“I understand that,” she replied miserably, “but as I’ve told Captain Black, I know my father well enough tae know that he will never agree tae the surrender ye have proposed.”
“Then he must agree tae meet and discuss terms until we arrive at something he will agree with,” the laird insisted. “Something that willnae end in violence and death when none is necessary. Something that will allow me tae slumber soundly each night, knowing that he is not plotting my ruin nay matter what accord he might shake hands on. There must be a way tae prevent armed conflict, Lady Katherine. Please, promise me that ye will do all it takes tae reach him.”
“I can promise tae try with all my might,” she answered, “and so I shall. The stronger I try tae make such a case, though, the more he might think that I have turned against him entirely. So ye see, Laird Alex, no matter what I do, I fear that our clans are doomed tae do battle.”
Alex nodded gravely. “Very well. I was afraid of that, but nevertheless, I appreciate yer honesty. Safe travels, then. I shall continue tae hope that someday, ye might be our guest under better circumstances.”
Katherine smiled. “If there is to be any hope of people between the McGregors and the Oliphants, Laird Alex, it rests in that very fact; though my father may have long since given up on the notion of peace, ye refuse tae do so.”
He smiled in return, and nodded.
Katherine embraced Lady Isla. “I shall miss ye, my lady. I wish we’d had more chances tae speak. I feel as though I might have learned a great deal from ye.”
“As my husband has said, fate may yet grant us more opportunities tae converse,” Isla said quietly. “Who among us knows what the future will bring?”
“Come, Lady Katherine,” Bryan spoke up. “We must make the most of the daylight available to us.” He sounded regretful as he said it, though.
Once again, she mounted Bluebell with his help, and then Bryan climbed atop Heather. Together, they rode out through the gates toward the sunrise.
When Bryan peered over at Katherine a short while after they’d been riding, he saw that her expression was subdued. “Is all well?” he asked. “Do ye need us tae stop for a moment?”
She shook her head, reaching up to wipe a tear from her eye. “‘Tis merely that I feel dreadful riding away from the castle when my sister is still imprisoned beneath it. I feel I should have done more tae petition for her release, or tae give her better accommodations.”
Bryan shook his head sadly. “I sympathize. I wish there were no need for her tae remain in that horrid place, and I have given her every opportunity tae prove that there is no need for it. But she has refused tae demonstrate anything other than spite and malice toward us. She has tried tae commit murder in cold blood before, and she has openly stated that she would do so again at her earliest opportunity.”
“I suppose ye’re right,” Katherine sighed. “I feel shame for not having made time tae visit her again, but I dinnae imagine that any good would have come of that either. She can be so obstinate, no one knows that better than I. She takes after our father that way, she does. But how am I tae persuade him the Oliphants dinnae mean him any harm, when I couldnae even make my own sister see it? Why must I come from a family of lunatics?”
“A question I happen tae have some experience asking myself as well,” Bryan chuckled mirthlessly. “But I found my place in this world, and found my way tae the sides of those whosecompany was far more suited tae my own. I believe the same shall happen for ye, if ye have the courage tae seek it out.”
She looked away for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was hoarse with grief. “I know what ye want. And by now, ye must know that there is a large part of me that wants it, too. But even if I were able to go back with ye, my guilt at forsaking my family would be too great for me tae bear. I must go back tae the place I belong, Bryan. Will ye bring me there safely?”
He nodded, though his head had never felt so heavy before.
They continued to ride, but as they did, Bryan snuck another glance in her direction. He saw grave uncertainty on her face, and wondered if she was struggling with the idea of returning to the castle with him after all.
Still, she rode forward resolutely. Toward the border between their lands.
And he kept pace with her, wondering if there might be anything he could say to her that could still change her mind and make her help the Oliphants, before it was too late, and she was in her father’s clutches again.
14
Bryan and Katherine rode side by side until the sun was directly overhead – pacing their horses carefully, each privately telling themselves that the fear of exhausting the creatures was what prevented them from hurrying.
Their eyes often met in lingering sideways glances, during which it seemed that they were wordlessly sharing a vision of a future that would never be. One in which they had more time together at Castle Oliphant, without any of the cares and conflicts between their clans hanging over their heads.
“It would be nice, would it not?” she remarked at one point. “Tae be riding out here together among the fields and forests as a merry picnic, instead of…” Her next words caught in her throat, and she fell silent again.
“Perhaps we might pretend that we are,” Bryan answered somberly. “And we cannae stop only because we have nae discovered the perfect spot for it yet.”
“Bluebell will need to rest soon,” Katherine pointed out, “and I imagine Heather does as well. Do I recall that there is a stream near here, running through a primrose meadow?”
His eyebrows went up. “Ye dinnae mean tae tell me ye remember that detail from when I brought ye here?”
She blushed slightly, looking away. “I, ah, did my best tae commit all I saw tae memory. In case Ididfind occasion tae escape.”
“Ye are incredibly wily,” Bryan said with an appreciative whistle.
“Ye keep sounding so terribly surprised when ye make such observations.” She batted her eyelashes at him innocently, then spotted the primroses nearby and broke into a wide grin. “There! We’ve found our perfect picnic spot, and the horses can avail themselves of the water and grass. I assume ye’ve brought along provisions enough for us as well? A fellow such as ye does nae become a captain, I imagine, without planning for such necessities.”
