But as bad as the injury must feel this morning, Fergus would be far more pained by Kathryn's abduction. The man was loyal to her first and above all others. Bryan felt a moment's remorse for his harsh words the night before. Knowing he must make the first move to heal the rift, he asked gruffly, “From the looks of your face, I wonder how your head feels this morning.”
“I'm fine.”
“You don't look fine.”
Fergus wouldn't look at him. “Do you think they're headed for Norham?”
“'Tis most likely. It's close.”
“Then Edward must have taken her.” Fergus looked up, finally.
“Or Carleton.” Bryan could feel his own agitation rising.
Fergus winced, as if the thought pained him, too.
“If you had obeyed my orders . . .” Bryan slammed his fist into his palm. “You placed her in danger. How could you be so careless?”
“Are you worried about her, or is it that you don't want Rodney to have her?” Fergus shot back.
“How dare you say that? She is my wifeâof course I care about her.”
“As much as you care for your horse?”
Annoyed and puzzled, he roared, “What does my horse have to do with this?”
“Kathryn believes she is lower in your esteem than Cerin.”
“You go too far, Fergus.” He lowered his voice, and the menace was clear. “She is my wife. I vowed to protect her and I have failed. Because of
your
carelessness.”
Thomas walked over and took a seat between them. Bryan suspected the younger man feared he and Fergus would come to blows. And well they might before this was over.
Bryan heaved a sigh. “No sense sitting here blaming ourselves. Let's mount up.”
They broke camp and followed the tracks south until they reached a clearing within sight of Norham. Thomas scouted ahead while the rest of them dismounted and waited in the cover of the trees.
He returned shortly. “The tracks lead straight to Norham.”
“If 'tis Carleton, I swear I'll kill him if he so much as touches her.”
“Will we mount a rescue?” Fergus asked.
Bryan paced. Had Kathryn gone willingly? He didn't want to believe it but he couldn't be sure. Mayhap she'd played him for a fool, seeking permission to go to St. Mary's then acting resigned to his refusal in order to defray suspicion. He stood in front of Fergus and Thomas. “Are we in agreement that no matter who holds her, it is most likely at Carleton's order and that Kathryn is in danger?”
The others nodded.
“Do we also agree that Kathryn wants to be rescued?”
“What are you implying?” Fergus growled.
In a calmer voice Thomas asked, “What reason do ye have to question yer lady's loyalty?”
Bryan shot a glance at Kathryn's friend, but Fergus's expression was unreadable. If he knew anything about the intricacies of Bryan's relationship with Kathryn, he was not going to share it.
Returning his glance to Thomas, he answered the man's question. “Kathryn and I have been married but a short while, and I don't know her feelings about many things. I do know that she didn't want to marry and she has continued to . . . she does not seem reconciled to the marriage. When last we met, I was less than a patient, loving husband.”
Thomas nodded.
Bryan continued. “I have no way of knowing Kathryn's true desire in this matter of marriage.” Again Bryan glanced at Fergus. Fergus met his gaze and didn't back down, even as Bryan said, “She does not confide in me. Perhaps her affection lies elsewhere.”
Fergus defended her, tight-lipped and obviously angry. “I can assure ye it doesn't lie with Carleton.”
“How do you know this?”
“She despises the man. Surely ye must know at least that much about yer wife!”
“You seem to know as much or more about the lady than I do. How is that?”
Fergus jumped up, fists raised. “What are ye accusing me of?”
“Stop it, both of ye,” Thomas thundered. “Ye're actin' like a couple of dogs with a bone.” He glared at Bryan. “Are ye goin' to rescue the lass or not?”
Bryan shoved his hand through his hair, taking time to let his anger cool. “Aye, let's be about it. Have the men mount up. We need to move deeper into the woods and devise a plan.”
Fergus put a hand on his arm. “That ye question my loyalty is bad enough, but why do ye question Kathryn's?”
“Are you so sure, Fergus? Are you sure we aren't riding into a cleverly laid English trap? Not only do they gain Homelea and its mistress, but Black Bryan as well.”
“If it is a trap, it's not of Kathryn's doing!”
Fergus stalked away, and Bryan threw his saddle over Cerin's broad back.
How could he be sure? He couldn't be sure of anything! And he needed to be sure.
KATHRYN AWOKE, CONFUSED AT FIRST by the unfamiliar room.
Where am I? And whose prisoner?
She climbed out of bed and gratefully washed in the basin of tepid water on the table. Having made herself presentable, she paced the room, hoping someone would soon bring food. She hadn't eaten since before leaving Homelea yesterday afternoon.
When Simon showed up at her door she said, “I demand to speak to your leader.”
“His lordship won't be here for a few days. Just relax and enjoy yourself, lady.”
“And who is his lordship?”
“Sir Rodney Carleton. We're to stay here and see if your Scottish rebel comes a calling.”
He refused to answer any more of her questions, and Kathryn was once again alone with her anxiety. A small window high on the wall allowed the only light and made it difficult to judge the passage of time.
Kathryn wondered for the hundredth time if Sir Bryan would come for her. In truth, she feared he would be lured here to his death. The thought twisted her stomach into a knot. Though she hadn't wanted to marry him, still she would not wish for any harm to come to him. The knight was at least honorable, more than she could say for Rodney.
She thought of Rodney's handsome face with its straight nose and lively blue eyes. Black Bryan and his ruddy skin and intense dark eyes. Rodneyâwhipcord lean and fast. Bryanâstrong and true. The two men couldn't be more different.
Isobel's safety depended on the knightâRodney must not be given the chance to use the child for his own self-interest. He knew Kathryn well enough to know she would bend to his will if that's what it took to keep the child safe.
If she had to chooseâif she were free to chooseâit wouldn't be difficult.
Would that she'd be given a choice.
B
RYAN OBSERVED NORHAM CASTLE from a tree line some distance away. No one had entered or left since early this morning and now, as he waited for the midday meal, he recalled the role the imposing keep had played in Scotland's history. Here the nobles of Scotland had foolishly acknowledged Edward I of England as the supreme and direct laird of Scotland in 1291, the year of Bryan's birth. Then the nobles had accepted Edward's choice for Scotland's king, John Balliol, thus setting in motion the events that had fueled the war Bryan had fought in since he was barely fifteen.
Within five years, Edward removed his puppet from Scotland's throne, and Robert the Bruce inherited his father's title as Earl of Carrick. He also inherited his family's claim to the crown, a crown Edward usurped as his own. Edward's first act as Scotland's king had been to sack the town of Berwick, a town just north of them now, ordering his men to spare no one. Thousands were hacked to death over a two-day period; even women and children had not been spared.
God have mercy, Kathryn was now imprisoned at Norham under English authority. And although this Edward was not the butcher his father had been, Bryan feared for her life. He had every reason to believe Rodney Carleton was at Norham, which meant her virtue was in danger as well. Bryan noted the reassuring weight of his claymore at his back and grasped the handle of the dirk on his belt, as if to withdraw it and storm the castle in his frustration.
“It's a trap,” Fergus said, startling Bryan back to reality.
“So you've said, several times. I agree.” He released the knife and dropped his fists to his sides. “Edward and Rodney hope to lure me, and perhaps even Robert, to Norham. And see, here I am, just as they hoped.”
Fergus's grim expression matched his own dark humor. “Ye don't still believe Kathryn lured ye here, do ye?”
“Let's just say that I would rather believe better of her.” Bryan continued, “You should return to Homelea.”
“I'm not leaving until Kathryn is free. As ye've been so willing to point out, 'tis my fault Kathryn is held in yonder keep.”
“Aye, so it is.” At the moment, Bryan wasn't sure who he was more angry withâFergus, for allowing Kathryn to be abductedâ or Robert, for forcing him to marry her in the first place. All his fears had come to pass.
Fergus must have sensed how tightly strung Bryan's emotions were because he didn't press for details of Bryan's plan to breach the stern walls of the keep. Which showed excellent judgment. Bryan wanted desperately to hit something, and Fergus's face was much too convenient.
Bryan's first instinct had been to storm the castle, but wisdom had won out. He'd waited, praying all the while that Kathryn would be safe and that whoever held her would make the mistake of moving her.
With effort, he calmed his anger and relaxed his fists. “Well, if we can capture a mighty Scottish fortress the likes of Perth, then surely we can breach this pile of English stones.” Bryan's words suggested far more confidence than he felt.
Just then Thomas returned from the errand Bryan had sent him on. He walked toward them, a bundle of clothing in his hands. At Bryan's raised eyebrow, the man winked.
Fergus demanded, “What are ye two plotting?”
“It seems Thomas has taken holy vows.”
With that Thomas shook out the bundle and produced the robe and cowl of a monk. He held the coarse cloth against his body to inspect the fit and Bryan explained their plan to Fergus.
“We will await the evening here in these woods. We cannot get any closer in daylight without being seen. In the meantime, we must prepare ropes and grappling hooks.”
“What are ye about, my laird?”
“Thomas will seek entrance to the castle. Even Rodney isn't likely to deny a traveling priest a night's lodging. Then Thomas will offer to hear confessions in return for the hospitality. Hopefully, he can gain access to Kathryn, or at least learn her whereabouts.”
“But what of the grappling hooks and ropes?”
“Depending on what he learns, our âpriest' may have to leave the castle by way of them, or allow us entrance.” Bryan just hoped this plan would work. “I would prefer to seize the lady outside the castle, but we'll go in if we must.”
“Let me go in as the priest,” Fergus entreated. “This is all my faultâI should be the one to take the risks.”
“While that's true and I appreciate the offer, someone other than Lady Kathryn might recognize you and jeopardize our plan. You've made an impression on Carleton himself.”
“But I need to do something.”
Bryan put his hand on the man's shoulders. “When we return to Homelea, you will be in charge of Kathryn's protection. Thomas will take most of my men and head to Stirling while I gather the castle and the village folk to take them north.”
“Ye would trust me after what I've done?”
Bryan studied him for a moment. “Lady Kathryn can be most persuasive, can she not?”
Fergus nodded and gave a rueful smile.
“I think neither of us is immune to her, Fergus.”
“We are only friends, I assure ye, my laird.”
“I know that. I also know that you would protect her with your life. And I trust you to see to her safety despite your earlier lapse in judgment. You'll not make that mistake again, will you?”
“Definitely not.”
“Good. For now, 'tis Thomas who will go to her.”
“Aye, my laird.”
Though he'd been furious with both Fergus and Kathryn when he learned she'd been taken, now Bryan's only emotion was fear. Fear that he was too late. A vision of Rodney's hands on Kathryn, of her frightened face, seared through Bryan. He could no longer waitâthey must get her out of that castle.
This would be a good time for a miracle, Lord. If you're listening.
AS DUSK APPROACHED, Kathryn heard the bar lifted from the outside of her door. Each time the door had opened these past two days she feared a visit from Rodney, for surely he would soon be here, if what Simon had told her was true. But it was only Peggy with a cleric whose dusty clothing proclaimed him to be a traveler.
“This priest has agreed to hear your confession. Be quick about it.”
As the woman left the room, the man closed the door behind her. Kathryn stared at the hooded man.
“Lady Kathryn.”
“I did not request a priest.”
“Nevertheless, I am here.” The hood of his robe covered his face. He pushed the cloth away and it fell to his back. Bright red curls covered his head.
She gasped, “You are no priest. You are Thomasâ”
Placing his finger in front of his lips he whispered, “Quiet, my lady.” He motioned her to move further from the door and when they stood before the fireplace, he reached for her hand and pressed something cool and metallic into her palm.
Kathryn stared at her hand. A ring. Bryan's ring. She had remarked upon its unusual design that day in the rose garden and she knew it to be his and his alone.
“How do you come to have this ring? How fares its owner?” she pleaded.
“The man who owns this ring and calls ye wife sent me. Bryan wasn't sure ye would recognize me.”
“He is well?”
“Aye.”
Kathryn's heart leaped. She had feared that Bryan hadn't come for her because of injury, or worse. But he was well. “They hope to lure him into a trap, Thomas. You must warn him.”