But either way, what choice did she have? If she did not go, her brother’s name could be smeared, and that would giveLachlan all the reason he needed to finally go after him and put all of this to rest at last. And, if the attack on her had been intended as fatal, he might not stop until he was sure she was safe. The thought made her ill, a shudder running down her spine at the thought.
No, she had to do what the writer of this letter had asked her, no matter how ridiculous it might have seemed, how unfair and dangerous. She wasn’t sure how she would get out of the Keep, given that Lachlan had just ordered the guards to stay on patrol all night long, but she would have to.
She glanced at her wardrobe, mentally sifting through the clothes within. If she wore her dark cloak, she might be able to pass as the woman who brought bread to the Keep every evening. Maybe she could disguise herself and sneak out right under their noses, without anyone looking twice at her.
Yes, take a horse, make for the roads at the back of the Keep, and be down at the village by midnight…
To meet whoever was there waiting for her.
And whatever fate they intended once she got there.
For her brother. For her husband. And for the good of this land that she loved so much.
Chapter Eighteen
With her horse tied outside, Innes pushed open the door of the tavern, announcing her arrival with a loud creak. A few men were scattered around the tables, and several lifted their heads, their gazes lingering on her rather longer than they had any need to.
She fixed her eyes on the ground, praying that whoever had sent for her would make themselves known swiftly, because she did not know how much longer she could stand in this place without being noticed.
She moved towards a table at the far side of the room, glad for the dim light and hoping nobody recognized her. No doubt her absence back at the Keep had been noted already, and Lachlan would have sent his men across the county to get her back.
She had to pray that he believed she had taken his orders to stay in place seriously and that he would not think she’d do something so foolish. Guilt roiled in her guts; he was only trying to keep her safe, and she had turned her back on him to defy him and come to this place alone anyway.
A candle flickered on the table before her, dripping wax unevenly onto the surface of the wood. She picked at it whereit had dried, trying to distract herself as best she could. Though she felt like she might be caught at any moment, dragged back to her chambers where she would not be able to help her brother when he needed it most…
And then, a shadow was cast across the table, and she looked up to find two men staring down at her. One leered, letting his gaze linger pointedly, and the other looked rather more focused.
“Come,” he ordered. “With us.”
She stayed in her seat. Were these the men who wrote her the letter? Surely not. But she had not come all this way just to give up now.
“Who sent you?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
“That’s no’ fer you to worry yerself about,” he replied. “Come with us, lass. Fer yer own good.”
“Is that a threat?” she retorted.
Her sharp tongue was only there to convince them that she was in control, when she knew she was anything but. Or perhaps there was a part of her that did not want to acknowledge that it was possible it could be Isobel. That it could have been anyone from the Anderson Keep, sending word to her for reasons beyond her understanding. If it was that woman, she did not know what it meant or what chance she stood against her.
“It doesn’t have to be,” he snapped, planting his hands on the table. “Unless you make us wait any longer than we have to.”
She flicked her eyes back and forth between them, calculating. Should she trust them? What choice did she have? She suddenly felt distinctly exposed, all alone out here, so far from the Keep.
“Are ye working at the Anderson Keep? Did my brother ken any of this?” she pressed on, knowing very well that it might backfire.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way, lass,” the other man said pointedly, grabbing his dirk in one hand.
She recoiled in her seat, flinching for showing her fear.
“That’s a good lass. Come on now.”
She mustered every inch of her courage and rose to her feet, allowing them to lead her towards the back door of the tavern and to a small alley that stood on the other side.
And there, in the dim light of a torch, stood Isobel.
Innes froze. Her sister-in-law was wearing the same cloak that she had seen that woman in at the market today, and there was no longer doubt in her mind that it was her. But why had she sent for her again? When would the chaos she had caused since Lachlan and Innes’ marriage, be enough for her?
“What do you want from me, Isobel?” Innes demanded, mustering up every inch of courage she could in the hopes she would not be able to hear the wavering in her voice. Isobel smirked, gesturing for the two men who had brought her out to leave.
