Galliott walked Maev to the desk. There were no other seats in the room and she stood silently waiting.
‘You know why you are here?’ asked the Moidart.
‘Parsis Feld died, and his children are greedy,’ said Maev.
‘Very succinct,’ said the Moidart softly. ‘Since you are a highlander, and as ill bred as the rest of your mangy clan, I shall ignore your lack of respect. But only this once, Ring. The next time you speak you will call me lord, or I shall have you flogged for discourtesy. Is this clear to you?’
‘It is, lord,’ she replied.
‘Good. Now tell me how you became . . . embroiled with Parsis Feld.’
‘He had pinned his company’s fortune on supplying your soldiers with weapons, lord, and had no other outlets. Also his pistols were cheaply made, with poor materials. He was close to bankruptcy. I went to him with a proposition, which he accepted. From that moment we were partners.’
‘Tell me of the proposition.’
‘A student of the gunsmith Emburley was seeking employment. I hired him, lord, and I organized shipments of high quality iron to Feld’s armoury.’
‘And how, pray, did you find the money to hire a gunsmith?’
‘From the profits I made from Gillam Pearce.’
The Moidart leaned back in his chair. ‘You have an interest in Pearce’s business?’
‘I do, lord.’
‘Let me guess. You went to Gillam Pearce and suggested he make a pair of fine boots for me, which were then delivered as a present?’
‘Yes, lord.’
‘How many other business interests do you have, Ring?’
‘A little over twenty, lord.’
‘Twenty-seven,’ he said. ‘The profits must be very high now.’
‘Yes, lord.’
The Moidart fell silent. Then he gave a bleak smile. ‘You are an interesting woman, Maev Ring.’ He glanced up at Galliott. ‘Fetch her a chair,’ he ordered.
Galliott did so, and Maev sat down. ‘Let me run over the facts again,’ said the Moidart. ‘You acquired minority interests in twenty-seven failing businesses, and now each one turns a profit?’
‘Yes, lord.’
The Moidart lifted a heavy sheet of paper and scanned it. ‘Parsis Feld paid three hundred and twenty pounds in tax this year. Five years ago he supplied eleven pounds eight chaillings. That is a handsome turnaround. My congratulations to you.’
‘Thank you, lord,’ said Maev, surprised by this turn of events.
‘The law specifically states that no clansman – or woman for that matter – can own a Varlish business. You, however, do not own the businesses. Jorain Feld understands this. He has, therefore, laid another charge against you. No clansman can own a pistol.’
‘I own no pistol, lord.’
‘Jorain claims that since the forge currently has one hundred pistols stored, and forty per cent of the business is yours, you currently own forty pistols.’
Maev felt cold inside.
‘However,’ continued the Moidart, ‘I find this to be a specious argument. As you said so aptly upon your arrival, Parsis Feld has greedy children. That will be all, Madam Ring.’
Maev sat stunned for a moment. ‘You mean I can go … lord?’
‘Of course you may go. You are guilty of no crime.’
Maev struggled to rise. Her legs felt weak. Galliott, seeing her distress, took her arm. ‘Thank you, lord,’ she said. ‘I am most grateful.’
‘Thank you for the boots,’ said the Moidart.
Galliott led her out of the room and back down the stairs. ‘This is good news, Maev,’ he said. ‘The best. Congratulations.’
‘I still cannot quite believe it. I am free?’
‘You are free,’ said Galliott.
The freedom lasted two days.
Unable to convince the Moidart that Maev Ring had broken Varlish law, Jorain Feld took his case to the Bishop of Eldacre, and invoked church law. He also made a payment of five hundred pounds to the cathedral.
Maev Ring was arrested again, and this time taken before the bishop.
She was charged with witchcraft, and taken in chains to the cells below the cathedral.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THAT NIGHT KAELIN AND CHARA MADE COLD CAMP IN A SHALLOW cave. They could not risk a fire, but even though the night air was chill Chara sat apart from Kaelin, huddled against the rear wall, her cloak drawn tightly around her.