Laura wanted to drop to her knees and offer up a prayer of thanks. But when she turned, she let out a small scream.
Laird Roy Halkerston stepped into the clearing with four soldiers following him. Two of the soldiers had bloodhounds straining on leashes, panting on their scent. When the animals saw the women, they bayed and howled, letting their masters know they had located their prey.
“A very good morrow to ye, Laura. Am I guessin’ right in saying that this woman must be Alice Duncan?”
* * *
Bruce Duncan strode down to the village carrying Agatha on his back. The old woman cackled with laughter when some of the villagers cheered to see her progress. “How now, Agatha? That’s a fine horse ye have there!” the tavern keeper cried out as they passed by. He recognized Bruce and was pleased Alice’s brother had managed to take some time off to visit his sister.
Bruce took Agatha back to her croft and placed her down gently at the doorstep. “D’ye have everything ye need, Agatha?” he wanted to know.
“I took a bit o’ stew out of the pot, Bruce. I’ll be fine until yer return.”
Bruce nodded and simply raised his hand in farewell. If Halkerston attacked the seashore cottage with the full might of his soldiers, Bruce did not hold out much chance of his survival. He did not walk back to the cottage on the clifftop. Instead, he clambered over the rocks, making his way down toward the rivulets and streams that fell into a crevasse and away into the ocean. The trees bending over the water made the perfect place to watch who approached the cottage door.
He missed Laura and wished with all his heart that she might forgive and forget him if things did not go according to plan tonight and all the other nights he wanted her to live and experience. He knew she would look after Alice; he had been an arrogant fool to think her gold was no good just because she was a woman. The naughty minx had found a way of getting it to his sister, even without his help! Ever since he could remember, Alice and he had been forced to practice strict economy in every sector of their lives. His prideful need for independence had blinded him to recognize someone who wanted to help.
He passed the night hours thinking about Laura. Against such insurmountable odds, he would not waste what might be his last hours wishing that he had done things differently. The sky was getting lighter in the east when Bruce became fully alert. Two dark shapes were approaching the cottage pathway.
Is that all? Only two soldiers? As strange as it seems, it looks as if Laird Anderson has reached some agreement with Halkerston and he is respecting that we fall outside the boundary of his lands.
He watched as one man knocked, and then the two soldiers waited. When there was no reply, one of the soldiers lifted the latch and went inside. He was not in there for long. The man came out holding something in his hand. They seemed to be satisfied with what they had taken and marched back down toward the woods, where the trees soon hid the men from his view.
Then a terrifying sound broke the silence of the night. The baying of hounds with a fresh scent in their sights echoed over the cliffs and rocks.
18
There was no time to waste. Bruce raced toward the thick woods that surrounded the standing stones. It was uphill and hard going over the rugged terrain. He tried to stifle the urgent voice inside his head that was begging him to go faster, go faster!
Remembering his training, he slowed to a walk and listened to what his father had taught him:We are the master of our actions, Bruce. When our emotions guide us, we are doomed to fail and fall. Training and mastering our emotions are the true signs of a warrior. Rely on yer training, never trust yer emotions. Only one of those things can save ye. The other just gets in the way.
Bruce stopped. He planned a strategy in his mind. Then, slowly and surely, he followed the men and hounds into the woods, treading silently, breathing deeply, keeping his sword ready in his hands.
* * *
“Where’s yer hulkin’ brute of a lover?” Halkerston asked Laura. Two of his men had grabbed her and held her fast. All the kicking and struggling she was doing would not help her. The cripple lay on the ground, swiping at the soldiers’ legs with her hands.
“Don’ tell me he’s gone to try an’ get help? Our business will be long finished by the time he limps back here with whatever raff and scaff he can muster to his side.” The laird laughed and looked around at his soldiers to check if they were laughing too. He had struggled to bring four men together to help him hunt Bruce. The captain of the guards had advised him against going after Bruce Duncan.
“Ye’ve got four men badly injured, M’Laird, five men who will nae lift a finger against their auld scout captain, and the rest who fall somewhere betwixt the two of fear and friendship! This is their brither in arms, a man who has saved their lives in battle. Ye cannae ask yer men to go and hunt down Bruce Duncan, M’Laird. He’s a legend! If ye force them, ye can look forward to losing most o’ yer soldiers when their sworn bond comes to an end.”
So Roy Halkerston had been forced to come to St. John’s village with only four men and two bloodhounds. He was confident that once he had the Duncan cripple, Bruce would come to heel. Therefore, he was overjoyed to see Laura in the woodland dell with Alice.
“Ye sneaky wench!” he crowed. “An’ here I was thinkin’ ye were still sulking in Huna. Bruce will come as quiet as a lamb to slaughter when he finds out I have ye an’ his sister.”
Laura did not waste any more time struggling. She had to strike a bargain with this man before he could hurt Bruce. “How much d’ye want, Halkerston? Ye will nae get one penny if ye continue with yer plotting. We ken it was ye who planted Torrens to get the bet on the table. An’ ye wrote that letter to Bruce pretending to be his sister.”
The laird continued smiling. “My terms have no’ changed, wench. I want yer dowry—all of it. And in return, ye can scuttle away and take yer braw warrior an’ his wee cripple with ye. I’ll keep mum about yer skulduggery in the hay. No one will care once ye have no gold, and they see ye married to a lowly soldier who was let go from his position because he betrayed his laird. Good luck to the both o’ ye!”
“I agree to yer terms,” Laura said without batting an eyelid. “Let’s walk down to St. John’s an’ sign our agreement there.”
“Not so fast.” Halkerston drew his sword. “I ken yer tricks. Maybe yer tall lover is waiting down there in the village.”
Laura sighed. “Are we now witches as well as wantons? Am I able to look into the future and see yer arrival? We were waiting here for Bruce to go an’ get help, just like ye said. Come, put down yer swords an’ let’s be civil about this. Let Alice go back to her cottage. I am all ye need to guarantee the gold.”
Halkerston sneered. “Rope her hands together and throw the cripple over the saddle. We’re going back to Huna. I don’t trust the wench’s fair words.”
The sky was light gray now, and birds were singing gaily in the trees. One of the soldiers went to fetch the horses while the other began to tie Laura’s hands.
