“I am a hunted man. They could kill me and she would be left with no one to protect her.” It was hard to breathe. “And we both know the clan must come first.”
Lachlann nodded.
Up ahead, Niall stopped and turned toward them, a frown on his face. “What is amiss?”
“Methinks the lass deserves some happiness,” Lachlann continued in his low voice.
Thomasina looked around her brother. A small smile on her lips. Her eyes fixed on Sean.
Could he really just walk away from her and this chance for happiness?
“We’re settled.” Lachlann’s voice was louder. “Stone in my shoe.”
They were quickly behind Niall who continued to the edge of the trees. The sea strand beyond. The water a deep blue with little puffs of white here and there, as far as the eye could see.
“Yea.” Sean spoke the single word aloud and his spirits rose. He knew what he had to do. He would ask Niall if he could take her to wife. He would tell him how deeply he cared for her. How he would spend the rest of his life seeing to her happiness.
The sound of voices drifted to them. Shouting. Niall pulled his horse up short just at the tree line. The words were indistinct, drowned out by the surf. Normans on foot rounded the sand dune to their left, headed toward them. They backed the horses further into the trees to remain hidden.
“What do ye think they are about?” Thomasina’s fear could be heard in her voice.
Niall patted her hand where it wrapped around his waist. “They are soldiers. I dunna ken why they would be here.”
Mounted soldiers came into view, passing the men on foot as they galloped along the water’s edge.
“If we find no sign of him, we will look again.” The man speaking wore mail. A mace, pole axe, and sword attached to his horse, readily at hand. “He will be wanting to head back to Eire like the weasel that he is.”
Thomasina gasped. “They hunt for Sean!”
“We will loop around and come to shore further north,” Niall said.
Even as he spoke dark shadows came from their right. They had the entire beach covered.
Lachlann backed up his horse until he could safely turn around.
Niall did the same, taking the lead. “Up to the loch.”
Without another word, they wove their way through the trees and away from the coast. They encountered no other soldier. By midday, Niall led them into a gully with deep sides where the water ran fresh and bracken grew along the sides. They dismounted, leading the horses to the stream.
Niall paced. His expression livid. “I canna believe they come this far north.”
Sean went down on one knee beside the water, cupping it in his hand for a drink. Guilt made it hard to swallow. They were hunting him down, putting the others in danger now. Putting Thomasina in danger.
“They believe I killed one of their own. The price on my head alone for each soldier killed would make it worth their while to hunt me down.”
Niall stopped a few feet from him. His nostrils flaring in his indignation. Sean shoved down his own wants and settled his mind.
“Ye need to continue north without me. Go to yer uncle’s clan,” Sean said. “Thomasina needs to be wed.”
“Nae!” Thomasina’s face paled. “I will not leave ye here unprotected.”
Sean smiled. “I am never unprotected, Thomasina. I’m a warrior.”
“Yea. I ken that just fine.”
Something about her tone gave him pause. “Yea?”
She rubbed her hands together then gave him a sideways glance. “Ye are a warrior first. Like when ye killed the soldier at the inn.”
