The youths began preparing to mount up. When the blond boy, Hamish, laced his fingers together for Alaina to climb up onto the horse’s back, she realized thatsomethinghad to be done. In another moment, they’d all be ready to ride straight out of the Keep. She was willing to bet that if they’d gotten this far and prepared so well, they knew how to get beyond the walls. There were doors and entrances everywhere, and even if the main Keepdoors were firmly barred, surely there’d be some way for them to slip out.
Either way, she was running out of time to intervene.
Megan shouldered the door open and stumbled out into the courtyard, panicked.
“Wait!” she cried. “Stop! What are ye doin’?”
The youths flinched, spinning around, wide-eyed to face her.
The girl who’d come to fetch Alaina—Megan thought she wasMary—gave a terrified gasp.
“It’s the Laird’s betrothed! It’s Lady Megan!”
Panicked gasps echoed through the group. Stephen, who had already mounted his horse, started to wriggle his way down frantically.
Alaina came stumbling toward Megan, eyes wide.
“What are ye doin’ out here?” she breathed, dropping her voice. She glanced over her shoulder at the others, offering a weak smile. “Everythin’ is fine; she’ll nae tell tales. Will ye, Megan?”
“I daenae ken,” muttered one of the girls. They seemed to be backing away, probably planning on making a mad dash for safety.
Alaina whipped around to face Megan again, eyeing her balefully.
“Ye followed me,” she hissed. “Are ye spyin’ on me? Did Ryder put ye up to this?”
“Of course nae!” Megan lied stoutly. “I couldnae sleep, and I heard footsteps; that was all. I saw the guards asleep outside yer room—sleepin’verysoundly, I might add—and I came to see if ye were all right.”
Alaina folded her arms tightly across her chest.
“So ye followed me,” she repeated. Her face was hard and angry. There was anxiety in it, too, Megan noticed. She kept glancing over her shoulder at her friends, as if to gauge their reaction.
She’s afraid that they’ll turn on her,Megan thought.
“This… this is all me fault,” Hamish spoke up, stammering a little. “This was me idea. I’ll take the blame.”
“Ye’d best nae say that if Laird MacCulloch finds out about all of this,” Megan commented, and Hamish blanched.
“Dae ye nae dare bring me braither into this,” Alaina hissed, her temper flaring. She deliberately stepped between Hamish and Megan, fists clenched at her sides. “Yewerespyin’ on me, were ye nae? Now what is it that ye want from me? Did ye want to show me that ye have all the power? Are ye goin’ to tell Ryder about this and have him lock me up in the dungeon next time?”
The situation was rapidly spiraling out of Megan’s control. She raised her hands in what she hoped was a soothing gesture.
“Alaina, I am nae here to tell tales. On any of ye,” she added, glancing over at them. Hamish sagged in relief, but the others still eyed her with suspicion. “I only want to be sure ye are safe. Ye ken how dangerous it is out here.”
“I want to be with me friends,” Alaina muttered, lifting her head. “It’s only a festival.”
This was new information. So they really were sneaking out to attend a festival.
That’s an ordinary thing for a girl of her age to do,Megan thought.I did it meself when I was young. But I cannae possibly let her go alone.
“I thought ye were different,” Alaina continued, her voice cracking in a way that made Megan’s heart ache. “I thought ye cared. I thought ye understood how awful it is for me, cooped up here. I cannae even publicly claim me own friends. Ryder says that friends make a person weak, and that I cannae risk trustin’ anybody.”
“Alaina, ye daenae understand.”
“I understand that ye are embarrassin’ me in front of me friends!” Alaina snapped. “Do ye ken how hard it is for somebody like me to make friends? It’s awful! I’ve felt so alone, and nobody cares, nobody! I thought ye were different, but ye are just like him! We are goin’ now, and ye can go and tell tales if ye want. I daenae care.”
She turned her back, stamping over to the horse. Her other friends looked at each other nervously, glancing over at Megan. They made no move toward their own horses, but Hamish stepped forward obediently when Alaina caught his eye.
“Wait!” Megan spoke again. “Alaina, I didnae come down here to spoil yer fun, or to make yer feel bad about yerself.”
