Page 101 of The Scottish Bride

“It has. But patience, lass. I want to stay long enough for Henry, Finley, and Iain to return. When they find Robert Bruce, he will want to study the roster of support and also consider the information that Finley and Gilchrist, too, previously gathered about readiness among Scottish castles. I suspect Bruce may want to move on Dalrinnie soon if he has enough support in the area.”

“Battle?” she asked.

“A takeover can happen peaceably, but it is less likely.”

“And Malise?”

“That lad may not be long for this world.” His voice went grim and flat.

“I do not want anyone’s death on my account—or on your soul either. I just want peace and truth, and what is right.”

“Truth to you is all. Ideals are all to you. To me, truth is a more malleable thing. We do what we must.”

She shuddered. “If returning to Dalrinnie means death for some, I would not want to go back.”

“Not everyone feels that way, my lass.”

She did not reply, feeling dread churn within her as she rode. Lives might be lost at Dalrinnie if an attempt was made to regain it. Liam might be lost. She could not bear to consider it.

As they came closer to the forest fringe, she saw two men on horseback emerge from the tree cover and saw the gleam of light on steel. Two knights rode toward them, one in red, the other in blue.

“Who is that?” she asked.

Liam lifted a hand to shade his eyes. “Gilchrist, surely. And the other… My God,” he said, “that is Gideon.”

“In armor? Something must have happened!”

“Aye, some sort of trouble. Come ahead.” He spurred his stallion to a canter across the long stretch of moor. She followed, but Liam reached his brothers first, talking with them as she rode up.

Seeing the twins in full knight’s gear, she was awestruck by the sight—their size and hard beauty, their strong resemblance. But for their surcoats, she could not tell one from the other at first.

“I stayed on at Holyoak to help. Ah, Lady Tamsin,” Gilchrist greeted as she drew her horse in beside Liam, greeting them.

“Gilchrist. And Brother Gideon,” she said.

“Sir Gideon,” he answered with a twist of his lips.

So Gideon had made a decision. What had prompted it? Trouble indeed, as Liam had said. Dread spun again in her center.

Liam explained quickly about meeting Henry Keith and the mission to bring the revenue and rosters to Bruce with Finley Macnab and Lindsay’s man, Iain Campbell.

“Let us hope they return soon and safely. We may need their help.” Gilchrist frowned. “We came out to find you. There is news.”

“I thought so. Trouble?”

“Comyn’s men went past Holyoak yesterday,” Gideon said. “They wanted to be sure we saw them. An escort of a dozen knights with a cart. Carrying a cage.”

“The empty cage we saw at Lochmaben,” Gilchrist added to Liam. “But they have put it to use. There was a woman in the cage.”

“They have Agatha,” Gideon said.

“Jesu!” Liam burst out.

“They went to Lochmaben and then Lincluden, very deliberately,” Gilchrist said.

“Where were they headed with the cart?” Liam asked.

“Dalrinnie. Sir Malise means to lure us there. Especially you, Liam.”