“Young lad,” the laird called. “Who are ye?”
“A spy!” Several voices shouted. “Cut off his head and hang him on the gates. ‘Tis a warnin’ tae anyone who tries again!”
The laird waved his hand and they closed their mouths. Grace could not take her eyes off Harris. The stubborn man, he should not have come for her. There were wounds on his ragged uniform. What had Ethan done to him? What had he suffered in order to make it to Clan Hay?
Harris struggled to his knees. “I want Grace. You bring her and I will trade you important information.” His voice rang strong andconfident. Grace wanted to dig a hole by her feet. She was done for.
Confused murmurs rose in the crowd. People exchanged glances as though a person named Grace would sprout among them. Movement beside Duncan showed Craig and Bryce coming to his side. The trio regarded Harris like the enemy he was.
Duncan was expressionless. “Nae one goes by that name here.”
“Yes, there is!” Harris shouted. “What have you done to her, you fucking brutes!”
Duncan strode forward, “and even if there were, we wouldnae waste time negotiatin’ with ye. Take him tae the dungeons, give him water until he is ready tae talk.”
“Wait! You will regret this. If I don’t see her, your entire clan will be decimated.”
He’d come here for her. She had to save him; it wasn’t a matter of vengeance but survival. Grace knew the castle like the back of her palm now. If they threw him in the dungeon, she would wait until midnight, poison the guards and escape with him. For now, she had to leave the hall undetected. Slowly, Grace backed away.
Someone dragged her by the wrist and shoved her forward. Grace saw that perfect blond hair from her peripheral vision.
“Is this the lass?!” Emily’s voice rang out.
Grace attempted to run back to the crowd, when Harris called, “Grace! Oh Grace! I found you!”
She froze. Harris’s condition was worse than she’d assumed. He had wounds all over his front. The rope he’d been tied with dug into some of those injuries. Yet, his eye blazed with profound relief. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Crying out, “Harris!” Grace fell to her knees and took him in her arms. Shouts rent the air, as she reunited with her childhood friend. Grace waited, but the most familiar out of those voices stayed quiet.
“Argh…” Harris complained. Wiping her eyes, Grace detangled herself from him. Her cover was blown anyway. She didn’t care what they thought of her. Right now, Harris needed her.
Her eyes scoured his body, “what happened to you?”
On hearing her accent, the voices grew louder. It seemed Harris did not care either. “You look well. I thought… I really thought they would harm you.”
“No-”
“That doesn’t matter, right now, I want you to leave. It’s Ethan, he’s coming for you.”
“Ethan?”
“Yes! Just go! He wants to kill you!” He looked beyond her, possibly at Duncan. “Gather your warriors! You’re about to be ambushed. They will be here in no time!”
Pandemonium broke out as swords were drawn. Several men, excluding Duncan, ran to protect the laird. Grace’s confusion tripled. She understood if Ethan wanted to ambush Clan Hay. What she could not understand, was why he would be after her. Not to rescue her, it seemed.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“What did ye say about Jo… Grace?”
The woman to whom he’d confessed his love just a few hours ago, hung her head. Bryce walked to Duncan and tapped the man who had Grace’s hand in his. He’d not even accepted the fact that her name was different. Or that she was English. That it’d all been a lie. Now there was an ambush.
He called to his men to reinforce the gates. Bryce repeated the question but it was the woman who spoke. She faced the laird on her feet, one hand on the man’s shoulder.
Duncan’s chest felt like shattering glass. He tried to breathe. She had someone. Were they married? Did she lie only to him or to both of them?
“My name is Grace. Grace Dankworth.”
Thunder could not have struck him harder. Craig had his mouth open as it became apparent. Her next words confirmed it. “Commander Dankworth’s only daughter. This is Harris, we were raised together and he is the closest family I have. Commander Dankworth was the leader at the battle between Campbell, Hays and the English.”
