“Lady Alaina didn’t return his love?” Burke asked, curious, since the tears that had welled in Lady Alaina’s eyes had told Burke a different story.
“Of course not. The earl has special plans for his daughter and it don’t involve the likes of a peasant.”
“So the reason this Cullen has been imprisoned is because he fell in love with the earl’s daughter?”
“And pay he will for his foolishness,” the man said with a sharp nod.
“And what price will that be?” Burke asked, intending full well that his brother would not suffer simply because he had fallen in love.
The man turned his head, his beady eyes searching the area, then whispered, “He’s being sent to Weighton.”
“That’s a harsh punishment for simply falling in love,” Philip said. “Why not just send him away or sell him into slavery in a far-off port?”
The man shrugged. “Don’t know. Only know that the earl is furious and intends for the man to pay for what he’s done.”
“Make him pay for falling in love?” Philip said with a shake of his head. “Makes no sense.”
The man shoved his hand out, palm open. “Don’t care if it does or it doesn’t. I told you what I know and now I want my money.”
“Is Cullen in Weighton now?” Burke asked.
“Arrived yesterday,” the man confirmed.
“How did you learn all this information?” Burke asked.
The man turned defensive. “What difference does that make?”
“Curious.” Burke shrugged.
“Curious can get you killed,” the man snapped.
“Not answering my question could get you penniless,” Burke said sternly.
The man kicked at the ground and answered reluctantly. “Me sister works at the earl’s manor house and accidentally overheard the earl talking with a man.”
“What man?” Burke asked.
He shook his head. “She don’t know, never saw him before, but soon after, the fellow Cullen was thrown in the earl’s prison. That’s it, that’s all I know. Now me coins.”
Burke held his closed hand over the man’s open palm. “One more thing. What does this Cullen look like?”
The man stared at him for a minute. “Like you, a lot like you.”
Burke dumped the coins into the man’s hand, and he greedily swallowed them up with a taut fist.
Burke watched the skinny man sprint off into the woods. He had a feeling the fellow wouldn’t stop running until he reached his destination.
“This isn’t good,” Philip said, shaking his head. “Come on, we need to meet up with Storm and William as planned.
Burke followed Philip and silently agreed it wasn’t good. Not if what he had been told about Weighton was true. If it was impregnable, then what chance did he have of getting his brother out of there?
He’d be damned if he had come this far to see his brother rot in a prison for the rest of his life. There had to be something he could do, and he had a feeling that buying his brother’s freedom was the only option left to him.
It didn’t take long for them to meet up with Storm and William.
“We need to keep moving,” Storm advised. “We don’t want to take any chances. We’ll talk when we stop for the night.”
All agreed with a nod and set a good pace through the woods. Burke was growing familiar with the area and knew that by tomorrow midday they’d reach the camp.
He would do anything to free Cullen. He had made a promise to his father, and he intended to keep it no matter what it took. He often wondered if his father had amassed his wealth just in case he would need it someday to help Cullen. And if that was necessary, he’d spend his last coin to see his brother free.
They found shelter for the night behind a large rock formation, and Storm deemed it safe for a small fire. William and Philip went to see if they could catch a fish or two from the nearby creek while dusk still provided a trace of light, and Burke and Storm got the fire going.
The dry, broken twigs had the fire burning fast enough, and it wasn’t long before Burke and Storm sat beside it warming their hands.
“The air holds an extra crispness tonight,” Storm said.
Burke nodded and rubbed his hands. “Don’t avoid it, Storm, tell me about Weighton.”
“It’s not penetrable,” she said.
He didn’t like the sound of defeat in her voice and he wasn’t ready to accept defeat. “There must be another way.”
“Possibly, but we’ll have to give it thought.”
“I’ve given it thought and look where it’s gotten my brother,” he argued and released a gruff sigh. “I want Cullen safe and in front of me. I want to claim him as my brother and tell him all about our father and how hard he had searched for him all these years. I want him to know he has a home in America and money enough to ease his life. I want—” He shook his head. “I want this all to be done with.”