Chapter 22
TEN MINUTES EARLIER
Laurie cupped her palms around her nose and mouth, taking a deep breath of the lavender scent.
It was probably her favorite herb. Did people have favorite herbs?
Nora almost certainly did. Nora was someone who knew things and had all kinds of interesting opinions.
The Keep seemed nicer with Nora there. The healers appeared to straighten their spines a little when she walked by, as if they wanted her to notice and approve.
People talked about Nora, too. Sometimes in hushed tones, almost disapprovingly, and sometimes loudly, with a pleased smile.
“She’s exactly what this place needs,” Laurie had heard someone say once. She wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but it seemed right.
Nobody was making preparations for the wedding yet, though. That disappointed her, although in all fairness, a year was a lifetime away. What was the point of having a betrothal last that long? Perhaps it was a grown-up thing. Time seemed to work differently for adults than for her.
Like now, for instance, when Nora had told Laurie that she would just have a short conversation with her sister. Well, they’d been talking for ages. Sighing, Laurie glanced over her shoulder at Nora again.
She had her arms wrapped around her sister, squeezing so hard that Laurie was surprised that one of them didn’t pop. Surely they would stop chatting now, go inside, have something to eat, sit down, and talk properly to each other.
Laurie wandered toward the garden entrance, sticking her head out into the chaos beyond.
The market was bustling, and the keep’s courtyard was packed tight.
In an hour or two, things would quiet down.
People would leave the market, baskets full and feet sore.
Laurie preferred the calmer moments after the rush.
Excitement was good, but relaxation was better.
Too much chaos made Creighton nervous. He tried to hide it, but Laurie had seen how he tensed up in crowds, eyes darting and fidgeting, unable to settle his gaze.
He worries too much, Laurie thought. Aunt Helena said that Nora will help him feel better about his worryin’. I wonder how?
She stepped out of the garden, stopping just a few feet from the crowd.
Some of them looked at her curiously, but when their eyes landed on the MacColl tartan sash her nurse had put on her that morning, they quickly looked away.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw that Nora and her sister were still talking.
“Ye look a wee bit bored there, lassie.”
Laurie flinched, jumping back and spinning around wide-eyed to face the man who had spoken to her. Creighton had warned her, over and over, about the dangers of speaking to strange men or people she did not know. She knew the danger and was reminded of it afresh every time they left the keep.
Relief swept through her when she glanced up at him.
“Oh,” Laurie said, feeling a little silly. “It’s ye.”
The man smiled, adjusting the tartan cloak around his shoulders. “Aye, lass, it’s me. What are ye doin’ here all by yerself?”
“Nora is in the garden. She’s talking to her sister. She found her, by the way. Crey will be pleased.”
He leaned forward, peering thoughtfully into the garden.
For a moment, he was quiet, just staring at Nora.
She still had her back turned. Nora and her sister seemed entirely focused on each other, talking in low, urgent voices.
A stab of jealousy bloomed in Laurie’s stomach.
What would it be like to have a sibling so close to her own age? A sister?
“Ah, they look happy enough. They’ll lose track of time, I daresay,” he said, chuckling. Glancing down at Laurie, he lifted his eyebrows. “I bet ye wish ye had a sister of that age. Tremendous fun, it must be.”
“I have a brother,” Laurie answered.
He chuckled again, as if she’d made a joke. “Aye, Creighton loves ye. But he’s so much older than ye, eh? He might as well be yer da.”
“He isn’t me da.”
“Acts like one, though, does he nae? Bless ye, lass. Well, I reckon ye are in for a long wait.”
Laurie’s heart sank. “We have to meet Aunt Helena. And I want to go inside. It’s too hot here, and I’m hungry.”
The man clicked his tongue in sympathy. “Poor lass. Look, Lady Nora and her sister havenae seen each other in a good long while. Lady Nora thought she was dead. They’ll have a good deal to say to each other.”
“Should I tell them that I want to go inside?”
“Ah, ye daenae want to interrupt them, do ye? That would be unkind.”
Laurie bit her lower lip, hard. She didn’t want to be unkind. But she was bored.
“I suppose I’ll just have to wait, then.”
There was a pause, then the man gingerly lowered himself into a crouch, putting himself at her eye level.
“Ye must be bored,” he murmured, nodding. “I tell ye what. Why daenae ye and me go off on an adventure, aye?”
Laurie tilted her head. “An adventure?”
“Aye. I ken a nice, pretty place nae too far from here. There’ll be ripe brambles and river water for drinkin’. And a view! Ye like pretty sights, daenae ye, Laurie?”
She nodded eagerly. “Will Creighton come with us?”
“He’s a wee bit busy, I’m afraid. But we can go, eh? What do ye think of that?”
Laurie considered. It couldn’t be bad to go with him. After all, she knew exactly who he was, and Creighton always made the point that it was strangers she should be wary of. And Nora was still talking.
“Very well,” Laurie said, suddenly decided. “We can go on an adventure.”
“Excellent choice,” he responded, straightening up. Extending a hand, he smiled down at her. “Come on, then. Take me hand, we daenae want ye gettin’ lost.”
Laurie slid her hand into his, just as she’d done a thousand times before.
Together, they pushed into the crowd. The crush of bodies around her was overwhelming, as it always was, but he held her hand firmly, fingers tightening around her wrist. It was a little too tight, but if she pulled away, she might get lost in the chaos, and nobody wanted that.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Laurie let herself be gently pulled through the throng of people.
They parted around him with a kind of respect, eyeing the tartan draped over his shoulders.
After what seemed like an eternity, they pushed through the last few dregs of people, and Laurie found herself standing at the gate.
Like all the other Keep gates, it looked like a mouth.
There were the portcullis teeth, gleaming and pointing sharply downwards.
Stone lips formed a gaping maw, and beyond it was a different world entirely.
“Are we goin’ outside the keep?” she asked warily, tugging at his hand. “Creighton said that I’m nae to go outside the keep without him.”
He didn’t slow down. She couldn’t pull her hand free from his. The grip was getting a little uncomfortable, but perhaps that was just because he didn’t want to lose her in the crowd. Creighton feared her being lost.
“He willnae mind,” he responded comfortably. “After all, ye are with me. Ye are safe as houses, lassie.”
“Oh, I ken that. I’m just afraid that he willnae be able to find me if he looks for me.”
“I shouldnae fret about that. He kens exactly where ye will be.”
The last of Laurie’s worries dissipated. Well, there was nothing to complain about, then? She was with a man she trusted, who knew her so well. Creighton knew where they were going. He approved. What else was there to worry about?
A knot of unease lodged in her stomach and refused to dissipate, no matter how much Laurie fiercely told herself that all was well. All was well.
They passed through the gates and suddenly left the path, heading toward a steep uphill slope surrounded by trees. Laurie turned around to get one last look at the keep. Then the trees closed in around them, and all she could see was greenery.
“Laurie? Laurie!” Nora shouted, pitching her voice above the chaos of the marketplace.
It didn’t work well. A few of the people directly around her turned and stared questioningly, but most simply let their gaze slip past her. Most people couldn’t even hear.
The MacCrimmon man seemed to be on the verge of tears.
“I only stepped away for a moment,” he stammered to the other soldiers and Helena. “I turned me back for a minute…”
“The fault is mine,” Nora interrupted, her voice tight. “I was talkin’ to me sister. I wasnae watchin’ her.”
“Where did ye last see her?” Helena spoke up. She was pale and had, at some point, unloaded all the bags and boxes of things to some other poor unfortunate. Now, her hands were free, closed tightly over the head of her cane. Her knuckles stood out white.
“At the doorway to the garden,” Nora responded, swallowing. “I was talkin’ to Margaret. I had me back turned, and when I looked back, she was gone.”
“And this was ten minutes ago? She cannae have gone far,” Helena decided. “Men, split up. Search the market thoroughly. Speak to stall owners. Look underneath the stalls. Somebody must have seen her. There arenae many small girls wanderin’ around the market unattended.”
“What if she wasnae unattended?” Margaret spoke up.
A horrible silence fell over the group. Nora turned slowly to face her sister.
“What did ye say?”
Margaret’s jaw tightened under all the stares, but she pressed on.
“What if Laurie didnae leave of her own accord?” she continued, meeting Nora’s eye with a visible effort. “Somebody could have taken her.”
Helena sucked in a ragged breath. “Who would risk such a thing? They’re takin’ Laird MacColl’s sister and Laird MacCrimmon’s cousin. That would be war from two clans at once. And for what?”
Nora said nothing. She could think of many reasons why someone would want to take Laurie. Creighton had plenty of enemies, and Hunter undoubtedly had his own, too.
If somebody took Laurie, what would they do? Hold her to ransom? Threaten us?
Or would they kill her, to send a message?
She shuddered at that thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
Laurie was Creighton’s heir. If she were dead, he’d have no heir, and everybody knew that a clan without an heir was in a risky position indeed.
Only one life lay between them and chaos.
Even a little girl as laird would be better than nothing.
But that wasn’t the worst part, not by a long, long shot. No, the worst thing is that Laurie would be dead. Dead!
“Surely nobody would hurt Laurie,” Nora heard herself say. It sounded like a prayer and a hope, rather than something she believed. Nausea coiled in the pit of her stomach, bile crawling up her throat. For one awful moment, Nora thought that she really might be sick.
“Of course nae,” Helena said, with a briskness that she could not possibly feel. “I daenae think that she has been taken.”
This comment was punctuated with an angry glare at Margaret.
Margaret said nothing. Nora bit her lip, heart thumping. Helena wasn’t angry at Margaret; she couldn’t possibly be. It was the situation, the fact that Laurie was missing, missing…
Nora’s eyes fluttered shut. Nobody was moving. Despite Helena’s orders to search the market, the soldiers stood where they were, swaying faintly. The man who’d accompanied her and Margaret looked as though he were going to be sick. She felt sorry for him.
It’s nay different from being a healer, Nora thought, digging her teeth into her lower lip. Ye arrive on the scene. Ye take it all in. Ye come up with a plan in yer head. Then ye take charge.
She opened her eyes and found Helena and Margaret both looking at her. Waiting.
“Here is what we will do,” she said firmly.
“We’ll begin a search. Ye, go to the gate and begin workin’ back from there.
Speak to the guards and ask if they have seen a wee lass go through the gate.
They may nae have noticed with all the people goin’ in and out, but it’s worth a try.
Make them aware of the situation, and tell them nae to let any girls of Laurie’s age out of the gate until we check to see who they are. ”
“I’ll do that,” the MacCrimmon man said instantly, and sprang off at a jog. Nora turned to Helena.
“Go and find Creighton. Tell him what’s happened. Maybe Laurie got bored and simply wandered off to find her brother.”
Helena nodded tersely and hobbled away.
“Margaret, ye ken many of the stall owners here, aye?”
“Aye, some of them.”
“Talk to them. Find out what they’ve seen. The rest of us,” she glanced over at the remaining MacCrimmon men. “We’ll search the stalls. We’ll call out for Laurie, and we’ll see if we can find her. She cannae have gone far, but we have nay time to waste.”
There was a chorus of murmurs and agreements. Margaret hurried off, and the rest of them slowly spread out. Now more of the crowd were taking notice, watching curiously as the MacCrimmons and Nora moved through them, calling and craning their necks, crouching down to peer under stalls.
Soon, word will go all through the Keep that wee Lady Laurie MacColl is lost, Nora thought, heart hammering. Will Creighton ever forgive me for losin’ her?
She passed the woman selling hagstones. The old woman watched her inquisitively, gnarled old hands laced together. Had Margaret spoken to her yet? Nora took a step toward the woman, who lifted her eyebrows, almost as if she was waiting for a question to be asked.
Before she could speak, however, a commotion broke out in the crowd behind her.
Nora spun around to see Creighton striding toward her.
People jostled around him, scurrying to get out of his way and eyeing him nervously.
He didn’t glance down at them or around himself.
He just walked, jaw tight and set, eyes stern.
When his gaze fell on her, however, something softened in them, almost imperceptibly.
He isnae angry at me, Nora thought, hating herself for the relief that flooded through her. Not simply relief at not being blamed, but relief that he was here at all.
“Creighton,” she gasped, and rushed toward him. He held out his arms wordlessly, and without a second thought, Nora threw herself into them.