“I’ve been thinking on it, Kate. I sent Forbes back on purpose. I feel better knowing that if we are held fer ransom, Forbes is on the outside to help us instead of held captive with us.”
“Aye,” Kate said thoughtfully, even though she would have preferred to be held captive with Forbes at their side. Still, it made better sense to have him on the outside to help.
A few moments had passed as each woman thought over their current predicament. It was Judith who finally broke the silence when an idea suddenly hatched in her more than devious mind.
“Kate, dear,” she began with a wry smile on her lips. “How long has it been since ye used yer talents as a spy or yer feminine wiles?”
Kate smiled coyly as if she had no idea what her mistress meant.
~~~
Findley and his men were not far from the Buchannan keep when they came across a small band of men and carriages stuck in the mud.
Angus held up his hand to bring his band of warriors to a halt. He took a moment to study the scene before him. How many times did reivers use the ruse of a carriage accident before pouncing on unsuspecting travellers? Thankfully, Angus had eighty men beside him. He doubted seriously any reivers would take the chance of attacking such a large number of men.
He sent one of his men ahead to get a better idea of what was happening. The man rode ahead, spoke for a few minutes to whoever was in charge and returned to Angus in short order.
“’Tis Lady Judith Kinleigh’s carriage, m’laird!” the warrior exclaimed. “One of the wheels broke and got stuck in the mud and they’re doin’ their best to repair it.”
“Is Lady Kinleigh well?” Angus asked. He had met Lady Kinleigh on more than one occasion, but it had been some time since he’d last seen her. He remembered she had a most beguiling smile and a temper just as dangerous.
“Nay,” his warrior told him. “They’ve taken her to seek refuge-” his sentence was broken by the sound of men on horseback rapidly approaching the carriage.
Angus and his men watched and moments later the mounted men rode toward them.
“I’m Forbes Stewart,” the middle rider announced as he approached Angus. “I’m guard to Lady Kinleigh,” he said as he eyed Angus and his men closely. “Who might ye be?”
“I be Angus McKenna, chief of the Clan MacDougall. Is Lady Kinleigh well?”
The relief in Forbes face and body was quite evident. “Thank God! I thought you might be more of them.”
“More of who?” Angus asked.
“More of Malcolm Buchannan’s men! We had to find refuge for Lady Judith and her maid. The storm was somethin’ fierce, I tell ye! We didna know it, but the keep we sought is Malcolm Buchannan’s.”
Angus sat up taller in his saddle as Findley, Wee William and Richard appeared beside him.
“Findley, this is Forbes Stewart, Lady Kinleigh’s guard,” Angus said as means of an introduction.
Forbes gave Findley a nod and continued. “Lady Kinleigh and her maid are now inside the Buchannan keep,” he said with more than a hint of anger and distress in his voice.
“What?” Findley asked.
“We didna know it was the Buchannan keep,” Forbes explained. “We had to get the lady and her maid out of the storm. We sought refuge at the nearest keep.”
Findley’s chest constricted. How many more people was he going to have to rescue from the hands of Malcolm Buchannan?
“Is Malcolm holding them hostage then?” Angus asked.
Forbes shook his head. “Nay, at least no’ yet! I’m certain Lady Kinleigh knows just who he is, that’s why she insisted I leave under the guise of fixin’ her carriage. But she did allow two of my best men to stay behind with her.”
Angus and Findley looked at each other for a long moment before turning back to Forbes.
“Do ye think Malcolm will allow her to leave?” Angus asked.
“I’m canna be sure. But,” Forbes stopped to think on the events that had taken place at the castle.
“But what?” Angus asked.
Forbes pursed his lips together before letting out a quick sigh. “He didn’t appear like the Malcolm Buchannan I hear so much about.”
“What do ye mean?” Findley asked.
“Well, he did have the horrible scar and the milky eye. But he was clean-shaven, well kempt, and his keep was immaculate. It goes against all the stories that I’ve heard. He didn’t appear tetched, filthy, or deranged. In fact,” he stopped to think on it for a moment, running the events through his mind. Angus cast him a look that bade him to continue.
“Well, I canna think of any other way to put it. But Malcolm acted like a fine gentleman.”
Angus and Findley cast surprised looks at Forbes and then to each other. Malcolm Buchannan a fine gentleman? Nay, ’twas impossible.
“Are ye sure ’twas him?” Angus asked, unable to believe what he had just been told.
“Aye, as sure as I am of anythin’. ’Twas him, but he said he was Laird Malcolm, and didna use his last name.”
“Well that puts a knot in things, doesn’t it?” Wee William said as he pulled his horse to the front and turned to face Angus.
Forbes and his men did not hide their surprise when Wee William rode to the front of the group. They’d never seen such a large man before.
The group discussed their options. Forbes’ main concern was for his mistress and a certain young maid. The possibility that there was a wee lad and another woman held captive made things even worse.
As they talked, Robert and Andrew grew curious. They pulled their horses and quietly walked to the front to see what was happening. Robert listened intently as they men discussed the different ways of gaining access to the keep and what to do to protect the women and child behind its walls.
As the men talked and Robert listened carefully, Findley’s eyes fell upon the lad. After a few moments, a smile came to Findley’s face along with a twinkle in his eye.
“Gentlemen,” he said as he turned to look at the men before him. “I believe I’ve found our way in.”
Curious eyes fell to Findley who was smiling at Robert. Their gazes followed his and soon all eyes were fixed on Robert.
Robert’s dream of becoming a warrior was going to become a reality far sooner than he had hoped for.
~~~
Kate walked the deathly quiet halls of the Buchannan keep in her bare feet, her silk chemise, and a blanket draped around her. She walked as stealthily as a king’s spy, hiding in shadows, nooks and crannies. This wasn’t the first time she had done such a thing, and not the first lady she’d ever crept about in the dark gathering information for.
Kate was very good at this, had done it dozens of times for dozens of different reasons. Still, she knew that overconfidence could lead to her death. She’d tempted fate once before and didn’t want to do it again.
Her search of the third floor led to nothing but mostly empty rooms save for the one she and her lady occupied, one that she had to assume was the laird’s for it was decorated very handsomely, and a third where a small child slept. She thought little of it and assumed the child might belong to Malcolm. From what she could see, he slept in a very nice bed and an appropriately appointed room. A small pup slept curled up against the child’s back. They looked so peaceful that no alarm warnings went off for her.
She did manage to find a set of servants’ stairs that allowed her access to the other floors of the keep.
Ever so quietly, she tiptoed down the back staircase and into a long corridor on the second floor. She was able to use the keyholes to peer in without having to open any doors and taking the risk that a rusty hinge would give her away. Some of the rooms were empty while others were filled with big, snoring men.
She searched for only one thing: information. She needed to find out if the Buchannan planned on holding Lady Judith for ransom. With her ears straining to hear any little sound, she crept down the hallway, keeping her back to the cold walls.
When she came to th
e end of the corridor she noticed it spilled out into a wide and open walkway. She could see straight into the grand gathering room, which fortunately for her was now empty. The fire had died down and only low burning embers remained.
She muttered a curse, quickly made her way to the other end of the corridor and turned right. There was another long hallway that she reckoned led back toward the servants’ staircase.
Keeping her eyes on where she was going and her ears on sharp alert, she peeked into one room after another with no luck. Not even a wee mouse could be found in any of these rooms.
As she bent to peer into the last room on the left, she was surprised to find a key in the lock. Where none of the other rooms she had found thus far appeared locked, this one had a key on the outside.
Kate pressed her ear to the door and listened, her heart pounding. She had stumbled upon something, but what, she did not know. Instinct told her that whatever lay hidden on the other side of the door, was important.
Her heart pounded so loudly that she could no longer hear anything but the rushing of blood in her ears. She cast a quick glance down the empty hallway and noticed then there were no torches at this end. She could risk opening the door only to listen. Her keen hearing and her instincts would guide her the rest of the way.
As quietly as she could, she slowly turned the key. A moment later, she heard the quiet click as the door unlocked. Taking a deep breath, Kate very slowly pushed the door in and listened.
~~~
Maggy’s thirst and hunger was so great that she would have agreed to nearly anything for just one swallow of water and a half a slice of bread. Every muscled burned and ached and she would have done nearly anything to have the shackles removed so that she could collapse onto the cold floor.
How many hours she had been hanging on the wall with the tips of her toes barely touching the floor? She could not begin to guess. Her arms had gone numb so long ago that she wondered if she’d ever regain the use of them.
She had cried until she had no more tears left. She was breaking, she could feel it and she prayed that Findley would forgive her. She simply could bear no more.
Maggy hadn’t heard the door unlock but she had felt a rush of warm air come across her feet when the door opened. He’s back, she thought to herself. I canna take anymore. Profound dread flooded her veins. She was going to give in, agree to marry him only so he’d let her down, let her drink, eat and bathe. Her limit, she reckoned, had been reached.
Taking deep breath she used what little energy she had left to lift her head and look up, fully expecting to see Malcolm standing in the doorway with that sick and sinister smile on his face. He’d take one look at her and he would know that he had won.
“Maggy!” came the sound of a very shocked and surprised voice from the doorway. The voice wasn’t Malcolm’s.
The shock and surprise was overwhelming. Kate had recognized her the moment Maggy had lifted her head. She stood in stunned silence for several more moments, with her hand to her lips.
Kate whispered her name before stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. She raced to Maggy, reaching out and touching the shackles.
“Kate?” Maggy asked, her throat was so dry, it was all she could do just to whisper.
“Maggy!” Kate cried, trying to keep her voice low. “What on earth is going on? Why do they have ye chained like this? Och! Maggy!”
Maggy could not speak. She was in shock, and for a moment wondered if she weren’t dreaming or had finally succumbed to madness.
“Maggy!” Kate exclaimed again. “Where is the key?”
Maggy shook her head and tried to explain. Kate had to lean in close in order to hear her. “The guard has it,” Maggy managed to scratch out.
Kate muttered a slew of curses that would have made even the most hardened of men blush like maidens. “Why? Why do they have ye chained?”
Maggy couldn’t answer; she didn’t have the strength to. “Water,” she begged.
Kate looked around the room and found a pitcher of water on the floor by the bed. She grabbed it and raced back to Maggy, holding the pitcher up to her lips.
Maggy drank greedily, not caring how long the water had been there. It ran down her chin, her neck and down the front of her dress. It didn’t matter.
When she had finally had her fill, she still felt like death warmed over, but at least she could speak. Seeing Kate here was like a breath of fresh air and her presence began to energize her.
“Kate, is it really you?” she asked, her voice still rough and her throat still quite sore.
“Aye, Maggy, ’tis me,” she said as she wiped Maggy’s face and neck with the hem of her blanket. “What are ye doin’ chained to the wall?”
Kate could hardly believe that Lady Margaret was here! The last time she had seen her was more than three years ago, right before Maggy was carried away in the back of a hay cart. Kate had been her maid then, her friend and companion as well. It had nearly broken Kate’s heart in two to have to say goodbye.
“Malcolm Buchannan,” Maggy said. “He’s mad! He chained me here when I refused his offer of marriage!”
Kate’s eyes grew wide with that bit of news. “Nay!” She couldn’t blame Maggy for refusing the man for she’d have answered in similar fashion.
“He has me son, Kate! He has Ian.”
Kate’s eyebrows knitted into an angry glare. “The whoreson!”
“Aye, Kate, please, ye must get help!”
Kate’s mind raced for a plausible solution. It would take them a few days to reach Aberdeen with all the mud the rain had left behind. She could insist that some of their soldiers ride ahead and get help from Laird Kinleigh, but it would take days to accomplish that.
“Kate, there is a man, a good man,” Maggy began speaking so quickly it was hard for Kate to keep up. “His name is Findley McKenna, he’s of the Clan MacDougall. He was helping me when Traig took me and brought me here. Ye must find Findley, tell him I am well and haven’t married Malcolm yet! Please Kate, promise ye’ll find him!”
The desperation in Maggy’s voice was enough to bring tears to Kate’s eyes. She was doing her best to keep up and remember everything Maggy was telling her. But the mention of Traig’s name caused her to pause. “Traig?” she asked, uncertain she had heard correctly.
“Aye, our Traig! He’s no’ dead. There’s no time to explain! Ye must hurry Kate, before they discover ye here. Please Kate, remember Findley McKenna! Go, lass, hurry!”
Kate did not want to leave her, but knew she could not risk staying any longer. She had to get back to Lady Judith and let her know what she had found.
Kate quickly embraced Maggy and kissed her forehead. “Maggy, I swear to ye I’ll get help. I’ll find yer Findley and we’ll come back, I promise!”
Maggy forced a smile to her lips before shooing the young woman out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Maggy hung her head and cried.
~~~
“Are ye certain?” Lady Judith asked, still unable to believe that one floor below her, Lady Margaret de Menteith was chained to a wall.
“Aye, m’lady, as certain as yer standing before me now! He has her chained because she has refused to marry him.”
Judith shook her head in disbelief and paced in front of the fireplace. Her mind raced between a way to rescue Lady Margaret and a way to kill Malcolm Buchannan.
Judith stopped pacing and felt the dresses and petticoats that hung near the fire. They were still damp, but not so damp that she couldn’t wear them.
“Quickly Kate, help me to dress,” she whispered as she lifted the petticoats and stepped into them.
Kate stood behind her and quickly tied the long string into a bow. As she helped her lady to dress, she filled her in on the rest. Kate told her of Maggy’s son Ian, and of Traig, but could not answer Judith’s question on how or why he was alive nor why he had brought Maggy to this God forsaken place.
“What are ye plannin’ on doin’?”
she asked as she reached for the kirtle.
“I do no’ ken just yet.” Judith told her. Her mind searched rapidly for a plan of action. “Do no’ tie it too tightly, Kate,” Judith told her. “If I need to run a man through, I don’t want any constraints.”
Kate giggled, knowing full well her lady was not being anything but honest. Lady Judith was not your typical genteel lady, in that she didn’t wile away her hours with needlework and painting. Lady Judith, who would soon be turning forty, liked to spend her days practicing archery, fencing and riding.
Kate lifted the dress over Judith’s head and began lacing up the back. When she was finished, Judith helped Kate with her own dress and laces.
Just as they were putting on their slippers, a knock came at their door. They cast fearful glances at each other. For the second time tonight, Kate felt her heart slip to her toes.
“Heaven help us,” whispered Judith.
“Aye,” Kate said, “Heaven help us.”
Judith sat in the chair by the fire, steeling her nerves for whatever might be about to happen next. She had a sgian dubh attached to each of her thighs, one tucked into the pocket of her kirtle, and yet another tucked carefully in the sleeve of her left arm. No one could say she was ever ill prepared.
Kate herself was just as well armed. As a woman, she knew men might have the upper hand when it came to brute strength. Being a woman often afforded her the appearance of innocence. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Judith gave Kate a nod of her head signalling her to open the door. Kate took a deep breath and pulled the door open. Standing before her was a lad of no more than fourteen and he was wearing one of her soldier’s uniforms. She recognized the young boy, though he had grown several inches since last she’d seen him.
“Miss Kate,” Robert said with as steady a voice as he could manage. When Forbes had told him the maid’s name was Kate, Robert had not thought for a moment that it would have been Maggy’s Kate. He was beyond surprised to see her here as well as grateful. Kate had helped them once before and would, more likely than not, help them again.
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