“Are you tae be a noblewoman, then, Moira, when this is all over? Is Lachlan tae have a higher rank among these guardsmen than he has under Bryan Black’s command?”
“You speak of these things as if they are trivial,” Moira retorted, “and tae one born into a life such as yours, perhapsthey are. Tae the likes of us, they mean a new life, a chance for our children tae prosper.”
“They’ll never prosper if they inherit the venom in your veins,” Isla snapped.
“Fear not, my dear Moira,” Romilly spoke up, “for this lass will not be hurling insults much longer. Not once we’ve put an end to her.”
Moira looked stunned and horrified. “What? But… ye said you wished tae snatch her up in order tae end her engagement with Laird Alex!”
“Aye, and so Ishallend it,” Romilly affirmed nastily. “Bybutcheringher, and making it seem as though Alex himself is responsible. Given the previous enmity between them, it will be easy tae convince the MacDonells that Alex is tae blame. Then the two clans shall be set at each other’s throats! There shall be glorious blood and chaos across the land! Oh, the MacDonells will be outmatched, no doubt, and so I’m afraid it is likely that most of those who perish in the conflict will be your clansmen,” she added to Isla. “Perhaps even your parents! In the aftermath, whoever remains standing will be weakened, their numbers decimated. Easy prey for us to take them over, and become the most powerful clan in all of Scotland!”
“Youcannaedo such a thing!” Tears glistened in Moira’s pleading eyes. “She may be a bit stuck up, aye, but she’s done nothing tae deserve killing!”
Lachlan stolidly placed a hand on Moira’s shoulder. “I know ye came tae care about her during the time you spent together, but this is for the best, Moira. Lady Romilly knows what she’s doing, and that’s that. There’s no way we could have released her later, not without her running and telling everyone who had taken her.”
Moira looked scandalized. “D’ye mean… ye bloodyknewabout this part of it, Lachlan?”
He nodded. “I didnae tell ye, for I know what a good heart you have, and that you’d have had second thoughts about carrying out the plan. But now that we’re in the thick of it, my lovely, youmustsee that there’s nothing else we can do.”
Moira’s face turned red as a beet, and her mouth twitched, as though she felt she might be sick. But she took a step back and remained silent. That seemed to be agreement enough for the others.
“Shall we bring her inside, my lady?” Lachlan offered.
Romilly shook her head. “Nay. I have arranged a safe place for us tae work at the edge of our lands. We cannae risk anyone at the Tower seeing or hearing, for fear that the truth might find its way back to Alex or the MacDonells. We’ll have time and privacy tae make the affairgruesomeenough tae spark theblackestvengeance in the breasts of her parents, so they will refuse to listen tae reason and retaliate mercilessly. Then, once the body and the evidence are planted upon the border between their two lands, we may sit back and watch them claw each other tae pieces!”
“It sounds as though you have the situation well in hand,” Moira mumbled. “In that case, I suppose I ought tae return tae Castle Oliphant…”
“Nay, nay!” Romilly’s hand swiped out with uncanny speed, grasping Moira’s forearm like a vise. “You shall accompany us, and make yourself useful as required. There’s nae room for your accursed squeamishness now, not when we’re so close tae success!”
So Moira mournfully went along with them, riding Thistledown. They galloped across a series of steep valleys until Romilly directed them to a sturdy-looking stone cottage which looked as though it had been abandoned and left to decay for many years. It was at the edge of a forest which was slowly reclaiming it. The front steps were jagged from roots growingthrough, and branches pressed in through the dark and broken windows.
“Here you may scream as loud as ye wish,” Romilly told Isla, “and none shall hear it or come to your aid. And youwillscream, ye trollop, I can assure you of that!”
Isla’s pulse thundered in her ears, and she knew with a terrible certainty that she would never see the sun rise again.
Meanwhile,many miles away, Alex stormed and fretted through the castle. He was flanked by Bryan Black and Kirk Oliphant, both of whom were doing their best to inform him whilst keeping him calm.
“How long has she been gone?!” Alex thundered. “When was the last time anyone saw her?”
“Several of my guardsmen reported seeing her roam outside the walls for much of the afternoon,” Bryan told him. “Close to nightfall, they say they spotted her walking in the direction of the stables.”
“Could she have simply gone home tae her family, following yer, ah… altercation?” Kirk suggested uneasily.
“That seems a peculiar thing for her tae do,” Alex mused, “riding all that way by herself at night, knowing that the roads might nae be safe. She was upset, aye, but surely not enough to risk her life like that!”
“Then if she left, that supposes she either didn’t go far, or she was accompanied by another,” Bryan reasoned.
“Have you been able to find that servant girl she’s been so close with?” Alex demanded. “What was her name?”
“If you mean Moira, we’ve searched the castle for her, but have found nae sign,” Kirk replied.
“Then it’s likely they went together,” the laird observed. “And for neither of them to have returned when the hour is so late… perhaps some unpleasant fate befell them. In which case, we must ride out at once to try to find out what transpired! There may be some sign of where they went or what happened to them! Come, Bryan, we must ride at once, there isn’t a moment tae lose!”
“Time is indeed of the essence, Laird Alex,” Bryan agreed smoothly, “but that is why we would do better tae divide our search into three parties, so they might travel in different directions and cover far more ground.”
“How can we risk that?” Kirk challenged. “We dinnae ken what sort of threat we might be facing out there! And tae send out three sizable groups of warriors…”
“...might leave Castle Oliphant without adequate protection,” Alex finished for him, turning to Bryan. “Are there enough men tae spare without letting that happen?”
