The Chase (14 page)

“The horses need rest,” Seonaid said in answer to Helen's question as Aeldra caught up to
them. “We'll no get far do the horses die under us.”

“Oh, aye.” Helen didn't sound pleased, but didn't argue the point either.

“We'd be at Dunbar by now had the men no insisted on our ridin' with them,” Aeldra
grumbled as they reached the trees.

“Aye,” Seonaid agreed. “ 'Tis damned uncomfortable aridin' with that great lout Stupid
George.” “Little George,” Helen corrected. The small Scot gave a sniff. “It should be
Stupid George, if ye ask me.” Her words surprised a laugh out of Seonaid and she glanced
at her cousin. “Givin' ye trouble, is he?” “Aye. Ridin' with him is about as comfortable
as ridin' on a great bouncin' stone.”

Seonaid merely shook her head. She had noticed her cousin rode with Little George much as
she rode with Blake, stiff and straight as a bow. Which made her wonder if her cousin
found herself attracted to the large man in the same way she herself was attracted to
Blake. But the image of the two together was so bizarre she shook her head. 'Twas like
envisioning an Irish wolfhound and a Scottish terrier together.

“I find riding with Lord Rolfe most comfortable,” Helen spoke up, drawing Seonaid and
Aeldra's attention. “It feels safe and warm, and I find I doze off most of the time and
sleep.”

“That being the case, ye should be the one Sherwell posts as guard,” Aeldra teased. “Yer
probably the only one o' any o' us who's had any sleep in the last two days.”

“That may be true,” Helen said seriously. “Mayhap I should suggest it to Lord Rolfe.”

Seonaid laughed at the suggestion as the women separated to find their own private spots
to tend to personal needs, but the thought stayed with her as she tended to business. She
had spotted Helen sleeping several times today and had no doubt the woman had rested
through a good portion of the ride the night before. The small redhead had been curled up
against Lord Rolfe like a cuddly ginger kitten, sound asleep and held in place by his
surrounding arms. She probablywas the only one of them in any shape to keep guard, or do
anything else. Now, if Seonaid and Aeldra were to do the same when they rode out again
that evening, when they arrived at Dunbar, they would be the only ones in any shape to do
anything... like ride straight out again while the men all rested and recovered from the
journey. The very thought brought a small laugh from Seonaid.

“Somethin' amuse ye?” Aeldra asked curiously as the three women met up again where they
had split. “I thought I heard ye cacklin' yer evil cackle a minute ago.”

“Me evil cackle, eh?” Seonaid asked with amusement, then explained the thought that had
amused her so.

“The women seem awfully cheerful,” Blake said with some suspicion as he watched them make
their way back up the hill. “What do you suppose they are up to now?”

“Probably nothing,” Rolfe said, also watching them. “No doubt their good mood is because
they are the only ones who have had any sleep.”

Blake glanced at him with surprise. “Sister Helen slept on the ride?”

“Like a babe in its mother's arms. Did Seonaid not sleep?”

“Nay,” Blake admitted, his eyes returning to the approaching women. Seonaid hadn't slept,
she hadn't even relaxed; she'd been as stiff as a board in his arms the entire ride. Which
had made it impossible for him to relax either. It had been a damned uncomfortable ride.
Turning away, he moved to find a spot to lay down and catch a nap. They wouldn't be
stopping long. Four hours at most, and then they would have to be on their way again.

Seonaid blinked her eyes open and stared sleepily up at the handsome face bent over her
own. A smile of welcome began to curve her lips; then her brain awakened as she realized
who she was smiling at. She abruptly frowned and struggled to sit up as she recalled where
she was. On horseback, very much in the lap of the Sherwell.

“Did you sleep well?”

Seonaid ignored the question as she forced herself upright in the saddle before him. She
knew the man had been surprised when, on getting back on the horse, she had forced herself
to relax and lean into him. Though she had intended to do so, she was still surprised that
she had actually fallen asleep in his arms. But once she had forced her mind and body to
relax, the lulling rhythm of the horse had sent her off to sleep.

“You seemed to sleep well. You were snoring,” he informed her, adding helpfully, “and
drooling.”

Seonaid reached up, mortified to find that he was telling the truthher cheek was damp. She
wiped the drool away with irritation and sat a little stiffer before him as her gaze slid
around the area they were riding through. They were ascending a hill, a very
familiar-looking hill.

“We're home,” she murmured with surprise as they crested the hill and Dunbar keep came
into view. Seonaid felt happiness well up within her at the sight of the castle she'd
grown up in. No matter why she left, or for how long, she always had this sensation on
returning. Her father was here and her brother, Giorsal, and Aeldra's brother Allistair,
and now her sister-in-law, Iliana, too. Her family.

The pleased smile remained in place until they approached the bridge over the moat and she
spotted the charred and blackened bodies and rubble on the ground in front of the wall.
Seonaid stiffened before Blake, desperate to know what had happened. She relaxed a bit
when she recognized the men standing guard on the wall, and only then did her attention
turn to scanning the area to see the traces of battle.

Dunbar had been attacked. Lord Rolfe, the bishop, and Little George urged their horses
closer to Blake's.

“What think you?” Lord Rolfe asked.

“Greenweld?” Blake suggested as they rode across the bridge and entered the bailey. “It
looks like there was a siege.”

Seonaid wasn't really listening to the men; she could see for herself what had taken
place. A siege was right. Someone had attacked the castle, catapulting burning missiles
over the walls. There was quite a bit of damage to various buildings within. There were no
bodies laying inside the walls, but then, there wouldn't be. Those would have been seen to
first.

The bodies outside the wall would be seen to last, if their own people didn't beg
permission to return to tend to the matter themselves.

Seonaid controlled herself as long as she could, but Blake had slowed his mount even
further as they had entered the bailey and was now moving at a snail's pace. Halfway
across the bailey, she could stand it no longer and tossed one leg over the beast to
propel herself off the mount.

Blake let loose a sound of surprise and brought the horse to a halt to prevent running her
over, but he didn't try to stop her.

Landing on the hard-packed dirt of the bailey, Seonaid broke into a run, racing toward the
keep. The door opened as she started up the stairs and she glanced up to see wee Willie,
the stable master's son, step out. A smile broke out on the lad's face when he spotted her.

“Seonaid!” he cried in greeting, and she stumbled to a halt at the sight of the bandages
on the boy's arm.

“Willie?” She paused to run a hand over his good arm, her gaze locked on the bandages on
his other one. “Are ye all right, lad?”

“Aye.” His smiled widened. “Just a bit o' a burn,” he assured her. “Lady Iliana took care
o' it.” “Is everyone? Was anyone?” She stumbled over her own words, finding it difficult
to ask what she

wanted to know. “Father?” she got out finally. “He took an arrow to the shoulder,” he
informed her, his little freckled face solemn. “An arrow?” Seonaid echoed with horror.
“Aye, but Lady Iliana tended to it right quick an' says he'll be fine.” “Oh, good,” she
breathed the word, then asked, “a-an' Duncan?” “He's fine. He was off tryin' to rescue ye
from the Colquhouns.” “The Colquhouns?” Seonaid stared at him in confusion.

“Aye. We got news ye'd been kidnaped by the Colquhouns. Duncan took most of the men an'
rode out to get ye back. But it was a trick. Greenweld was jest tryin' to lure the men out
so he could lay siege to the castle. He planned to take over before the men could return
to stop him. But Lady Iliana's smart an' she held them off. Gave 'em a good fight too.”

“Iliana? What about Father?”

“Well, he took that arrow,” Willie reminded her. “He's fine now, but fer a while there he
was unconscious an'” He shrugged. “Lady Iliana had to take over. She did a right fine job
o' it too. Did us proud.”

Seonaid nodded but was a bit amazed that her sister-in-law had managed to hold off
Greenweld. Iliana was such a tiny little thing, which didn't mean much, she supposed,
Aeldra was small too, but skilled in battle. However, Iliana wasn't. She was small and
pretty and ladylike and knew all there was to know about being a wife, but the news that
she had the ability to hold off an army set Seonaid to thinking. She had thought they were
oppositesLady Iliana skilled at female things while Seonaid boasted battle skills. It
would seem, however, that Iliana was a far more talented woman. It was a depressing
realization.

“What about Allistair an' Giorsal an' everyone else?” Aeldra asked, and Seonaid glanced to
the side with surprise, not having realized that the other woman was there.

Suddenly aware that Willie hadn't answered the question, Seonaid turned back to the boy.
The expression on his face and the way he was now staring at the ground made her stomach
drop. She could only think the news was bad, and immediately suspected it was about
Giorsal, Aeldra and Allistair's aunt. Her cousins had come to live with their mother's
sister when their own parents had died. Giorsal was a mother to them. Whatever the bad
news was, it had to be about her. Allistair would have been with Duncan and the other men.

“Is it Giorsal?” Aeldra asked, her thoughts apparently running along the same lines as
Seonaid's.

Willie shook his head but still wouldn't look up.

“Did Allistair no' go with Duncan?” Seonaid asked and her stomach sank even further when
the boy shook his head again. If Allistair had been here and able, he would have been the
one to take over when Angus had been felled. But Iliana had.

“Is Allistair... ?” Aeldra's voice broke as Willie raised sad eyes to her. Whirling, the
petite blonde raced

down the stairs and charged off across the bailey. Seonaid was right behind her. Taller
and able to take longer strides, she could have easily caught up and overtaken her cousin,
but she stayed behind, knowing she was heading for Giorsal's cottage to find out what had
happened. Allistair was Aeldra's brother, she had the right to know first.

She had nearly reached Giorsal's cottage when Seonaid was suddenly caught by the arm and
drawn up short. Whirling to face her captor, she scowled to find Blake had run after her
and caught up to her.

“Let me go,” she hissed, glancing over her shoulder to see Aeldra disappearing into the
nearby cottage. “Nay, my lady. There will be no more running away. You” “I'm no runnin'
away,” Seonaid snapped impatiently. “Let me go.” “You are not running away?” Blake asked
slowly.

“Nay. Something has happened to Allistair, Aeldra's brother. I think he may be dead,” her
voice cracked on the word. Rallying herself, she gave her arm a shake, trying to free
herself of his hold. “Now let me go. Aeldra needs me.”

Blake released her at once and stepped back, watching as she turned away and hurried after
Aeldra. Seonaid almost expected the man to follow her into the cottage, but a glance over
her shoulder before she slipped inside showed her that he was still where she'd left him,
simply watching. Little George was approaching from the keep at a gallop. The man was
large and strong but not overly quick, and was just catching up.

In the next moment, Seonaid forgot all about the two men as Aeldra's distressed cry drew
her attention to the conversation she had walked in on.

“What? But Allistair”

“He should have been laird,” Giorsal hissed, interrupting the blonde. “As yer fither
should have before him. Angus and he were twins. He had as much right to rule, and he
should have ruled the Dunbars. And Allistair should have ruled after him.”

“But Father didna want to rule. He was happy to let Uncle Angus”

“They claim Allistair was killed by Greenweld,” the old woman went on bitterly, as if
Aeldra hadn't even spoken. “But it isna true, I tell ye. Greenweld would no have killed
him. They were working together.”

“What?” It was an almost breathless gasp of horror from Aeldra. “Allistair was with
Greenweld? Why?”

“To get back what was rightfully his,” Giorsal said grimly. “Greenweld was goin' to help
him get Dunbar back.”

“But what about Uncle Angus an' Duncan?” Giorsal shrugged. “With them out o' the way,
Allistair'd be laird.” “An' Seonaid?” Aeldra asked grimly.

“He wanted to marry her. He said it would strengthen his claim.”

“So Allistair plotted with that vile Greenweld an' betrayed everyone?”

Giorsal nodded with satisfaction. “It was my idea. He didna want to at first, but I
convinced him. Necessity makes strange bedfellows, an' I kenned Greenweld could help
Allistair to gain possession of the keep an' the clan chief's seat. He deserved it. But he
didna agree until I pointed out he could have Seonaid that way, that Greenweld could send
men out to kill the Englishman an' she'd be free to marry him, that in her grief for her
father an' brother, she'd be easily led into marriage were he there to offer her support.
It would have worked too,” she said furiously, “but Duncan returned earlier than he was
supposed to an' killed my baby.”

“You convinced him to do this? To betray his own people?”

Seonaid's eyes had been frozen with fascinated horror on the old woman's bitter face up to
now, but the flat sound of Aeldra's voice drew her gaze down to her. Aeldra had been on
her knees at Giorsal's feet with her back to the door when Seonaid had entered. She still
was, but where she had seemed like a collapsed doll then, she was stiff now, as if a stick
had been slid up her back. Her head was erect and slightly lifted and her tone of voice
was dead, but with an undercurrent of cold fury that made Seonaid's heart ache. Allistair
had died while attempting to betray them all, but he had been led into doing so by
Giorsal. Aeldra had lost both members of her closest family in a matter of moments, for
while the old woman still lived, she would be dead in Aeldra's heart forever more.