Page 40 of Savage Kilted Highlander

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It was with very mixed feelings that Bane finally spied Castle Ferniehurst up ahead, around noon the following day. He halted them on the tree line of the forest. They were situated parallel to the main road leading to the castle but sheltered from the view of anyone travelling along it, at least a quarter of a mile away.

“Look, Constance, there are the castle towers above the trees” Bane pointed, letting her follow his line of sight.

“Oh, yes,” she said without enthusiasm, clearly as worried as he was about the coming confrontation. “So, what is the plan?”

Before Bane could reply, his attention was snared by a group of soldiers traveling up the main road in the distance, away from the castle. His eyes swept over them, gauging their strength. One in particular caught his eyes. He gave a sharp intake of breath when he recognized him.

“What is it?” Constance asked, looking over at the men worriedly.

“’Tis Tav,” he answered in disbelief. He blinked before he looked again, just to make sure he was not imagining things. “Aye, ‘tis him all right. I’d recognize him anywhere.”

What is he doin’ riding with the laird’s men?

“He does not look like he is a prisoner. He is one of them, a soldier,” Constance said, echoing his own confused thoughts.

“Aye, it looks that way,” he replied absently, a flood of conflicting emotions washing over him. Relief at finding his brother alive battled inside him with a potent mixture of frustration and anger. “But if he’s been free all this time, then why has he nae tried tae contact me tae tell me so? Why is he travelin’ as a soldier with Kerr’s forces?” he murmured, frowning darkly, his fists clenching on the horse’s bridle.

Constance placed a calming hand on his arm, sensing the storm brewing within him. “Perhaps you should not make assumptions just yet. There may be a good explanation for it. Obviously, you must find some way of speaking to him to find out the truth.”

Without answering, he began moving them out of the trees, in the direction of the party of soldiers. But then he stopped again, reconsidering the wisdom of approaching just then. There were about twenty men, all armed. He knew that if he confronted them, he would be badly outnumbered and risked being killed or captured before he could even get to speak to Tav. The realization that he would have to wait until he could get Tav alone to speak to him was a bitter pill to swallow. In addition, seeing Tav a free man, dressed in Kerr’s livery and riding among his men brought him to a final decision about something that had been tearing him apart the closer they came to the castle.

He let go of the bridle and, turning to Constance, took both her hands in his. Looking into her questioning brown eyes as she stared up at him, he told her, “Constance, I… I have been thinkin’ fer the past few days and I cannae use ye as me bargaining chip in the ransom anymore. I shouldnae have done that tae ye. I’m lettin’ ye go. Ye’re free, free tae go wherever ye wish.”

He had been thinking a lot about what he had just told her, although he had not fully decided yet how to go about it until that moment. When he had left the inn that morning a few days before to hand his letter to a messenger for her father, he had realized he just couldn’t go ahead with his plan. It was not only his guilt that had stopped him, but also the feelings that he had started developing for Constance. Thus, he had gone to buy her the dress and decided they would spend a few days resting before taking her to her family.

She looked back at him, her eyes wide with shock and incomprehension. “What? What are you saying, Bane? I do not understand.”

“I’m sayin’ that I cannae keep ye as me hostage any longer. It cannae use ye fer me own ends. Ye should go on yer own accord, nae because I’ve forced ye there. Ye’re free tae go.”

Her response surprised him. Without the slightest hesitation, she shook her head vigorously, squeezing his hands as she said, “No. I have already told you; I am not going anywhere without you. I shall stay with you and help you to save your brother, whatever the risks.”

Bane was deeply moved by her show of determination and loyalty. He knew she meant every word. But there was too much danger. “Nay, Constance, ’tis nae safe fer ye. I couldnae live with mesel’ if anythin’ bad happened tae ye because of me. Ye must leave me tae deal with Tav and go tae the castle tae be with yer sister.”

“I will not,” she retorted stubbornly, the small, determined line he knew so well appearing before her brows.

He ran a distracted hand through his hair. “Ach, God, why d’ye havetae be so stubborn, woman?”

“Because I want to stay with you. And that is what I shall do, whatever happens.”

Seeing he would not persuade her, he realized he had to relent, at least for the time being. “I want naethin’ more than the stay with ye,” he said finally. “But ye must obey me every command tae stay safe.”

“I will. What shall we do? Follow them and see where they are going?”

“Aye. But keep right behind me, so I can track them without them spottin’ us.”

They mounted the horses and set off, keeping just within the tree line for cover as they skirted the edge of the forest, watching the group of soldiers up ahead. However, the pursuit proved more challenging than Bane had anticipated. The men turned off the main road and descended into the forest, following winding trackways leading through areas dense with trees and undergrowth, leaving few telltale signs of their passing.

Bane tracked them as best he could, with Constance trailing behind, but as time went on, he knew the distance between them and the men was growing, and he would soon lose all trace of them. Eventually, as he feared, he lost their trail completely. Then, when he dismounted and looked for signs of their passing, he heard the sound of horsemen only a few yards away from, up on a high ridge. Before they could spot him, he dived to get himself, Constance, and the horses under cover.

“It is the same men,” Constance whispered to him as they crouched behind a thicket out of sight, watching the men on the ridge ride past.

His frustration mounting, Bane cursed under his breath. “Aye, they must have doubled back somehow. That was too close fer me likin’,” he said when the men had gone and they emerged from their hiding place, not liking to think of what would have happened had they been seen.

“I think we should stop for a while, find somewhere safe to rest, and regain our strength before we continue,” she suggested. “By the looks of it, Tav will not be going far. We can find him again tomorrow, hopefully, in safer circumstances, and you will be able to talk to him alone.”

Reluctantly, Bane nodded, admitting it would be sensible to do as she said. “All right. Let’s go this way.” He gestured with his chin to a track leading off to their left. “There’s a small village on the moor a few miles ahead where we should be safe enough fer the night. But ye’d best keep yer hood up in case anybody sees ye and thinks ye’re Lady Agnes,” he warned.