“Thatis all?”
“Weel,we also pray that someone meanders by ere Dougal can arrive to drag us all backto Dunweare.” She shrugged. “Aye, ‘tis a verra weak plan. Strong in itsreasoning, but verra risky to carry out. If we fail to capture anyone thistime, we can only pray that we will have another opportunity and mayhap anotheruntil we can grasp hold of a Kerr.”
“Andthen be caught,” said Iain, cursing softly and shaking his head. “I must havebeen mad to agree to this.” He quickly held up his hand to halt the protestSorcha began to make. “I but mutter complaints. They shouldnae be heeded. Ijust wish this plan could have been more carefully thought out.”
“Thereisnae much else we can do, I fear. We have no way of kenning when or where aKerr will be, so that we may capture him or her.” She sighed and scowled at thehuge iron-studded gates of Gartmhor. “I couldnae get a Kerr to help me either.To save his honor Ruari mustnotdo anything or be suspected of having ahand in this. The only way to end the vow he made to Dougal is for me, or anyHay, to return the advantage to Ruari.”
“Here,look there,” Neil cried softly, poking Sorcha in the arm to get her attention. “Someoneprepares to ride out.”
“Aye,I see him.” Sorcha tensed. “They are trying to stop him,” she muttered as shewatched several men struggle to turn the horseman back.
“‘TisBeatham,” said Margaret, moving forward so abruptly that Neil grabbed her bythe arm and yanked her back. “Oh, sorry. I forgot that we must remain hidden.”
“Dotry to recall that we dinnae wish to be discovered untilafterwe have aprisoner,” said Sorcha. “Curse it. He is riding out and coming this way, but hehas two armed men with him.”
“Wecouldnae expect such a wealthy clan to allow its chieftain’s family to wanderabout unguarded.” Neil shrugged. “Nay, especially not when we have onlyrecently reminded them of the perils of doing so.”
Sorchawhispered a curse and tried to think of a way to capture Beatham withoutcausing anyone to get hurt. The men with Beatham looked ready and able to fendoff any attack. If they perceived any threat, they would immediately meet itwith force. She could not risk any of her companions on the slim chance thatBeatham’s guards would recognize him before they tried to kill him.
Him,she mused, lingering over the word. Ruari’s men would certainly see any man asa threat, but they would hesitate to strike at a woman too quickly. She slowlyturned and looked at Margaret. Beatham had a proven skill at recognizing hisbeloved from quite a distance away. No matter how hard she thought about it,she could see no way that she would be putting Margaret in any real danger.
“Ithink I have an idea,” she murmured.
Neilfollowed her look and slowly smiled. “Aye, and I think it might work.”
“Whyare ye staring at me?” Margaret asked warily.
“Yeare going to help us capture Beatham,” Sorcha replied.
“Me?What do ye expect me to do? Charge him and knock him off his horse?”
“Beingin love has made her quite impudent,” drawled Neil.
Ignoringher aunt, Sorcha explained, “Margaret, we all ken that Beatham has verra keeneyes when ‘tis ye he is looking at. Ye are a fairly swift runner so, I thought,why dinnae ye run ahead of the men—“
“Theyare on horseback!”
“Aye,but they arenae going verra fast. Now, I want ye to stay within the cover ofthe trees. ‘Twill do us no good if they see ye ere we want them to. Once ye area goodly distance in front of them ye are to dash out and allow yourself to beseen.”
“Butthen I will be captured.”
“Nay,for we shall all be close at hand, near enough to help yet not so near thatthey see us when and if they see you. Now, ye can use your own judgment when yefinally step out and let them see you. Ye can wave or swoon or whatever pleasesye. ‘Tis here that I am depending on something else ye and Beatham seem muchinclined to do, and that is how, when ye see each other, ye call each other’sname and run into each other’s arms.”
Margaretfrowned. “There is no need to make it sound foolish. We are in love.”
“Idinnae mean to sound as if I belittle that, I dinnae. Aye, and now it couldprove verra useful.”
“Aye,”agreed Neil. “Once Beatham sees you, he will call to you and try to reach you.That will hold the attention of his two guards and allow us to encircle them.”
“Now,Margaret, there is one difficult thing ye must do,” continued Sorcha. “IfBeatham reaches you ere we can reach him and his men, ye are to pull your swordand take him captive.”
“Pullmy sword on Beatham?” Margaret whispered in shock.
“Iam not asking ye to take his head from his shoulders, just to hold your swordon him and make his guards hesitate to act. Aye, they may doubt that ye are anythreat, but they willnae dare to act too quickly if ye are waving a swordabout. Do ye understand all of this?”
“Ithink so. I am to run ahead of them then get in front of them so that they arewatching me and the rest of ye can grab them.”
“Exactly.Go on then. Remember, stay out of sight until ye choose to show yourself andtry to keep your wits about you when ye finally see Beatham. Just keepreminding yourself that, after this, there is a better chance of making themarriage ye want whilst there is none now.” Margaret nodded and Sorcha brieflysqueezed her arm in a gesture of good luck. “Go on then. Run your fastest.”
