The king sat down in the thronelike chair recently occupied by John MacDougall, Lord of Lorn, and gave him a hard look. “I assume since this couldn’t wait the few hours until morning it must be about the countess?”
Lachlan stared across the table at the man who’d spoken so calmly. But like him, Lachlan knew that Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, was anything but calm. These past two years since the women had been taken in Tain had been almost as hard on Bruce as they’d been on Lachlan. Almost. But not quite.
Bruce wasn’t the one responsible for their capture.
“She’s to be moved—Mary as well.”
The king sat forward; clearly Lachlan had surprised him. “And how did you learn of this?”
Lachlan shrugged. “I have my sources.”
Bruce’s eyes narrowed. “Bribing spies? Damn it, Viper, why was I not told of this? Is that where all the money I pay you is going?”
Lachlan’s mouth fell in a hard line. He didn’t explain himself—even to a king.
MacLeod stepped in to defuse the tension. “Where are they to be moved?”
Lachlan shook his head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. With Bella leaving the castle, there won’t be a better time for a rescue.”
The king and MacLeod exchanged a glance, but neither man disagreed.
“I’m not surprised that they’ve decided to do something about Bella,” Bruce said after a moment. “With Buchan dead and no longer calling for her head, De Monthermer was able to persuade the new English king to release her from the cage, but since then no one knows what to do with her. No one wants her around. She’s a black mark on the first Edward and on England, and too powerful a symbol of the rebellion to simply let go free. They want her to disappear. My guess would be a convent or a castle in a remote part of England. But that doesn’t explain why they’re moving Mary.”
No one had an answer.
“When is this supposed to happen?” MacLeod asked. The captain of the Highland Guard and at one time one of Lachlan’s fiercest enemies would want to know every detail.
“My source says in a few days. They are making preparations now. For obvious reasons, they are keeping it very quiet.”
“How can we be sure your source is telling the truth?” the king asked. “What if it’s a trap?”
Lachlan’s mouth thinned. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m leaving tonight.”
He looked at both men, daring either one of them to argue with him.
The silence dragged on. Lachlan sensed he wasn’t going to like what was coming next. He was right.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Bruce asked. “Perhaps it would be best if you let MacLeod—”
Lachlan leaned forward. “There is no way in hell I’m not going.”
The king pretended not to notice the threat, but MacLeod frowned. “Have care, Viper,” he said. “You aren’t exactly rational about this.”
That was putting it mildly. Hell,obsessedwas putting it mildly. From the moment he’d seen her loaded into that cart, knowing he was responsible, Lachlan had vowed to see Bella freed.
When he’d learned of the fate that had befallen her, he’d been half-crazed with the need to get her out. But delays, war, and a failed attempt had stood in his way. Now, thanks to this new information, he had another chance. There was no way in hell he wasn’t going. This washismission.
“The king has good reason for caution,” MacLeod added.
“Indeed I do,” Bruce said. “Thanks to John of Lorn, your identity as one of the members of my ‘secret’ army has just been revealed. You are one of the most wanted men in Scotland right now. If you are captured, the English will torture you until you reveal the names of the others. With three hundred marks on your head, everyone will be hunting you. You need to stay hidden for a while. Perhaps visit that isle you will soon be calling home.”
Lachlan’s glare was mutinous. The king wouldn’t distract him with talk of his reward. Lachlan’s three years of agreed-upon service was all but fulfilled. The land and coin he’d been promised would be his when Bruce held his first council. His debts would finally be paid, and he’d have the solitude and peace he craved. It was almost done. But he had one final mission to complete before he could leave.
“I’ve been tortured before,” he said flatly. “Nothing they do to me will force me to reveal the names of my fellow guardsmen. Just like nothing will stop me from doing this.” He held the king’s gaze. “Ihaveto do this.”
The king studied him silently for a moment before turning to MacLeod. The fierce Island Chief shrugged. “I didn’t think he’d see reason.”
“Neither did I,” the king said with a sigh of resignation. He turned back to Lachlan and gave him a black scowl. “You’d better be careful.”
