‘Well since the gold has all but run out in his mine, I imagine it would certainly provoke MacFarlane’s interest.’
‘Aye, they’ll welcome ye wi’ open arms wi’oot too many questions.’ Dougal grinned showing a mouth empty of all but a few teeth. ‘The MacFarlane willnae turn awa the chance tae take the gold fer himself.’
‘Likely after putting us both to bed with a mattock and tucking us up with a deuced spade,’ the Reverend declared with a snort.
‘You willnae be there long enough,’ Brendon said. ‘But ye’ll be able tae keep an eye on the mine wi’oot the MacFarlane gettin’ suspicious.’
‘He’s unlikely to leave us to our own devices,’ the Reverend argued. ‘Surely, he’ll leave us with a guard.’
‘Nae, they’ll jus’ take awa the boat. The MacFarlane willnae stir himself tae dae more. He be lither as well as crabbit.’
‘Lazy as well as bad-tempered,’ Brendon supplied.
‘But if we’re stranded on the deuced island...?’ The Reverend trailed off, his meaning clear.
‘Ye willnae be,’ Brendon interjected, his manner one of rising excitement. ‘We’ll hide a wee boat on Inveruglas aforehand.’
‘Caerlaverock’s scull be swelled fer the moment,’ Gifford revealed. It willnae be dried oot fer a couple o’ weeks or more.’ At Peter’s frown, he went on to quickly explain the process of swelling - briefly sinking a boat to make it once again watertight.
‘Why are we going to all this trouble?’ Peter declared impatiently. ‘It seems to me that we’re making this rescue far more complicated than it needs to be. Can we not just simply row over to the island, watch and wait until the coast is clear, then effect a rescue without MacFarlane knowing anything about it?’
Dougal shook his head. ‘The Reverend has the right o’ it. If the MacFarlane catches us on his land, there’ll be nae questions asked, just a sword tae yer belly an a bed on the bottom o’ the loch. We cannae risk it.’
‘Ye can signal to us the moment the area is empty of all but the one guard,’ Malcolm declared. ‘We should be able to subdue the bastard without much trouble if we have the element of surprise.’
‘What if he has a gun?’ Jennifer asked anxiously.
‘He’ll nae hae a gun tae look after a bunch o’ bairns,’ Dougal scoffed.
‘And we will not be going in unarmed,’ Malcolm stated firmly.
‘It all sounds a bit deuced smoky to me,’ the Reverend frowned. ‘How shall we signal you that the guards have left?’
‘Malcolm, Brendon and I will work on the finer points of the plantoday,’ Peter answered. ‘I suggest you and Jennifer and Felicity work on the contents of the mythical letter written by Edward Colman.’
‘An ah’ll look tae be findin’ us a boat,’ Dougal declared with a roguish grin.
‘Nae stealin’, Da,’ Brendon ordered. ‘Ye’ll be nae use tae us swingin’ from a rope.’
‘Dinnae fash yersel,’ Dougal answered with an airy wave. ‘Ah widnae dream o’ breakin’ the law.’
Brendon gave a disbelieving snort.
‘I’m more than happy to provide you with enough money to buy a boat,’ Peter stated brusquely. ‘Gifford, forgive me, we’ve kept you far too long, and I know you have much to do. But before you get on with your daily tasks, would you please provide Dougal with sufficient coin to purchase a small rowing boat with oars.’
He stood up decisively. ‘Malcolm, Brendon, perhaps we can take our discussion to the study. We’ll reconvene at dinner if that’s agreeable to everyone.’ He looked at Brendon. ‘I would be grateful if you and your father would consider joining us this evening.’
Brendon bent his head. ‘We’d be honoured, ma lord.’
‘As long as ye dinnae be servin any Froggy kickshaws,’ Dougal added, climbing to his feet, much to Flossy’s displeasure. Then helping himself to a couple of large pieces of shortbread, the old Scot declared, ‘This’ll dae me ‘til this eenin.’ Seconds later, he was gone.
Chapter Twelve
By late afternoon, the Reverend, Jennifer and Felicity had produced a letter which both looked and sounded authentic when they read it aloud. They were satisfied it provided just enough information to intrigue, but without giving too much away. It was important that Alistair MacFarlane did not decide to simply get rid of Edward Colman’s so-called ancestor and search for the gold himself. They had managed to make the letter look much older by dribbling tea and water over the paper. Eventually all three had declared themselves satisfied and separated to take a well-earned rest.
As she made her way to the stairs, intending to retire to her bedchamber, Jennifer realised she no longer had her plaid shawl. She stopped and thought. No she didn’t take it with her to the library which meant she had to have left it in the breakfast room.
Sighing, she turned round and retraced her steps. Where had she last seen the shawl? Likely she’d left it on the chair. She was about to push open the breakfast room door when she suddenly caught the sound of voices she didn’t recognise. For some reason, the sound made her pause. She couldn’t later have said what it was about the voices that stayed her hand. Likely they were servants simply clearing up, but somehow she didn’t think so. The tone was all wrong.
