Duncan huffed at the sound of another knock at the door.
“Come,” he barked.
“Excuse me, my Laird,” the guard said as he remained in the doorway. “I have been sent tae inform you that William McNally died a little while ago.”
“God’s teeth!” Duncan bellowed, throwing his head up in angry frustration. “What happened?”
“Looks like he vomited in his drunken stupor and choked, my Laird.”
* * *
Elaine crept back into her home and spent a restless night in her own bed after dark had fallen and she was certain there were no guards lying in wait at the farmhouse. She came downstairs the next morning to find a note pinned to the front door with a dagger.
William McNally died in the dungeons.
There was no signature, no indication of who might have left it, but the guards couldn't have done it. If they had returned to the house, it would have been to capture her. No, this note was left by the man who had takenRhona. Elaine was certain of it. Staring at the words, she felt numb. Perhaps she should have felt something, but the news of her father's death did not strike her as hard as it would have a year ago.
Before her mother had left, he had been a happy man. A man who worked hard for his family and provided for them. But when she, Ailish McNally, decided to run off with a wealthy traveler, her departure set the family on the path of ruin. It would have been better if she had died. At the very least, William may have handled the news better. But Ailish was far from dead. In fact, she was fully alive and well, most likely in the arms of her new husband somewhere far away from them. Ithad taken her no time at all to pack her belongings and flee into the night, leaving her husband and three children far behind.
William was heartbroken by his wife's departure and sought solace in the bottom of a bottle. The farmland had been neglected. Angus had been forced to take charge of the family and their livelihood, and William's thirst for alcohol had depleted their savings. They had begun to struggle between paying the workers and feeding the family. That was why Angus had taken on such a dangerous task. And now, she had lost both of them.
Elaine left the farmhouse after a night. She rode the horse and cart into Oban. She was a skilled swordswoman who could disarm a soldier if necessary. All sheneeded wasto find a way into the castle, which she couldn't do while pacing the parlor's concrete floors and mourning her losses.
“The only people who get intae that castle, my dear, are those who are invited,” the old woman said, handing her the wrapped parcel a few minutes later.
Elaine had wandered into the village bakery and purchased some bread to avert suspicion for her true reason for being there.
“Well,” the young lass beside the older woman raised her eyebrows, “that and all those ladies o’ the night,” she giggled.
Elaine frowned. “Ladies o’ the night?”
“Pay nae heed tae her,” the old woman said, swiping a dismissive hand. “She’s just a silly lass.”
“It’s true,” the girl said more determinedly. “There’s one up there every night. My friend works in the courtyards, and she told me so hersel. Says the laird sleeps with a woman from the local brothel every night.”
“My, what a tale,” Elaine said, trying to control the interest in her voice.
“Well, with all his troubles o’ late, I suppose he needs some consolation.” The girl fell into giggles again, causing the old woman beside her to roll her eyes and shake her head.
* * *
It was hardly the best plan. But it was the only one she had. Later that night, Elaine crouched low at the castle walls, waiting. She kept the only road leading to the castle in view as she waited for the woman to arrive. She had disguised herself as best she could, wearing Angus's short jacket and tucking her hair into a beret with a scarf around the bottom of her face. But as dusk turned to night, shebecame restless, her nerves rising with each passing minute.
Have ye completely lost yer mind?
She was about to pretend to be someone who slept with men for money when she hadn't even slept with evenone. When it came down to it, how was she going to explain that? Elaine was thinking about this question when she heard rustling behind her and turned to face it. She looked up to see a fire torch being carried by a lass a little older than her.
Elaine had assumed that the woman had come from the main road, but she had actually come through the forest that surrounded the castle walls. Elaine circled her and came up behind her swiftly and quietly. She was slender, with short red hair, and roughly the same size and shape as herself, if not a little shorter.
“Halt right there,” she barked, holding out her dagger against the woman’s neck.
“Please, please, dinnae hurt me,” the woman cried. “What dae ye want?”
“Yer clothes,” Elaine demanded, struggling to keep her voice from shaking.
“My cloth...”
“Now!” Elaine barked once more. “Dae it now or I’ll take them from yer lifeless body.”