Page 6 of Highlander’s Dangerous Gambler

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First light. Aileen scrambled out of the bed. Glancing about, she dressed as swiftly as she could.

In the shadows, this was harder than it looked, and Aileen's fingers fumbled and struggled with the clothing in the dark.

But what she was putting on was not her usual attire. As Aileen unfurled the light linen undergarments, she took a moment to admire their very different shape.

Instead of a shift and a robe, in her hands were some young soldier's undergarments made for wearing beneath armor. Getting into them was a struggle. Not just from their unfamiliarity but also because they were not meant for her. These had been Billie's, made for him a few years ago.

Finally, she had the undergarments on, and feverishly, Aileen groped about for the chain mail. In the dark, it was hard to find them. The bedside candle had gone out some hours ago, and with the fire in the room out, she would have to call for a maid to get some kindling.

Scrabbling about the darkened room, she knocked something over. A silver candlestick fell to the ground with a loud crash. Aileen cursed.

Immediately, the sound of footsteps came to the door.

"Miss?"

It was Mary, her maid.

"Are ye alright in there?"

A dart of panic went through Aileen. She could not be seen like this.

"Do ye need me to come in?"

Quickly, she pulled herself together. As calmly as she could, Aileen answered.

"Nay," she said, dragging a large shawl off one of the chairs. Just in case Mary did come in, she needed to take care. "It's alright, Mary. I um, I just knocked something over..."

There was a pause in which Aileen could almost hear Mary thinking.

"It's nay fash, Miss. I can—" she began.

"Nay," Aileen said, more insistently. "I can manage. Dinnae fash yersel’!"

These last words came out rather more severely than she had been expecting. Hoping she had warded her off, Aileen waited. Sure enough, footsteps went past her door.

After she was sure they had passed, she carried on, this time finding the armor and putting it on as fast as she could. Throwing the cape back over her shoulders, she sped off,

Creeping slowly along the gray corridor, she stopped at every door on the way to check no one was coming out. It took what seemed to be an age. Finally, she arrived at the front of the castle, where no one was around.

Aileen did a double take as she cast her eyes around. The landscape was gray and still. Not even the birds were up yet. All the same, there was activity in the castle. There were bound to be guards, even if she couldn't see them.

Wrapping the cloak a little tighter, Aileen scurried down to the stables. She was just about to greet White Star when suddenly she heard a voice.

"Aye, McLean, I'll be gone a few days. So in that time, my brother is in charge."

It was Fiona. Out of nowhere, her sister was at the opposite end of the stables. Quickly, Aileen ducked, hoping that she had not been seen.

McLean, the stable master, came into view, his greasy locks hanging around his face rather like a mane.

"Master Billie?" said McLean, his beady eyes flitting from side to side. He looked as if he were thinking. "Ahm, didnae I see him leaving for the tournament?"

Fiona looked up, an intense expression on her serious young face. Aileen cringed. She might have known Billie would be heading to the races himself. Irritation prickled through Aileen. So, it was alright for him to go to the race, but not her?

Fiona also looked annoyed. "Och, he didnae say," she said. "Och, that means no one is in charge, wi' me an' Clyde both at the Greenock clan. Well, I'm sure ye'll manage for a day or two. McTavish will keep ye updated."

From the look on Fiona's face, she was not impressed. As McLean helped her to her horse, she harrumphed almost as much as the beast she was mounted on.