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into the
corners for stray sleepers, but with the warmer weather, not a body
was in evidence. The embers in the huge fireplace flickered, and
she could see the rows of bread dough rising into loaves on a long
table.
    Moving to a sideboard, she found a large bowl
with broken scraps of hard bread. Scooping out a handful, Joanna
placed the bread carefully in the deep pocket of her cloak, then
cocked her head to listen. With more people around, she would have
to be far more careful than she had been in the past. Being
discovered would mean the end of her plans. It would be the death
of her only wish--the one that had been driving her to hang on to
her threadbare existence. If she were discovered, there would
surely be no dispensing of justice to those who had murdered her
parents. Of that she was certain.
    Joanna glided silently down through the
kitchen, and then paused with a sigh by a locked larder. The gentle
nudge of the dog’s nose against her hip made the young woman’s
heart leap in her chest. Shaking her head as the corners of her
mouth lifted in a wry smile, she crouched down to pet the gentle
beast. All the dogs in the castle were quite accustomed to her, but
shaggy Max was the only one that ever came to her. Accepting a wet
kiss on the chin, Joanna gave the dog’s head an affectionate pat.
Wordlessly, she straightened and continued her search for more
food.
    The heavenly smells of bannocks and roasted
mutton still hung in the air, making her mouth water, but to her
dismay there was nothing else left over that she could find. High
in the rafters, she could see the dark shapes of smoked meat, but
she didn’t dare be so bold as to steal anything that would raise a
hue and cry. Hearing Max sniffing in a dark corner, Joanna spotted
two balls of cheese hanging from strings on a high pegboard, just
out of the dog’s reach. Gratified at the chance to add something
different to her spare diet, she reached for them.
    “I am certainly sorry you’ll have to shoulder
the blame for both of these,” she whispered with a smile to the
happy dog. “But you can only have one.” Rolling his share playfully
along the stone floor, Joanna placed the other in the pocket of her
cloak.
    The dog leapt across the kitchen after it,
but suddenly stopped short, and the deep growl emanating from his
throat sent Joanna scurrying for cover. Quietly, she moved into the
deep shadows behind the giant fireplace, to the narrow door that
led down into the root cellars. From there she could get into the
labyrinth of passages beneath the castle, but she paused for a
moment, her hand on the panel, ready to run if the need arose.
    “What are you hiding there, you mangy cur?”
The man’s voice was deep and strangely gentle. “Just you and the
hearth fairy, eh?”
    Joanna pressed her face against the warm
stone of the chimney as she listened. From the dog’s friendly
panting and the man’s deep-throated chuckle, she could tell the
newcomer had already won over the animal’s affection.
    “Och, I can see already you are in for
trouble. A thief you are, is that it? A piece of cheese. A capital
crime, if that cook finds out, lad. Hmm. I’ll not throw it for you,
you slobbering beast.”
    Joanna knew she should go, but she couldn’t.
Curiosity was pulling at her, driving her with a desire to put a
face to that voice.
    “So, you want to play! You want me to chase
you, is that it?”
    He had to be one of the new laird’s men. She
could imagine him leaning against the edge of the long heavy table
in the center of the kitchen.
    “‘Tis too late in the night, you beast. Very
well. Bring it here, and I’ll throw it for you. But once only, do
you hear me?”
    The dog’s low-pitched growl was now playful,
and again the man’s deep chuckle brought a smile to her face.
    “Smart too. For a Highland cur!”
    So they’re Lowlanders, she thought. Scowling
now, Joanna edged forward slightly and peeked at the man in the dim
light of the dying fire. Just as