Several minutes later the door opened and a man and woman came in. They’d obviously been roused from bed and they both looked tousled and bleary-eyed.
“A Campbell agent?” the man was saying. “This close to the castle? Surely not?”
“The lass said she was with Reid Campbell,” one of the guards replied. “And the signal fire was lit. We didnae know what to make of it so thought it best to bring the lass straight to ye, my lord.”
The man nodded. “Ye did the right thing, Argus.”
The man approached Abi. He was as tall as Reid and wide through the shoulders with dark hair and eyes. “Who are ye?” he asked her. “How do ye know my brother?”
Abi didn’t answer. She stared into space, seeing nothing but that final expression on Reid’s face.
I’m sorry, lass.
Then there was a gasp and a familiar voice cried, “Abi? Oh my God, Abi! Is that you?”
A face moved into Abi’s line of sight and despite her malaise, a jolt of shock and recognition went through her.
It was Layla.
Chapter 20
Reid watched Abigailand the Muir guards riding away. He stood within the shadow of the trees and felt like his heart was being torn from his chest. It took every ounce of strength he had not to go after her. Every fiber and muscle in his body ached to go running out there, to lift Abigail into his arms and carry her away, to go some place where nobody knew them and start a new life far away from all of this.
But that was pure selfishness talking and he would not give in to it. The only life he could offer Abigail would be a short one. He was now a traitor to both Clan Muir and Clan Campbell and no matter how far they ran, they would not be able to run far enough to escape their brutal justice. They would be hunted, fugitives, living every day with the knowledge it could be their last. He could not do that to Abigail. He might be a bastard, he might have broken every law of honor and loyalty, but he had one shred of decency left.
So he stood in silence and watched her ride away. When she’d come into the woods looking for him he’d hidden in the undergrowth, using the darkness to hide as she called for him. He’d had to tie the dogs to a tree and given them one of his sternest commands to keep them from trying to run to her or bark and give away their location. It was a measure of their loyalty that they’d obeyed his command even though they’d clearly been distraught at leaving Abigail.
Now, Bo nosed his hand, wanting some attention, and Whitefoot sat on his haunches by Reid’s side, staring forward with ears pricked as though he too was watching Abigail ride away.
Reid closed his eyes. The only thought that kept him from breaking was that she was safe. Cinead and Layla would take care of her and they’d find a way to send her home. She’d soon be back in the twenty-first century and the life she’d left behind. With any luck, she’d soon forget about him.
He opened his eyes and sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils. “Just the three of us again, eh?” he said to the dogs. They looked up at him and whined. “I know. I’ll miss her too. Come on.”
Shouldering the pack he’d brought from Dun Treve, he turned his face towards the wild northern hills and began walking.
***
