“Aye, I am,” she agreed. “That’s why I’m here. Ye must take me with you.”
“We’ve been through this. I told ye, we will be riding under a white flag.”
“But what if he doesn’t see it, or he’s so angry he ignores it?”
“I have considered that. I sent scouts ahead to confirm Niall’s movements. If they learn that he rides on Cnocreidh as expected, my men and I will take up a position on a stretch of moorland he will need to cross. The open ground will give him plenty of opportunity to see the white flag.”
“Surely ye realize, believing what he does, Niall will not wait to hear ye out. Nothing short of seeing me well and unharmed will sooth his ire long enough to listen. Even then he won’t believe ye, unless I tell him what happened. He trusts Malcolm. Please listen to me. It would be tragic, if after all this, Malcolm wins because ye are forced to destroy the MacIan army.” Katherine didn’t completely believe Tadhg would be the victor, but she knew regardless of who won the day, a battle would leave MacIan men dead and weaken the clan.
“Lass, what ye describe could happen even if ye are there, and ye could be injured or killed in the melee.”
Then Katherine did something she had avoided ever since her father died. She burst into tears in front of him and all the other men in the stable.
“Och, lass, don’t cry.” Tadhg resisted the urge to pull her into his arms, but he took her hands in his and said, “Please, don’t work yourself up over this. Everything will be all right.”
“Nay, it won’t,” Katherine sobbed. “Why can’t ye be reasonable? Ye are likely to kill my husband today, and I can’t bear the thought of it.”
“Wheesht, calm yourself, lass. It isn’t good for ye to get so upset with a bairn on the way.”
“Tadhg,” she implored, using his Christian name for the first time, “Please take me with ye. Let me try to prevent a battle.”
Tadhg looked completely at a loss. Evidently, he had no idea how to deal with a weeping woman. Katherine saw him catch Hamish’s eye, silently imploring him for help. Hamish grinned and shook his head, “Laird, I hate to disappoint ye, but I think Lady Katherine may be right. The sight of her may be the only thing that will hold Laird MacIan’s temper in check long enough to listen to reason.”
“But look at her. She is exhausted, she won’t eat, and she is expecting his child. The sight of her could be enough to incite murder.”
“That may be, Laird, but she’ll look no better if you don’t stop her tears.”
Tadhg’s shoulders sagged and she knew she had won. “Wheesht, lass, I’ll let ye go with us.” Katherine struggled to regain control, and when her tears had quieted, he said, “Ye can go, but ye will do what ye’re told. If things get out of hand, I need to know ye’ll be safe.” She nodded. “Go, get your things, then.”
~ * ~
After she left the stable he looked at Hamish and said, “That was a useless warning, wasn’t it.”
“Aye, Laird, I fear it was.”
“God save me if anything happens to her.”
When they were ready to leave, he assigned eight men to guard her, knowing that, unlike the MacLennans, his men would guard her with their lives. As the first light of dawn pinked the horizon, the Matheson army rode east with their laird and Katherine MacIan in the lead.
~ * ~
As dawn broke, Fingal MacIan and Fearghas Chisholm led the Chisholm army west towards Duncurra. Fingal hoped to reach Duncurra and secure it before Malcolm arrived. He would prefer to take up a defensive position within Duncurra, rather than battle MacLennan in the open, but he feared he might not be welcomed or believed.
~ * ~
Niall and the bulk of his army left Duncurra at dawn heading west towards Cnocreidh. His fury was boundless but Father Colm had been right, he was angriest at himself. How could he have let her ride away from Duncurra without his protection? He would rescue her, he would kill Tadhg Matheson, and he would send as many Matheson clansmen to hell today as was humanly possible.
~ * ~
As morning dawned, confident of an easy victory, Malcolm MacLennan positioned his army at the MacIan border. They were prepared to ride as soon as he was sure Niall had departed for Cnocreidh. Malcolm fully believed his army would not do battle today. Convinced he would be welcomed at Duncurra, he believed he would secure it as his own before clan MacIan became fully aware of what had happened. The news that Niall suspected Fingal to be the traitor absolutely thrilled him. Fingal’s presence at Duncurra would not be a problem at all. The entire plan unfolded almost more smoothly than he expected. However, he left nothing to chance. He would not allow victory to slip from him because of an unforeseen circumstance.