Margaret dismounted some distance away. She did not hurry toward him, but she did not hesitate.
“Ye came,” he said, as she approached.
“I said I would,” she almost snarled, but kept her composure.
There was no tremor in her voice.
“And alone.”
“As ye required.”
He regarded her closely, as though searching for some sign of deceit. He would find none.
“What dae ye wish of me?” she asked.
“Resolution,” he replied with a shrug. “This need nae continue as it has.”
Margaret held his gaze. “I am solely here because of Eleanor and her safety.”
He smiled, though there was little warmth in it.
“If ye act wisely, she willnae be troubled.”
“And if I dinnae?”
“Then I shall be obliged tae ensure that she is found.”
There it was, the threat, plainly given.
Margaret felt the moment settle, as though time itself had marked it.
“And what would ye have me dae?” she asked.
“Come back with me,” he urged. She half expected him to offer her his hand, as a true father would do to his daughter. “End this alliance before it draws further consequence.”
Margaret did not answer at once. She couldn’t, because she was focused on a sound, a presence…movement.She caught it at the edge of her vision, and then, she turned slightly.
Men emerged from concealment, their number not great, but sufficient. Their purpose was clear. They were MacGregor’s men. Her father did not even look toward them. He did not need to.
“Ye see,” he said, almost mildly, “I have taken precautions.”
Before Margaret could respond, another figure stepped forward.
It was Sir Laurence Kerr.
She felt a tidal wave of relief. Now, it would all be brought before the Crown, and everyone would see…
But Sir Laurence moved past the point at which he ought to have stopped, past the distance agreed upon, past the role he had been called to fulfill.
Margaret’s breath caught.
“Sir—” she began.
He did not even look at her. He looked to her father and inclined his head.
“Proceed,” he said.
The word fell with dreadful clarity. In that instant, everything altered. The plan, so carefully constructed and laid out, fractured beyond recovery. The authority they had relied upon, the witness meant to secure their advantage, turned against them without hesitation. They had been betrayed.
