Page 56 of A Scot to Wed

“Aye, but that’s the way he started out, so it wasn’t false hope.” They made another sweep of the area, calling out for the lad, then stopped in front of the Hare and the Hound Inn.

“I’m thinking Richard headed right to Stirling with Gavin. We’re probably wasting our time searching in this area,” Katie said. “’Twould be best to return to the castle, gather some supplies, and travel to Lord Armstrong’s home.”

Evan pondered on that for a while. Something didn’t seem right about that plan. The man had managed to come up with a forged document to get Katie to marry him, which told Evan he was much too smart to do what they expected. He shook his head. “Nay.”

“Nay?”

“Nay. That is exactly what he expects us to do. He kens that we will assume he has Gavin and will race off to Stirling.”

“Are ye saying ye think he might have gone in another direction? If that is the case, we have no idea where he went.” Katie’s voice raised, the panic she’d been holding in rising to the surface.

“Calm down,mo ghràdh. What I’m thinking is he will stay in this area, hiding in plain sight, as it were.”

“What do ye mean? I’m too rattle-brained to follow yer words.” The poor lass was pale as new milk, and from the way she kept licking her lips, dry-mouthed from fear. He was certain she was strung tight as a hunter’s bow, and if he wasn’t careful, she would snap, which would only make things worse.

“If Armstrong lingers not far from here for a bit, he can give every one of us time to race off, and get out of his way. Then, when he feels enough time has gone by, he will start out for Stirling, kenning we would not be on his trail because we are in front of him.”

“Do ye think he’s that smart?”

“Not smart. Devious.”

Katie stared at him, her eyes moving as if in thought. “Aye. I agree.” She took a deep breath and said, “What do we do first?”

Evan jumped from his horse and reached up to help her down. “First we visit all these stores and ask about any unfamiliar mon buying supplies. If he is holed up somewhere close by, he would need to feed himself and yer brother.”

They began their search at the most obvious place, the general store. The cheerful shop held every sort of item a household would need, from iron skillets to dried fish. The comforting smell of herbs hanging from the ceiling scented the air. Large wooden barrels of flour, sugar, and coffee had been lined up in rows from the front door to the counter, creating aisles for a shopper to browse through.

Every wall held floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with jars and bottles of various items. The worn wooden floor creaked as he and Katie made their way to the counter, where a large mon with a white apron around his middle wrapped a parcel for a woman with two bairns clinging to her legs.

As soon as the woman left, the mon turned to him and Katie. “And what can I get for ye on this fine day, my laird?”

“We’re looking for information,” Katie blurted out.

The man’s brows rose at her abruptness. ’Twas unlike Katie to not at least acknowledge a person and offer a word or two of conversation. However, being aware of how upset she was, Evan took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

“And what is it ye would like to know, lass?” the mon asked, still smiling.

“In the last few days, has a mon who is not familiar to ye been in to buy a supply of food?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

The man behind the counter with the jovial expression grew serious and rubbed his chin as he regarded Katie and Evan. “Aye. There was a mon in here two days ago that I didn’t ken. I had seen him once when I took my meal at the Hare and the Hound. He was two tables away from me. Kept his head down and looked side to side the entire time, like he was waiting for someone to grab him. Had his back to the wall and watched the window to the street, also.”

“What did he buy?” Evan asked, apparently anxious to get to the information they needed.

Evan’s idea was a good one. Richard would expect them to chase him back to Stirling, which is precisely what Katie had wanted to do. Ever since they had discovered Gavin missing, her stomach had been in knots thinking about that horrible man having his hands on her innocent brother.

“The mon bought some apples, nuts, cheese, and oatcakes. He also bought a small pot, two mugs, and tea.” The storekeeper tapped his chin. “That is probably all. Oh, and some bars of peat.”

Katie and Evan turned to each other. “Ye were right,” she said. “He’s holding him here, waiting for all the searching to be over.”

“Is there anything else I can help ye with?” The storekeeper looked over her shoulder as the door behind them opened.

Katie turned to see Alasdair striding toward them. “Any news?”

Evan shook his head. “Nay.” He turned to the storekeeper. “Thank ye for yer information. If the mon comes back again, see if ye can hold him here and send someone to the castle.”

“Aye, certainly.” The mon looked from Alasdair to Evan. “Is there more I can do? Ye seem to be in a dither.”