Still, she supposed it would be a terrible idea to keep him waiting. Too long, and he might imagine that she had escaped out the window.
Katherine giggled at the thought of herself shimmying down a rope improvised from bedsheets, and Bryan goggling down at her comically from the window. “Come in!” she invited, stifling her mirth.
The door opened, and to Katherine’s surprise, a poised and lovely young noblewoman glided in, leaving a pair of guardsmen in the corridor behind her. There was something oddly familiar about her face, though Katherine could not quite place it.
Nevertheless, she curtsied demurely. “Good morning! I apologize, I was not expecting tae have any visitors.”
“Except for the good captain, of course?” The lady smiled wryly, returning the curtsy. “Come now, Lady Katherine! Surely ye must have guessed that there would be others at Castle Oliphant who would be curious enough about our latest McGregor guest to introduce themselves.”
“Nay,” Katherine replied uneasily, “I suppose not.”
But the notion hadn’t occurred to her, and now that it had been pointed out, she felt the need to suppress a shudder. It was already difficult enough for her to keep from considering herself a prisoner here. Would she also have to allow herself to be treated as some sort of caged animal, to be gawked at whenever any Oliphant pleased?
Had her sister been subjected to the same dehumanizing treatment down in the dungeons, she wondered?
“I believe we might have met once,” the lady continued pensively, “at a clan meeting held at the McGregor Keep, some ten years ago? Perhaps ye dinnae remember me, since we were practically bairns back then. I’m Lady Isla.”
This lit a candle in Katherine’s memory, for she suddenly remembered the clan meeting that Isla referred to. “Och, aye, of course! We once went riding together, as I recall.”
“We did, aye,” Isla affirmed. “Ye, me, and Romilly. ‘Twas a delightful afternoon. We laughed a great deal, in fact.” Shesighed wistfully, but there was something shrewd about the way she peered at Katherine while reminiscing. “And who would have thought we’d all end up here, eh? With me wedded tae the laird of the Oliphants, yer sister as their prisoner, and ye?—”
“My place here is somewhat more difficult tae define.” Katherine forced a small laugh, though it was difficult for her to find the sentiment particularly amusing given the circumstances.
“It is, certainly,” Isla agreed. “For example, though I asked that two guardsmen accompany me here to yer room as a matter of caution, I had assumed there would already be others stationed outside yer door. As it turned out, there were none.”
Katherine blinked, surprised. She had assumed that Bryan had stationed at least two of his sentries to guard her room when she was inside it, especially overnight. “I suppose Captain Black didnae wish for me tae feel unwelcome. The better tae encourage my cooperation, that is.”
“Ye may well be right,” Isla said. “He’s a keen one, and generally good at reading people. With the rather woeful exception of the guardsman who ended up betraying us to yer sister, that is. But then, I don’t imagine anyone could have seen that coming, for the plot was so sinister in its execution. Then again,” she added casually, “I suppose ye’d know all about that, for no doubt Romilly or yer father confided their scheme to ye prior tae executing it.”
Katherine shook her head vehemently. “As I’ve told the captain, I was nae included in their mad schemes. I wanted no part in them. Tae this day, I’m still nae wholly certain what they were. Only that they must have been grave indeed, tae merit remanding my sister tae such a gruesome pit as the one she currently occupies.”
Isla’s eyebrows went up. “Then ye have no knowledge of what transpired? Of the hideous crimes Romilly committed?”
“Not at all! Surely, though, her deeds couldnae have been as foul as all that?”
Isla seemed genuinely taken aback by these words, and from her tone, she appeared to choose her next ones quite carefully, “Romilly conspired tae have me murdered in cold blood, Lady Katherine. Indeed, the sword was drawn and ready tae pierce me mortally. If Alex had not managed tae arrive in time—largely through sheer luck, mind ye—I’d be in my grave today. She believed that she deserved revenge for being jilted in her engagement tae Alex, and her father convinced her that if the plot succeeded, it would mean war between my clan and the Oliphants. A war which would have destabilized both clans, and thus allowed the McGregors tae divide and conquer.”
As she spoke, the bitterness in her tone increased sharply, convincing Katherine that these were not idle words. This was a woman whose life had been threatened, and who still carried the fear and panic from that day with her—and might never find herself wholly rid of it.
Katherine did not believe this woman was lying to her. The notion that Romilly might have actually engaged in such dreadful skulduggery, however, was almost more than she could bear.
“I knew my father must have entrusted her with some underhanded errand to harm the Oliphants,” Katherine breathed, “but I could never have imagined anything so horrid. That she would attempt to murder a woman who had not wronged her or our clan in any way?”
Isla nodded sympathetically. “It must come as an awful shock to ye, and I am sorry to be the one to tell ye. Alas, it is the truth, though I fervently wish it were otherwise. I was terrified by the ordeal.”
“I believe that ye were.” But Katherine was unable to leave it at that: “Surely, however, the Oliphants have committed theirshare of terrible acts as well? I cannae imagine any clan could have ascended to become one of the most powerful in Scotland if it were otherwise.”
Isla nodded slowly. “Ye have a point there, tae be sure. Alex’s father was not known for his kindness or forbearance, and my grandfather died at the hands of an Oliphant. This caused strife between our people for quite some time; strife which was meant tae be alleviated by my marriage tae Alex. And it has. So ye see, there may be any number of ways for the wounds clans inflict upon each other tae be healed.” She considered for a moment, then said, “At the risk of pressing ye in that regard?—”
“Ye believe that if I cooperate, that, too, might mend things between our clans.” Katherine laughed humorlessly. “Ye forget that my father is the only leader our clan has, with no sons to his name. And if I were to help the Oliphants in any way, he would never forgive it, or me.”
Isla’s tone was sympathetic. “I know it may seem hopeless tae ye now. I know ye cannae see a bright future in it all, and that’s understandable, lass, truly. However, yer father is nae the first laird tae have no male heirs, and still, clans endure somehow. Things needn’t be nearly so bleak as that.”
“I hope ye’re right.” Katherine peered dismally at her own dress again, acutely aware of how disheveled she was.
This did not escape Isla’s notice, and she appraised Katherine’s outfit, raising an eyebrow. “Ye know, I’ve heard that Captain Black intends tae invite ye out on a ride this morning, tae show ye the Oliphant lands.”
Katherine’s heart leaped. “Really?”
