Gaspar’s hand shot past her toward the scraggly cousin. Then he grinned while Ewan tried to shut his mouth.
“I’m keeping her. Just so you know it.”
Ewan sighed, then shook the offered hand. “Just as bossy as e’er ye were, Izzy. And where is our Ossian, then?”
Isobelle opened her mouth to explain, but Gaspar stopped her with a hand on her arm. He took a shaky breath and looked into her eyes. “I hired Ossian as a crossbowman…and sent him to the New World…so I might get my hands on Isobelle.”
Isobelle reacted to the news without much thought. She simply pulled back and threw her fist into the man’s jaw. How dare he wait so long to confess such a thing?
Gaspar stumbled back, but James was there to catch him.
Ewan showed a lairdly amount of patience and manners by allowing the Englishman to get his balance before he dealt his own blow to the same abused jaw. Then he turned to Isobelle. “Instead of shaking his hand, I should have cut it off!”
James stood watch again while Isobelle and Ewan sat in a pile of fresh hay and waited for the dragon to stir.
“I’ll let Monty give ye the particulars, but I will tell ye that yer brother saw the error of his ways, ye might say, and helped Morna get free of her Gordon husband. Cinead believes Morna threw herself into the sea and drowned. But she was verra much alive when last I saw her.”
Gaspar woke with a start and she put a hand to his chest to reassure him.
Ewan grinned. “While ye slept, ye English bastard, we cut off those hands ye were speaking about.”
Horrified, Gaspar lifted his hands, wiggled his fingers, then sighed in relief. Ewan got to his feet laughing, then offered to pull the other man to his feet as well.
Gaspar grinned, then took Ewan’s hand. But instead of Gaspar rising, Ewan was pulled forward and with an Italian boot applied to his middle, he was tossed over, onto his back in the hay.
James helped Isobelle stand, then rolled his eyes at the other two. “One of the witches is coming, Laird Ross.”
Gaspar jumped to his feet and crossed himself. Ewan nodded, as if he thought crossing himself was a grand idea, and copied the movement.
Isobelle rolled her eyes, then took Gaspar’s hand in hers. “I have yet to forgive ye fer sendin’ Ossian away, mind, but ye look as if ye might faint.”
A figure slipped through the doorway and uncovered its head. It was Mhairi, and Isobelle would have gone to her and given her a hearty greeting if Gaspar’s fingers hadn’t squeezed hers so securely.
Mhairi waited for her eyes to adjust to the shadows, then hurried to join them. She looked worried when she recognized Isobelle.
“We saw a dragon,” she whispered.
Isobelle laughed. “Mhairi Muir, Gaspar Dragotti.” She nodded at each in turn. “My dragon.”
Mhairi smiled broadly. “That’s fine. That’s fine. I didna think we could fit a dragon into the tomb…”
Isobelle stiffened at the mention of the infernal thing. “What do you mean?”
Mhairi looked at James, then at Ewan. Both men looked sheepishly at their boots.
“Weel, now. This is a fine mess. And with no time to explain. The chieftains are restless, Ewan. They’ll not wait on ye much longer. And we canna leave her standing about, aye?”
James frowned, “Why do they wait?”
“For Ewan’s weddin’ to begin, of course.”
Ewan grimaced. “There was hardly time… Ye dinna ken her, Isobelle. And ye canna be introduced, aye?”
“He’s right.” Mhairi tugged on Ewan’s arm. “Go on and get marrit. Then meet us below for a proper fare thee well.”
Ewan kissed Isobelle on the cheek and hurried away. Then Isobelle turned to Mhairi, dread filling her limbs until she couldn’t feel them any longer. “Mhairi? What do ye mean,below?”
“Now, dinna fash. We’ll send ye off to be with Montgomery and Morna in no time at all.” The woman gave her a wink.
