“We shall wait, Ruari Ross. The truth of who is telling the truth will come out.” Laird Mackenzie waved a maid closer. “Bring ale and food. We shall share a meal with our guest.”
Chapter Nine
“I am so happy ye will stay here for a few days,” Esme told Catriona as they slowly made their way down for the evening meal. Her maid walked alongside her to ensure she did not stumble. As much as Esme appreciated the effort, being treated like an invalid was becoming annoying. She was steady and able to walk without much discomfort.
The great room was not full on that day. There were only her family and several guards at the tables. She noted that Calum had returned. He sat at a table with other council members who’d come from the village and farms to meet.
Her mother motioned for Esme and Catriona to join her, her father and brother at the high board.
“Everyone seems in good humor,” Catriona remarked sarcastically, her gaze directly at Keithen.
“I suppose ye’re right. The idea of the marriage celebration and not having to worry overmuch does have everyone in good spirits.”
“Not yer brother,” Catriona said with a light shrug.
Esme studied Keithen. “My brother takes matters much too seriously. I worry about him at times.”
They sat and were immediately served. Esme searched for Ruari. Neither he nor her uncle were present. Perhaps Ruari had stayed over there for last meal. It was customary, after all, to invite guests to eat with the family.
A guard hurried in from the courtyard. He rounded the table and spoke in soft tones to her father and Keithen.
The men stood and hurried out of the room toward the courtyard.
At noticing what was happening, Calum also got to his feet and went out after them.
“What happened?” Esme asked her mother. “Did ye hear?”
Her mother frowned. “Something about a horse. I did not hear more than that.”
Esme shrugged. “Perhaps one of father’s horses has been injured.”
Moments later, the same guard entered and went to the table where guards and archers were eating. “Ye must all come to the courtyard at once.”
Without hesitation, the men got to their feet and hurried out.
“Come,” Esme called to the man who’d brought the message. The guard looked to the departing men, seeming to consider if he should respond. Finally, he hurried up to the high board.
“Yes, Lady Esme?”
“What is happening?”
“Leave it be, it is not our concern,” her mother said with annoyance.
Esme ignored her. “Why is everyone being summoned?”
“The man who is visiting, Ross, his horse returned without him. We think that perhaps he was injured or attacked while riding back from the other keep.”
Esme gasped and got to her feet. The quick action caused pain, but she ignored it.
“Where are ye going?” Her mother grabbed her wrist. “This is not a matter for women to become involved in.”
Unable to keep from it, she snatched her hand away. “Mother, will ye please stop repeating that? I do not care what my place is at the moment. The man I am betrothed to may be hurt. I must know what is going on.”
There was chaos in the courtyard. Men were mounting horses and joining into teams as her brother shouted out orders. Her father stood with the stablemaster, their heads together as they looked over Ruari’s unruly horse who fought against four men that attempted to pull it into a corral.
The animal rose to its hind legs, the giant hooves kicking in the air.
“Let him go!” Esme screamed. “Release him.”
The startled men did as she asked and the horsed bolted toward the gate. Keithen gave her a puzzled look and then turned to his men. “Follow the horse.”
Half of the men galloped after the animal, while the other half waited for instructions from her father.
“Take my message to the Mackenzie,” he called out.
Twelve men rode out.
Her father, with Calum alongside, walked to a side doorway that would lead down a corridor that went directly to his study.
Just before going in, Calum looked to her. Something about his expression, almost gleeful, made a shiver of apprehension travel through her.
“I am famished.” Her mother returned inside and everyone else in the courtyard returned to their duties. Within moments, it was as if nothing of importance had occurred.
“What is it?” Catriona asked, studying Esme.
With a shudder, Esme fought not to allow tears of fear to fall. “I am afraid of what happened to him. What if the Mackenzie is responsible?”
“Do ye think? It is possible he fell off his horse. There are many possibilities.” Catriona placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.
She could not shed the feeling that something horrible had happened. Somehow, the Mackenzie must have learned of a Ross being there. There were always spies who worked for an opponent in exchange for coin. If someone had informed the Mackenzie, it meant the man would do what was necessary to stop them from uniting with a larger clan.
“If only that dreadful man would just let us be. I will never forgive myself if something horrible has happened to Ruari. He came only to help us.”
Catriona walked alongside her to the garden where they settled onto a bench. “Ye care for him already.”
At the statement, Esme huffed. “I do not know him enough to care for him strongly, but I do care what happens to him. Ruari should not have to pay for this.”
A tear trickled down her cheek and she brushed it away. “I am so tired of having to constantly worry. Do we have any chance to beat the inevitable?”
Catriona shrugged. “I do not know.”
“Come with me.” Esme got up and hurried to the center of the courtyard where guards were gathered. She ignored the twinges of pain when her injuries protested the fast movements.
She walked to a guardsman she’d known her entire life. “Timothy, may I have a word?”
The guard nodded and walked to where she and Catriona stood next to a well. “What can I do for ye, Lady Esme?”
“Oh, stop that,” Esme said, waving away his words. “Ye know I do not require formalities. Did anyone who lives here travel away from here in the last few days?”
The gate guard was used to her being overly curious, so he wasn’t surprised by her question. Timothy’s eyebrows moved low as he considered her question. “Several. Two guardsmen went to help at the Munro farm. One went north to visit his ailing mother.”
“Who was that?” Esme asked, the skin on the back of her neck prickling.
“Edgar.”
Esme had never cared for the man, but she did not know him well since he’d only joined the guard late the prior year. “Anyone else?”
“Nay. I do not believe so.”
“Thank ye.”
Catriona studied Timothy and then Esme. She looked to the gates as if pondering movements people made throughout the day.
Catriona was curious by nature and quite intelligent as well. The daughter of the village miller, she had taught herself to read and write. “People can leave without it seeming odd. Many live outside the keep. Tracking where they go upon crossing the gates is impossible.”
“Very true, but I have to know who almost succeeded in killing me,” Esme said.
“What are ye thinking?”
“I have more questions to ask. If my suspicions are right, we have a spy in our midst.” Once inside the keep, Esme went to the kitchens. The head housekeeper, Eileen, looked up from a pot she was stirring. “Do ye wish to finish eating, Lady Esme?”
Esme motioned for the woman to come out to the corridor.
“What is it?”
“Eileen, do ye know the guard, Edgar? Is he from north of here?”
The housekeeper was known for her keen memory. The woman gave Esme a questioning look, but then replied, “He comes from a fishing village south of here. He came with two m
en, do ye not remember? The trio showed up in the dead of winter.”
Esme shook her head. “I do not recall.”
“He and two others said they had come from a village where everyone was slain by the marauders.”
Esme and Catriona exchanged looks.
“Did something happen?” Eileen asked.
Catriona replied, “If someone’s village in the south is overtaken, then one would suppose his mother would be included in those slain. Why would Edgar say that he would have to travel north to visit his mother?”
Eileen shook her head. “Men tell lies for all sorts of reasons. If we try to figure out why, we’d go mad.”
Back in the great room, her mother sat alone at the high board. She had a full plate of food which she picked at. Her eyes brightened at seeing them. “Esme, ye should not be traipsing about. It has not been long enough that ye will not injure yerself again.”
Esme hurried to the high board. “Mother, I am worried about Ruari Ross. I think he may have been taken by the Mackenzies.”
“Sit down. There is little we can do by worrying. I am sure yer brother and father have the matter well in hand.”
“I have learned something interesting about one of the guards. Perhaps he is a spy.”
Lady Fraser looked up to the ceiling as if tempering her patience. “Have ye given thought to what kind of flowers ye would like on the tables for yer wedding?” her mother asked. As always, she was unwilling to speak on subjects she considered not her place.
“If he is not found, there will not be a wedding,” Esme snapped. “Honestly, this is not the time to be thinking about flowers.”
Her mother let out a suffering sigh. “Too many freedoms. I have told yer father he allowed ye to get away with speaking freely for far too long. Now, ye try to think like a man.”
Esme looked toward the study. Once her father emerged, she’d try to get him alone and tell him of her discovery.
It was of no use to attempt to make her mother see the urgency in her discovery. Esme looked to Catriona. “Let us go up to my chamber. From the balcony, we can see when the men return.”
This time, her mother gave her an exhausted look. “I will ask a servant to bring ye both something to eat and honeyed mead. Ye need to rest.”
Inside her chamber, Esme hurried to the balcony. From her vantage point, the sun was low in the sky. Soon, it would set and darkness would fall. Her brother and his men would return then, hopefully with Ruari and the wild horse.
“He is very handsome, yer betrothed.” Catriona came and stood beside her but looked out to the horizon. “It would be a shame for anything to happen to him.”
“Aye, he is.” Esme thought back to the night before and how they’d pleasured one another. It had been so intimate and, at the same time, beautiful in a way.
The view from her balcony was perfect. Her chamber was close to the front corner of the house where she could see both out toward the forest and part of the courtyard. Keithen had the chamber next to hers. From his balcony, he had a clearer view of the front gates and courtyard.
“My brother will listen to reason. Perhaps I should speak to him upon his return. Wait up with me.”
Catriona nodded, a light flush coloring her cheeks.
“Is he the real reason ye stayed away for so long?”
The wind blew tendrils of hair across Esme’s face. She pushed it back and studied her friend who seemed to consider how much to share.
Finally, she nodded. “Aye. I saw him…with a woman. They were having an…intimate moment.”
“Oh, no. I am so sorry,” Esme touched her friend’s arm. “I know it must have been painful for ye.”
“It was. However, I am glad for it because, although I was heartbroken, I now see he will never care for me the way I wish it.” Catriona’s bottom lip quivered as she tried to smile. “I am foolish. I feel horrible for not coming to visit while ye were so ill.”
Her brother was a fool. Esme wanted to say something that would give Catriona hope. But at the same time, it was hard to tell what Keithen thought at any given point. He was so stern, rarely showed emotions.
“I remember once, he was upset over the death of his favorite hound,” Esme started and let out a long sigh. “I believe he was seven at the time. It was the only time I’ve seen Keithen cry. He is only two years older than I, but has always been so emotionally stable.”
Catriona shook her head. “I wonder.”
Keithen and his men returned late that night. With them was Ruari’s horse. The animal seemed tamer as they took him to the corral.
At the keep doorway, Esme waited for her brother to speak to several men before they all disbanded and headed to find a place to sleep. She was surprised when her father emerged and came to stand next to her.
He gave her a puzzled look. “Why are ye up, Daughter? It is late.”
“I have to know what he found.”
Her brother came up to them and, together, they went into the great room. There were smudges of dirt across her brother’s face, his hair disheveled by the wind. “The horse stopped just inside the woods. There were signs of a struggle and we found a piece of cloth and some leather straps, which I assume were used to bind him. There was nothing else.”
“So he was taken prisoner then?” Laird Fraser asked, an angry frown marring his features.
“We can assume so,” her brother replied.
Calum hurried into the room, his gaze scanning each face. “I take it Ross was not found? It could be he decided the stakes were too high for his clan and left.”
“Without his horse?” Keithen shot Calum an annoyed look. “For whatever reason, ye do not like him, but we have evidence that he did not go of his own accord.”
“We will wait. If he was indeed taken, I am sure either us or Laird Ross will be notified shortly,” Calum explained unnecessarily.
“What did yer uncle say?” her father asked Keithen.
“Ross did not remain for dinner, but left shortly after promising to purchase horses. He should have returned in time for last meal.”
Her father motioned a guard to come closer and considered what to say. Finally, he said, “Go to Laird Ross. Inform him that his cousin was abducted from the forest between our keep and my brother’s home. Also tell him that we are doing everything in our power to find him.”
“Aye, my laird. Is there anything else?”
“Tell him, I would welcome the fifty men he planned to send.”
Calum coughed. “Surely ye cannot be planning to go to war over a man who is not part of our clan.”
If it were not for the fact the men had not seemed to notice she remained among them, Esme would have kicked the fool for his callousness. Thankfully, her father was able to formulate the words that she could not speak.
“If anything happens to Ruari Ross, it will be me who is responsible. He was on my lands, invited by us, and betrothed to my daughter. Our enemy is who, in all probability, is responsible for his absence.” Her father glared at Calum. “I think ye should seek yer bed.”
Thankfully, Calum remained silent. The idiot was smart enough to know when he’d pushed things too far with her father.
“There is something else we should consider,” Keithen said with a pensive expression.
“What?” Forgetting her vow to remain silent, Esme spoke in a louder than needed tone.
Keithen looked to her. Then seeming to dismiss her, he said, “There is the idea that perhaps he has enemies we do not know about or Ruari was mistaken for someone else and taken by said persons.”
As everyone disbanded to head to bed, her father took Esme’s elbow. “Ye should rest, Daughter.”
“I am scared of what could have happened to him,” Esme said, feeling free to speak to her father about anything. He’d always listened to her and, for it, she was grateful.
“Do not be afraid. Ye will always be protected.”
Esme sighed. “I am worried for our clan and for Ruari. I pray h
e is not harmed.”
In silence, her father walked her to her bedchamber door. “Sleep, Esme. For now, we wait.”
“Father, do ye know the guard, Edgar? He left the day I was injured, traveling north.”
Her father gave her a patient, but tired look. “I do know of him.”
“Eileen says that upon his arrival, he’d claimed to be from a decimated village to the south. Yet he claimed to go visit his mother and traveled north.”
“I will ensure Keithen sees to questioning him.” At his pensive expression, Esme couldn’t help but hug her father. “I wish we had peace and ye could rest.”
His soft chuckle made her heart melt. “As do I, dear one.”
Chapter Ten
It was after two entire days in the back of a wagon that Ruari was finally released.
“Ride without looking back,” someone barked at his ear.
“I know ye are Mackenzies. Why would I look?” Ruari asked in a bored voice. “Ye are a red-haired guard with a twisted nose.”
He was dragged off the wagon, yanked down by his feet and then roughly shoved forward. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have angered the guard.
Two men held him while a third untied his hands. “Go on with ye.”
Ruari tore off his blindfold as a wagon flanked by two men on horseback rode away. On the side of the trail was a mare. The animal had been tethered to a small tree.
The mare was skittish, seeming not used to allowing a rider. “If they took my horse, I will return to retrieve it. Thieving bastards,” he muttered under his breath.
It took several hours before Ruari realized he was near Ross lands.
No matter how much coaxing he did, the mare refused to go faster than a slow walk. When he slapped and kicked the animal’s sides, it would take several steps backward or become still, seeming terrified to move.
Ruari dismounted and ran his hands up and down the beast’s snout. “Ye have had a terrible time of it. I recognize what ye are doing. How about we come to an understanding? Ye get me home and I ensure that ye are treated well henceforth”
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