Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
“It seems the guests from the village are startin’ to arrive,” Tilly said from where she’d stationed herself by the window. “Soon it will be time for ye to go out and greet yer guests.”
“I ken,” Katherine said, sweat prickling on the back of her neck.
She couldn’t shake the feeling from the confrontation in the corridor. When they finished hanging the last of the garlands, her stomach sank. She had no choice but to sit around and wait for the ceilidh to start.
I’m supposed to be excited for the celebration, nae dreadin’ it.
“I’m sure that once ye start dancin’, yer nerves will temper a wee bit,” Elspeth said, reaching over to rest her hand on Katherine’s wrist for a brief moment.
Everyone noticed the change in Katherine’s attitude when she rejoined them. She was sure they overheard the conversation and knew exactly what Liam had told her. Yet, all three of them kindly accepted her explanation of pre-celebration nerves.
It was much easier than admitting that she was hurt all the way down to the core of her being because Liam was leaving tonight.
“Perhaps ye’d like me to bring ye a drink,” Tilly suggested, already crossing the room. “I can get ye a wee glass of wine or whiskey. Or perhaps ye’d prefer ale?”
“I daenae need anythin’ more than me tea,” Katherine said, though the protest fell on deaf ears. “Truly, I am fine.”
Just before Tilly was able to leave, the stableboy burst into the room, nearly colliding with the maid. She grabbed onto his elbows, steadying him as she said, “Saints, Tyler. Ye nearly knocked me over. What are ye doin’ rushin’ around like this?”
“It’s Brimstone!” Tyler said, looking around the room, his eyes landing on Katherine. “Have ye seen the Laird? I need to speak with the Laird!”
“Brimstone?” Katherine asked, feeling as though she were going to collapse. “What… what has happened with Brimstone? I thought ye were supposed to be preparin’ him. Shouldnae he already be in the courtyard?”
“I’ve been lookin’ for him all mornin’,” he said, only staying put because of Tilly’s grasp. He looked ready to bolt the second he was released. “If ye havenae seen Laird MacDougal, I must be goin’.”
Katherine stood, pushing out every single emotion running through her mind. All of her thoughts were honed onto the task. This was something she could assist with, she was sure of it.
Putting a hand up without breaking eye contact with Tyler when Elspeth tried to hold onto her, Katherine said, “The Laird is busy, but I am more than capable of lookin’ for him. He responds best to me, anyway.”
He looked as though he wanted to protest, but after a long second, he said, “Aye, ye’re right, Me Lady.”
“Daenae worry about me,” Katherine told Agnes, Tilly, and Elspeth. They all looked poised to stop her. She grabbed the skirt of her gown, lifting it to give herself more range of motion. “I will be back in time for the ceilidh.”
“This way,” Tyler said as soon as Tilly released him. As they hurried down the corridor and out of the servants’ entrance, he said, “I daenae ken which direction he ran, but he has gotten loose and ran through the forest once before.”
“I may be to blame for him breakin’ free,” Katherine admitted, her pace shifting from a quick walk to a half-run when her shoes hit the grass. “Since I showed him that he can jump over the fence.”
“We will address that after we get him back safely,” Tyler said before he began to put distance between the two of them. “I will search this way. Ye go the other way.”
“Aye,” Katherine said, turning and lifting her skirt nearly up to her knees. “I will call for ye if I find him.”
She ran faster than ever before, plunging straight into the trees. Her lungs burned, and the muscles in her thighs felt like they were on fire. Every few minutes, she called out for Brimstone, praying he was nearby, and she could find him.
The forest gave way to the glens, the ground wet and muddy. Though she was sure that she was dirtying her dress, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Nothing mattered more than bringing her horse back.
Just ahead, she saw a flash of chestnut hair that felt familiar. Her heart soared, and she was about to call for him again when she realized the scene that she had come across. Brimstone wasn’t alone.
Three men, dressed in worn jackets with knives hanging from their hands, were guiding him away. She didn’t recognize them, but she could tell they were dangerous. Even from where she was standing, she could see their sneers and knew they wouldn’t hesitate to use the knives they held.
And they look hungry. That means they’re even more dangerous.
For a moment, she was frozen. She couldn’t approach them, but she couldn’t go back to the castle without Brimstone. But then, one of the men lifted his hand, pulling back and smacking the horse with the blunt end of his knife.
“What do ye think ye’re doin’?” Katherine screamed, rushing forward, guided by a desperate instinct to protect the first friend she’d made here.
The sound of her screaming pulled their attention away from Brimstone, giving him an opportunity to break free.
He reared, nearly knocking one of the men over before he took off through the trees.
Katherine turned to run in the opposite direction, vowing to herself that she would look for the animal as soon as she was sure she was no longer being followed.
“Tyler!” she screamed as she pushed further away from the men.
They were closing in on her, their footsteps coming closer. Mud squelched, but it didn’t seem to slow them down a bit. It seemed as if they were used to running through difficult terrain and that they were much stronger than Katherine could have imagined at first glance.
When she spotted Tyler coming toward her, hope glimmered in her chest. The two of them might be able to get away together or at the very least, make enough noise that someone would come to their aid.
This is what Liam has been worried about.
“There are intruders!” she screamed at Tyler. “Call for help!”
“Get the lad,” one of the bandits demanded, his voice much closer than she thought he would be. “I will get the lass.”
“Go to the castle!” Katherine yelled, realizing that there was nothing either of them could do. “Bring help! They were takin’ Brimstone!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, a hand grabbed her wrist. She was pulled back hard, stumbling and collapsing into someone solid. Before she could think about fighting free, the sharp end of a knife was pressed against her throat.
Tyler turned quickly, running off without saying another word.
Katherine opened her mouth to call after him again, but the man holding her pressed the knife even harder against her skin.
She clenched her teeth, swallowed hard, and prayed to every saint she could remember that she would survive this.
“That’s right!” one of the other men called after the stableboy as he fled. “Tell yer Laird that we are here to finish what we started, and we are never goin’ to stop.”
“Get the ropes,” the man holding onto Katherine said, the blade nicking her skin.
Nay. This cannae be happenin’.
* * *
“I cannae stand the crowd,” Liam scoffed as he poured himself a tall glass of whiskey.
The ceilidh was just starting with guests arriving in the great hall, all dressed in their finest clothes. It was exactly the kind of gathering that Lady Agnes had envisioned for him. Now, he was just waiting in his study for a servant to inform him that Katherine had arrived.
And controllin’ meself around her tonight is goin’ to be hell, I already ken it.
At that moment, the stableboy came running into the room, throwing Liam’s door open with more force than necessary. He was covered in mud, his face bright red, his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. When his gaze landed on Liam, he crossed the room in a few long, swift strides.
“Me Laird,” Tyler said, gasping for breath as he spoke. “It is Lady MacDougal. She and I went after Brimstone, and she came across bandits. They said to tell ye that they were here to finish what they started.”
Liam’s limbs turned to ice as he slammed his whiskey glass onto his desk. It wasn’t bandits. Every single report he received about bandits was incorrect.
It was the pirates. It had always been the pirates.
“I think they were thieves,” Tyler continued, placing a hand over his chest. “And I think they are comin’ for us and that they willnae stop until they get what they want.”
“I ken,” Liam said, already on his way out of the study. “Go to the healer before ye keel over.”
He didn’t hear the boy’s stuttered response; he was already halfway to the great hall. He needed to find Cillian immediately. Someone had to be in charge of the castle while he left.
Luck seemed to be on his side in this matter as he found Cillian standing just outside the hall. As soon as his man-at-arms saw him, he took in the dire expression on his face and abandoned his conversation with Tilly. He followed Liam to an alcove that was set apart from the guests.
“What has happened?” Cillian asked, his voice low. “Is it Lady Katherine? I havenae seen her.”
“Aye,” Liam confirmed. “She has been taken. I will go after her. I need ye to remain here. Protect Agnes. Handle the guests.”
“Aye, Me Laird,” Cillian said. He didn’t need any further information, just the order. “I will do everythin’ in me power to keep her safe. If it comes to it, I will lay down me life for her.”
“I ken ye will,” Liam said, giving his man-at-arms a final nod before leaving the castle.
He took hold of one of the horses that was standing by, already saddled and positioned in the courtyard.
As he swung himself into the saddle, he barked at the guards nearby, “Secure the edges of the forest and the port just as we’ve discussed.
The pirates have returned, and we willnae let them get away this time. This ends today.”
We are more than prepared, and I will save Katherine.