Isabail could have argued further, but she was not of a mind to defend MacCurran at this moment. “I have a need to return to the cave, so I shall look again while I am down there. Now rest.”
He let his head fall back against the wall. “Take care. Do not let him see what you are about.”
“He’s off playing lord of the ruin. He will not take heed of my actions, I assure you.”
She stood, intending to leave, but he grabbed her skirts. “If you find it, return to me immediately. I must know that you have it.”
“I will.” He did not release her skirts, so she gently peeled his fingers away. “Sleep, Daniel. And eat something when Muirne returns. You don’t look well.”
Exiting the roundhouse, Isabail looked for Gorm. But the disloyal beast had not obeyed her command to stay. The spot before the door was empty. Exasperated by the behavior of all the males in her life this morn, she headed for the entrance to the tunnels.
* * *
“You’ve acquired an admirer I see,” Niall said as he handed Aiden a fresh roll of thatch.
“What?” Aiden cast a quick glance around the close, expecting to see Isabail watching him from a distance. She was nowhere to be seen.
“The hound, brother,” Niall said with a laugh, pointing to the base of the ladder on which Aiden stood. There, performing a repeat of the stare he’d given Aiden upon waking, was the blue-gray deerhound named Gorm.
“What does the bloody thing want?” he asked his brother. “It won’t leave me be.”
Niall shrugged. “Ignore it. Perhaps it will tire of watching you and wander off.”
They repaired the roofs on the huts for the better part of the morning, but the dog remained ever at Aiden’s heel. It did not whine or bark; it lay quietly somewhere within a hand’s reach at all times.
“Curious,” said Niall, as they paused to eat the noontide meal and down a horn of ale. “It seems to need nothing but to be near you.”
Ana crossed the close to Niall’s side and graced him with a kiss on the cheek. “You left early this morning,” she said.
Niall pointed to Aiden. “Blame him. He fetched me from my bed before the cock’s crow.”
Aiden, in turn, pointed to the dog. “Nay, lay the blame where it properly lies. The beast stirred me from a restful slumber.”
She eyed the dog. “That will teach you to save a wounded animal. It’s yours now.”
“Mine?” Aiden frowned. “Nay. The hound belongs to Isabail. It was her brother’s.”
“Tell that to the dog,” she said with a wry smile. “I must return to tending MacPherson’s wounded men. All of them, you’ll be relieved to know, will survive their injuries.”
Aiden’s frown deepened. “And what am I to do with them once they are whole and hearty? We’ve no dungeon in which to lock them.”
She shrugged. “If they are sell swords, perhaps you can turn them to your cause with a coin or two.”
A fair notion. One definitely worthy of exploration. “Let me know when they are well enough to gain their feet. I’ll speak to them.”
Ana nodded and walked away.
Aiden watched her depart, then eyed the dog. What was he to do if the beast insisted on remaining at his side?
Chapter 12
Isabail took young Jamie with her into the tunnels. In part it was because the very thought of returning to the narrow and dark confines terrified her. But it was also because she had need of a strong helper and the lad was solidly built.
“Which of the men is your da?” she asked the boy as they entered the dimly lit passage.
“None,” Jamie replied. “My da disappeared the night the laird was arrested by the earl of Lochurkie.”
“Oh.” If he had disappeared, was it not possiblehewas the thief Aiden sought? The man in black? Not that she would dare suggest such to Jamie.
