Page 293 of Wicked Highland Heroes

Chapter Twenty-Four

Derek surprised Talbot when he gently laid Taresa back on the ground, then rose and stepped into his saddle. He kicked his horse’s ribs and said not a word when Talbot and Seward caught up with him. What was there to say? Derek was right. Taresa was under Talbot’s protection. She’d been in his home, where she should have been safe.

They rode twenty minutes in silence when a curl of smoke came into view, rising from the wooded hills ahead.

“Whose land is this?” Talbot asked. They had left Glenbarr’s property half an hour ago and now rode through unfamiliar territory.

“The far eastern edge of my land,” Seward replied. “The cottage belongs to David Morrison. He tends cattle for me. It is another four-hour ride to Davey’s. Mayhap your brother stopped to rest.”

“If he did, he will have killed your man. Does Morrison have a family?”

“His wife, Diana.”

Guilt washed over Talbot when he realized he hoped Dayton had stopped there.

They crested the next hill and Talbot glimpsed a cottage amongst the trees. Three horses stood before it, heads hung low, reins tied to a nearby tree.

A low growl emanated from Sir Derek’s chest and he leaned low in the saddle in readiness to ride hard.

“Hold,” Talbot commanded.

The knight’s head snapped in his direction.

“They have not seen us,” Talbot said. “When they do, Dayton will threaten Morrison and his wife. We have the element of surprise.” Talbot recognized the cold fury in Derek’s eyes and said, “I will slay you where you sit, Sir Derek.”

Defiance flashed in the man’s eyes, but he said, “As you say, laird.”

They left the horses out of sight below the crest of the hill, topped the ridge, and crept downhill, keeping to the trees. At the side of the cottage, Talbot motioned for Seward and Derek to stay, then he inched around to the front window and peered through the window frame. Inside, a woman pulled a kettle off the fire. She appeared at ease. Had Dayton presented himself as a friend? Rhoslyn might not sound the alarm for fear of causing harm to the man and woman. A man came into view at the hearth and Talbot recognized Carr.

Where was Rhoslyn? Where was his brother?

He returned to Seward and Derek.

“They are inside. I did not see Rhoslyn or Dayton.”

Seward glanced past him and Talbot saw in his eyes the same impulse to storm the cottage.

“If we wait until they leave,” Seward said, “We may avoid harm to the women.”

Talbot nodded. “Is there another window in the cottage?”

“The other side. Where the bed is.”

“Stay here.”

Talbot crept around the cottage to the other side. A fur covered the window, but the shutters stood open. He reached in and slid a finger between the curtain and frame. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end an instant before the cold steel of a sword point pricked his neck.

“You should have gone with Sir Roland.”

Dayton.

His brother’s voice carried not a hint of emotion, which meant Dayton would kill him without thought, without remorse.

Talbot spun. The sword point drew a line from the back of his neck to his jaw. He ducked. Dayton brought his sword down in a wide arc. Talbot yanked his sword from its scabbard and swung upward. Steel clanged against steel an instant before Dayton’s blade would have cleaved his skull.

Dayton swung and lunged, forcing Talbot back. His shoulder crashed into the cottage wall, but he jabbed. Dayton leapt back. Talbot pressed him into retreat. Dayton parried.

“The child is mine,” Dayton said.