Iain held Cait through the night while she alternately cried and slept. It felt good to be in his arms again. They spoke little of what had happened to Iain and none of what had happened to Rory. It was too fresh, too raw, and still too unbelievable. There was a tiny spark of hope inside Cait that this was unreal and they would fetch Rory in the morning.
That wasn’t what happened, although they did receive a bit of good news. Palmer told them that instead of being hanged, Rory was to travel to England, where he would be put on trial for the killing of five English soldiers.
Iain seemed to be heartened by that news. “As soon as we get home, I will send a message to my solicitor in England to find the best possible person to represent Rory,” he said.
“Ye would do that?” she asked.
He hugged her tight. “Of course I will do that.”
Not able to help Rory now, they rode home, the five of them, in grim silence. Cait didn’t want to believe that her cousin had been the one to kill those soldiers. She knew him. Yes, they’d been estranged for the past eight years, but he’d not changed that dramatically.
“You just don’t know about people,” Iain said. “Circumstances drive them to do horrible things.”
“I won’t believe it,” she said defiantly. “I’ll never believe it.”
“Cait, he admitted it. He confessed. I don’t know what other proof you need.”
“Then something drove him to it.”
“The English drove him to it. He said as much.”
She shook her head as tears fell from her eyes.
“Ah, Cait. I’m so sorry.”
“He didn’t do it. I know he didn’t.”
“Then the person I hire to represent him will make certain he isn’t convicted of it.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “What am I to tell my grandfather?” she whispered.
“We’ll tell him together, and we’ll make certain he understands that Rory will be well represented.”
If not for Iain’s arrest, they never would have known Rory’s secret, and he would have continued killing.
They rode under the gatehouse of the big house, road-weary and exhausted in their souls. All Cait wanted to do was fall into a soft bed and sleep for the next several days, but that wasn’t possible, because both grandfathers were waiting for them.
Their faces were expectant when they saw Iain. It turned Cait’s heart that she had worse news to impart.
She slid off her horse into Iain’s arms. “Be strong,” he whispered in her ear as he hugged her tightly.
“I don’t think I have any strength left in me.”
He kissed her nose. “Of course you do.”
“Well, lass, ye did it,” Graham said. “How ye did it, I don’t know, but he’s free from the clutches of the bloody English.” He eyed Iain. “Although ye look a little worse for wear, lad. Had a time with ye, did they?”
“Aye,” Iain said.
She hugged Graham, then MacGregor.
“How’d ye do it?” MacGregor asked.
She hesitated and looked at Iain.
“We’ll tell you all about it,” Iain said. “But first we need to speak to Graham alone.”
MacGregor glanced at Graham, who had gone pale. He looked around at the travel-weary warriors. “Where’s Rory?”
