“There, by the lake!” Tasgall continued. “He captured her and put her on a horse and sped away.”
“Lead me tae the place,” Alistair said, already at the door.
“Me laird, ye mean tae leave a meeting tae rescue the Englishwoman?”
“Her name is Jane!” Alistair snapped. “And she is important to any plan we may have against the English.” This was not the main reason for which her rescue was important to him, of course, and a look at Keith confirmed that his best friend could see right through him. But he faced the young warrior who had spoken, who added, “But ye said only moments ago that we had tae devise a plan that didnae involve her.”
There were murmurs among the warriors. “Dinnae question our laird!” Keith said suddenly. “He must retrieve the girl, for she is under his protection. We must not forget that she saved his life when any other captive might have let him die. She proved herself useful. In addition, we expended great energy and resourced to capture her in the first place. All that would go to waste if the English simply took her back. What would they call us, then? Frail weaklings, that’s what! And what of Ramsay and exchanging her fer him?”
He went to Alistair’s side. “I stand by yer command, me laird. Let us rescue Jane Marsh.”
* * *
Finding Jane had not been easy. There was no trail to follow beyond the lake. Alistair and his men had spread out, their intention to comb the entire forest if need be.
And then it had begun to rain.
What might have been worrisome was, in this situation, a blessing in disguise, for the forest ground would no doubt bear the imprint of horse hooves when it was saturated with water. It was a short rain, which was advantageous as well, for a heavy rain might have washed away the very tracks that it had helped create. After the rain, Alistair had found marks in the ground, and his party had followed them at top speed.
He would rescue her… and he would kill the bastard that dared take her.
When, after several hours, Alistair spotted the horse from on top of a miniature hill, he nearly shouted for joy. It was some distance away, but he could see that there were two people on it. The horse had come to a stop. Perhaps they meant to camp here? He saw one figure carry the other off the horse, and this was his confirmation that it was indeed Jane and the soldier. He saw the scuffle, saw the soldier throw Jane on the floor and follow her down.
Rage boiled in his veins.
He urged his horse into breakneck speed.
* * *
Jane could weep for joy!
For Alistair had just grabbed her and enfolded her in his warmth. How had he known where to find her? How had he gotten here so quickly? She clung to him, her head against his chest.
“Aye, look at him go,” she heard, and pulled away to see Keith smirking. He swung a metal-tipped spear into the distance and when Jane heard a groan, she gasped. Keith’s horse galloped in the direction that Jane had just come from, and she turned back to Alistair. “How…? With your leg…?”
Alistair rained kisses all over her face, until she was left gasping and laughing at the same time. She was so relieved to be back in his arms.
“Tasgall saw the swine take ye and he raced tae tell us. We rushed here as soon as we could,” Alistair said. “Jane, I was so worried about what might have happened tae ye. He pulled her back and examined her thoroughly. “Did he dae anything tae ye? Touch ye? I wish I had killed him meself-”
“No, no,” Jane lied. “He was only interested in getting me back to Commander Pierce. Nothing else.”
Alistair bent to kiss her again, and she kissed him back with all the relief and gratitude she felt.
A cough pulled them apart. Keith had returned, a bloodied spear in tow. “A right bastard,” he commented. “Took him a while tae die. What dae we dae now?”
“We should return tae our meeting.”
“Oh, Alistair,” Jane said, “if he and the other soldiers got first to you and then to me, then it means that they may know exactly where the clan is. They may be preparing for a surprise attack as we speak.”
“Very true,” Keith said. “Loch Lomond is nae very far from here. We have an idea of their numbers, but dinnae ken fer sure.”
“We shall attack,” Alistair said. “But we need a distraction.”
“I could be such a distraction,” Jane said. “I could pretend to have escaped from you and forge my way to Loch Lomond. I could tell him that the clan that captured me came from a different direction. I know Commander Pierce. He hates slights. He will send his best men to go in the other direction, and you and your warriors can then attack from behind.”
“’Tis a good plan,” Keith said, and Jane sensed a hint of grudging admiration in his words. “Ye could lure him alone to the woods. I and a small group of warriors could hide in the woods, ready to strike. It just might work.”
“Nay,” Alistair said. “I will nae use ye as bait, Jane.”
