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“And I’ll not pay ye any more until the job is finished. Properly, as I asked,” the figure answered, scowling darkly.

The brigand cringed, fists at the ready. But beating the person who had promised him payment was foolish. He had two bairns to feed, plus his widowed sister’s three hungry children. Honest work was hard to find and would not provide him with the necessary coin to keep them all from starving.

Silently fuming, the brigand schemed, then tried to negotiate. “Lady Davina will be safely tucked away behind the walls of McKenna Castle. ’Tis a fortress not even an army can breach.”

“A lackwit as well as a mediocre fighter,” the figure taunted. “It appears that I must find a far more clever man to do this job.”

“Wait!” the brigand cried. “I dinnae say it couldn’t be done. Only that it would be harder.”

“Beyond yer skill?”

“Nay! But I’ll need more men and more money.”

The figure’s hand curled into a fist. “More?”

The brigand stiffened. “It willnae be easy to entice men to challenge the McKennas. But the promise of gold will make a difference.”

“’Tis yer fault she reached the castle in the first place,” the figure scoffed. “Why should yer failure cost me?”

The brigand narrowed his eyes. “We both know that given the circumstances, no other man could have taken her alive. Ye might not think me the best choice, but ye’ll have to search high and low to find someone willing to try and snatch her from the McKennas.”

The figure hesitated, raising the brigand’s hopes. He heard the soft jangle of coins and felt a rush of relief when a small leather pouch appeared. He eagerly reached for it, cursing loudly when it was pulled away.

“This is yer last chance,” the figure warned. “If ye fail, ye’ll not be seeing me again.”

The brigand licked his lips. “I want double that amount if I get her out alive.”

“Nay!”

The brigand puffed out his chest in a bold show of bravado, but inside he was twisting with nerves. “The risk is far greater. Double the original price is more than fair.”

The figure started to protest, then quieted and slowly held out the pouch. “Ye will earn double if Lady Davina is taken from the castle and left on Armstrong land.”

The brigand swiped the pouch before it vanished again, feeling its weight. ’Twas far lighter than he had hoped. His men would grumble at the small share, but it was better than walking away with nothing.

Taking a calculated risk, the brigand dared to strike one last bargain. “If we are caught, the McKennas will fight hard to save the lady.”

“I believe we have already established that fact,” the figure snapped.

“If the lady is injured, will ye still pay me?”

The figure nodded, a scant shift of the chin. “Aye, if she’s injured I’ll pay ye the price we just agreed. Nothing more.” The figure turned, tensed, then turned back. “But if she dies, I’ll pay ye double.”

Shocked, the brigand sucked in a breath. Killing Lady Davina would indeed make his job easier, but his stomach roiled at slaying an innocent young woman. Yet if that was what needed to be done in order to be paid, he had few choices.

The brigand watched the cloaked figure walk away, pondering this latest twist. He knew that they could be emotional, irrational, and unpredictable, but until he heard those instructions spoken so coldly, he never realized the full truth.

A woman could be as cruel and ruthless as a man.

Chapter Ten

“There ye are! I was worried that ye’d be packing yer trunks and planning yer escape,” Lady Aileen cried.

Davina’s head whirled. She had been sitting in the chapel contemplating her choices—which were very few—praying for divine guidance. None had been forthcoming.

“I would never be so rude as to slip away without saying good-bye,” Davina said formally.

“I know.” Lady Aileen sat beside her and gently patted her knee, as if aught were amiss. “We might have only met yesterday, but thanks to our years of correspondence, I feel as though I know ye well. I hoped that ye’d felt the same about me.”