“What?” Lorna’s voice was high with disbelief. “You mean he wanted tae kill ye?”
“He ambushed me when I left you that day,” she replied. “We had a great big fight and he pushed me into the water. I almost drowned.”
“He what?” Lorna was furious. “Deliberate, like?”
Minna shrugged. “I don’t know, Lorna,” she answered, “but he has not sent anyone to find me. I almost drowned, but someone pulled me out.”
“Who?” Lorna asked, frowning.
Minna paused for a moment. Should she tell her friend Gowan’s identity? If she did, she knew that Lorna would keep his secret, but it could put her in danger.
Lorna saw her hesitation. “Ye can trust me hen,” she said earnestly.
“I know,” she replied, “but I don’t want you to come to any harm over it. My brother knows dangerous people, and what you don’t know you can't tell.”
“Where are ye stayin’?” Lorna asked anxiously. “Did ye have a roof over your heid all this time?”
“Again, I can't tell you that, Lorna,” Minna replied, shaking her head. “I will not risk any harm coming to you.” Then she had a thought. “What are you going to do? Has Jamie not asked you to leave?”
“I think he has forgotten about me,” Lorna answered. “I am stayin’ as quiet as I can till he throws me out, because he will remember me in the end.”
“We will have to make a plan.” Minna thought for a moment. “And I must go and see Jamie.”
Lorna was horrified. “No! Minna! He tried tae kill ye!” she cried. She took Minna by the shoulders and shook her. “Dinnae go near him!”
Minna scowled. “I have to, Lorna,” she said grimly. “I might die in the attempt, but someone has to stand up to him. This can't go on.”
“Then let somebody else stand up tae him!” Lorna begged. “Ye cannae throw your life away like this, Minna!”
“I will not be throwing it away, Lorna,” Minna replied. “The one good thing my father did for me was teach me how to defend myself, and I can handle a sword as well as most men.”
“But your brother is a big strong man, Minna!” Lorna reminded her. “He willnae have too much trouble disarmin’ ye. Think, lass! He is a nasty cruel man, an’ if ye fight wi’ him ye will be throwin’ your life away!”
“I have thought of that, Lorna,” Minna said patiently. “And about what the villagers will do when I am gone. If the worst comes to the worst, I will not be around to help them, but you will.”
“I will have naewhere tae live,” Lorna pointed out. “I have nae family, ye know that.”
“The people of Cairndene will take you in,” Minna replied. “I made a plan a long time ago in case something like this happened. In my chamber, you will find a secret drawer in one of my bureaus with a pouch with a few sovereigns in it. I was keeping them for a dire emergency, but I think this may be it, so perhaps this is the time I should tell you where it is.”
Minna took Lorna’s hands and looked into her eyes. “I love you, my sweet friend, and if anything happens to me I want you to sell all my dresses, all my jewelry, and anything else that will bring money in for the villagers and the farmers here.
You will find the minister in the church, Reverend Patterson, very helpful in this regard. There are many hypocrites out there, Lorna, but he is not one of them. He is one of the most truly kind and honest people I have ever met, and before he became a minister he was a bookkeeper, so he knows exactly what he is doing.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I know that this is hard for you, but I want you to go back to the castle and begin to pack up my possessions.”
“But Minna -” Lorna began, before Minna put a finger to her lips to silence her. “You will not change my mind, my friend,” she said gently, then smiled. “Go now and don’t let Jamie see you.”
Once more they put their arms around each other and hugged for a long time.
“Is there nothin’ I can say to make ye change your mind?” Lorna said.
Minna shook her head. “It is made up, Lorna. I will not change it.”
Lorna saw the determination in her eyes.
“Take care, lovie.” Lorna said softly. Then she ran towards the castle, not looking back.
Minna turned to the loch again. It used to be so beautiful, she thought, and now it was a place of horror for her, but she reasoned that if she faced it enough the feeling would go away. However, she could still not venture close to it.‘You must always face your fears,’she thought, then a bolt of terror shot through her as she remembered what she would be doing in a little while.
Suddenly she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, and started in fright, then she looked up into Gowan’s dark eyes.