It was silent out there. Too quiet for comfort.
Heather folded her arms across her chest. “You deign to thinkmedeceitful?”
“Have ye nae wrongly judged someone before?” Owen cast her a smile. “As I said, I will nae lie to ye. Blunt honesty might sometimes be hard to swallow, but it’s better than me tellin’ ye pretty fibs.”
She frowned deeply, as if mulling over his words. “I suppose it looked rather suspicious, did it not?” She sighed. “My father would also find it suspicious, though he would not be mistaken. But… what does this mean for me?”
“It means, for the time bein’, ye cannae go back there,” Owen replied.
Sawyer choked, banging on his chest. “Ye’re suggestin’ we kidnap the lass? Are ye out of yer heed, M’Laird?”
“We are nae kidnappin’ anyone,” Owen assured sharply. “It is up to Lady Heather if she comes with us or nae, but I daenae think it’s safe for her at that castle. When yer faither finds us missin’, and he hears that ye were the one who led us to liberty, he will nae be able to control his anger. I daenae want ye facin’ the brunt of that, Lass.”
Heather hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin in the dip between them. She stared off into the distance, her former outrage turning to a solemn expression of heavy sadness. Owen longed to put his arms around her, as he had done before, but he sensed it would only make her sadder.
“So, I must go with you,” she whispered.
“I’d prefer it if ye did,” Owen replied. “However, I will nae force ye.”
She nodded slightly. “It will only be for a short while, yes? Would I be permitted to write to my father, to explain the situation? Perhaps, over time, he might come to understand his mistake and calm his ire enough to welcome me back home.”
“Aye, it wouldn’ae be forever,” Owen confirmed.
Her shoulders sagged. “Then I will go with you. Brandon shall have to, as well, or it might be his head that rolls when dawn comes.”
“I will shelter both of ye.” Owen observed the still trees. “He can continue his investigation under me protection. If he can find the true culprit, yer faither will have nay choice but to listen.”
She seemed to brighten at that notion. “I do hope he was not apprehended on his way to the—”
Her words were interrupted by the crunch of undergrowth being trampled and the soft beat of hooves. Her face paled, while Owen’s heart thudded harder in his chest. After the attack that had gotten him into this mess in the first place, he knew better than to assume that unusual sounds in the forest were from a friendly source.
Sawyer slowly rose to his feet, gripping his mallet with both hands. Apparently, he was of the same wariness as Owen.
Moving shadows lumbered beyond the clarity of the clearing. They melded together, making it impossible to gauge how many people were approaching. It could have been one man and a few horses, many men on many horses, or a few men on a handful of horses.
“Do not attack. I am your ally,” a quiet, weary voice declared from the darkness.
Heather jumped up. “Brandon?”
“More or less,” the voice replied, as the shadows breached the edge of the clearing. Like a mirage, shapes emerged, taking form.
Brandon stood between two familiar horses, limping in pain. Blood trickled down his face and one eye had begun to swell shut, but he had kept his promise.
“I suggest you move swiftly,” Brandon urged, offering the reins. “The alarm has been raised. They are presently in a state of chaos, but it will not be long before they give chase.”
Owen walked to take the horses, handing off Sawyer’s mount to him. “I suggestyeget up on that saddle, Brandon,” he said. “None of us are stayin’.”
“Pardon?” Brandon looked bewildered.
“It isnae safe. If Heather stays, she’ll be severely punished. If ye stay, ye might be killed in our stead,” Owen explained, pulling one of the stirrups out for Brandon to put his foot into. “I will nae make ye come with us, but I’d advise it.”
Brandon glanced at Heather. “Have you agreed to this?”
“I have. How could I not, when he is right?” Heather moved toward the horses.
Brandon sighed and slotted his foot into the stirrup. “Very well. If it pertains to your safety, I must go where you go.”
He got up into the saddle of Sawyer’s mount, likely thinking that Heather would join him. Before she could, however, Owen offered his hand to her.
