Page 76 of The Laird’s Wrong Wife

“That ground willnae carry them,” Ceana said. She pointed below the orchard, where the plants rose stubbornly. “Can ye see how uneven that path is? It is because water gathers there beneath the turf. Horses unfamiliar with it will sink to their knees.”

Oscar followed her finger. “Then how do the people reach the castle?”

“Behind that path,” Ceana said, pointing slightly to the left.

“Can men on horses pass?”

“Only in a single file from here. But the lane widens near the orchard.”

Niall shifted his injured arm. “It was open when I came through. Gilmore’s men were watchin’ the visible track.”

Oscar called Lennan forward. “Take the leadin’ riders along that path and reinforce Morrag’s western line. Send four men through to the postern with word that MacKane has arrived. The rest dismount before the narrow ground.”

Lennan looked once toward the gorse Ceana had identified. “Along the path, then into the western lane?”

“Aye. Bowmen, take the higher ground beside the orchard.” Oscar drew his sword. “I will strike Bryce’s western force and drive them away from the entrance.”

The men were moving before Lennan reached the bottom of the ridge.

Oscar led Ceana toward a broken section of the orchard wall. Two guards took positions on either side while another man helped Niall sit against the stones.

“Ye remain behind that wall until I come for ye,” he said.

“I can identify Morrag men and the signals from this place.”

“Then give what ye ken to the guards. Ye willnae approach the line.”

He leaned down and swept her cloak aside. His fingers closed around the sheath at her hip, testing its position before shifting it within easier reach. His knuckles grazed her waist, and Paisley’s ribbon briefly tickled his wrist. Her lower belly tightened at the contact while he checked the knife with rigid care.

After the sheath sat correctly, he kept hold of her reins. “Behind the wall,” he repeated, his voice quieter. “Until I come for ye.”

“Bring me parents out alive.”

He looked toward the postern, then returned his gaze to her. “I will find them.”

He released the reins and rode away before she could answer.

His raised sword sent his men toward the western lane. Lennan’s force emerged from behind the stone path and struck Bryce’s men on ground they had tested and found to be secure. The Gilmore line turned toward the new threat, giving the defenders near the other path even more room to advance.

Oscar joined the fighting at the front. He caught the first descending blow on his sword and drove the attacker aside. A second man rushed him. He turned, struck once, and moved forward while the Gilmore soldier fell away behind him. When men crowded the lane, he pulled his force back two paces, opened space, then sent them forward together.

Ceana gripped the broken stone until its edge dug through her glove. She watched intently as men moved within the smoke, their bodies reduced to dark shapes. Then Oscar’s command carried across the slope, and the MacKane line shifted toward his voice.

He emerged near the postern a while later, forcing two Gilmore men away from its narrow approach.

A guard beside Ceana lifted his bow toward a defender scrambling through a gap in the orchard.

“That is a Morrag man,” she said. “The brown plaid. His name is Alasdair.”

The guard lowered his bow. “Aye, me Lady.”

A white cloth appeared above the lower side door and was swept twice across the opening.

“They mean to pass wounded men through,” Ceana explained. “Tell Lennan to keep the lane clear.”

One guard ran the message forward. Moments later, MacKane shields closed around the short stretch outside the side door, creating a narrow corridor to the orchard.

The door opened, and soon enough, two wounded defenders stumbled through with help from men inside. Heather appeared behind them.