George had scrawled his note and signed it with his familiar but illegible signature—the very one that had started her on her journey with Rory.
It distressed me greatly to leave you behind. I took comfort in knowing that if you were ever truly in danger, there were always men willing to play the hero for you. But a wild Highlander? That was unexpected, but then, you always did like an adventure. I daresay you’ll entertain us for hours with the tale.
You will adore Paris. I predict you’ll have all the men at the French court falling at your feet within a week. We could use your help in gaining support.
With great affection from your loving brother,
G
Archie had added a line at the bottom in his elegant hand.
Gather what jewels and other valuables you can and come to Paris. – A
Fighting angry tears, she read the letter again. No apology. No expression of concern for her safety. And her escape from the queen’s clutches through dangerous lands with a stranger wasan adventure?
“Lady Sybil,” the priest said, “are you ready to leave for the ship?”
She ought to go. Rory did not want her here. He and the MacKenzies would be better off if he took a different wife. But she did not want to go. Not to Paris. Not to her brothers.
Nor anywhere that Rory was not.
“Thank my uncle, but tell him I cannot leave,” she said. “At least not yet.”
“Are ye certain, m’lady? If ye can change your mind, the ship doesn’t set sail for a week.” The priest asked for ink and quill, then wrote the name of the ship and the date it sailed on the bottom of her uncle’s message. “Ye know how to get to Inverness?”
“Aye.” She remembered Rory telling her one could sail there from Beauly. “But I won’t come.”
After the priest left, she put the ink and quill back in the drawer where she kept her drawings. She hesitated, then tucked the messages underneath them.
CHAPTER 33
When Sybil learned that Rory had returned while she was down in the kitchens speaking with the cook, she went looking for him. Patience was not one of her virtues, and it was past time he forgave her. She was determined to find a way to mend things between them. She had to try. Despite how much he had hurt her, she missed him terribly.
As she started past the door to an empty chamber, she heard someone moving inside and peered in. Her husband and his sister were leaning over a table staring at the pages of an open book. Both wore intense, puzzled expressions.
The pair looked up as she entered the room. When Rory’s gaze locked on hers, she knew he was also remembering the last time they saw each other—both the violence of their passion and how he’d left her with the flush of pleasure still on her skin and tears in her eyes. From his worried frown, she thought perhaps she had broken through his barriers that day after all.
Or perhaps he just feared she would start weeping again. He need not worry about that. She did falter for a moment, but then she drew herself up and put on a pleasant smile.
“You two look perplexed by that book,” she said. “Perhaps I can help?”
“Nay,” Rory said at the same time Catriona said, “Aye.”
Sybil chose the response she wanted and joined them at the table. The book looked like a ledger, with items written in neat columns. A second book was under it.
“Can ye read?” Catriona asked.
Sybil nodded. “I take it this ledger is important?”
“Don’t—” Rory said.
“Our brother Brian brought these two books—ledgers, as ye call them—to me for safekeeping,” Catriona said. “I’m thinking they must hold a clue as to why he was angry with Hector and rode off to Edinburgh.”
“Let me take a look,” Sybil said, and squeezed between them.
This was not how she envisioned winning Rory back, but she knew to take advantage of an opportunity when she saw one. As she ran her finger down the page, she forgot about her problems with Rory and became absorbed in the puzzle.
“’Tis written in Latin, probably by a scribe,” she said. “This column on the left appears to be a list of names.”
