Page 41 of A Laird and a Healer

“It was the Gilmour Clan, sir. They sent a party tae infiltrate the castle and set the fire. We believe they were after them,” he nodded towards Nessa and Tara, who looked self-conscious.

Caroline winced. After all this, they still weren’t safe. She thought being harbored in their enemy’s keep would have been sanctuary enough, but apparently not.

“What’s the status of the fire?” Ryan asked.

“We hae almost got it under control. It hae been contained tae a wing of the Keep. We sealed the doors shut tae prevent the fire from reaching other areas. I’m afraid tae say that there hae been a lot of damage, but we hae all been trying our best tae put it out,” the guard replied.

“And ye shall all feast well for yer efforts,” Ryan clapped the man on the shoulder, nodding to him with respect. “Carry on with ye, and gather any man who is nae needed tae help with the fire. I need tae speak with them. This attack cannae pass without vengeance,” Ryan’s voice was harsh and heavy with ire.

Caroline could sense how much this would rankle him. It was a matter of pride for him to keep enemies from invading his territory, and this brazen attack had happened directly in his home! It was an affront to the promise he had made to his people. Her uncle certainly knew how to strike at someone’s heart.

“Ryan, I’m sae sorry.”

“This is nae yer fault. It’s the work of yer uncle, and I will make him pay,” he growled.

“Are ye certain that’s nae what he wants? What if ye are walking intae a trap?”

“Then I will show him that it’s nae sae easy tae trap me. He burned my home, sae as soon as dawn light touches the land I will attack him and make him wish he hae never been born.” He turned back to the guard. “What happened tae the men who set the fire?”

“As soon as they were noticed, they ran. We were about tae send a patrol after them, but the fire took hold, and we thought all hands were needed tae put it out.”

“Aye,” Ryan nodded. “Sae it was a distraction,” he regarded Nessa and Tara with a cool look. “As soon as the fire hae been doused ye are gaeing back intae the Keep where ye are safe,” he jabbed a finger in the air. Then he turned to Caroline. “Ye tae, Caroline.”

Her heart sank. “But Ryan, I can help ye. I can⁠—”

He cut her words short by slashing his hand through the air. “This is nae a discussion. Ye need tae be safe, and I will nae allow ye tae be anywhere near a battlefield. As soon as yer uncle catches sight of ye he is liable tae shoot tae kill just as he is tae kidnap ye. The guards will keep ye safe here.”

“I am nae gaeing tae spend my life behind a locked door! Hae ye learned naething from taeday? We make a more formidable pair taegether,” Caroline insisted.

But Ryan wasn’t having any of it. His face was lined with worry, and he was pacing about. However, Caroline did not have to make the argument alone.

“They came here because of us. They hurt people because of us. That is nae right. He is our uncle and we cannae allow him tae carry out these dark deeds in our name. I can shoot a bow better than any man ye hae,” Nessa declared, the whites of her eyes stark against her smudged features.

“And I can help the healers. Nessa is right. They were only here for us, and it’s nae right that others should fight on our behalf,” Tara said.

Caroline added to their defiant looks. “We speak sense, Ryan. This is our fight, tae. Ye hae tae let us be a part of it. If ye respect me at all, then ye will allow use tae come with ye.”

For a moment, she thought that Ryan was going to listen to her. There was a glimmer in his eyes that suggested he might actually grant her request, but then he gritted his teeth and shook his head.

“It’s tae dangerous. He will be looking for ye. At least if we take the fight tae him, then he cannae sneak behind us. Stay here. Ye will be safe. I will come back for ye. I promised tae protect ye and that’s exactly what I am daeing. Ye wanted me tae stay true tae my word, Caroline. Ye cannae expect me tae break it now.”

His words flew as swiftly as arrows, and Caroline was left reeling by the intensity in his eyes. He snapped his fingers and called a few guards over, assigning them to protect Caroline and her sisters. Nessa and Tara huddled close beside her as Ryan stormed away, bellowing for his guards to gather beside him as he planned the attack against the Gilmour clan.

She thought of it as her clan, but she wasn’t so sure any longer. The men who had thrown their lot in with her uncle were doing things that went against all the values her father had espoused. But the clan was bigger than the army, she reminded herself. It was made up of the servants, the healers, the children, the ministers, the hard-working villagers who broke their backs every day to eke out what little they could from the land. Ultimately, these were the ones who were going to suffer the most.

“There hae tae be something we can dae. We cannae just stay here,” Nessa exclaimed, forming tight balls of tension with her hands.

“I’m afraid that’s exactly what we hae tae dae. We cannae join the army. The Laird hae given his orders, and we must obey,” she said, glancing at the guards.

Her mind worked fiercely, trying to think of a way that she could escape and fight against her uncle, but Ryan had seen to it that their safety was paramount. And wasn’t that what she had wanted for him all this time?

Caroline, Nessa, and Tara were locked in again. The guards were outside their door. It didn’t really matter that this time it was for their own protection. They were still captives, still prevented from doing what they wanted.

“What’s gaeing tae happen? Why is Uncle daeing this?” Tara wondered in a small voice. She had her knees drawn into her chest and was hugging them tightly.

“I’m afraid that he’s worse than we thought,” Caroline said, and explained about how Ryan had a spy, and how he suspected her uncle of poisoning their father.

Nessa cursed under her breath, and Tara put her head in her hands.