Still, she forged forward. She would not let anything keep her back.
Eoin led her into a hidden tunnel she'd never even known existed. They walked forward, turning abruptly every so often, and soon enough Maeve began to feel like she was in a maze. She held tight to Eoin's hand, knowing that if she let go now, she wouldn't be able to find her way back into the prison if she wanted to.
"Please," Maeve said after a moment. "Please, ye must tell me what's happenin'."
Eoin looked back over his shoulder at her, but he didn't stop walking for a second. "We're in a hurry," he told her. "But the short version of the story is that I couldnae let ye die for a crime I kent ye didnae commit. I'm about tae be named captain of the guard for me father, and nae doubt he'd have had me carry out yer execution. I couldnae, wouldnae be the one tae do that. I couldnae let ye die at all, not when ye're innocent."
"But why do ye care?" Maeve demanded. She was speaking a bit more loudly now, sure that they were far out of earshot ofthe guards, wherever they were in this strange maze. "Ye never expressed any friendship tae me in all these years beyond a wee bit of kindness."
"Ye think Malcolm would have welcomed a young man around his bride, do ye? If we'd have been seen in public together, there'd have been a scandal. But I cared about ye from afar, Maeve. I did what I could tae make sure ye were safe and comfortable despite everythin'. Ye remind me of… well, it doesnae matter now." Eoin sighed. "Just… ye must trust me."
"Whom do I remind ye of?" Maeve pressed. Suddenly, it seemed very important.
"Me sister. She died many years ago," Eoin said shortly. "Ye look a bit like her. That chestnut hair of yers, though her eyes were blue like mine rather than green like yers. I couldnae protect her, and so I've been protectin' ye."
Maeve didn't know how to feel about that, but it warmed her heart anyway. She believed him. She wasn't used to having family taking care of her, and though it wasn't quite the same thing, in a strange, unspoken way, she and Eoin had been that to each other for some time without her even knowing. She wondered how many times he'd saved her in little ways since the day she was married, and if she could ever repay him now that he was saving her in the ultimate way.
"I'm sorry about yer sister," she said after a moment. "And thank ye."
Eoin said, "Dinnae thank me yet."
A sudden cold blast of air told Maeve that the next tunnel they'd turn into led to the outside, and sure enough, a moment later, they stepped out into the night air. A small figure stood there holding a hooded lantern — Ann, who wrapped a cloak around Maeve's shoulders quickly. "Ye didnae face any trouble, did ye?" she asked.
Eoin let go of Maeve's hand at last and shook his head. "It was quiet. The wine worked; those useless guards are fast asleep and me father doesnae suspect a thing. I'd better get back before things get rowdy, though. They'll notice soon enough."
Maeve found it so strange the way that Ann and Eoin were talking to each other — like two people who knew each other well, not a rich man and a maid — but before she could even ask, Eoin turned to her.
"This is as far as I can take ye," he said. "Stick with Ann. She'll get ye somewhere safe."
Maeve impulsively threw her arms around him in a hug, and a moment later, he hugged her back. "Thank ye for savin' me," she whispered in his ear. "I'll never forget ye. I cannae believe it's over."
"Nothin's over," Eoin said. "It's only just beginnin'. Be safe, Maeve."
He kissed her cheek and turned to go back inside, but she called him back one more time. "Eoin?"
"Aye?"
"What was yer sister's name?" she asked.
Eoin blinked in surprise, then gave her a searching look before replying, "Her name was Mary. She'd have liked ye."
Then he was gone, vanished into the tunnels, maybe forever.
Ann touched Maeve's arm. "Come. We cannae wait much longer; we have tae get goin' before anyone notices ye're gone. I'll explain on the way."
Two small mares awaited them not far away, and the two of them were mounted and riding away from Darach Castle before Maeve even fully understood what was happening. They rode insilence for a little while at top speed, and only when the castle and the surrounding population was far out of sight did Ann signal that they could slow down a little.
Now, they rode side by side through the night, Ann controlling the direction, and at last, Maeve could ask. "Well?"
Ann took a moment before she answered. "Ye may have guessed this, Maeve, but I'm more than just a maid.
Laughing a little in an incredulous way, Maeve said, "I'd figured that part out for meself. Who are ye, then? Why are ye workin' at the castle, and what's yer interest in me?"
"Me interest in ye is that I like ye," Ann said simply. "Ye're a nice lass and a good friend. As for why I'm in the castle, it's a little more complicated."
Maeve waited, not speaking. Their mares paused to drink from a river, and only after they started to move again did Ann continue.
"I'm part of a network. We're kent as the White Sparrows," Ann explained. "Our leader… well, ye'll find out about her in due time, I guess. Morag's story is not mine tae tell. But we're undercover operatives, most but not all of us women, and we have one main purpose in our lives."
