“And how much did they pay you to believe that lie so readily?” The way the youth clapped a hand over a pocket in his stained trousers gave Bened the answer he needed. “Those horses were not stolen but now they have been. Be grateful I am not in the mood to watch you hang for helping them, boyo. Now saddle me a horse so I can go and get my horse and her ladyship’s horse back.” As the white-faced boy hurried to do as asked, Bened added, “And if anyone tells you such a tale again, you might consider fetching a magistrate to sort it out first instead of just taking a few coins and handing over two fine horses. You might also pause to consider the fact that few horse thieves are young well-bred ladies, nor do they stable their stolen horses at a busy inn and then go pay for a room and a meal.”
As Bened headed out he studied the trail left by the horses. Three men had taken them and were headed back the way he and Primrose had come. It appeared the ones chasing her had outrun her or, worse, had been waiting here for they had figured out where she was going. He doubted Primrose knew she was being chased but he had suspected it, just as he suspected there were still a few things she was not telling him.
Without his gift, he would never have found the men for the sun had set, leaving only faint moonlight to reveal the trail left. Fortunately, that trail appeared as clear as a signpost to him. Within an hour he had found the men. They sat around a small fire just off the road, thinking the trees hid them well enough. Bened slipped off his horse, secured it, and crept up behind the men. It surprised him that they had not gone very far but then realized many others would stop when it grew dark too.
Quietly he untethered the horses he had come after so that he would be able to flee quickly with them if he had to. Whoever had hired these men and set them on Primrose’s trail had wasted their money. They were crude lackwits. Did they truly believe no one would set out after them for the theft of two finely bred horses? Not only had they left a clear trail but they had not even gone very far before stopping, then lighting a small fire to mark where they were for anyone who did choose to chase them down. The fools were not even keeping a close watch on their valuable prizes.
“I be thinking we should have gone farther down the road,” grumbled the biggest of the three men.
“No one’s even going to know the horses are gone ’til the mornin’, Will.” The man who spoke scratched under his ragged beard. “That lad will nay be warning anyone.”
“Not sure I trust that old bitch we just risked a hanging for either.”
“She is paying us well.”
“True, but I do not much trust her, neither,” said the thin man with the long, visibly filthy blond hair.
“No need to, Ned,” said the bearded man. “Three of us against her and one servant. And we got the horses, so the lass and that big feller she has with her now will be easier for the old crone to catch.”
Bened, fearing that one of the men might glance his way, moved to hide, using the horses as his shield. He was eager to leave but wanted to hear what the men had to say. Information was often the best defense and Bened was certain the old crone the men did not trust was Miss Primrose’s aunt. He was also sure that little Miss Primrose Wootten was still holding on to a few secrets.
He briefly considered hurrying right back to the inn to ask her a few tough questions but decided that could wait just a little while longer. The opportunity to find out who was pursuing her was too good to pass up even though he suspected exactly who it was. Over the past few years he had come to the conclusion that some of an heir’s deadliest foes slithered out of his own bloodline.
“Might be best to just send her word about our success,” suggested Will.
“Then how do we get paid?” asked Ned.
“By not being cowards and facing the bitch. She be just an old woman, fools.”
“She is nay that old and in fine shape,” said Will. “She is also mean as a badger, sly, and cold, Mac. Do not forget she is paying us to stop a sister from finding her own brother and is chasing that boy down like he is a rabid cur what needs shooting. I be thinking we have been dragged into some family battle and that is always bad. Real bad.”
Mac should listen to Will, Bened thought. Stepping into the middle of a family battle, especially one over money and land, was the action of a reckless fool. Bened just wished he could avoid it but a pair of big dark blue eyes were tethering him to this trouble. At least he was on the right side of the fight.
Cautiously, he began to move the horses away from the campsite. His horse, Mercury, had no saddle, nor did Smudge, but he did not need one. Once he gathered up the horses from the stables, he could ride Mercury and lead the others.