“Ye?” Kyle clucked his disbelief. “Nay! ’Tis no’ possible.”
Jamie shrugged, beset by doubts, but he didn’t fail to notice the look Kyle cut to the other men. His temper had been uncertain since the first time MacGregor had manhandled Caitrin, and worsened steadily since then. He knew it.
They did, too. Kyle’s open sarcasm made that abundantly clear.
But he refused to excuse it. “In this case, it appears to be so. There may no’ be an honorable solution that prevents the betrothal. We may have overstayed our welcome as it is. If Fletcher and MacGregor both discover the other has invited us to leave, we’ll be tossed out the gate before we can saddle our horses.” Nay, he would not simply sit by and let Caitrin be sacrificed to her father’s ambition. He straightened up. “Ewan, I’ll trust ye to stay with the horses and see they’re kept ready. Ye are the youngest of us, so yer presence in the stable will go unremarked. Ye look closer in age to MacGregor’s grooms, so ’twould be natural for ye to seek companions there. We must be ready to ride at a moment’s notice. If the worst happens and we have to run for it, especially with Caitrin, every second will count.”
Ewan nodded. “I will.” Then he chuckled. “So much for my bed. I’ll be sleeping on hay while the rest of ye bide here.”
That earned him a swat from Bram. “We all do what we must.”
Kyle frowned. “Ye canna believe it will come to that.”
“I hope it doesna. But we may have only one chance to save her if her father refuses to see reason, and MacGregor continues to accost her.”
“If they sign the marriage contract, we’ll have nay recourse,” Kyle answered and spread his open hands in a sign of helplessness.
That set Jamie’s teeth on edge. “I ken that all too well,” he snarled. Kyle eyed him warily as Jamie drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “We must prevent it. If I can keep MacGregor busy and Lady MacGregor can ensure Fletcher is amused and diverted, the matter may be delayed until Caitrin convinces her father, or until we can develop a different solution.” Jamie pondered for a moment. “Did her father confine her to her chamber or to the keep?”
Kyle cut his gaze back to Jamie. “No’ that I heard, but I couldna hear all that was said. Why?”
“’Twould be simple enough to have her leave the keep to go into the village with one of the other ladies. There must be many reasons why she would do that.”
“Indeed…”
Hope began to blossom in Jamie’s chest. “That may work to our advantage. She must talk to the other ladies and find reasons to go.”
Kyle shook his head. “She may be reluctant to be seen…”
Jamie grimaced, recalling her bruises. “She may indeed.”
“And what do ye propose to do once ye remove her from MacGregor’s tender care?” Bram asked. “Take her home to Fletcher, and she’ll end up here again.”
Jamie sighed. “I ken that as well. It would be best if I can find a way to prevent the betrothal.”
“Ye’d best work on MacGregor, then,” Kyle advised. “Fletcher must think he has too much to gain or lose by this match.”
“Perhaps more than he realizes,” Jamie answered. “He hopes to gain the MacGregor’s favor, but he’s in danger of losing Lathan’s. In the long run, which do ye think he’ll value most?”
Chapter Fourteen
Caitrin spent the next day in her chamber, refusing to see anyone but Nan while her bruises faded. Even the MacGregor left her alone. Perhaps the story of illness she concocted had its desired effect.
“How are ye, milady?” Nan asked when she arrived and knelt before the chair Caitrin occupied. Then she saw Caitrin’s face. “Ach, nay.”
Too ashamed of what Alasdair had done to her to meet Nan’s gaze, Caitrin couldn’t look up from her lap. “I’ll be fine,” Caitrin told her.
“Will ye? Will we?”
That brought Caitrin’s head up to meet Nan’s gaze. It was like looking in a mirror. Nan’s face was bruised, too, her eye swollen nearly shut. The arm that lay across her midriff showed small, oval bruises, like fingertips. “Nan! Who did this?”
“The same man who beat ye, milady.”
“Why?”
“Because…” Nan’s voice broke and tears began to course down her cheeks.
Caitrin stood and pulled her up into her embrace. “Alasdair did this?”
