“I felt as foolish as you for not realizing
it myself.”
“That takes much courage.”
“You doubt Brianna has enough courage?”
“Nay,” Royce said, “she has the courage and
more. I just feel foolish for being an arrogant fool and in
believing I was her only defense.”
“Moira was raised in a convent since she was
twelve and realized that while other women were there, she
basically had herself to depend on. After all it became habit, and
she looked to no one but herself to do what needed doing.”
“And she attempted to instill this in
Brianna?”
“Aye, and I am grateful to her for it.”
“So am I,” Royce agreed. “It gives Brianna
an edge over her opponent.”
“And it gives us time knowing she will
defend herself. Arran found my wife offensive with the way she
spoke her mind. When Brianna does the same with him, he will not
know how to react He did not know how to react to Moira, and it was
obvious he was uncomfortable around her.”
“But Brianna was once his wife. Will that
not make a difference?”
“Arran preys on the weak, those unwilling or
unable to defend themselves, those with strength he cannot
tolerate.”
Royce gave that thought. “Yet he leads me to
his destination.”
“He thought you would follow the other
trail.”
“Did he?” Royce grew silent.
“One trail was meant to divert.”
“Was it? Or were two trails meant to
divert?”
“Two? Where then, would Arran go?”
Royce grew uneasy. “I do not know, but
suddenly I feel we are being led astray and Arran has gone in
another direction.”
“But where? Where could he go? Where would
he go? Brianna is heavy with child. He wishes to ransom her and be
rid of her so that he may have his freedom.” Ian grew quiet for a
moment. “Something is not right.”
“Aye, I feel the same as you. Something is
wrong with this whole situation.”
“Arran often deceived. I think he deceives
us now.”
“Purposely,” Royce said. “He purposely wants
to keep us from finding him, and he purposely sends no demand for
ransom yet.”
“He requires time.”
“Aye, but for what?”
Royce knew but feared voicing his concern.
“He wants the babe born.”
Ian’s blood ran cold. “He cannot mean to
harm an innocent babe.”
“You said yourself that Arran loves no one
and therefore can do what is necessary. Two hostages are always
better than one.”
“So he sends us on a false chase while he
waits somewhere else with Brianna and waits for the birth of your
child.”
Royce nodded, his hands forming fists and
squeezing tightly. “We go where he wants us to, but he will not be
there.”
“Brianna must realize this by now.”
Royce did not want to think of how
frightened she must be. He wanted to know that she was strong and
would do what was necessary to survive and give him time to reach
her. He grew furious thinking of her giving birth to their child
alone. He had told her he would be there with her, and he had
wanted to be there with her. He could not take away her pain, but
he could hold her hand and help her bear the pain.
“We need to think of where he would take
her.” Royce stood and paced in front of the rock. He was annoyed
with himself, anxious to amend his destination and adamant about
confronting Arran. The man had consequences to face.
“It could be anyplace,” Ian said, standing
and pacing beside Royce.
‘Tell me more about Arran.”
“What more is there to tell?”
Royce was insistent. “There must be
something that would help.”
“He charms, he is deceptive, and we have
determined that he loves no one—”
Royce interrupted. “And he does not care to
appear the fool.”
“I would agree with that. He thought himself
wiser than most and I suppose he makes choices others would
not.”
“Brianna and I made a fool out of him.”
“Aye, he would see it that way.”
“And he would want revenge.”
“But he gets revenge by abducting Brianna,”
Ian said.
“But his pride has been damaged, and that
does not sit well with him. So what does he do?”
“He attempts to make you look like a
fool.”
“Right, but how?”
“He diverts you to a bogus destination.”
“That is not enough for him,” Royce said and
stopped pacing, though he ran his fingers roughly through his long
hair. “He wants to humiliate me.”
“He does that to you by sending you to the
wrong destination.”
“I might look foolish, but not
humiliated.”
Ian shrugged. “How could he humiliate you?
He has already abducted Brianna and leads you astray. Anyone would
feel a fool. I did.”
“As do I,” Royce admitted, “a seasoned,
legendary warrior like me unable to deal with one single man.”
“But you do, you go after him, track him,
and find him—that is inevitable.”
“He leads me on a chase, the destination
being my final humiliation.”
“Your keep?”
Royce shook his head. “It would be known the
moment he set foot on Cameron land. There is no way he would slip
past again.”
Ian rubbed his chin. “He wants to humiliate
you. He wants enough time to pass so that Brianna will give birth,
which means that he must make certain you are drawn away from his
intended destination.”
“That means we are going in the wrong
direction.”
“What if we are wrong and this is the
correct direction?”
“That is solved easily enough,” Royce said.
“I send men one way and I go another.”
“It means you go alone. You will need help.”
Ian could see that Royce paid him no mind, but he was insistent. “I
know how you feel about finding Brianna, but do not allow your
anger to make foolish decisions. Arran will be heavily guarded. He
is not stupid, and he probably hopes that you will be.”
Royce laughed. “You are as good as your wife
in making someone see reason.”
“I learned well from her.”
“And I should have learned by now that you
intend to remain beside me until your sister is found.”
“I am glad you finally realized that, though
I still advise a group of men to go with us.”
“I agree, but give me your word that Arran
will be left for me to deal with.”
Without hesitation Ian said, “You have my
word.”
“Good, then in the morning we divide and
change direction.”
“That is fine, but do we know what direction
we go in?”
‘To know where Arran goes, one must think as
Arran does.”
“Think like a madman? I have come to realize
that Arran is not only devious but—”
Royce finished. “Deranged. I have already
reached that conclusion.”
“So where, then, does a deranged man take
his wife to hide her from the man who loves her and whose child she
carries?”
“Back to where it all started, back to where
I upset his plans and back to where I humiliated him.”
Ian shook his head confused. “Where it
started? Upset his plans? What are you talking about?” Then it
dawned on Ian, and his eyes widened and his voice rose with his
temper. “Arran was responsible for my sister’s accident?”
Royce nodded. “Aye, I believe he was, though
the accident did not go according to plan. The men he hired
probably caused a worse accident than planned, and when my presence
became known they were frightened away.”
“You think he knew you were at the
cottage?”
“I think he discovered our whereabouts the
same time Blair did.”
“Then he waited after that, but why? Why not
appear right away?”
“It is beneficial to wait at times,
especially if Arran thought he could fatten his purse.”
“After hearing there was to be a possible
wedding, he thought to get more coins from you than from me.”
“He was in no great hurry. The coins are
what matter to him.”
“So he is patient again and takes Brianna to
birth her babe where the babe was conceived.”
“And memories born. I only hope those
memories of our time together keep her strong in her resolve and
courage. I hope she remembers all I told her when we were there; if
she does she will know that I come for her. She will remember how
very much I love her.”
“So he returns to the scene of his
crime.”
“Aye, he returns to the cottage and we will
follow.”
The days were warm, the sky a stunning blue,
and all around her flowers bloomed brightly and Brianna planned.
Her time was growing short, and if Royce did not arrive soon, she
would have no choice but to leave and seek safety in the woods.
Day by day she had gathered the items
necessary for her escape and items necessary to birth the babe. Her
delivery time drew near, and the thought of giving birth alone
frightened her, but the thought of Arran taking her child away from
her frightened her more, so she had no choice but to accept and
prepare to deliver her child.
She had hidden the gathered items in the
woods each time she scavenged for branches and twigs to fashion
baskets. One basket she had made would help her carry all her
items, and she would soon stock it and leave it in the woods.
Surprisingly, Arran had not bothered her, at
least physically. His remarks were meant to torment and hurt, and
at one time his words would have inflicted damage. Now, however,
they had no effect on her. She was much too busy to pay him
attention, though it appeared that she did little but collect
material needed to fashion a variety of baskets. While her hands
created, her mind plotted, and she felt secure that while it
appeared that she sat idly by she was actually busy planning.
“You sit here every day making those stupid
baskets,” Arran said, walking up to where she sat on a blanket
beneath a tree, her hands busy bending and shaping the branches
into place.
“What else have I to do?” She shaded her
eyes from the sun that glared from behind his shoulder and then
slowly stretched her arms, moving her head from side to side,
pretending to ease her neck muscles when actually she watched the
men who guarded the surrounding area.
She had been able to determine when they
switched places and what men were less vigilant than others.
“You were always lazy,” Arran said with
disgust.
“Did you think I would change?” While
rubbing the back of her neck, she watched two men busy talking and
laughing and not paying attention to their duties. She had watched
them before and decided the two would serve her well when she made
her escape.
“Nay, I did not and that is why it irritated
me so to think that I required you in exchange of coins.”
“I am curious, Arran.”
He sneered. “A strange concept for one who
never questioned.”
She did not bother to remind him of the
consequences she was made to suffer if she had dared to question
him.
She simply wished to settle her curiosity.
“Why did you wait so long to abduct me?”
“Your ignorance astounds me.” She looked at
him as if he were the ignorant one.
“What does my ignorance have to do with
it?”
“You are ignorant of the truth. You always
have been and you disgust me as much now as when we were
married.”
“You will be rid of me soon enough.”
“I would have been rid of you by now if the
idiots I sent to bring you to me had done a proper job of abducting
you.”
Brianna digested his remark, and the
realization fired her temper. She did not, however, display her
anger. That would have pleased Arran, and she had no intentions of
pleasing the repulsive man.
“So it was you who caused my carriage
accident and the death of the two men.”
He seemed proud, raising his chin in
triumph.
She deflated him fast enough. “You must be
accustomed to failure by now.”
He turned bright red and his hands fisted at
his sides. “Will you think me a failure when you must leave your
child in my care?”
His words stung her heart, but she would not
give him the satisfaction of knowing his target had suffered a
direct hit. “That will not happen.”
“You are so sure, and yet the great Royce
Campbell foolishly follows the wrong trail. By the time he realizes
he has erred, the babe will be born and the wee one will guarantee
my safety.”
“You are the fool if you believe that.”
Mentally she called to Royce, told him where she was, and prayed
that he heard her silent plea.
“Is he here?” Arran asked, spreading his
arms wide.
“Do you see him?”
Brianna defended the man she loved. “He
would not be so foolish as to walk straight into your camp.”
“Why not? He is a legend; legends cannot
die. What has he to fear?”
“Royce fears nothing.”
He rushed toward her, leaning over so that
his nose nearly touched hers. “He will know true fear by the time I
get done with him.”
She wisely remained silent, and besides, a
dull ache had begun in her back a short time earlier, and at first
she had paid it no mind, but it had continued, and she feared the
babe might have decided to arrive sooner than she had thought.
If that were so, she would need to make a
hasty escape and find a place in the woods to birth the babe. This
being her first, she would be wise to leave as soon as
possible.
Arran had stepped away from her, and she
made an attempt to stand, her extra burden making movement slow for
her. Arran ignored her need for assistance and watched with a smirk
as she struggled to stand on her own.
She was about to tell him she was going to
gather more branches when to her shock her water broke and flooded
the ground around her.
Arran laughed. “The babe arrives, and where,
dear wife, is the father?”
She wanted to scream in frustration. What
now was she to do? A pain stabbed at her stomach, and she realized
that at the moment the only thing she was going to do was to birth
her babe.