Inevitably, when one man was tied up, he cried out and woke the others, so that the room was soon filled with grumbling, threatening, and shouting men, and the disgusting stench of whisky and unwashed bodies. There was much struggling and some foul curses, but Alastair cured that problem with some judiciously placed punches. It went on for ten minutes, but at last his men had tied everyone up, then Alastair did a head count. He frowned. There were only nine of them. Their leader was missing.
“Wolf!” he called. “Come forward!”
The men were all gagged, but that did not stop them from setting up a scornful cheer. Alastair frowned blackly. “How did he get out?” he asked the captain of the guard, baffled. He walked around the cottage and saw a great, gaping hole in the wall; its mortar had crumbled through years of neglect and the onslaught of the elements.
“He cannot have got far,” Alastair said grimly. “He needs a horse.” He looked around him and saw that none of his horses were missing. He frowned, puzzled, and looked around again, and that was when he heard the scream.
Caitlyn had been waiting fifty yards away to see if she could see the capture of the outlaw chief. She knew that the guards from the castle did not need her help, however, she wanted to see the Wolf crushed then dragged away bound and gagged, but most of all she wanted to spit in his eye.
Alastair would berate her for putting herself in danger, but after another argument they would still be in love, and the thought made her smile.
She was still daydreaming when she felt the reins of her horse being violently tugged out of her hands, and she was horrified to see the face of Wolf staring at her, and she was astonished to see that it was Robert McKnight’s partner in crime. He was staring at her with an expression of such malice that it struck fear into her heart.
“Get aff the horse!” he demanded, but before she could move he shoved her violently, and for a sickening moment the world spun before her eyes as she landed with a jarring thump on the muddy ground. She was unaware that she had screamed, and a moment later she was oblivious to anything else as blackness closed in around her.
As soon as he heard it, Alastair knew who had made the piercing cry; he would have recognized Caitlyn’s voice anywhere. He galloped towards the source of the noise while his men sped past him, pursuing the outlaw chief.
When he reached the place where the sound had originated, Alastair slid off his horse and dropped down beside her. For a horrible moment he thought she was dead, and the terror that shot through him was almost unbearable, before he saw her eyelids flicker, and then open.
“Thank God! Thank God,” he breathed, then lifted her to gather her against his chest. He began to rock her like a baby, soothing her moans of pain with gentle words.
She opened her eyes and looked into his. He could see that she was still slightly dazed, but struggling to sit up. “Where is my Rosie?” she asked crossly, looking around herself.
“Never mind your horse!” he snapped. “Why did you come after us, Caitie? Did you not know how dangerous it was? You could have been hit by a flying arrow or stabbed, or anything! Look at the state you are in!” He pulled her closer. “If anything had happened to you, I would never have recovered. You silly woman!” He breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank God you are all right!”
“Alastair?” she asked weakly.
“Hmmm?” He was kissing her all over her face, but now he stopped to look into her eyes.
“Are we going to have another quarrel?”
“No,” he replied, smiling. “We’ll wait till you are better, then we can have a really good one!”
Just then, they heard the clatter of hooves as the Wolf was led back. His hands were tied behind his back and he was gagged and tethered between two trotting horses. His breath was coming in great labored pants as he tried to drag himself along fast enough to keep up with them. Finally he collapsed onto his knees, but Alastair pulled him to his feet again and stared at him, his eyes blazing.
“Now, my friend,” he growled. “Now we are going to administer just a tiny bit of justice—just to get started, you understand, because you will get the rest of it at the end of a noose!”
He drew back his arm, bunched his fist, and brought it around in a semi circle to hit the Wolf square on the point of his jaw. He fell sideways, groaning, and banged the ground with the side of his head. Alastair dragged him upright again and spat directly into his eyes. There was nothing the man could do except glare at him with hatred.
Caitlyn had stumbled to her feet, then went over to the Wolf and administered another dose of spittle on top of Alastair’s, feeling a savage satisfaction as she did so. Suddenly she felt very weary, and yawned hugely. “Take me back home, Alastair,” she mumbled, almost collapsing against him.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips softly.
“Hmmm…” she murmured. “That is much nicer than valerian tea. You will have to administer kisses more often.”
“I will,” he whispered, smiling, “and when we are married, I am never letting you out of my sight again!”
They had both been concerned that Ava might have woken up and missed Caitlyn, but she had slept right through the entire episode. When she heard about the capture of the bandits she was thrilled, and Alastair allowed her a few minutes of triumphant gloating in the dungeon.
Morag McColl did not gloat. When she confronted the Wolf she stood in front of him for a while examining the creature who had terrified her for so long. He glared back at her, but he was impotent; he had no power left, and suddenly he looked very much smaller. She had dreamed of hundreds of vile words to say to him at this moment, but now, to her astonishment, she found that there were only three that she needed. “I forgive you,” she told him, and walked away, smiling, without looking back.
As the door of the dungeon closed behind them, Caitlyn sighed. “I should not be so happy,” she said, smiling up at Alastair. “We have been through two dreadful experiences. Thank goodness they are over. Do you think I should be crying? Do you think I will have nightmares like Ava, Alastair?”
“I do not know, my Caitie,” he replied, “but if you do, I will be here to wipe your tears and chase the nightmares away. Now, come with me,” he ordered, as he swept her up in his arms. “I have something to give you.”
Caitlyn laid her head on his shoulder as he led her upstairs and into the parlor. Once there, he opened a drawer and took out a little purple velvet box. He went down on one knee in front of her and opened it, gazing up at her with such love that she almost wept.
Inside was a rose gold ring with a large, sparkling emerald in the middle, and two small diamonds on each side.
