“Wait… wait…”
Thomas wrenched his arm away, rounding on her. “Ye are done here, Astrid,” he hissed. “Get out of here. Ye don’t work here anymore, and ye have no place in any MacPherson lands. Ye have till sunset to get yourself gone, or I’ll have ye caught and thrown into my dungeons to rot.”
She paled, swallowing hard. “But, Me Laird—”
“I never want to set eyes on ye again. Never.”
He turned away and didn’t look back, not even once.
20
The sun was starting to set, and Thomas was feeling frantic. It was a cool, fresh evening, which meant a cold night and sharp frost was likely to set it. What if Emma was out in the open without any shelter or protection?
He shivered, swallowing down panic. They were clustered around a set of maps on the table—himself, Dominic, Tabitha, and a tubby young English laundress who was apparently Emma’s closest friend.
Groups of soldiers were combing the forest around the Keep. Thomas was now sure that Emma was nowhere near the Sinner, not if McCade had taken her.
“I should have told ye that Gregor had escaped,” Tabitha said quietly, setting a hand on his shoulder. “I did not think it important.”
“I think this might have happened with or without Gregor,” Thomas murmured. “In the future, Tabitha, ye must trust me. Please.”
She gave a short nod. “Agreed.”
“We know that Lachlan McCade has taken her,” he announced to the room. “He’s allied with an ex-soldier named Gregor.”
“And Flora,” the laundress piped up with a sudden venom.
Thomas blinked at her. “And what is yer name, lassie?”
“Riley,” she answered. “Flora was awfully interested in Emma, always asking questions about her. I thought nothing of it, but she disappeared without warning a few days ago, right when Emma started acting so strange. I’m sure Flora has something to do with it.”
Thomas sighed. “It would be good to find the lass, but I fear that—”
“I am here, Me Laird.”
Silence fell at the timid voice. They all glanced towards the open doorway to find a thin, large-eyed blonde girl standing there, almost trembling with nerves.
Riley’s eyes bulged. “You! We thought you were our friend! We thought—”
“Please,” Flora said quietly, “let me speak.”
“Did ye enter the Keep under false pretenses?” Tabitha demanded in a strident voice. “Did ye intend to lure Emma out for the benefit of this man, Lachlan McCade? If so—”
“Let her speak,” Thomas interrupted, nodding at Flora. There was a sort of brittleness about her as if she might snap at any given moment. “Go on, lass.”
Flora drew in a breath. “I’ll not trouble ye with the sob story of my life, but know that I have suffered. I’ve worked for Lachlan McCade, so I suppose ye can all guess what I’ve been through.”
Thomas shuddered. He knew of McCade’s dealings, and he could well imagine that this poor young woman hadsuffered.
“I was indeed ordered to come here and lure Emma Gallagher out, but it felt wrong. Of course, I did it anyway. I was terrified. But there’s more to the story. There’s… there’s a man in McCade’s employ. His name is Simon. He’s a good man. He helps McCade’s women, and the men, escape, where he can.” She broke into a tiny smile. “I think he loves me. After this, he plans to help me escape. That’s why he insisted on me being chosen for this mission, so we could flee further north. We’re going to go together because he has no home, and I can’t go home. But if I tell ye where to find Emma, and I know I mustbecause my conscience won’t let me rest about it, ye will find him there, and ye will kill him.”
“Ye want his life in exchange for your information,” Thomas stated.
She nodded. “Aye, I do. I’m sorry, but I can’t let him die. You can promise me that, Me Laird. Ye have the power.”
Thomas sighed. “I could keep my promise and throw ye in the dungeons for the rest of yer lives.”
Flora gave a small shrug. “Ye could, but I don’t think ye will.”
