Chapter 17

At first,Ailis enjoyed the ride. The air was cool and comfortable, and the sun was shining. The motion of the carriage wasn't quite as smooth as the gait of a horse, but that was no hardship.

Being surrounded by fresh air and the woods, meadows, and moors of the open Highlands helped soothe some of the hurt and anger that had been her constant companions over the past few days.

Her heart ached to be leaving little Lily behind, and Jack, and even Duncan. Still, even a few short hours away from them did much to calm her and give her a clearer perspective.

She still felt that she had a right to know why Duncan behaved the way he did. She also still believed that, if she was to be his wife, or even his betrothed, she deserved to have some knowledge about his past and his family. She couldn't be a good wife from the outside, after all.

Even so, she knew he'd made an effort to encourage her bond with Lily, despite how vehemently he'd warned her to stay away when he was in a temper. And as for the rest of it…

He'd admitted that the fire spoken of in the stories about "the Ghostly Laird" had happened. It must have been terribly traumatic for him, and there was no telling who he might have lost in that fire. Perhaps it had even been Lily's mother. The passage of time could heal grief to some degree, but she knew from personal experience that some losses could scar the soul.

It was also clear he'd lived a fairly isolated life for some years. Since the fire, she would guess. He and Jack had both mentioned that their life of isolation and limited association with others had left them somewhat lacking in proper behavior. Now that some of the hurt and frustration had cleared from her mind, she could admit she might have been too hasty, demanding answers so soon after entering their lives.

She didn't know what wounds her questions had prodded open. And while it might be argued that she couldn't be expected to know, it could also be argued that she was still a relative stranger in Duncan's life. She hadn't even known him a fortnight, and what was that in comparison to years upon years of letting old injuries fester and rot around his heart?

That thought made her feel a little ashamed of how harsh she'd been toward him over the past week. She'd been upset, but looking back on her actions with a clearer perspective, she could see she'd responded almost childishly.

She was tempted to tell the driver to turn around and return to Castle Muir, but she refrained. Regardless of whether she'd been too hasty or too harsh with Duncan, the separation was still a good choice.

Duncan needed to figure out what sort of wife he wanted, and how much he was willing to let her in, or even if he was willing to trust her at all. She also needed to sort out her own thoughts. It was clear to her that neither of them had been prepared for the situation they'd gotten themselves into.

A particularly sharp bump in the road startled her out of her thoughts. She blinked and looked around.

The sun was higher in the sky than she'd expected it to be and at the wrong angle. Jack had gone over the route the carriage would be taking to reach the border between Muir lands and MacDean lands. He'd pointed out the directions and told her how long it would take to make the journey to the border, where Maisie and Keith had agreed to have someone meet her.

Unless she was severely mistaken, they'd gone off course. Even more notable, they should have been on MacDean lands by now, perhaps even in areas that Ailis recognized from going berry-picking, herb gathering, or even just picnicking with her friends.

She leaned forward. "Pardon me?"

"Aye, Me Lady?"

Ailis frowned again. The voice wasn't one she recognized, and Jack had sworn she'd be in the care of one of the guards she'd befriended while watching over Lily. He'd said it was Duncan's orders.

Still, she made an effort to remain friendly and show none of her uneasiness. "Och, beg yer pardon, but I think ye took a wrong turn. We should have met the folk from Castle MacDean by now."

"Nae, lass. I ken ye're eager to reach the end of the journey, but I ken where I'm goin', and we're nae quite there yet."

"But Jack Wallace, the Laird's braither, said we'd be travelin' south. It seems ye're goin' west?"

"'Tis just a little detour, lass. We'll be at the castle soon. Most likely, we'll meet the Laird's men closer to home, aye."

The faint uncertainty she'd been feeling turned into a distinct feeling of unease. She knew the lands around MacDean Castle, and they weren't within a full two candlemarks' ride. The forest they were entering was unfamiliar, and the road was rough, far rougher than Keith had allowed his roads to be since he'd married Maisie.

Furthermore, Maisie's letter had said someone would meet her at or near the border. She and Keith were very precise about such things. There was no way they'd have suggested such a meeting and then failed to actually meet her at the location they'd specified.

Something was wrong. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and tried not to let her trepidation color her voice. "Och, well, ye might be right, but I need to take a walk and relieve meself. Mayhap we could stop for a moment."

"I thought ye were anxious to arrive. Ye dinnae want to keep Laird MacDean's folk waitin'."

"I ken, I ken. But I have a powerful urge, and it willnae take more than a moment. And surely ye'd like to take some time to stretch yer legs and drink some water, aye?"

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't listen. Then the driver pulled the carriage to a stop.

"Thank ye."

She hopped down and started for the woods, intent on disappearing into the trees before running back the way they'd come, or east, in an effort to find the path Jack had told her they'd be using. At the very least, she wanted to be well away from the driver, and whatever mischief he had planned.

If he was an innocent Muir clansman who'd simply made a mistake, she'd apologize later. For now, however, she had other things to worry about.

She hadn't made it half a dozen steps before rough hands grabbed her from behind and dragged her back, to throw her into the back of the carriage.

"What are ye…"

"Hush yer mouth, lass." The words were as harsh as the bruising grip that pinned her wrist and trapped her arm away from the knife concealed in her skirts. "Did ye really think I wouldnae guess ye were plottin' to get away?"

The man—a complete stranger, and no longer wearing the Muir tartan—scowled. "Another candlemark or less, and I'd have delivered ye to me Laird. But ye had to catch on to the alteration in the path."

"Where are ye takin' me?"

Ailis tried not to let her fear show. Instead, she focused on assessing the man, trying to memorize his appearance for later. He'd spoken of his Laird, so he wasn't a clanless outcast, that much she was certain of. He obviously wasn't from Clan MacDean or Clan Muir.

With a sinking heart, she realized she might have found an answer to at least one of her questions about Duncan—what he was so afraid of that he'd been furious at the thought of Lily even briefly leaving the castle walls.

A dirk appeared in the man's free hand. "Ye have two choices, lass. Promise to behave yerself, come quietly, and I'll do nay more than tie ye up and drive the rest of the way to where me Laird is waitin'. Or ye can try to fight or be clever again, and…" An ugly sneer twisted one corner of his mouth. "In that case, me Laird will understand if I come back without ye. He'd like to have ye as a bargainin' chip, but if ye're too much trouble, ye're nae necessary."

"Och, of course I'm nae daft enough to try and fight ye." Ailis considered a defiant expression, then settled for a wary, slightly sullen one with a hint of fear. "I'm nae a fool to struggle against an armed man who's already got the better of me."

"Good lass. It would have been a shame to spill the blood of such a pretty woman such as yerself."

Without letting go of her wrists, the man reached across to his seat and grabbed a length of rope, which he wrapped firmly around Ailis's wrists in a manner she knew she wouldn't be able to easily escape.

Once she was securely bound, and bound to the edge of the carriage for good measure, the driver retook his seat. "Time to go, lass. It's gettin' on."

Ailis settled against the seat and tried to think through the fear that filled her and made her stomach churn. Unfortunately, there was so much she didn't know that she was at a loss to guess how she should react.

She didn't know who this man was, only that he was following orders and was most likely a warrior from an enemy clan. It might be some enemy of Keith's, but then why target her? And why now, when she'd been visiting his castle at least once a season, accompanied by few guards?

No, it was more likely to be some foe of Duncan's.

How had they known to take over her carriage? Most likely, they'd intercepted the letters between her and Maisie. Such interceptions were fairly possible, she knew that well. All it would have taken was reading one or two, and they'd have known when she'd be traveling, and how.

But how had they entered Duncan's castle? He was so guarded. Surely, it must be almost impossible. Except…

Except that he'd increased the number of guards around the castle recently, including calling in reserves from the nearby villages. Jack had told her that much when she'd happened to remark on the increased number of guards.

He might not know all the faces and names of the recent arrivals. If a man was wearing Muir tartan, Jack might have overlooked it, and Duncan might never have noticed unless he was doing a close inspection of the troops.

And, of course, her presence had likely been a distraction, especially with her determination to give Duncan the cold shoulder for the past several days.

Ailis pushed the thought out of her mind. If there was one thing she'd learned from countless stories, it was that recriminations and self-doubt could wait until later, preferably sometime after the current situation had been resolved.

The driver had said they were close to their destination, and though he'd been lying when he tried to convince her they were close to Castle MacDean, that didn't mean they were far from wherever he was really taking her. Which meant that unless it was a camp, it was likely the castle of a laird who shared borders with Clan Muir.

Ailis bit her lip in frustration. She wasn't sure who shared Duncan's borders, aside from Clan MacDean. And she'd no idea who his enemies might be.

The driver had also said that his Laird wanted to have her as a bargainin' chip but didn't need her. She hoped that didn't mean what she feared it did—that the enemy either had other hostages or overwhelming forces.

The carriage left the woods, and Ailis looked up to see a dark stone keep, nestled against the low crags a short distance away. The whole structure was older looking and unfamiliar to her, the path rough and in need of being cleared. Still, the walls looked thick, and there were several guards visible.

Ailis grimaced. She'd entertained a faint hope that their destination would be one she could easily escape, but a well-guarded, sturdy fort that she was unfamiliar with gave her very little hope.

Her captor drove through the gates—held by two guards at the portal, and two more on the wall above it—and brought the carriage to a stop in front of the main doors to the keep. He tossed the reins to a servant and then pulled Ailis out of her seat roughly.

"Where's the Laird?"

"Busy. Ye're to take her to the room we prepared for the little lass."

Her captor growled in annoyance but nodded and dragged her inside, then down a hall that looked like it might house the servants' quarters or the dungeons.

At last, he reached a door that was being guarded by two more men. "The Laird says that this one's to be waitin' here."

One of the guards stepped aside. The other drew out a ring of keys, chose one, and unlocked the heavy-looking door. Once unlocked, he pushed it open, and Ailis winced at the loud, groaning sound it made.

The door was clearly very heavy, and not well maintained. It would be impossible to force it open quietly, even if she could somehow manage to unlatch it.

Her captor scowled at her. "Ye're to wait here until the Laird is ready to come see ye. Dinnae do aught foolish, or ye'll sorely regret it."

With that, he shoved her inside.

Ailis stumbled a little as she crossed the threshold. She was barely upright again, however, before a small, fast-moving figure slammed into her with a cry.

"Ailis!"

"Lily?"

The door slammed shut. Ailis blinked and took a moment to catch her breath as she surveyed her surroundings. The room was a small one, with a modest bed and a tiny fireplace for warmth, but little else in the way of comfort. No chairs, no table. No water or food. Just herself and her young companion.

The child clinging to her was indeed Lily.

Ailis sighed. "Lily-love, let go of me for a moment."

Lily did, and Ailis lifted her arms. "All right. Ye can hug me now, and I can lower me arms with the ropes like this so I can hug ye properly." The child latched onto her again, and Ailis sighed. "But, Lily, what are ye doin' here? Ye're supposed to be safe at home with yer faither."

Lily sniffled, and Ailis caught the guilty expression on her face before the child hid her face in her blouse again. "I wanted to go with ye. And I ken ye and Faither said nay, but the soldier said he'd take me to ye, and I wanted to go on another adventure so much…" She sniffled again.

"Och, lass, ye ken yer faither has rules for a reason. And did ye never think what he'd say to either of us if ye had snuck out and joined me, and I'd let ye? ‘Twas a foolish thing ye did, me wee bairn. And why did ye go with a man ye didnae ken?"

"He had the same tartan as Faither and Uncle Jack. He said he was me new guard, since Faither sent a lot of the others to the borders."

Ailis had just been thinking how easily she and Jack and even Duncan had been fooled by the man's borrowed plaid. She could hardly fault Lily for being tricked as well.

As for the child's rash behavior… well, she was a child. And hadn't Ailis herself encouraged such mischief and sneakiness that first day by the kennels, when she'd cajoled the guard into taking them both down to the sea? It was as much her fault as anyone else's that they were in this predicament.

She sighed and guided Lily to the small bed. "Foolish, wee bairn… Well, it isnae yer fault, I suppose." She ruffled the little girl's hair. "And I suppose ye got yer wish."

Lily blinked up at her. "But…"

"Ye wanted to come on an adventure with me, and here we are. It isnae the circumstances either of us would have liked, but we're still together." Ailis held the child close. "'Tis like wishin' on a Fairie Mound. Ye get what ye ask for, but never as ye'd prefer."

"Did ye wish on a Fairie Mound?"

"I didnae. But I was missin' ye." Ailis sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"What are we goin' to do?"

Ailis smiled at the youngster leaning trustingly against her. "Well, Lily-love, there's nae much to do until either the Laird comes, or until yer faither comes to find us. So, until then, we'll have to entertain ourselves."

"With stories?"

"Or fun thoughts."

"Like what?" Lily looked up at her trustingly.

"Like…" Ailis racked her brain for a moment. "Puppy names. They're almost old enough to be named, and in a few weeks, they'll be weaned, and ye can ask yer faither to let ye have one."

"I like thinkin' of puppy names." Lily smiled and began to list names.

Ailis let her chatter, interjecting here and there to show the child that she was still listening.

Her mind, however, was on far more concerning matters. She hadn't recognized the tartan the guards were wearing. Nor was she certain when, or if, Duncan would know she'd been captured.

Surely, he would realize that Lily was missing, if he hadn't already. And he would come for his child, whether he came for Ailis or not.

Ailis could only hope that he'd be able to rescue them. And that, after all the strife between them, he'd still want to reclaim her.