“No, lass. Mark well my words, MacQuarrie. You must take her far away from here. Far away where she’ll be safe from those who would do her harm.”
“My plan exactly, madam,” Robbie murmured, shoving Isa out the door and closing it behind them.
Robert’s original intent in following Isa had been nothing more than to ensure her safety. Once he’d seen her with the old woman, though, he’d realized there was more to her relationship with Annie than met the eye.
Before he left Castle MacGahan, he intended to find a few minutes to chat with Auld Annie again, but without Isa around. He suspected if anyone could shed some light on Jamie’s story about Isa’s mother, this woman would be the one.
All that would have to wait for now.
Something he didn’t quite understand had happened in that room back there. Something that had physically weakened Isa. Something that had set the mark on his arm to tingling like bugs crawling under his skin.
At this moment, he didn’t really care what was the cause. He simply wanted to get her away from the room, away from that woman and away from this castle as quickly as possible.
That she had allowed him to hustle her out of there with no resistance spoke to him of the serious nature of what they’d encountered. In his experience, Isa did nothing against her will without a battle.
“Once yer grandfather has spoken his vows, we’ll slip out to the stables and make our way beyond the castle. Until then, yer not to be out of my sight unless I say it’s safe to do so. Yer especially not to be around this Lardiner fellow. Do you hear me?”
One thing was clear to Robert now. Castle MacGahan was rife with political intrigue. He’d seen it often enough before—he should have recognized it on his prior visit. But he’d been distracted, first by his need to find Isabella and then by the woman herself. He might not know who all the players were, but he did know there were battle formations being drawn in this hall, and clearly he and Isabella were caught behind enemy lines.
It grated on his nerves that he’d walked into the situation willingly. More than willingly. He’d actively encouraged Isa to come here today.
“If it’s no the devil himself,” Isa murmured next to him, her gaze fixed ahead of them.
Down the hallway, Roland approached, accompanied by two men who were obviously his personal guards. Not that they posed much of a threat. Robert had little doubt he could deal with all three of them easily enough, though he wasn’t at all fond of trying to do so in this confined hallway with Isa at his side. Too great a risk that she might be hurt in the scuffle.
“Well, well, MacQuarrie. It would appear you’ve been a busy man. Isabella looks almost like a normal woman.” Lardiner, a sneer lifting his lip, stopped several feet away, his guards on either side of him.
“I’m afraid you have the advantage of me, good sir.” Robert felt the ice of impending battle settle over him. He smiled as he stepped a pace ahead of Isa, keeping his hand on her forearm just in case he needed to quickly shove her behind him. “You are?”
Roland’s jaw tightened, but he managed a cursory tilt of his head.
“Roland Lardiner, second in command to the laird of this castle.”
“Ah, yes.” Robert wrinkled his brow as if searching his memory. His friend Jesse had long extolled the virtues of what he called pushing an enemy’s buttons to test their mettle. “I remember now. My father has an underling such as you at our keep.”
The man’s face colored like a mottled beet.
“May I ask yer purpose in being in this particular hallway?”
“I came to see Auld Annie,” Isa blurted out before Robert tightened his grip on her arm.
“I trust you had a pleasant visit with the old woman?” Lardiner’s beady eyes narrowed with his question.
“I encouraged Isabella to come, though I would no go so far as to call the few moments spent in a dank sickroom pleasant.” Robert eased a little farther in front of Isa. “Nonetheless, our visit here seemed a good opportunity for Isabella to say her final farewells since she’ll be coming away with me once the laird is wed.”
“Indeed?”
“Indeed.” Robert locked eyes with Lardiner, holding his gaze until the other man looked away. “And now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be out to the courtyard for some fresh air to wipe away that nasty experience, won’t we, Isabella?”
To her credit, she said nothing as he pulled her forward. As discreetly as possible, he maneuvered her ahead of him when they passed by Lardiner and his men, placing his own body behind her as a shield.
Just in case.
“What did you mean by...” she started, but he cut her words off.
“Not here. Outside, where we won’t be overheard.” The walls of this time period might not have the electronic bugs he’d encountered in his new time, but the people who inhabited these castles were often lingering in dark corners. Listening.
Listening and carrying tales. Which probably accounted for their meeting with Lardiner and his men in that hallway. Robert would bet money someone had scurried off to tell the second in command that Isabella had broken his no-visit rule.
