Page 28 of A Scot for Bethan (The Welsh Rebels #6)

Chapter Twelve

T he following morning, they set off at dawn, as arranged. Morag, who had been wrapped in a hooded cloak, led the way alongside Angus and Murdo, while Cameron and Bethan followed at a small distance.

At first everything went according to plan.

But, as they progressed, Cameron started to wonder at his men’s behavior.

Angus and Murdo were stopping far more often than necessary.

What was going on? Perhaps Morag, unused to riding, was the one urging them to a halt, but he doubted it.

Every time the three of them stopped, the men were the only ones disappearing into the bushes, while she remained in the saddle, waiting patiently.

And when they rode on, they sat stooped and limp, looking nothing like the proud warriors he knew them to be.

Something was definitely wrong.

“Next time they stop, we’ll join them and ask them what the matter is,” he told Bethan, even if by now he had a fair idea of what that might be. The two of them had the flux.

What rotten luck. They needed to be on high alert in case McDonald jumped, but they could not be as reliable as usual with their bowels roiling.

One of them being incapacitated would have been bad enough, but both?

Should the whole company turn back, and wait until the two men got better before setting off again?

This first leg of the journey, so close to home, was the perilous part, the moment when he needed Murdo and Angus at their best, not rushing to the bushes at every opportunity, leaving Morag alone and vulnerable to attack.

Soon, there was another halt. Cameron signaled to Bethan that they should cut through the woods to get nearer to the three riders.

Just as they’d dismounted and he was about to reveal their presence to the men, a war cry split the air.

Before he knew what he was doing, he’d shoved Bethan down to the ground and covered her with his body.

A loose arrow was an all too real possibility.

Mayhem erupted into the clearing as a dozen men jumped out of their hiding places to surround Morag, who’d once again been left on her own.

Damn and blast! Cameron had not imagined McDonald would have assembled such a large force in such a short time.

He must be desperate for Bethan’s fortune indeed.

Murdo, who’d disappeared into the bushes a moment ago, was brought back into the clearing, bound and gagged, before being thrown to the ground.

Angus tried to put up a fight despite his pallor, but he was equally subdued and placed next to his helpless friend.

Though his blood was boiling, Cameron had no choice but to remain where he was.

Bethan could not be seen right now, that was the whole point of the deception.

Besides, what could he do alone against twelve men?

His two friends had not been killed, that was the main thing.

Now McDonald would see his mistake and leave.

And yet… Doubt assaulted him. Would the bastard not use Morag to ease his frustration when he found out he’d been duped?

It was all too possible, as she was now on her own and defenseless.

It was clear from the panicked look Bethan threw him that she was thinking the same thing.

She would resent him for refusing to heed her warning and placing an innocent woman in danger and wanted him to go the girl’s rescue.

Though he shared her anguish, he shook his head.

There was nothing he could do for now, save hope that McDonald was only after coin, and would leave when he saw he would never get it by abducting a servant.

Heart thumping hard, he waited and then saw a man emerge from behind the riders.

“Malcolm,” he breathed into Bethan’s ear, even though she would have guessed the man’s identity.

“Yes,” she breathed back.

With dark hair and sparkling hazel eyes, the new McDonald laird was handsome enough, she supposed, but Bethan could not help a shiver. He looked exactly like his brother, in other words, like a man who had almost raped her. It was enough to make him abhorrent to her.

Morag, to her credit, did not seem to panic, even when Malcolm gave her a smile that could only have been described as sinister.

“Bethan ferch Morgan. I am Malcolm McDonald, chief of the McDonald clan. You refused my brother, but you will be my wife,” he said in English, satisfaction evident in his voice.

“Before tonight you and I will be wedded and bedded. The priest is waiting for us in the kirk yonder. There will be no escaping this time.”

A silence, then a question, clearly audible in the stillness of the clearing.

“Who’s to say I want to escape?”

With those words Morag threw off her cloak and revealed a blue gown that could not belong to a servant. A gown Bethan recognized. Her mouth opened in shock. She’d had no idea that the woman had dressed in one of her dresses for the trip. Why? What was she doing?

And then she understood.

Morag was sacrificing herself to buy her time and allow her to escape.

That was why she was not panicking, why she had made sure to wear a dress that hid her real identity, why she was drawing out the pretense for as long as possible.

I promise you won’t regret it , she’d told her the night she had asked to join the retinue.

Bethan’s stomach gave a lurch. She could not let her do this. It was too dangerous. Malcolm was bent on rape, which was bad enough. But he might well kill her in a fit of rage when he understood that his plans had been thwarted.

“N—”

Cameron’s hand clamped on her mouth before she could utter the word.

“Hush,” he growled in her ear. He was still lying protectively on top of her after having thrown her to the ground earlier. “You are safe here, hidden from view. I will not let you be captured now.”

But couldn’t he see? They had to help the girl before it was too late!

Angus and Murdo were writhing furiously, evidently in agreement with her.

But with their mouths gagged they could not talk and expose the lie.

Bethan tried to fight Cameron’s hold. In vain.

The arm around her waist was iron-hard, the hand holding her mouth shut, unrelenting.

She could barely move, even if her breathing was unimpaired.

Still, she moaned in protest. He had to let her go; they could not leave Morag in such a predicament alone.

She would never forgive herself if anything happened to the girl. How could Cameron be so heartless?

“Do you want me to knock you senseless? I will do it if it stops you from placing yourself in danger,” he warned, speaking low in her ear.

She stopped fighting, believing he would not hesitate.

“I will not release you until you have listened to me. Think! There is something amiss here. Why is Morag wearing a velvet gown? Were you the one suggesting she dressed thus?” She shook her head.

That the girl had put one of her dresses on had come as a surprise to her as well.

“Did you ask her to pretend to be you in case we were put upon?” Again, a denial.

“Who prepared the food for Angus and Murdo this morning? The food that evidently made them sick?”

Bethan stilled.

Morag.

Morag had been the one preparing the food and ale.

Morag had insisted she be part of the escort.

She had made no mystery of what she thought of Malcolm McDonald.

She had asked Bethan if she was sure she didn’t want the man.

It all became clear. The girl had meant to usurp her place all along, make the most of the McDonald laird’s desperation to marry to trap the man she desired into a union with her.

She had said she wanted to better herself. This was the solution she had found.

Bethan didn’t know whether to be appalled or impressed. She lifted her gaze to Cameron and nodded to indicate she had understood what he was trying to tell her and would not protest anymore. He took his hand away, stroking her cheek lightly as he did, a mark of approval.

“This is not just a distraction. She is not going to reveal her identity until they are married,” she told him in a breath. The girl had not so much wanted to help her as to give herself a chance at a more prestigious life.

“Aye,” Cameron confirmed, sliding off of her at last. “I think she saw an opportunity, that’s why she asked to accompany you to Wales.

She hoped that Malcolm would indeed stop us on the road, would mistake her for you if she looked like a rich lady and would marry her before he realized his mistake, binding him to her permanently.

She made sure Angus and Murdo were in no state to fight, so as to ensure she did fall into the McDonalds’ hands.

How did I not guess something was amiss?

Though I did think it awfully unlucky that both of them should be struck by the illness at the same time… ”

“So did I. And now, with their mouths gagged, they won’t be able to go against what she says.

” It was perfect. Had Morag not been escorted by fierce warriors who were doing their best to defend her, McDonald might have suspected a trap.

As it was, he had no reason to be suspicious.

The two Scots looked suitably furious at their powerlessness.

Cameron rubbed his jaw pensively. “’Tis a foolish and dangerous plan if you ask me.

The bastard might well marry her, since he has no reason to suspect she is not who she claims she is, but it will not take him long to understand that she is not the rich woman he wanted. And then what does she think he’ll do?”

Indeed. She would be lucky to get away with her life. Bile rose in Bethan’s throat. She could not let this happen. “Angus and Murdo might be incapacitated, but we are not. We cannot let her get away with the deception. Please. You know what he means to do to, we must?—”