As always, Sutherland had men posted around her house looking for English soldiers. But she also scanned the area. Only when the fugitives were hidden could she breathe a sigh of relief.
Sutherland moved the chair to the side and opened the hatch to the underground hiding place. There were six of them this time, four men and two women. The men’s expressions were a mixture of dour anger and weary acceptance. The two women wouldn’t meet her eyes and kept their gazes on the ground. Their gowns were torn, the hems caked in mud. Their skin was drawn tight across their cheekbones. They were scratched and bruised, and she couldn’t imagine how long they’d been in hiding.
As soon as they were all inside the cottage, Cait closed the door and blew out the candle in the window. She wished she could make it better for them. She wished they weren’t on the run. She was doing what she could for their cause, but it never seemed enough. Sutherland had told her that eventually they would make it onto one of two ships continually sailing between Scotland and Canada. In Canada they would meet up with Sutherland’s sister and brother-in-law, who would find housing and employment for them. Because of Sutherland and the hundreds of other Scots who had fled on their own, Canada was becoming quite the refuge for the displaced.
“I apologize that the accommodations aren’t better,” she said as soon they were settled in the cellar. “But ye’ll be safe here.” It was at this point that she crossed her fingers and prayed she wasn’t lying to them. So far not one fugitive had been discovered on her property, and she meant to keep it that way. “Ye’ll have blankets and ye can sleep,” she said. “If ye need anything, please let me know.”
“Cait is our local healer,” Sutherland said. “Occasionally, she’ll get an unexpected visitor needing her healing.” His voice dropped to stress the seriousness of what he was about to say. “The redcoats sometimes visit.”
One of the women gasped and put a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.
“If she can, Cait will warn ye if someone is approaching,” Sutherland said. “We implore ye to keep silent. Try not to even move. She’ll get them out as soon as she can.”
Tears were rolling down one woman’s face, and she looked as if she wanted to run.
“It will be all right,” Cait said. “I will make certain ye aren’t discovered.”
A few minutes later they were in the kitchen and Sutherland was leaning against the counter. “It’s never-ending,” he said wearily.
Cait handed him a mug of ale. “How’s Eleanor?” she asked. She had met Eleanor Sutherland twice, once when Sutherland brought her along on a run and Eleanor had been forced to help deliver a baby. She was nothing like Cait had thought a fine English lady would be. She had grit and determination and was completely on the side of the Scots. Cait had liked her instantly.
“She’s doing well,” Sutherland said with a small smile. “Busy tearing up my old garden and putting in a new English-style one.”
“Send her my regards,” Cait said.
“I will. Thank ye. How long were Campbell and his man here?”
“A few days. I think Campbell saw us taking the refugees out. That was my fault. He probably saw us through the window in the hayloft.”
Sutherland shrugged. “I would no’ worry overmuch about it. I don’t think Campbell will say anything.”
“Ye trust him that much?” she asked in curiosity.
“I don’t believe he’s a traitor.”
Cait looked at him thoughtfully. She trusted Sutherland. She trusted his judgment, and she trusted that he could keep secrets. After all, he was sneaking wanted Scotsmen out of the country on a weekly basis.
“I have something I want to ask ye,” she said.
His gaze sharpened with interest. “Aye?”
“Ye heard about the fire that devastated Campbell’s north field?”
“I did.”
“I heard Campbell say that he’s having problems with drovers.”
“I was no’ aware of that.”
“Who do ye think set fire to his crops?” she asked.
“Why do ye think I would know?”
“Because ye know the happenings in these parts and because the other chiefs trust and like ye.”
“The other chiefs don’t tell me everything.”
“But maybe ye’ve heard things. Like who would be stealing his cattle and possibly setting fire to his land.”
