Senga felt color rise to her cheeks, as though the Abbess could see everything she was thinking and everything she had done.
Well, perhaps she could.
“I am glad ye are back, Senga,” the Abbess murmured after a moment. “And ye, sir, ye are Captain Noah of Keep Grahame, is that right?”
Noah bowed a little uncertainly. “Aye, that’s right.”
“Well, ye are welcome, too.”
Brendan called Noah, and he was obliged to move away. He met Senga’s eyes first, and there was a warmth there that made her smile. When she turned back, she found the Abbess hiding a smile.
“Well, Senga, the last time ye were here, ye told me that ye wanted to take orders,” the Abbess remarked, chuckling. “Ye said that ye were a nun at heart. I told ye to wait. I think perhaps I was right to do so.”
“I… I don’t know what ye mean,” Senga stammered.
The Abbess gave a secret smile. “I think ye are a nun at heart no more, lass. Now, come inside. Ye must eat, and ye must sleep, and we must talk.”
Chapter 15
The Beginning Of The End
Nobody had slept much, unsurprisingly. Dawn hadn’t yet arrived, but there was a lighter tinge to the sky than before, a hint of the oncoming sunrise.
The Grahame camp spread over the west side of the convent, the tents low and mostly camouflaged. Of course, a camp for an army of this size couldn’t be entirely camouflaged, but they’d done a decent enough work.
Noah strode through the camp, glancing from side to side, watchful. The men were waking up, but some were still sleeping, trying to catch a few minutes’ extra sleep. He didn’t blame them. Battle was an exhausting thing.
They knew that the Dickson army was drawn up towards the east, about half a mile from where the Grahames were camped. Noah had gone himself. That was the role of captain, not to just rely on hearsay, but to find out for himself. He’d seen the way the Dicksons were arrayed and guessed from the way the tents were set out that Laird Dickson had brought his satellite clans for the last battle. He’d spotted Strafford and Jame tartan, and Murray, of course. There was no sign of Urquhart. Perhaps they’d abandoned him at the last battle.
Well, it didn’t matter. Even without Urquhart, the Dickson army outnumbered theirs.
At that moment, Brendan appeared out of the shadows between the tents and fell into step beside Noah.
“The Kenneth army is here,” he murmured.
Noah’s heart leapt. “That’s wonderful news. How many?”
“Not enough. But our odds are better than they were.”
Better odds were an improvement on bad odds,Noah thought glumly.
“Where are they?” he said aloud.
“Coming in from the south. Thomas, Struan, and Una are gone to greet them. They’ll fight alongside them. Kyla’s been told to stay in the convent with the sisters, and I hope that Senga will do the same.”
He huffed. “Not likely, is it? Senga does as she pleases.”
“Well, she’ll be safer inside. Not to say that the convent will be untouched, but they have thick walls and strong gates. If we fall, they’ll be besieged, but it should at least buy them some time.”
Some time until what?Noah wanted to ask.If we fall, what comes next?
He knew the answer, of course. Nothing. Nothing came next. They were the last line of defense. There would be no more rebellion after the Kenneth and Grahame armies were crushed. The pockets of resistance would fade away, people pretending that they’d never called for Laird Dickson’s blood, that they’d never called him a tyrant. That they’d neverresisted.
At least if that happens, I won’t be alive to see it,Noah thought, swallowing past a lump in his throat.
“Ye should address the men,” Brendan added.
Noah tensed. “Why me? Ye are their Laird.”
