Camden beamed at her. “Ye are thinking well, my lady.”
“Aye, well,” she muttered to herself, “the foot’s not working but the other end is.”
She did not wish to recall the next while. Climbing down, looking at the sea and hoping she’d not fall into it while using an excruciatingly painful ankle, was best forgotten. So was having to remove her gown and put on the rough clothes of a fisherman. Her beautiful gown was stuffed under nets, no longer beautiful. But she was alive.
She sat at the back, shivering, the canvas clothes scraping her skin. The marshall sat beside her. Though he didn’t put his arm around her, he blocked the wind and the side touching her was less chilled. Camden sat on the nets while the guard rowed. They’d told her she’d be taken to a cottage near the beach, dressed in a servant’s garb, and brought to the castle in a cart with the other female servants who went there daily to work.
“My lady, ye must ken sommat afore ye get to land,” murmured the marshall. “Laird Malcolm has gone to rescue ye, but Laird Malcolm will greet ye at Kinrowan.” He winked and touched his face as she’d seen Duff do to adjust her mask.
“Duff is Malcolm?” she whispered back.
“Aye, my lady. Ye need to ken it so ye’ll say aught.”
“But if I’m rescued from the cave why would the laird need to rescue me?”
“We ken ye’re safe, and the laird will ken it, but Ross will not.”
“Ross?”
“Aye. This was done by Alexander Ross of Balnagowan. The laird and steward, as well as me, the keeper, and Fergus, agreed he must have something done to stop him from doing this again to ye.”
“You mean to kill him?”
The marshall patted her hand. “We may like that but King James willna wish it.”
“I would gladly make my sister Catherine a widow,” she said. "My father didna wish her to marry the man. He isna kind to her." Her teeth began to chatter.
“Again, King James willna agree with ye.”
“So what is the plan?”
“Laird Malcolm will leave the castle wearing Master Duff’s mask. The keeper will go with him until a certain point, when the laird will go on alone to exchange with ye. The laird is to be there alone, as is Ross. We expect him to cheat, so Malcolm will carry his whips. Master Duff said he’s good with them.”
“Whips?” She shuddered. “I canna abide them.”
“They may save our laird’s life.”
She couldn’t imagine losing him. “I wish him back, Marshall.”
“We trust he will return.”
“Unharmed,” she added.
Chapter Fifteen
“Where is my wife?”
Malcolm stared coldly at Laird Alexander Ross. He clasped his hands behind his back to stop himself from reaching for the bastard’s neck and breaking it. He knew Ross did not have Kiera but could not let on. Walking down the steep road to the village, masked as Duff, he’d caught a glimpse of her face in the cart of servants that trundled past. In case he was watched he could not give her as much as a wink to say he’d seen her. Her head was down, but Camden had seen him. The bright lad had winked but made no other sign.
Having Kiera and Camden safe was all that mattered. That, and vengeance.
He would like very much to do something to Laird Ross. Something painful and permanent. Unfortunately he could not kill him without bringing King James’s wrath down on the MacDougals and the MacKenzies.
Ramsey stood at his back, too far away to do much more than throw a knife. In his left hand he openly held Malcolm’s claymore in its baldric. Duff’s mask was hidden in the folds of his plaid, as were the set of whips in Malcolm’s.
As expected, Ross had come on a ship that waited offshore. Once Malcolm arrived on the beach Ross had come in by boat with two men and a heavily cloaked woman pretending to be Kiera. One man now stood guard on the shore while the other waited in the boat, ready to row Ross to safety. Anyone who knew Kiera would not be fooled. Not only was this woman too small, Kiera would never sit still.
“Sitting in my boat, of course.” Ross swung his arm wide and behind him. “You are lucky to have such a quiet, well-behaved wife. Her sister took some time to learn manners. Yet since my man rowed her out to me this one has not spoken or moved.” He laughed. “I’d heard she had a vicious tongue. You must have tamed her well.”
Ross didn’t know the woman was an imposter?
Todd had left Kiera and Camden in a cottage by the shore and returned to the castle. He’d reported they’d cleared out the cave so anyone coming to get Kiera would not be able to tell if she’d ever been there. Todd said Kiera told him the sister, Molly, was still and silent as she could neither hear nor speak. It matched the figure in the deeply hooded cloak. Perhaps the same man had returned that morning, bringing his sister across to give him a reason for not fishing. When he discovered Kiera was gone he must have decided to replace her with Molly. It didn’t matter, Malcolm would not force her to return with Ross.