“That’ll take at leasta month, if nae longer,” Ryan complained.
“Then seethat it gets done. Ye’ll nae return to Castle MacLeon till this vile place is scrubbed from the face of the earth. Nay one should ever endure this sort of treatment, ever,” Theodore said as he continued for the keep. He could feel her eyes boring into him as they made their way to the front.
“What?”Theodore asked finally as they reached the steps of the keep. There was no one to greet them. No one to bid them well and welcome them in. No. Theo and the other honorable lairds had made sure that no one who lived here was left alive. Every single person was slain at his command. It was the only way to ensure the evil never sprang up again.
“Nothin’,”she answered although, Theodore was certain she wasn’t being completely honest with him. He could tell by the shift in the air around her something was amiss.
“Ye’ve been talkin’me ear off since I grabbed ye from the grove and now ye want to be silent? Ye make nay sense woman. Then again, I suppose that is the curse of all women.”
“That’s nae nice,”she grumbled. “Ye daenae ken anythin’ about me. I happen to be the daughter of a baker who taught me all sorts of things.”
“Aye,that’s all fine and dandy,” Theo answered with a smirk tugging at his lips. “But there’s a difference between learnin’ and applyin’.”
The girl’s face dropped.She wanted to protest, he could see the ire brewing and festering within her as they stepped into the keep. Whatever words she was about to let loose on him fell to the ground like rocks the moment she caught sight of the other girls.
“Oh my,”she muttered as Theodore stopped to take in the sight. None of the others were as thin and emancipated as the lass he had found. It seemed as if everyone in the room the moment they spotted her felt pity for her. She was by far the skinniest one in the room.
“Flora?What happened to Piper and Gabriella?” she asked, her voice rising with concern. Theodore set her carefully on her feet and kept close. She barely had enough strength to hold herself up right and stumbled as she tried to step to the others.
“Madison?”Piper said. Her voice was hollow and weak as her gaze shifted from Madison to the other girl who looked as ifshe’d just woken from a bad dream. All of them shared the same fearful expression, but it was Madison’s well-being that concerned him the most. She was by far the worst of them... In the corner of Theodore’s eye, he spotted Lucas coming down the steps. He glanced to the one they called Madison and let the name roll around his head for a minute. From all accounts she looked pleased the others had been spared the horrors of the hunt. But he didn’t need to stick around for the joyous reunion.
“I’ll be right back,”Theodore said as he helped her to the other girls. “I’ll be back for ye in a moment.”
Theodore movedto the stairwell to greet Lucas at the bottom of the steps. His chest tightened as he glanced around at the carnage and damaged keep. So many trinkets scattered about he would have thought the place had been looted by bandits.
“Well?”Theodore asked as one of the lairds came down the steps in a hush. Theodore rolled his shoulders back as Lucas came down to him.
“The keep is secure.It will never be used for such nefarious things again,” Lucas said with such conviction that Theodore had no choice but to believe him. “But the question remains, what do we do with the lasses?”
Theodore glancedat the row of girls sitting along the hallway. His gaze fell on Madison as his heart went out to her.
“They need help.Where’s the healer? Where is Matthew? I was told he was around here somewhere,” Theodore said.
“I havenae seen him around,but ye might find his wife Edith,” Lucas answered.
“Have Edith look over them.I’m sure they have families they’ll be wantin’ to get back to as soon as they can.”
“Areye sure that’s such a wise decision?” Lucas asked in a hushed tone as his gaze drifted past Theodore to the girls still lingering in the hall. “I daenae think some of them will be able to make the journey home.”
Theodore didn’t needto look at the girls. Their images had been seared into his brain as he pulled in a deep breath. There was no doubt in his mind that the girls would need time to rest before taking on such journeys.
“Aye,then I shall have them as me charges and see they are well cared for,” Theodore suggested as he noticed Lucas’s shoulders tensing.
“Surely ye cannaemanage all the lasses. I could take one off of yer hands. That way there’s nay strain on the clans,” Lucas suggested. It was clear by the way Lucas’s gaze lingered on one of the girls, he fancied her over the others.
“I will holdye responsible for that girl’s life,” Theodore growled in a warning to Lucas. “If word reaches me ear that some foul thing has fallen over her, I’ll come for ye.”
“There’snay need for such threats,” Lucas said as his voice cracked from the fear he tried to keep hidden from Theodore. each lass and assess if they can be moved or nae. Then we get them back to their family. I’m sure many if nae all of them have been missin’ their homes,” Theodore said as his gaze remained on Madison. She was lovely to look at despite the layer of grim and dirt.
“Aye,”Lucas said. “I’ll see what sort of transportation we can offer them and where they need to get back to.”
“I cannae believethis sort of thing was happenin’ on Hector’s lands,” Theodore said as he folded his arms over his chest. “If somethin’ like this ever happens again, nay matter where, I expect ye to inform me of it instantly. This sort of thing must be stopped before it can gain any traction.”
“Aye,ye can rest assure it’ll never happen again,” Lucas hurriedly responded, his voice tight with conviction. Theodore nodded, believing the man. Lucas, like the other lairds, had also been horrified that something like the hunt existed. None of them would allow anything similar to occur again.
“Doye ken if there is anyone in the kitchen?” Theodore asked as his gaze drifted back to the lovely Madison. Despite her appearance, there was a quality about her that he couldn’t pen. “There are bellies to be filled.”
“I’ll seeabout that right away,” Lucas said with a nod and off he went down the hall. Theodore turned his focus back to Madison. She was a wee thing that needed far more attention the rest ofthem. It pained Theodore to see her in such a manner. He moved closer to her, as if she somehow pulled him to her by some unseen force.
