When he saw his oldest daughter freed, though, his mask of spite disappeared, replaced by relief, and even joy, the likes of which Katherine could not remember ever seeing on his face before. He staggered over to Romilly and embraced her warmly, ignoring the smell of mold clinging to her clothes and the spider webs hanging from her hair.
Romilly dared not say it, especially in front of the Oliphants, but she was deeply appalled by the state of him. He looked as though he’d spent weeks in a dungeon as well, one every bit as harsh and horrid as her own recent prison. What hell had he been through during her absence? Was guilt at being unable to free her the reason for his gray and ghostly appearance? Had it driven him mad?
“My beloved daughter,” he crowed. “Och, I feared I would never see ye again. I feared that sooner or later, they would tire of imprisoning ye and order yer execution.”
“Even if they had,” Romilly replied, holding on to him tightly, “I would have done it all over again, with no regrets.”
Alex and Bryan exchanged an uneasy look, but said nothing.
Then Bryan realized that, with all of these people standing around, he would not be able to say a proper goodbye to Katherine. Then again, even if they’d had all the privacy and time in the world, they still would not have been able to engage in the farewell he would have liked. It would have been terribly inappropriate for her, not to mention a gross dereliction of duty for him.
All they could do, then, was gaze upon each other as each moment brought them closer to being apart forever.
Gaze, and wish that they could speak what was in their hearts.
Rory Aitken waited in the courtyard as well, red-faced, fidgeting with his tunic and evidently wishing he could be anywhere in the world other than where he was about to be sent. Laird Alex had chosen him to remain with the McGregors for the next twelve months. Although he could be somewhat hard-headed, and although he hated the McGregors with a passion, Aitken was also one of the clan’s most trusted and influential members.
As far as Alex was concerned, if neither Kirk nor Bryan could be dispatched for this endeavor, Aitken was the most suitable candidate.
Which still did nothing for Aitken’s mood.
“Come, Daughters.” Angus beamed at Romilly, then his smile curdled as he turned to Katherine. “Let us away at once. Hopefully, never tae return.”
Aitken cleared his throat and took a few steps forward, addressing Angus. “Laird Angus, I would simply like tae say that despite the unfortunate history between our clans, I look forward tae this time we shall have together, and hope that my presence at the McGregor Stronghold will bolster our future endeavors in many?—”
“Aye,” Angus interrupted, waving him off impatiently. “We’ll have chambers furnished for ye when we get there. Until then, I hope ye have a horse of yer own for the journey, for ye’ll nae be riding inmycarriage. Now, let us not tarry further.”
With that, Angus turned his back on the man and climbed into the carriage along with his daughters.
Aitken’s mouth opened and closed silently a few times, like a fish who’d been pulled into a boat. Finally, he gave Alex a dark look, then mounted his own horse and hastened to keep up with the McGregors.
Bryan kept his eyes upon the carriage, hoping that before it was out of sight, he might catch one last glimpse of Katherine through the window. Instead, Angus’s face appeared briefly, glaring at Castle Oliphant once more before drawing the curtain shut.
A large hand settled on Bryan’s shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie. He turned and saw that it belonged to Alex, who gave him a sympathetic smile.
“All hope is nae lost, friend,” the laird intoned quietly. “Angus willnae live forever, and in the fullness of time, who knows? Our clans might form an allegiance yet, or at least come tae some understanding that may allow ye tae see her again.”
Bryan knew that Alex meant to comfort him, and so he did his best to smile and nod. Inwardly, though, he knew that what Katherine had said before was likely true: Even if that happened, she would be wed to another by then, and so they would never have a chance to truly be together as they wished.
Better to forget the entire thing, he supposed, now that it was resolved. Better to throw himself into his work, and pray that the peace with the McGregors lasted.
So he walked up to the ramparts and conferred with his guardsmen about their positions and shifts for the day, as he had so many times before.
Meanwhile,it took the rest of the day and night, as well as part of the next morning, for the McGregors to return to the stronghold. During the trip, Angus asked Romilly many questions about her time with the Oliphants; how she had been treated while in their custody; whether she had sensed any weaknesses in their defenses or weaknesses of character in their leadership, and so forth.
“Alas, there is little I can tell ye, Father,” Romilly replied quietly, her eyes cast downward. “I was kept in the dungeon from the moment they discovered our plans against Isla. Captain Black visited on several occasions tae ask that I temper my hostility toward them.”
“Demanded, ye mean, no doubt,” Angus grumbled.
Romilly considered this, and remembered that no, he had not made any real demands of her. He had not browbeaten her for cooperation. He had only continued to suggest, again and again, that both clans might benefit if she put her anger aside and softened her attitude. She had staunchly refused every time.
She did not correct her father, though. She saw no point to it.
For her part, Katherine was somewhat surprised that Romilly did not volunteer additional information. Surely, after so many months in the captivity of the Oliphants, she had more to say about them than that?
Nevertheless, Angus’s questioning of Romilly continued. When this had gone on well past sunset and the carriage and its guards had stopped for the night, Katherine approached her father away from the others.
“Putting aside that ye dinnae seem eager tae see me freed from my captivity,” she began. “One might think ye could learn more from me with regard tae the Oliphants, since I had far greater occasion tae observe them than Romilly did.”
