A message had been delivered this morning to Finn, the earl’s seneschal, claiming that “Ellie the nursemaid” was safe and would be returned home soon. It had to be her. Lady Elyne was smart—she would have realized that it was safer to keep her true identity hidden. The messenger had disappeared before they could question him, but Ralph had been tracking him all day.
It was only a matter of time before they found Lady Elyne and the outlaw who held her.
Ralph hopped over the rail onto the jetty, leaving his men to secure the galley, not stopping until he stalked under the iron gate of Dunluce Castle. He jerked off his steel helm and tossed it to one of the men who rushed forward to attend him. Raking his fingers through his rumpled hair, he allowed another guardsman to relieve him of the heavy cloak he wore over his armor and knight’s tabard.
But he wasn’t just a knight. The king had made him an earl again. A title he’d held previously but had been forced to relinquish upon his wife’s death. His heart knifed, the pain still cruelly sharp. He would give everything he had—his titles, his wealth, his life—to have Joan back again. But Joan was gone, and he was the Earl of Atholl—the Scottish earldom recently vacated by the execution of the former earl, who’d made the deadly decision to follow Bruce.
Ralph grimaced. He had no taste for Edward’s bloodlust, but the king was unrelenting. His rage at Bruce—whom he’d treated like a son—and his followers knew no bounds. Ralph no longer wanted to guess at the extremes the king would go to in order to see the rebellion crushed; he feared he wouldn’t like what he saw.
The chain from his mail clinked as he strode into the hall. Word of his arrival had preceded him and the earl and his family were waiting for him, including the one person he wanted to avoid.
Although he was careful not to look at her, he knew Lady Mathilda was there simply by the way his blood fired. His attraction to the girl—unlike to her sister to whom he was engaged—angered him. It was wrong. Not only because he was betrothed to her sister, but because Joan had been gone for only sixteen months. His body’s reaction seemed a betrayal of the woman he’d loved with all his heart.
Lady Elyne was the better match. She wasn’t wild and vivacious, but serene and stately. She wouldn’t embarrass him at court with whatever impulsive—no matter how charming—thought came out of her mouth, and would be a caring mother to his children. But most important, she wouldn’t make him forget the love he’d had for his wife.
“Have you found them?” Ulster demanded the moment he stepped into the large room.
Ralph could feel the weight of Lady Mathilda’s gaze on him but did not look in her direction. “Not yet. But we are close.” They waited for him to explain. “I tracked the messenger to a boat that arrived at Ballycastle this morning from Kintyre.”
They’d been lucky. The messenger had been careless in covering his tracks—although he probably hadn’t anticipated having the full force of two earls after him when he’d delivered a message about a nursemaid. It hadn’t taken much “persuading” to convince people to talk when Ralph arrived with a fleet of heavily armed English soldiers.
Ulster didn’t seem impressed. “The message could have originated from anywhere.”
Ralph nodded. “Aye, but I don’t think so. I think they’re close. I think the king is right.”
King Edward was convinced that Bruce was planning something. It was the reason both Ralph and Ulster had been ordered to bring their fleets to the Ayrshire coast of Scotland as soon as possible. They were to leave first thing in the morning.
“Why?” Ulster asked. “What did you find?”
“The fishing boat originated from the village near Dunaverty Castle. When I questioned the commander of the garrison, he mentioned something interesting. He said there had been nothing more unusual than the typical ghost sightings.”
“What does that have to do with Ellie?” Lady Mathilda asked.
He could no longer avoid looking at her. He braced himself, but it didn’t prevent the jolt when their eyes met. She’d attempted to tame the riotous mass of golden curls into a pile on her head, but errant tendrils hung around her face and long ivory neck. Her big, baby-blue eyes were still red with strain but no longer swollen with tears. She was simply one of the most gorgeous creatures he’d ever seen. He tamped down his reaction beneath the heavy weight of guilt—where it belonged.
When he answered, his expression betrayed nothing but brotherly concern. “At first I wasn’t sure it had anything to do with Lady Elyne. Highlanders are a superstitious lot; they see ghosts and fairies everywhere. But then I remembered some of the tales swirling around about a band of phantom marauders who’ve been sighted off-and-on around Turnberry and Ayr the past few months.”
“You think these phantoms are connected to Bruce and his men,” Ulster said.
“Aye, I think they might be.” He relayed his questioning of the young servant boy who’d claimed to come face-to-face with the purported ghost. “If this ghost is the source of our message, then I think he must be close to the castle. It’s a place to start at least.”
“Do you think he will lead you to Bruce?” John asked.
“The king thinks he will,” Ralph said. The king’s orders had been clear: track the hawk ship and you will find Bruce.
“I don’t care about any of that,” Lady Mathilda said, “as long as you find Ellie.”
He heard the soft plea in her voice and knew he would not—could not—fail her. She was counting on him. He would find Lady Elyne and bring her home safely, no matter what it took.
And in doing so, he would close a door that had never really been open.
Chapter Thirteen
“Where are we going today? Am I finally going to see the cave you told me about?”
Ellie was careful to keep any excitement or curiosity from her voice, but after two days together Hawk wasn’t so easily fooled. She could feign nonchalance all she wanted, but he knew she’d been having fun.
Too much fun. His adventurous spirit and bold nature were contagious. He made her laugh, prodding and teasing her until she had no choice but to join him. His easygoing nature made him so easy to be around.
