Pip looked at him uncertainly, his reaction obviously not what he’d expected. “What?”
“I love her, and I might have destroyed whatever chance at happiness that we had.”
Pip stared at him as if he were a stranger. “You love her?”
Gregor didn’t answer him. His mind was on one thing. He donned the rest of his clothes quickly and strapped on his weapons. Noticing the blade on the ground, he picked it up and handed it back to the boy. “You might have need of this yet. If Cate won’t forgive me, I’ll let you plunge the damn thing into my heart.”
Pip’s eyes widened, but he remained silent on the short walk back to the tower house.
Gregor hadn’t taken a step into the hall when his brother blocked his path. “Where have you been? Or do I want to know?”
Gregor gritted his teeth, ignoring the unwanted questions. “Where’s Cate?”
“I was hoping you would know. When Ete went to her room this morning, she wasn’t there and her bed hadn’t been slept in. No one has seen her since last night.”
“What do you mean, no one has seen her since last night? Where the hell could she be?”
His brethren must have heard the commotion and left their meal to come over to help. “What is it?” Campbell asked.
“Cate is missing,” Gregor answered.
“Where would she go?” MacSorley asked.
MacRuairi asked the one question all of them were thinking. “Did she know where you were?”
Gregor looked to John. His brother nodded. “But that isn’t all. She saw the note.”
“What note?”
“The missive in your solar about Fitzwarren.”
Gregor swore. The panic running through his blood turned to a full gallop. He quickly explained about the letter to the others.
“Would she go after him on her own?” Campbell asked.
“I don’t know, but I think we have to assume yes.”
Wasting no time, Gregor quickly organized a few parties of riders to go after her. John and Campbell would lead one, MacSorley and MacRuairi another, and he a third. But before they left the Hall, one his men found him and handed him a crumpled piece of parchment.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“One of the village lads brought it this morning. He said a man had given it to him last night but told him not to bring it until morning.”
There was something inside. Unwrapping it carefully, Gregor’s heart stopped beating when he realized what it was. The familiar ring stared back up at him. The betrothal ring he’d given Cate. The words on the parchment swam in front of his eyes. He handed it to John to read, but he knew what it said. “We have something that belongs to you. If you want her back alive, come to Perth Castle.”
The blood drained from his body. For the first time in his life, he felt like he might faint. They had her. The English had Cate. It was just as the Guard had feared if their identities were ever revealed. They would use her to get to him.
If anything happened to her…
He couldn’t let that happen. Hewouldn’tlet that happen. Cate was the most important thing in the world to him. He would give his life to save hers a thousand times over. And it looked like he was going to have to do exactly that.
Twenty-three
Cate was ready to collapse by the time they reached the outskirts of the royal burgh of Perth, one of the most important and wealthiest burghs in all of Scotland. Located on the River Tay—making it an important city for trade—and close to Scone Abbey, Perth was considered the capital of Scotland by ancient Scottish kings.
The castle had been partially destroyed by floods about a hundred years ago but rebuilt by King William the Lion. Less than ten years ago, the city had been fortified with stone walls, towers, and gates by Edward of England after he’d taken the city during Wallace’s rebellions.
The wall was how she’d guessed that they’d reached their destination, as the party of riders drew up on the crest of the last hill. She’d never seen anything like it. The massive stone fortification that surrounded the city shimmered like golden alabaster in the dawn’s first light. Surrounded on three sides by alade—the wet ditch was the town’s only previous defense—the east side butted up against the natural defense of the Tay. Seeing those daunting walls—and knowing that she would soon be imprisoned behind them—gave her a moment’s pause.
