eyed the tray of food.
“And where can I find this Aidan?” Cleo asked as she held the tray of food away from Ronan. His eyes didn’t leave the food as he shrugged.
“Suppose ye can check his room,” Ronan said. “I daenae ken if he has left yet. Aidan was supposed to go with the Laird and Hugh for protection. But if he’s not there then ye can guarantee that Aidan will be with the Laird.”
“Thank you,” Cleopatra said handing Ronan the tray of food as she turned on her heels and stared at Paige.
“Where is Aidan’s room?” Cleo asked Ronan. The soldier pointed down the long corridor at the opposite end of where Cleopatra and Paige stood. Cleopatra had never roamed in that area before and was often told not to go there. A chill raced up her spine as she bowed quickly to Ronan and Paige. “Thank you both, and if you happen to see Jude before I do please, tell him that I’m looking for him.”
Walking down into the servants’ quarters, Cleopatra felt the shiver that had started up her spine growing worse. It was as if the sun had been blocked out and a shadow lingered around her. The sound of heavy feet romping down the hallway startled her. Turning she spied Ronan rushing towards her.
“Can I help you?” Cleo asked as she felt her heart sink.
“If ye’re goin’ to Aidan’s room, best ye have someone with ye,” he said.
“Why is that?”
“Ladies daenae come this way,” Ronan said. “Especially ones favored by the Laird.”
“Well thank you,” Cleo said. “But I think I can handle this.”
“All due respect, m’Lady,” Ronan said as he slapped his hand to his chest. “If the rumors are true, ye’ll be the Lady of this Castle soon enough and I cannae in good faith let ye roam alone.”
“All right, then,” she said feeling a bit relieved that Ronan was just a few steps behind her. Still there was a heaviness to the air that caused her to worry. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked to Ronan. “Which room is Aidan’s?”
“Two doors down on the right,” Ronan said.
With each step that she took Cleopatra wondered if she was making a mistake and if she was going too far.
Should I be intruding on the servants’ quarters like this? What if he is gone, then what am I to do? I cannot just go rushing to Jude side just because I want his attention. I should give him space and allow him to have the free time with Hugh. The poor boy has missed his father so terribly and I know that I’m no substitution for a mother.
Cleopatra stopped at the wooden door and hesitated with her hand on the knob. She wondered if it was the right thing to do to step inside the soldier’s room, but she had already come down this way and realize that if she was going to find Hugh and Jude, she at least needed to know whether or not they were in the Castle.
Swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, Cleopatra turned the knob and stepped into the small room. She pulled in a deep breath and quickly put her hand to her mouth to shield her from the aroma seeping out of the room.
“What is that smell?” Ronan asked as he stepped back from the onslaught of the odor.
“I’ve smelt this before,” she said as she scanned the quarters.
A single bed with a tall canopy lingered in the center of the room. A few trunks were scattered about and there was a small wooden hutch that allowed for a fire so that the soldier would be warm during the dead of winter. The strange smell lingered in the room catching Cleopatra by surprise. The odor reminded her of moss and oak mingled with the grotesque hint of something rotten.
Stealing another step into the room, she wondered
