“I could find out what she knows, but I sure as hell am not leaving here without Mairead, and she will not want to go with me while her brother lies so gravely ill.”
“I’ll send for Meriel and have her brought up to the keep,” said Niall. “No one will object to one wee lass entering Duncurra.”
“Her father is one of my captains. He will want to accompany her.”
“He can escort her to the gate and another of your men can escort her from there. She will be in no danger.”
“Niall, put yourself in his position. Ye have a daughter, would ye want her thrown into this mess without your protection?”
“His daughter has my protection, as well as yours. That will have to be enough.”
Niall’s stubbornness frustrated Tadhg, but he recognized that he had no real choice. “Fine, send for her.”
~ * ~
Those camped outside the walls had been told very little about what had happened. The only piece of information anyone had was that someone had met with an accident, and it was being investigated. Everyone suspected there was much more to the story than they had been told. Why would Duncurra have been closed otherwise? However, no more news was forthcoming.
Meriel’s father had been livid when she returned without Finola. To make matters worse, the gates were closed before he could go back in to find her. Meriel wanted to tell him she had tried to get Finola to come with her, but Finola simply refused. In fact, Finola had intentionally eluded her until Meriel had no other choice but to leave without her. However, it seemed disloyal to lay the blame on Finola, and Meriel thought perhaps she could have tried harder, so she accepted her father’s censure while holding her tongue.
Later that morning, it became clear to Meriel that something was seriously wrong. Her father strode angrily toward her from the direction of the castle gates. His accusatory question, “What have ye done this time, Meriel?” only confirmed it.
“I’ve done nothing wrong, Da.”
“Then why does the laird require your presence in the great hall, when Duncurra is closed to everyone else?”
“I don’t know, Da. Do ye know anything about what has happened or why Duncurra is closed?”
The anguish in her father’s face broke her heart. “No, Meriel. I don’t know what has happened or where your sister is. They won’t let me in to find her. Now they want me to send ye in to speak with the laird and I can’t go with ye.”
“Da, I swear I’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t want to go alone.” She could feel herself trembling and her father pulled her into his warm embrace and kissed the top of her head.
“I don’t want ye to go alone either, pet. I have no choice. Cael will be with ye until ye reach the hall, then the laird will see no harm comes to ye. If ye have any idea what this is about, please tell me now.”
Meriel hesitated. In her soul, she had no doubt this had to have something to do with the conversation she overheard, but she hadn’t done anything wrong. She had only told Rowan the truth about what Eara and Rafer were planning. He deserved to know, didn’t he? Aye, he did, but even though he told her not to speak of it, her father deserved to know, too. “Sit down, Da.” She told him the whole story.
“Oh, Meriel,” he moaned. “By all the saints, lass, this is bad. Are ye sure ye weren’t mistaken?”
“Da, I’m sure. I only told Rowan exactly what the couple said. He is a kind man and Lady Mairead’s brother. After what she has done for me, I couldn’t ignore what they said. I had to tell him. They even said after the wedding, he might meet with an accident and as a widow, Eara might be able to choose her next husband. I didn’t tell Rowan that part.”
Her father stiffened. “An accident? They said the word ‘accident’?”
“Aye, Da. Why?”
“Meriel, the only word we have from the castle is that there was an accident. If someone arranged for Rowan to have an ‘accident,’ it will be your word against Eara Fraser’s, lass. She might even twist the story to implicate ye. Is there any chance someone else was there? Perhaps someone who can confirm your story?”
“I don’t know Da. I—I don’t think so.”
He put his arms around her again. “Then I’m not sending ye in there.”
“But ye have to. Ye can’t defy an order.”
“To protect my daughter, I will.”
“Da, I’ve done nothing wrong and we don’t know what is happening. Rowan may need a witness. If I don’t go, it will look as if I have something to hide, on top of which, ye will have broken your oath to the laird. I’ll be fine, Da.”