Page 47 of How to Woo a Highlander

Now, his greatest fear materialized, and his first thought was that the enemy had snatched her from under their noses. His emotions surged, anger riding the wave as he rushed out to find the Laird, a victim for his rage.

William had been in his study when the news reached him. He had spent the day sending express letters to the soldiers stationed in the various villages to assemble as quickly as possible. The castle seemed much emptier with Alastair gone. He was vaguely aware of the fact that Lain had mysteriously disappeared too, but Lain was fond of late nights and was most likely drowning his fears and sorrows in a whorehouse.

Lain had been shocked by the news of Alastair going to meet the enemy, and had even demanded why he’d accepted to send Alastair to his death. William had not known what to say. For the first time, he saw Lain truly annoyed as he stormed out of the room.

Alastair was more than just a friend; he was a brother and right hand. The thought of losing him felt like yanking the crutches from a lame man. Ever since the love of his life had left him heartbroken, the only thing William allowed himself to care about was being a good Laird and his friendship with Alastair.

He did not want to lose his best friend for the protection of his clan, but life had made him choose, not allowing him to be selfish. He had sent word to all of his forces, asking them to converge, but there was no magic he could perform to make them move faster. All he could do was hope that by some miracle, Alastair would not die before they could join him.

He had been thinking this when John Baxendale burst into the room, red with anger, and announced that his daughter was missing. William was still trying to process his first words when Mr. Baxendale followed them up with threats that his daughter must be found alive. He could see the governess holding him back and trying to calm him down.

He did not understand; there was no way that an enemy could sneak into the castle, was there? He had not been paying attention, had been distracted after Alastair left. However, the castle was locked down to protect them against enemies. How could Jane be taken from right under their noses?

"Jane could have left of her own accord!" the governess yelled over the voice of Mr. Baxendale. Both men stopped and turned to her in confusion.

"What?" they echoed together. The governess pressed a palm to her forehead, furious that she was standing in her nightdress between two men because her charge had willfully escaped the castle.

“Jane has a habit of sneaking out. You don’t know this, Mr. Baxendale, but it is something she is quite fond of doing. I was hoping that moving to new lands would deter her, but clearly, I was wrong.”

John Baxendale did not know what to say as even his anger was confused. His daughter engaged in truancy? Perhaps it was his fault. She had grown up without a mother, so why would she not behave like a man. If she had left on her own, did he still need to worry? Of course, he did. She had left the safety of the castle in a time of war! However, he had no one to be angry at but her.

“If she left the castle, where would she go? I will drag her back myself! You should have told me the very first time you saw her do this. To think she would do something so dangerous in a time of war, I didn’t think I raised a child to be so irresponsible,” John rambled.

Mary sighed, unsure if it would be right to answer truthfully when the Laird was in the room with them. The man was to be Jane’s husband, after all. This was why she had hoped to talk to Mr. Baxendale alone first, but he had rushed out to find the Laird before she could complete her thoughts.

“I believe that Jane might have followed Mr. Alastair,” she said stiffly. “I heard that he had gone to face the enemy and that it was a mission that was sure to kill him. Jane must have heard this and followed after him.”

While John Baxendale looked terrified, William was confused, the governess’s words made no sense to him.

“Why would Jane go after Alastair?” he asked, feeling as though he were missing something. The governess sighed deeply, regretting her confession.

“Jane thinks she has fallen in love with your right-hand man,” she said. William could feel his brows rise, and his eyes widen. He almost laughed, feeling like a fool. Jane had a romantic relationship with Alastair! It suddenly made sense why Jane had been so panicked when her father had arrived and why she had run after Alastair. He also understood why she did not want to marry him and why Alastair had been so upset lately. He wasn’t paying enough attention to the people around him.

“Don’t look so shocked. I believe this mess is your fault. What did you think would happen when you constantly pushed your responsibilities towards Jane onto him?” the governess chided.

He could only blink at her. He was not upset about the development in the slightest, so there was no reason for her to try to defend Jane. All he was worried about was the fact that he had failed both Jane and his friend. If Alastair felt the same way about her, was that what pushed him to the current sacrifice? William was struck with regret. He should not have given his permission.

John Baxendale’s thoughts were fueled with fear as he hurried to the Laird’s table and took a quill and some parchment. Since his daughter was involved, he had a reason to bring in his soldiers. It was a dangerous gamble, something he could get into trouble for, but he was too desperate to care. If Jane had followed the man called Alastair on a mission that was deemed suicidal, then only the worst could be expected. He did not want to imagine what would happen if she were caught by enemy soldiers.

He finished writing the order, and he returned the Laird’s quill. All he needed now was his seal.

“Laird William, we ride after my daughter tonight! Ready yourself and bring some men with medicine in case she is injured. I will send word to my soldiers and have them join in the fight. I will rescue my daughter by all means!” He thundered.

William stared at the man in alarm. “Mr. Baxendale, bringin’ yer men into this war is a risk for ye, and I am sure that Alastair will find her before she gets into any trouble; in fact, I am certain that he would send her straight back,” he added.

The older man whirled toward him, pointing at his chest. “I don’t care! I will not take any chances with my daughter’s life! None of you can protect her! So, you will get up this instant, and ye will lead me to where my daughter is!”

As both men left the room, John furious and William trying to placate him, Mary could only note that Jane had gotten her horrid impulsiveness from her father after all.

* * *

Alastair woke up in the forest, with Jane in his arms beneath the tree where they had made love, but he did not wake up peacefully. His body was alert, and his senses were screaming danger. He raised his head, scanning his surroundings suspiciously. It was the first light of dawn, but the forest was quieter than it should have been. Something was wrong.

He sat up quickly, taking Jane with him. He shook her awake desperately.

“Jane, wake up! Somethin’ is wrong!” he whispered fiercely. She had just opened her eyes and was looking at him groggily, asking what was wrong when he felt a disturbance in the air, raising his hand in time to catch the arrow that had been flying straight for his head.

Jane’s eyes widened in shock. His heart thudded in his chest as he looked up at his surroundings again and found enemy soldiers all around, standing from their formerly hidden positions behind trees and in the bushes, every single one with a bow and a knocked arrow aimed at him. Realizing the situation, Jane scrambled closer, a scream bubbling in her throat.