“Are you ready to die, brother?” Minna countered, raising her chin and giving him a smug smile.
Jamie swallowed nervously when he saw Minna’s cocky attitude. She was definitely not intimidated, he thought, and his confidence dipped as she gave him another wicked grin.
“Come, brother, dear!” Minna taunted him. “What are you waiting for?”
19
Gowan sat on the grass thinking for a few moments. Minna had called him a coward, and she was right! If he had been a good, brave man with the courage of his convictions, he would have tried to gather the Hepburn clan together and at least tried to take the castle back. What sort of a man was he? Minna was right. He was a coward, and a disgrace to his family.
Suddenly he leapt to his feet. He would find her and stand with her. Gowan raced back to the cottage and took the sword from its place on the floor, then held it up. Its brass handle was tarnished, but he could still make out the words ‘Keep Tryst’ on it, and the steel blade was still bright and shining like a mirror. Its lethal edge glinted in the daylight, and it was heavy in his hands. This was a weapon that had seen some service and would see plenty more if Gowan had anything to do with it.
He slid the sword into its scabbard and left the cottage, then ran to the village, sprinting almost all the way. He had to find Minna. He had to. As soon as he saw the cottages in the distance, however, his heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten to put his cloak on, and without it he had nothing with which to disguise his face.
Suddenly he decided that he had been hiding for too long. He was tired of hiding in the shadows and he would do it no more. He would have to uncover his face sometime - it might as well be now. He ran into Cairndene and called out to the first man he saw.
“Have you seen Minna Darroch?” he yelled.
The old man was startled, both by Gowan’s sudden appearance, his size, and the scar on his face, but he answered.
“Aye, lad. She was here just a wee while ago, but she left in a hurry.”
“Where did she go?” Gowan demanded.
“She ran away up the road.” An old woman told him, pointing.
“Towards the castle?” Gowan asked urgently.
“Aye,” the old woman answered. “She didnae tell us where she was goin’, but we saw her runnin’ that way.”
“Thank you.” Gowan said gratefully, then paused for a moment to recover his breath.
“Who are ye?” Senga asked, looking at him suspiciously.
Gowan did not answer her, but began to sprint as fast as his legs would carry him towards the castle, leaving Senga and her friend Callum to gaze after him till he was swallowed by the trees.
“That is Gowan Hepburn,” Senga said in wonder, “or I am seein’ ghosts. I would recognise that gold hair an’ those brown eyes anywhere.”
“I knew I had seen him somewhere before,” Callum agreed. “Used tae be a bonny lad. I wonder what happened tae his face.”
“Burnt in the fire in the castle, most likely,” Senga mused. “But I thought he was dead, Callum. I though he had died along wi’ his mammy. Where has he been a’ this time?”
Callum shrugged, his face troubled. “I dinnae know. A’ I care about is Mistress Minna. I have a bad feelin’ that she has put herself in harm’s way.”
* * *
‘Remember son, a man’s worth is not measured in gold, but in courage and character.’Gowan remembered the day his father had said those words to him, since they were the last words he ever spoke. He had been on his deathbed, and after he had said them, his hand became limp and he closed his eyes for the last time.
Gowan steeled himself with those words as he marched towards the entrance to the castle. His heart was hammering as he stopped before the two burly guards who were blocking his entrance with their crossed pikes.
“I would like to speak to the Laird please.” Gowan was trying to keep the anger and hostility from his voice, but some of it must have shown through, because the guard looked at him suspiciously.
“Does the Laird know ye are comin’?” he asked, his gaze never leaving Gowan’s face.
“He does,” Gowan replied evenly. “I have come to discuss a matter of great importance with him.”
The guard looked at two of his colleagues, who both nodded.
“The Laird is busy at the moment, so ye will have tae wait. But we dinnae allow visitors tae carry weapons, so ye must give me your sword.” He pointed at the weapon.