“Latharn is just about to tell us. It seems Brielle has escaped,” Cormac responded swiftly.
All three men stood together, silently waiting for Latharn to speak. Latharn was ashamed of himself for letting Brielle out,but he had to save Sophia. He loved her and he wouldnae allow anyone to harm her. He just wished he had been able to do more to stop the witch before she got away. Taking a deep breath, Latharn told the men exactly what had happened. He mentally prepared himself for the berating he was certain would follow, but much to his surprise, there was total silence.
“I’m verra sorry,” Latharn said. “It was wrong of me, but I couldnae let her harm Sophia.”
Again, he waited for someone to pummel him, or at the very least, have him taken away and locked up.
“’Tis nae yer fault, lad. Any one of us would have done the exact same thing if it had been our woman she’d bespelled, and that is what Brielle was counting on. She knew ye wouldnae stand by and watch as she sucked the verra life out of Sophia.” Robert paced back and forth. “We must locate her immediately!”
“Aye, but how?” Cailin asked. “We have nae idea where she is or what she might do next. We should send the women off to Ewan’s castle, until we have everything under control. I dinnae trust that Brielle wouldnae try to harm Ashley or our baby. I think it’s best for them to seek refuge with yer brother for the time being.”
“Yer right,” Robert agreed. “Latharn, start spreading the word that the women and children are to leave the castle as soon as possible.”
“Aye, sir,” Latharn said. He walked away swiftly to do as he had been told, relieved that Sophia would soon be out of harm’s way.
***
Jenna found Irene and Ashley sitting by the fire, sewing baby clothes. They both looked up as she hurriedly entered room.
Ashley held up the little outfit she was working on, “Jenna, what do you think? Isn’t it the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?”
Jenna was sure she looked anything but interested in baby clothes, at that particular moment.
“What’s wrong, Jenna,” Irene asked, taking note of Jenna’s worried expression. She stood up and hurried across to Jenna, taking her hand. “Tell us.”
“Brielle has escaped. We don’t know where she is,” Jenna said, managing to calm herself enough to fill them in on the details. “We need to find the men.”
Ashley put down her sewing and joined them. “We’ll all go.”
They were just about to leave when Latharn came rushing through the doors. “My ladies, yer husbands have requested that ye prepare to leave. Ye will be escorted to Sir Ewan’s castle as soon as yer ready.”
“What? I’m not going anywhere without Cormac,” Jenna protested.
“Sir Robert has ordered that all the women and children are to leave the castle. ’Tis fer yer own safety,” Latharn responded, looking as if he fervently hoped Jenna wouldn’t continue to argue with him.
“Where are they?” Ashley asked.
“They were in the courtyard, making arrangements to see you all to safety,” Latharn explained.
“Thank you, Latharn. We’ll get ready to leave,” Irene announced firmly. “Jenna, Ashley, I ken ye dinnae wish to leave yer husbands, but Robert is right. We dinnae ken what this witch is capable of. So far, her mischief hasnae done more than cause chaos and a few wee injuries, but now that she understands we ken who she is, there’s nae telling what she may be capable of.”
Jenna gave that some thought and realized that leaving would be for the best. She was worried about Ashley and the baby, andIrene and her children, not to mention all the other innocents who might find themselves in the path of Brielle’s ire. “Let’s get ready then.”
***
Hours later, the courtyard was lined with wagons, being loaded with passengers and their belongings. Maggie and Dylan charged through the gates atop their horses and came to an abrupt halt near the stables, where they quickly dismounted and ran to discover what was happening.
Seeing Jenna, the two of them headed her way. “What’s going on?” Maggie demanded.
“Brielle has escaped and we don’t know where she is. Robert thought it best for all of the women and children to leave the castle and head to Ewan and Lena’s for our safety,” Jenna answered. It was obvious from her composure that she was nervous. She kept searching the area and relief spread across her face when Cormac made his way through the others to reach her. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “I’m scared, Cormac,” she told him.
“All will be well, Jenna. Dinnae be afraid,” Cormac responded.
“I can’t help it. What if something happens to you? I can’t bear to think about it,” she replied.
“Then dinnae,” Cormac smiled down at her and plunked a kiss on her forehead. “I love ye, Jenna, and I’m nae about to leave ye.”
Maggie watched and realized she wasn’t jealous of these exchanges anymore. She finally had Dylan for her own and the possibility of love was alive in her. Cormac escorted Jenna to her horse, Rose, and helped her mount. Maggie searched for Cailin and Ashley and giggled as they argued over whether Ashley was riding her horse or travelling in a wagon. It was obvious whichAshley preferred and it was the exact opposite of what Cailin wanted.
