Slowly she managed to turn her head enough to see a man walking next to the horse. Who was he? She stared down at her hands; both were tied firmly at the wrists. She moved her ankles experimentally. The same. White hot fear swamped her, and she had to fight the urge to cast up her account again. How had she ended up here?
Trying to ignore the pain, she thought back to the last thing she remembered. The croft, returning to her horse, and then … somebody had hit her over the head. Was it the man leading her horse? Clearly he meant her ill. But surely if he’d wanted her dead, he’d have already done the deed. Slowly, she turned her head again and was able to make out the man’s features. It was the footman she’d been following.
What an idiot she’d been. Why the devil hadn’t she listened to Felicity? She was reasonably sure the man was taking her to MacFarlane. If nothing else, she would be a good bargaining piece. Would Brendon and Malcolm see them pass? Unlikely. It was clear the footman had taken a little-known path to avoid being seen. Pain lanced her head again, and she allowed her head to hang back down against the mare’s flank. Slowly she became aware that the horse was limping. Likely she’d caught a stone, and that was the reason Murray wasn’t riding. She felt a surge of hope. She had no idea what the time was, but if he’d been riding, they might very well have reached the MacFarlane Clan home by now. She couldn’t see where they were but knew for certain they were no longer on the Lochside.
Forcing down the fear at the thought of being completely alone with the traitor, she agonised over what to do. Should she let her captor know she was awake? Her mouth was parched and her stomach cramping. At the very least, he might give her some water.
The decision was taken out of her hands as the horse stopped and she observed a pair of feet walk round the front of the horse, stopping in front of her. ‘Are ye awake, ma lady?’
Jennifer saw no point in pretending otherwise, and managed to croak, ‘Have you any water?’
‘Nae, but if ye promise not tae dae anythin’ stupid, Ah’ll get ye doon off th’horse.’ Jennifer nodded her head. Anything that would delay their journey for a little longer.
Pain lanced through her head as he dragged her forwards. For a second she thought he was going to simply allow her to fall onto the ground, but at the last minute, he took her weight andlaid her on the grass. For a few seconds, she kept her eyes tightly shut, willing the agony to recede. The varmint must have hit her hard. Finally, she managed to open her eyes. Turning her head, she saw Murray sitting on the grass beside her, staring into the distance.
‘Where are you taking me?’ she whispered. For a second he didn’t react, and she thought he hadn’t heard her. She began the question again, only to stop as he turned his head to look down at her.
‘Ah’m takin’ ye tae the MacFarlane, but ye must know that,’ he answered impassively. ‘Ah’m sorry aboot yer head, but ye be an eejit tae follow me, ma lady.’
She couldn’t argue with that, and ridiculously, Jennifer had to smother a sudden urge to laugh. What a deuced mess she’d made of things.
Closing her eyes again, she remembered the conversation she’d overheard. Neither servant had seemed overly keen to bring themselves to their Clan chief’s attention, but once he’d had the altercation with MacNee, Murray clearly believed he had no choice.
‘Will your chief kill me?’ she asked, hoping to exploit his obvious reluctance. He turned his head away.
‘You don’t have to do this,’ she continued when he didn’t answer. ‘My family will reward you well if you return me to Caerlaverock.’
‘Wi’ a rope roond ma neck,’ he scoffed without looking down at her.
‘They don’t have to know that you hit me,’ Jennifer insisted. ‘I’ll say I fell off the horse, that you found me and brought me back.’
For a second, she thought she’d got through to him, then he turned to her with a sneer. ‘Ye’d say anythin’ tae get me tae gaeback tae Caerlaverock. But once yer back in the bosom o’ yer precious family, ye’ll toss me tae the bloody lions wi’oot a care.’
Jennifer stared at him, realising that nothing she said would sway him. He’d made up his mind. There was only one thing for it. She would have to escape.
∞∞∞
‘Ah’m thinkin’ naither o’ ye be bampots,’ the guard went on, ‘so ah’ll get tae the point. Ah ken ye be here fer the bairns. As soon as ah let Finn gae, ah kenned it was only a matter o’ time afore ye turned up.’
‘Ye let him gae?’ Brendon asked incredulously.
‘Aye. Dae ye think me a bloody eejit. That ah cannae coont? Ah kenned he were missin’ an’ ah seen him hidin’.’
Malcolm scoffed. ‘According to the lad, ye treated him terrible. Him and all of the children. Why the bloody hell would you let him escape?’
‘Oh ah dinnae care aboot the bairns,’ the warrior assured them, ‘but ah dae care aboot ma Clan.’ He sighed and put his feet to the floor. In response, both Brendon and Malcolm raised their pistols, but the guard didn’t get to his feet.
‘The MacFarlane be off his heid. Using bairns to bring a piddlin amoont o’ gold is nae worth it. The mine is finished, but he willnae hear o’ it. Keeps me here to avoid listenin’ tae wha’ ah hae tae say.’ He looked round at the shack. ‘There be nae honour in this,’ he bit out. ‘Ah might nae care aboot the bairns but ah dinnae want tae keep buryin’ em aither. Sooner or later what the MacFarlane be daein will be common knowledge an’ our whole Clan’ll be finished.’ He shook his head. ‘Ah cannae hae that.’
‘So what are ye gaunnae dae aboot it?’ Brendon asked.
‘Ah kenned ye’d come fer the bairns, and ye can take ‘em wi’ ma blessin’,’ the guard told them. ‘Dae what ye like wi ‘em. Ma beef be wi’ the MacFarlane himself. He’s nae fit tae lead a clan an’ ah intend tae take it off him.’
‘What do you want from us in return for the children?’ Malcolm asked astutely.
‘Ah dinnae want any interference. An ah want the Laird tae recognise me as the MacFarlane. Properly.’
‘I cannae speak for the Duke,’ Malcolm retorted.
