Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

K endrick's heart did not just skip a beat or two. It felt as though it had stopped beating altogether. For a moment, he could not make sense of the voices around him. He could not process the fear in Angus' eyes, Blair's cries, or Lorena's wailing, which was full of blame.

Nothing made sense to him.

He glanced around the great hall as if he was searching for something. He wasn't certain what it was, but he knew he had to find it. For the first time in his life, the walls of his great hall felt like a tomb. His chest felt tightened as though every breath could be his last. The morning sun did nothing to chase away the dark.

He had woken up with great optimism and had planned his day. He would first have a meeting with his council and share the happy news with them and Logan's dismissal from the keep. After that, he would pay Sophia a visit, spend time with her, and confess his true feelings to her. He had resolved he would tell her the whole truth— he would beg her until she accepted him, and then he would ask her to marry him. This time, with the fanciful brooch of her dreams, in a beautiful field.

All that was gone, now.

What was this news he was hearing? He hoped he had understood wrong. Maybe they had intended to mention someone else's name; maybe this was another one of his nightmares—a new nightmare that had come to haunt him. He wished it would avail a dream and not reality.

"Repeat… repeat what ye've just said," he stuttered, his voice trembling.

"Sophia, milaird…" Angus yelped. "We think something bad has happened to her."

"Explain it in detail. What happened?" he asked desperately.

"We heard a short scream yesterday evening, milaird," Angus explained. "When we ran out to check who it was, there was no one there… only this piece of plaid and her basket of empty herbs." He unfurled his hand and was holding a yellow piece of plaid. It looked like it had been torn off forcefully. "We thought nothing of it till morning came and she did nae return home. That was when we came to ken that something was wrong."

Kendrick collected the plaid from Angus. "Are ye sure she left the castle yesterday?"

"The stable lad confirmed it, milaird," Lorena muttered amidst her crying. "I had asked her to go without me."

"Call the lad into the great hall," Kendrick ordered, turning to Reed who was comforting Lorena.

Without argument, Reed left Lorena in search of the boy, while Kendrick observed the piece of plaid he was holding.

"Milaird," Reed called as he entered back into the hall with the red-haired stable boy.

Kendrick turned to face the boy whose head hung low in respect. "Did ye see Miss Sophia leave the keep yesterday?" he asked.

"Aye, milaird," the boy responded in a frustratingly small voice.

"Speak louder," Kendrick commanded, and before he could realize he had startled the poor boy, he had already rocked himself back in fear. Kendrick took deep breaths and repeated calmly, "Speak louder, lad. I cannae hear ye."

"Milaird." The boy's voice was shaky. "I saw the mistress leave after I informed her that her sister had gone for a horse ride with Sir Reed."

"Did ye notice anything? Anyone with her, or anyone following her?" Kendrick questioned.

"Nae… naething like that, milaird." The boy shook his head.

"Ye may return to the stables, lad."

He had wanted to deny it; he had wanted the situation to be different, but now it was quite evident—Sophia was with the person he dreaded most. He folded the plaid in his palms. "This plaid—it belongs to the Munro clan," Kendrick revealed, his heart beating heavily. The fury he was trying to smother was doing cruel things to his soul. He could see his veins pump beneath his skin. "Munro has done this."

As soon as he said it, the great hall fell silent. They all knew the truth. The way they were all staring at him, not stunned or astonished, but as if their ability to deny the truth had been wiped away, said it all.

Blair's sobs broke the silence as she knelt in front of him, her fair face red from crying and her ginger hair tousled. Shehad always struck Kendrick as angelic and gracious. Seeing Sophia's mother in such a state only added to his grief.

"I beg ye, milaird," she cried, rubbing her hands together, "Please save my daughter! I will pay with my own life if I have to. Please !"

Kendrick grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her to her feet. "I will bring Sophia back, I promise. Nae one shall have to pay with their life," Kendrick assured her.

He knew her pain; he understood her fear. He could feel just as much fear, pain, anger, and the desire to protect as she did. In that moment, he would have turned the entirety of the Highlands inside out if it meant he could protect her.

"If she's in the Munro clan, milaird, how do we get her back?"

Kendrick thought for a while. "If Munro took her, then he wants something in return." He paused. "He wants to negotiate something with me, no doubt."

"His soldiers?" Reed asked.

"Nae, the fool does nae care for his soldiers enough to try and save them. He wants lands, or power, or…"

"Or what, milaird?" Angus interjected.

"Or his pride has been compromised and he wants his revenge." Kendrick took one pitiful look at Blair, who was almost suffocating from all the tears she had shed.

"Catherine must have informed him of yer closeness with Sophia," Reed chimed in.

Kendrick was stunned. " Catherine ?"

"Aye," Reed replied. "Ye ken word came that she crossed the boundaries between our land and Munro's. She must be plotting with him as we speak."

"Catherine? Ye mean the Laird's chambermaid?" Angus asked in a panicked voice. His attempt to hide his fear was futile.

"Aye."

"What do we do, milaird?" Angus' eyes were red and wide as he spoke. "How do we save her from him?"

Kendrick was in great shock, but still, he had to take charge of his emotions. He knew he had to keep a clear head to save Sophia, and he could not let her heartbroken mother see his own fear, nor let her devasted family lose their hope. It was up to him to remain calm in the chaos of the situation. "I will find a way."

"Should I ready the warriors and soldiers now, milaird?" Reed suggested. "We can attack the scoundrels before sunset."

"Nae," Kendrick objected. "He kens he cannae defeat me. If we go now, he'll use her as bait to keep himself safe." Worse, he could kill her . He started pacing the hall with his hands behind his back. "We'll send him a letter arranging for a meeting, and I'll attack before then with only a few men. He cannae come to ken that we're coming."

Lorena knelt beside her mother. "I am sorry, Mama." She sniffed back her sobs. "I shouldn't have let her go alone. This is my fault."

"Tis nae yer fault, sweet bairn." Blair raised her daughter as she came to stand herself, wiping the tears from Lorena's eyes. "'None of this is yer fault."

"Lorena," Kendrick called, "Take yer mother to one of the chambers upstairs and if ye need anything, ask Mrs. Brown." He scanned the great hall. "Where is Emilea? Is she all right?"

"She's at home, milaird," Lorena replied. "She thought to stay home in case, God willing, Sophia was to return."

"Tis fine then." Next, he turned to Angus. "Prepare a letter for Munro—tell him, I ken he is with Sophia, and I am ready to negotiate with him on the condition that he returns her without a scratch."

"I shall do as ye've said," Angus responded, then left the great hall.

"If ye'll excuse us," Lorena said politely before leading her mother away.

Kendrick cast a glance at Reed. His gaze was fixed on Lorena as she climbed the stairs with Blair, as if his heart was breaking at her sadness, as if every tear she shed killed a piece of him. He had never looked at a woman with such longing, not even Sophia. It dawned on him, there and then, that hemust have come to have feelings for Lorena.

"Reed," he called. The man was still gazing up the empty staircase from where Lorena had left. "We should speak outside."

"Aye, milaird," Reed answered, tearing his eyes away and following Kendrick outside.

The weather was neither dull nor bright. The clouds in the sky appeared hesitant. Kendrick sighed. The fire in him wanted to storm the Munro keep without hesitation just to save Sophia but the fear of endangering her made him hold back. He was certain of one thing: if even a strand of her hair had been pulled from her head, he would not spare a soul in that keep.

As they made it into the fields beyond the keep, Kendrick slowed his steps and faced his friend. "Did ye find out anything else about Catherine?"

Reed gave a nod, putting a halt to his steps as well. "Aye, milaird." He folded his arms and leaned against the keep's wall. "From what some allied soldiers told me, her mother was killed on the road to William Forth."

Kendrick nodded. "When Mrs. Brown's husband brought her to this castle."

"Aye, she saw her mother die, and I ken it was at the hands of their clan."

"Which clan did she originally belong to?"

"Clan Munro and her father was the war chief."

"What happened then? I dinnae suppose the daughter of a war chief would wind up in exile is naught bad had happened."

"He had disagreements with Munro's leadership. Soon, the clansmen started to favor him over Laird Munro," Reed inhaled. "Munro felt threatened by the surge of power and followers his war chief was accumulating, so he had him killed. When his wife found out, she threatened him, and the Laird chased her out from the clan and went after her. He had to quiet her in order to bury the news forever."

Kendrick folded his hand behind his back. "Sounds like something Munro would do. Catherine… that poor lass."

"Do ye pity her?" Reed asked, his brow furrowed.

"She's had a sad life, I must say… but she dared hurt my Sophia, so now there is nae mercy, nae matter how sorrowful her life had been."

"Sad that she even got involved with the very man she should've hated the most." Reed let out a sigh. "When do we attack? Surely, we cannae leave Sophia there for long."

"I'll wait today for Munro's reply. We attack when he agrees to a parley."

"And if he doesn't?"

"We attack regardless. He's declared war already by taking her captive," Kendrick said through gritted teeth.

"Kendrick," Reed said, his voice low and kind. "I must say this—I ken how I gave ye the wrong impression about my feelings for Sophia."

"Aye, ye did."

"I dinnae care for Sophia in such way," Reed confessed.

"Ye asked to marry her."

"Ach, I did… but it was only to make ye realize how much ye wanted her for yerself… and it worked." Reed grinned. "I see her only as a friend… I care for another lass."

"Lorena."

"Aye, I care for—" Reed gave Kendrick an astonished look. "How did ye—"

"Who wouldn't ken?" Kendrick said. "Nae with the way ye look at her."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Aye." Kendrick shook his head. "Twas and I was wrong to have doubted ye to begin with. I apologize."

Reed patted Kendrick on the shoulder. "I should've told ye. Truly, I should have."

"Ye'll tell me the whole story in time, but for now, we should focus on getting my own lass back."

"Tis true." Reed looked around as though he had suddenly realized something. "Where is Logan? He's supposed to be here, isn't he?"

Kendrick lowered his head. The hurt from the betrayal was still twisting in his stomach. "Logan will nae be coming. I've ordered against it."

Reed pushed himself back up. "Why? Is there anything I am nae aware of?'

"Tis better ye never ken about it, Reed. Tis shameful," Kendrick answered.

He couldn't bring himself to tell his friend that his mother was having an affair with his uncle. He couldn't say out loud that he had long despised his father when he should have pitied him.

For the first time since he was a child, he thought of his father, and he missed him. He wanted his advice, andto apologize for blaming him.

It's too late now, Da.

All of the emotions he had suppressed began to drain him. He hoped Reed wouldn't say anything else. Reed remained silent, as if hecould read his mind, and the two friends stood silently for a while.

"What will ye do when Sophia returns?" Reed's question fell between them. "Will ye finally let her ken yer true feelings?"

An unintentional smile formed on Kendrick's lips. "I will tell her the truth," he said. "That I was a fool."

"A fool, aye… ye were one," Reed laughed. "I ken, ye're afraid—ye fear ye may never be able to save her."

Kendrick did not want to deny it any longer. "I am. Wielding my blade has always been easy, but now I fear that I may fail her in battle."

"Ye will nae," Reed assured him. "I am most sure of that, and I will always have yer back. We will bring Sophia home."

"Nae, Reed," Kendrick murmured. "Only I will be bringing Sophia home."