Highland Savage. Hannah Howell

When he stuck his hands beneath the hay that had served as his bed and tugged out a sack of belongings, Katerina realized the boy had clearly foreseen a time when he might have to leave quickly. It saddened her that any of her people should have to live in readiness of fleeing his home, but, at the moment, she was glad of the boy’s preparations.

      “I can fetch Annie in but a moment,” Thomas said.

      “There is nay need. Patrick has gone to get her as he said he could slip in and out of the inn without being seen.”

      “Ah, aye. He used to come to see Morag.”

      “So, he obviously wasnae completely unseen.”

      “Oh, I suspicion he was. I only saw him once when he was leaving. Kenned he was visiting Morag because she liked to boast about it.” He waited until Katerina started down the ladder before tossing his sack down to William and then following her. “Does Sir Murray want to take his horse back now?” he asked as he nimbly jumped down the last few rungs of the ladder the moment Katerina had stepped off it.

      “Aye, Sir Murray would verra much like to take his horse back,” replied Lucas before Katerina could reply or even consider the matter.

      Katerina looked toward Lucas, who was leading his now saddled horse out of its stall. “I dinnae think we can slip something that size out of here without being seen.”

      “Eachann can be verra quiet.”

      “Eachann cannae be small and quiet. A small shadow can escape the eye. A shadow the size of a gelding isnae so easy to ignore.”

      “If Ranald isnae right outside the inn, I can show Sir Murray a way to slip the horse out of the village,” said Thomas.

      “Are ye certain of that, Thomas?” Katerina asked. “We have come to save ye from Ranald. I dinnae want ye to fall into his brutal hands just because Sir Murray wants his horse.”

      “I willnae. I have slipped a horse or two out of the village before.”

      “I willnae ask why ye would do so.”

      “Might be best,” Thomas murmured, but he grinned.

      Katerina looked at Lucas and could tell that he was determined to take his horse with him. She had learned at a very young age that men could be very attached to their horses. It was also clear that he was not really waiting for her to say aye or nay, but readying himself to leave. She supposed now was not the time to remind him of who was the leader of this band.

      “We shall meet at the place where Old Ian met us earlier,” she finally said. “By then I will have thought of some place where we can put the beast. Take care,” she said to Thomas as he eagerly swung up into the saddle behind Lucas.

      She watched Lucas leave through the back of the stable and wondered why she felt like sighing heavily. The concern she felt over Thomas and Annie had obviously disordered her mind. Katerina followed William out of the stable, annoyed at the way she continuously listened for some sound that would indicate Lucas and Thomas were in trouble and might need her help.

      Patrick and Annie were waiting for them at the edge of the village, drawing Katerina’s thoughts away from Lucas. Annie needed to be reassured that Thomas was safe with Lucas and Katerina began to feel tense, knowing they were taking a lot longer to accomplish their task than she wanted to. When they were finally headed back toward what she now had to call home, she breathed a sigh of relief only to nearly choke on it when she heard the approach of several riders.

      Some of her fear eased as both Patrick and William acted swiftly, silently, and competently. Patrick grabbed the reins of Annie’s horse and William moved to ride with Katerina. Going in two directions, they all moved deeper into the shadows afforded by the many trees allowed to grow at the far end of the village. Katerina watched a group of seven men ride toward the village and knew they were Ranald and his men even before she heard his voice.

      “I grow verra weary of chasing these bastards all o’er Dunlochan,” Ranald said, his voice hoarse with anger.

      “They are verra good at hiding their trail,” said Colin, Ranald’s closest companion in arms.

      “No one can be that good without help, Colin. No one. These bastards are getting help and I mean to find out who and how.”

      “Ye think someone in the village is helping the reivers?”

      “Aye, more than one and I also think these curs are far more than just reivers. If that little bitch was still alive I would think she was behind all this.”

      “Lady Katerina? But, a woman—”

      “A woman can be as cunning as any mon. Dinnae forget whom we work for. Mayhap some fools do this in her memory. I dinnae ken but I mean to find out. I intend to start with that little cur Thomas.”

      “I thought Lady Agnes didnae want ye to do anything to the boy.”

      “She will change her mind once the little bastard starts telling us all he kens about these reivers. Aye, and mayhap I can use him to make his sister lift her skirts.”

      Katerina was tempted to follow the men when they rode past, moving out of her hearing. It was not often that she had such a good chance of finding out Ranald’s plans. The man was surprisingly incautious about where he talked about his and Agnes’s plans. Common sense ruled, however, and she joined the others in silently slipping away. She noticed that Annie looked very pale, a few tears visible on her cheeks in the faint light cast by a shrinking moon. The young woman may have come with them simply because Patrick had said she should, but now Annie fully understood the danger her brother was in and, quite rightly, it obviously terrified her.

      Lucas and Thomas were waiting at the arranged meeting place, as was Old Ian. Leaving the horses to the care of the old man and his sons, Katerina led the others into the caves. It was not going to be easy having a youth and a pretty woman staying with them, but there was no choice. The moment they entered the well-lit hall, Katerina also realized that someone should have told Annie that she was not dead, for the moment Katerina pushed back the hood of her cloak, the young woman took one horrified look at her and fainted into Patrick’s arms. Patrick, the rogue, grinned like a fool.

      “Thomas!” Katerina hurried to get some cloths and water to bathe Annie’s face after Patrick settled the unconscious woman on the table. “Didnae ye tell your sister that I hadnae died?”

      “Nay, ye said it was a secret,” he replied as he moved close to the table to stare at his sister in concern. “I gave my word to tell no one and my sister is someone, aye?”

      “I hadnae meant your own sister.”

      “When I talked to her at the inn, she spoke of ye as dead,” said Lucas. He smiled faintly at Thomas. “It might have been a kindness to tell your sister, lad, if only to save her from going to Lady Katerina’s grave. Still, ’tis good that ye ken how to keep your word.”

      “She went to my grave?” Katerina asked in shock even as she gently bathed Annie’s pretty round face with cool water.

      “Aye,” replied Lucas. “When she thought me a holy mon, she asked if ’twas a sin to say prayers o’er the unconsecrated grave of a suicide. She didnae really believe ye had killed yourself, though.”

      “’Tis odd, but that is one of the things that angers me the most about all of this. How dare Agnes let people think I committed such a sin.”

      “Myself, I think I would be more annoyed by being tossed o’er a cliff into a loch,” drawled William.

      Katerina had to fight a smile and ignored the way Thomas and the men all grinned. It was difficult, however, not to stare at Lucas. With the grin on his face and the light of laughter in his fine eyes, he looked so much like the man she had fallen in love with that it hurt. The way his somber, almost angry expression returned so quickly, hurt even more, for she knew now that part of it was caused by his belief that she had betrayed him.

      A soft groan from Annie drew her full attention,