And the resemblance to Romilly and Katherine was unmistakable.
Bryan cleared his throat. “Lady Annabel, I presume. Am I correct in supposing that Romilly told ye she might be bringing me along? That ye have McGregor soldiers ready tae take me tae face yer husband’s judgment?”
Annabel lifted her chin imperiously. “Yer suppositions are incorrect, sir, as it happens. Romilly didnae tell me she suspected ye might pay us a visit, or that she meant tae go and find ye so she could lead ye in safely.” She looked at her daughter, and her expression softened. “Nay, I guessed it on my own, for ‘twas what I was tempted tae do myself. I am only gladdened tae discover that Romilly has thought better of her allegiance tae her father. In truth, my own had been on the wane for quite some time.”
Romilly’s eyes widened. “Mother, why did ye not confide in me?”
The older woman sighed. “I was afraid tae admit it, even tae myself. So I buried my worries in my headache powders and my long silences, and prayed for my daughters tae find some deliverance from that dreadful man, somehow.” She peered at Romilly. “Perhaps my prayers were answered, at that. Now let us go tae the dungeon and free yer sister.”
“What of the guards?” Romilly asked.
“I dismissed them. I told them that Angus commanded they withdraw tae their barracks, as part of some grander trap he has in store. They were willing enough tae believe it. They would believe any madness spoken in the name of their laird, at this point.”
“And what of Angus himself?” Bryan inquired. “What if he chooses tae go down tae the dungeons while we are there?”
At this, Annabel offered a wan smile. “I dropped one of my headache powders into his ale earlier. It ought tae put him into a deep sleep for the rest of the night. Come, let us tarry no longer, that poor Katherine does not spend a moment longer in that dreadful place!”
Annabel led them down to the dungeons. Sure enough, Bryan saw that there were no guards positioned in the corridors. Theywere empty, save for the flickering torches mounted on the stone walls, and the rats that skittered here and there at their feet.
None of Bryan’s previous squeamishness regarding dungeons plagued him that night. His stomach might as well have been fashioned from steel, for he was wholly possessed by his determination to free the woman he adored.
Nevertheless, when they reached the final cell of the dungeons and opened the heavy iron door, the sight of Katherine sitting amid such appalling conditions sickened Bryan. She was on a hard metal bench bolted to the wall, her head in her hands, her shoulders heaving with sobs.
She raised her head, and as their eyes met, they were instantly filled with hope. Her tears left streaks upon her dirt-filmed cheeks, and she rose slowly, approaching the bars of her cell.
“Is this some sort of dream?” she whispered. “For if it is, I pray that I shall never awaken.”
“‘Tis no dream, Daughter,” Annabel assured her, unbolting the door from the outside and swinging it open. “The time has come for ye tae fly free. Back tae the Oliphant lands with this man, if that is what pleases ye, or anywhere else yer heart takes ye. So long as it is far from this dismal and hopeless place,” she added with a shudder.
“But won’t ye come with us, Mother?” Katherine pleaded, taking Bryan’s hand. “Surely ye will be happier there than here.”
Annabel shook her head sadly. “Alas, my place is by Angus’s side. I chose him, and took a solemn vow never tae abandon him. Ye did not.”
Romilly turned to Katherine. “I cannae come with ye either, Sister. My place is here, with our people.”
“Ye cannae remain, Romilly,” Katherine protested. “Our father is a madman!”
“All the more reason why I must do all I can tae mitigate the damage he inflicts during his final years of madness,” her sister replied solemnly. “I must use all he taught me tae serve our clan now as best as I can. There is no one else tae stand against him, no one else tae insist upon reason when his commands are lunacy. If I stay, I may yet be able tae prevent a war between the clans. I must try.”
Katherine nodded sadly. “Very well. But ye must promise tae find some way tae keep in touch with me, then, so that I may know how close ye are tae success in that regard.”
Romilly gave her a wan smile. “I shall find a way. I promise.”
Then Katherine gave her mother and sister a final embrace, took Bryan’s hand again, and crept with him to the sluice gate where he’d come in. They both crawled through, grunting, panting, even giggling nervously sometimes, for they were giddy with the notion that they might make it out together without being caught at it.
They emerged into the night air, gasping and hugging each other, shedding tears of relief upon each other’s shoulders. Katherine was every bit as familiar with the patterns of the tall heather as her older sister had been, and so she led Bryan to them. The blades of grass waved softly in the cool breeze, as though beckoning them in.
“Stop them!”
Katherine’s nails dug into Bryan’s palm sharply, and they both froze, horrified, as her father’s voice echoed across the moors.
They turned and saw Angus standing upon the ramparts of the stronghold, his white nightgown flapping around him in the wind. That, combined with his pallor and the stark insanity in his eyes, made him appear to be some sort of vengeful phantom shrieking from the abyss.
He pointed at them, continuing to scream. “My daughter! She is escaping with that-that damned Oliphant guardsman. Get them! Stop them! Drag them back here this very instant!”
Before any of the sentries could respond to his cries, Annabel appeared at his side, placing her hands on his arm. “What is the matter, husband? Why do ye wail and carry on so?”
Angus gesticulated wildly at Bryan and Katherine. “Our daughter! She is running off with that Oliphant swine.”
