Chapter Twenty
They searched every inch of the keep, with Gregory going from worry to panic to anger. He couldn’t believe neither he nor Daniel had figured out that the Gunn and Sinclair attack was not a serious one. They’d had their doubts about it, but it never occurred to him that it was a ruse to grab Megan.
“Laird!” One of the warriors ran up to them, taking deep breaths. “We discovered how The Gunn got Megan out of the castle.”
Daniel and Gregory turned at the same time. “Show me,” Gregory said.
As a group they raced to the kitchen, out the back door, past the garden and a little more than halfway down the back wall where a warrior stood. They came to an abrupt halt. Gregory squatted and looked at the hole that had been broken into the wall.
He reached out and ran his finger over dried blood. “Her skin was scraped.” The rage at his wife being so mishandled had his heart thumping.
Someone would pay.
He stood and placed his hands on his hips, then turned to Daniel. “If they are traveling in a group, which they most likely are, they canno’ travel verra fast. I’m going after her.”
Daniel reached out and grabbed his arm. “I have a feeling they are taking her to Edinburgh.”
“Why there?” Gregory asked.
“I received word last week that the king was traveling from London to Edinburgh in an apparent show of power. ’Twas probably why Sinclair and Gunn decided to grab her now. ’Tis a much shorter trip to Edinburgh than London.”
“I doona ken what proof they have come up with to annul our marriage, especially after we saw the king’s order, which we are certain was false,” Gregory growled.
Daniel shook his head. “If they are so determined to get their way that they forged a king’s order, ’tis an easy thing to do anything they want in order to break yer vows.”
Gregory started to walk away from the wall toward the keep. Daniel grabbed his arm. “I will go with ye. Having a Clan Chief speak for ye might be more convincing.”
Gregory shook his head. “Nay, I have our marriage certificate signed by the priest. The king canno’ ignore that. And with both of us gone ’tis too dangerous. I still doona trust The Gunn.”
Daniel nodded. “Aye.” He studied the hole in the wall. “Ye are right,” He turned to the two warriors who stood with them. “Get men here immediately and get this hole fixed. Also check the rest of the castle walls and make sure there is nothing else that needs attending.”
Gregory left Daniel explaining to the men what needed to be done and jogged the steps up to his bedchamber. His stomach fell when he saw all of Megan’s things. He would get her back and make sure The Gunn and The Sinclair received their just punishment.
Broken bones and swords to their middles came to mind.
A great deal of blood.
He took the time to pack his grooming items, along with clothes he would need to appear before the king. He rummaged through one of his trunks, all the way to the bottom where he had placed their marriage certificate.
Once he had everything he would need, he brought his satchel to the stable to have the stable lad tack up his horse and fasten the satchel to the saddle.
Then he strode to the kitchen and talked to Jemima, the cheerful and helpful cook into packing food for him. He had no intention of taking time to do anything except track his wife.
He found Daniel in his solar, looking out the window. He turned as Gregory entered the room. “Ready to leave?”
“Aye.”
“I still believe ye would have more influence with the king if I was with ye.”
“Nay. Whatever happens, I will return with my wife.”
Daniel leaned back in his chair and rested his chin on his thumb and index finger, offering a smile. “Ye love her.”
After a moment, Gregory nodded. “Aye. It started out as a vow and obligation, but I love the lass. Megan is my wife and will remain my wife, even if I must go against the king.”
“Just be careful, mon. Ye doona want to end up in the king’s dungeon.”
Gregory laughed. “Nay.”
He hurried from the keep and took the reins from the lad. He swung his leg over Apex’s back and settled into the saddle, determination in his heart.
*
Megan had been hours on the horse, and was weary. Thankfully they hadn’t tied her hands because it would have made it difficult to ride. However, the entire day she’d been surrounded by warriors, so there was no escaping.
While they rode, she thought about appearing before the king, which was apparently Anthony’s idea.
She didn’t think she would be looking appropriate to stand before the king.
The dress she wore when they took her was not only wrinkled, but the apron covering it that she aways wore when she helped Emma had spots of blood from the warrior they were trying to keep settled so Emma could examine his legs.
She’d felt a snag in her dress when they pulled her through the cement hole, so most likely her dress had been torn.
And her hair had fallen out of the topknot she’d put it in earlier in the day.
That might be Sinclair’s plan: to bring her before the king looking dirty and disheveled to show him how she was not being provided for.
She was relieved to see that they had stopped for the night. They didn’t seem at all concerned about Gregory coming after her, which she knew in her heart he would.
She looked around their settlement. Behind her was a cluster of trees.
In a short time, she would have to relieve herself.
Since no one came to help her off the horse, she sat there and watched Anthony and The Gunn argue.
She looked around the group, who appeared to ignore her and, growing bored, helped herself off the horse.
She took a seat on a tree stump and viewed the activity. Gunn and Anthony were enjoying their usual whisky while the men traveling with them set up the camp. If she waited long enough, mayhap the two men would be unable to chase her, or even realized she had run.
Her shoulders slumped. She would be putting herself in quite a bit of danger if she tried to escape. She had no horse and wasn’t even sure where she would go or even in which direction.
Stories of brigands attacking women and using them made her decision. She would not try to escape, but mayhap the best thing would be to try her best to slow them down, giving Gregory time to find them.
She shook her skirts off and headed toward a cluster of bushes just as she heard a shout from Anthony. “Where do ye think ye are going, lass?”
Megan turned and placed her hands on her hips and huffed. “I need a place to take care of my needs.”
The Gunn waved at one of the warriors who stood and walked toward Megan. “I will take ye, lass.”
As they walked away, she heard Anthony say, “Ye will need to keep that one in place, ye ken. A fist once in a while would be good.”
Her stomach cramped at his words. If Gregory didn’t make it in time for her to be swept away by The Gunn—or if he didn’t come after her at all—her life would become hell.
But then she reassured herself that Gregory loved her, even though he’d never said it.
He would not let her go and she had faith in him that he was right now heading to Edinburgh to stop the nonsense.
The farther into the woods they walked, the more the sounds of running water brought a smile to her face. She really needed to clean up. Once she did what she needed to do, she walked toward the young man. “I need to find that creek or stream I can hear.”
He looked surprised. “I doona ken, my lady. The Sinclair only said to bring ye to the bushes to…” His words drifted off as his face grew in color. “I’m no’ sure.”
Megan sighed. “I doubt verra much if that source of water is large enough for me to swim away if that is yer concern.”
The lad nodded. “Aye. I’m no’ sure where it is, but I think we can find it.”
They walked for a short time, following the sound of the water splashing. Eventually they found a nice-sized creek. Megan knelt on the edge of the water and scooped as large an amount as she could into her hands.
She smiled as she bathed her face with the fresh, cool water. She washed her hands and arms, and then did the best she could with the smears of blood on her apron.
Once they returned to the group, Sinclair waved her over. “Doona be so sad, lass. Ye will be marrying a wealthy mon.” He grinned at The Gunn. “Especially since he gets yer dowry.”
Her breath caught. “What dowry?”
Sinclair waved his hand at her. “The one yer da paid to Robert when ye married.”
The Gunn grinned and nudged Sinclair in the ribs. “And which he ne’er saw.”
She was stunned at his words. Even though she assumed there had been a dowry as there always was, since Robert never mentioned it, she thought that like most wives she had no say in how it was used and or spent. But now, according to The Gunn, Robert never got the dowry when they married.
She narrowed her eyes. “If there is such a dowry, it must go to Gregory Mackenzie. My husband.”
Sinclair swayed on the rock where he sat. “Nay. Ye canno’ be married to Gregory Mackenzie because I dinna approve it.”
“I dinna need yer approval since ye are no relation to me.”
He attempted to slam his hand down on the rock, but missed and would have tumbled to the ground if The Gunn didn’t grab his arm and pull him back up.
Once he straightened up, he said, “Aye. I am yer laird. I decide who ye shall marry.”
Megan bent at the waist and said in a soft, determined voice, “Laird Daniel Mackenzie is my laird.”
Sinclair waved her off and looked over at the lad who had brought her to the bushes and creek. “Take her away and tie her to one of those trees.”
The young warrior took her by the arm and walked her to a small tree. She sat and he said, “I need to get the cord to tie ye up with.” He started to walk away and turned back. “Doona run away.”
She had to smile at the lad. It was a good thing she had already decided that running away was dangerous. He soon returned and wrapped her with the cord, then walked off.
Megan went over in her mind what Anthony had said.
So there was a dowry that Robert never received.
That probably explained why The Gunn was so insistent in marrying her.
He would get the dowry that was meant for Robert.
What she couldn’t think of an explanation for was the question she’d asked herself many times over: Why was Anthony so anxious to marry her off to The Gunn?
What was it in for him if The Gunn got the dowry?
They could have had an agreement to split it.
And another question was, if Anthony had the dowry, why hadn’t he spent it?
Once again her head started to pound, so she pushed all the unanswerable questions from her mind.
It was getting dark when another warrior carried food to her. It was a roasted animal of sorts. With the dimness it was hard to tell what it was. But being hungry, she didn’t care and ate the whole thing.