Chapter 18

Duncan knewthe wisest course was to wait for the troops to assemble, but he couldn't stand still for that long. He wanted to find Lily. He distracted himself for a time by tracking the horse she'd apparently been taken on.

The tracks led in the general direction of Fraser lands, and for a brief moment, he considered following them all the way to their destination. But he knew from experience that the rider wasn't taking the most direct route. True, a single rider could make good time cutting across the Highlands if they knew the lands, but an armed force would make better time going a different way.

His best option would be to start on the road toward Clan MacDean, then follow a smaller path that broke away about a candlemark's ride from the current castle.

He wasn't sure how much of a headstart Lily's abductor had, and he would need to use every advantage to bring his forces to bear as soon as possible.

Once he had a plan in mind, he buckled on his armor, left Jack to gather his men, and rode away from the castle with two of his best warriors at his side.

The irony of following the path his betrothed had taken only a few hours before wasn't lost on him.

The first hour was quiet, leaving him with nothing to do save thinking of Ailis and his fears for Lily as he guided his horse down the track at a ground-eating trot.

He was nearing the fork he'd need to take when two riders emerged from the woods. For a moment, his heart leaped. Had Ailis somehow heard…?

As quickly as his hopes had risen, they were crushed. The man was wearing MacDean tartan, and the woman was dark-haired and far too tall to be Ailis. Still, he reined his horse in as a sudden thought struck him.

Lily was adept at escaping her minders when she wanted to. Even if she had been taken, there was a chance she might have realized something was wrong and run away. And if that was the case, even if she avoided people she didn't know, she might have been seen.

It was also true that a man riding alone with a child might have caught the attention of any other travelers if her abductor had taken the main roads. And there was still the very slim possibility that Jack was right and she'd somehow convinced a guard to let her join Ailis. The pair riding toward him were on the right road, which meant that they should have encountered Ailis at some point.

He brought his horse to a halt, on guard as he noted the man's scarred face. He was clearly an experienced warrior.

Duncan forced himself to be courteous as he addressed them. "Excuse me. Have ye seen a small child on the road? Alone or accompanied by a man on a horse or a woman?"

"We havenae." The man shook his head. "And why would ye be askin' such a thing, stranger?"

"I'm searchin' for a child. She was under me care, and she's gone missin'. I found a gate to the moors unlatched and her minder asleep."

Without knowing who these two were, Duncan wasn't about to reveal the full truth of the circumstances.

"Well, we've nae seen a child, but we're in need of information ourselves," the woman spoke. "This road, does it lead to the current residence of Laird Muir?"

Duncan tensed up. "And why would ye be askin' that?"

"Because we're travelin' in that direction, and we dinnae want to get lost." The man nudged his horse closer, a clear warning in his eyes. "And ye waved us down, so I think ye ought to be givin' us yer name, stranger."

The man had a point.

"Duncan Wallace, Laird Muir. And as it's me home ye're headin' toward, I have a right to ask ye who ye are."

The woman's eyes flashed with sudden anger. "Aye, ye might as well ask, and then ye can tell me what the devil ye've done with me friend! Aye, and what ye've done to make her so upset over the past week! She's been fairly wound up ever since she wrote that ye'd come to claim her hand, and then she said that instead of her usual five-day visit, she was comin' to stay for an indefinite amount of time!"

Duncan's mind stuttered to a halt, jolted out of his feverish rage and fear. He looked at the pair more closely.

A man with a scarred face, a warrior's bearing, and dark hair and eyes. A tall, dark-haired woman with a fiery temper and eyes the color of a stormy sea. "Ye're Laird and Lady MacDean."

"Aye, we are."

Another moment of clarity. "Ye're lookin' for Ailis? But she was on her way to yer castle, on this very road, candlemarks ago…"

"Well, either ye've given her poor directions, or it's a falsehood ye're tellin', for we waited until noon afore we started this way, and we've seen nay sign of her." Lady MacDean's eyes flashed. "Although I'm afraid she ran to her faither, or somewhere else entirely, upset as she's been."

"Nay. She swore she'd go to ye. And I gave her driver instructions to meet with ye, or continue on to Castle MacDean if ye didnae show up." Duncan shook his head. "And she'd nae run. She's got too much spirit for that. And she was waitin' for me to… to…"

His words faltered as he realized several things at once.

Ailis had written several letters about her plans. And the route she'd be taking to reach MacDean lands. He had thought in passing about the fact that the beginning of the path to MacDean lands was the same as the one that led to the Fraser lands.

And he had sent her away accompanied by a single guard. A guard whose name and identity he'd never bothered to know. He'd never ensured it was someone he recognized or knew, despite knowing the dangers on the road.

He'd been too busy trying to get Ailis to listen to him to take basic steps to ensure that she was safe.

He swore. "If ye havenae already encountered her, then there's trouble I wasnae anticipatin'." He turned to point back down the way he'd come. "Take Kevin with ye, back to the castle, and ask the gate guards for Jack Wallace. Tell him Ailis has been taken, on the road or by a man posin' as a guard. Tell him I need him to follow me with at least half the men as soon as possible."

"I can aid ye," Laird MacDean offered.

It was tempting, but Duncan had no idea what he was riding into, as of yet.

"Nay. Go ahead to the castle with yer wife and wait for us to return. And if ye see men without colors, or in Fraser tartan, then either return home or stay in the castle."

"Clan Fraser? The rumors of a feud between ye are true? I'd heard stories but never kenned the full truth."

Duncan ground his teeth. "They're true enough, but I've been tryin' to let the flames die and let the clan recover after they burned down our old home. But someone's determined to take this to the bitter end. And after this… I'm inclined to oblige the bastards."

"Then I wish ye success. We'll be waitin' for yer return with our friend." Laird MacDean nodded and took his wife's arm. "Och, wife of mine… let it be. There are some things a man has to deal with on his own. ‘Tis a matter of honor and reputation."

She huffed. "All right." She fixed Duncan with a scorching glare that made his fury feel cool in comparison. "But ye'd better bring Ailis back safe, or else ye'll never have a child of yer own if it's the last thing I do."

For all his turmoil, Duncan could appreciate her ferocity. "Lady MacDean, if I cannae rescue her, ye'll nae find enough of me to follow through on that threat. And if I'm wrong about that, I'll deserve yer retribution."

"And ye'll make amends to Ailis?"

"Let me rescue her first and then worry about that."

After a moment, Lady MacDean nodded and turned her horse to follow the guard he'd designated as their escort and her husband. Duncan turned his horse back in the opposite direction, his eyes on the carriage tracks he'd not bothered to pay attention to until now.

He followed them down the road, hoping against hope they wouldn't lead where he feared they would. His heart sank when they turned down the very path he'd been planning to take.

I dinnae ken all that's happenin' yet, Ailis, or why ‘tis happenin' now, but I promise ye, I will see ye safe, ye and Lily both.

It was a vow to his lady, and one he'd keep or die trying.