"A kindness?"
"Aye, ye will suffer less from this than from the hanging ye would face once they kenned ye had killed lady Ilsa and the bairns."
"Ye are utterly mad," he said, panting out each word.
"Did ye only just notice that?" Ilsa asked the mon. "Didnae ye e'er wonder o'er her need to kill Diarmot because she blamed him for his first wife's death?
She was nay blood kin to the woman."
"She said she loved Anabelle like a sister," Geordie said.
"I think not. They were lovers, Geordie. Margaret was Anabelle's Precious Love, was her lover for many years. She blames Diarmot for Anabelle's death, but twas dear Precious Love who gave Lady Anabelle the potion that killed her. Ye have sent your soul to hell for naught."
"Och, weel, it was bound for there ere I met this bitch. 'Ware," he whispered, "she reaches for my sword."
Ilsa tensed as she watched Geordie try to grab Margaret when she drew his sword from its scabbard only to fail. Margaret quickly danced out of his reach when he tried to grab her by the ankle, and, with a groan, Geordie fell onto his side. He curled up, much like a small child, and Ilsa knew he would soon be dead. The way Margaret held the sword and eyed her told Ilsa she might soon join him if she did not come up with a plan.
Nanty was just leaving the stable with Tom, wondering how he was going to explain what he had discovered to Ilsa, when there was a brief disturbance at the gates. The men had been shutting them since the sun was setting, but were now scrambling to open them again. Even as he hurried over to see what the trouble was, Diarmot rode in, followed by Tait, Sigimor, a man who looked far too much like Sigimor, and a fourth redheaded young man.
"Ye have returned sooner than was planned," said Nanty as Diarmot dismounted.
"Ye discovered something?"
"Aye," Diarmot replied and introduced Somerled and Liam to Nanty and Tom, then frowned at the small group of women who inched their way in through the gates. "Do ye recall Gillyanne's cousin Payton, Nanty?"
"Och, aye." Nanty studied Liam for a moment, then looked at the women who were all staring at the man. "Oh."
"I think this one might be even worse. May we help ye?" he asked the women.
The six women all muttered varying excuses about needing to visit Glenda or some kinswoman and fled into the keep. Nanty laughed. "And there they will stay for a while, I am thinking. Oh, I found the maid." He paused when a young maid approached with a tray of tankards brimming with ale. She served all the men, but kept her gaze fixed upon Liam. "There might be some advantage to having a Liam about," Nanty said, taking a drink and watching Sigimor scowl the young maid into retreating.
After enjoying a deep drink of the ale, Diarmot looked at Nanty. "Ye said ye had found the maid? Dead?"
"Aye, her throat was cut," Nanty replied. "I have just returned from where the body was found. Weel, actually, from the church where we took her to be buried. She was either murdered because she knew too much or taken away and murdered to turn our eyes in the wrong direction."
"It could easily be either one. Margaret Campbell is Precious Love."
"Jesu, and the maid came with her. So did another. I believe her name is Lucy. Margaret is truly the enemy?"
"Difficult to believe, aye?" Diarmot told Nanty everything he had discovered about the woman he had almost married.
"She fooled us all. E'en Gillyanne in some ways."
"Weel, Gillyanne tried to warn me, but couldnae be verra clear about why Margaret troubled her. I wouldnae have survived that marriage for long."
"Papa! Papa!"
Diarmot turned to see Odo running toward him from the far side of the keep, the side where the gardens were. Even as the little boy flung himself at Diarmot's legs, Gay, Fraser, Glenda, and Jenny hurried out of the keep toward him. He noticed that Gay and the two older women greeted Liam cordially, but no more. Jenny seemed stunned. Then a chill entered Diarmot's blood as he realized this was no welcome home. Something was wrong.
"Ilsa?" he asked.
"She isnae here," Gay said and quickly told Diarmot all that had happened in the garden.
"She went after them alone?"
"Tis what they said she must do," said Glenda. "Time was running out and we couldnae think of another plan, nay one that wouldnae add to the danger the bairns were in. Lady Ilsa did just as she was told, but she did say we could send someone along later, that she would keep Geordie and his woman's attention fixed upon her."
It was a blow to realize that he had been so wrong about Geordie, but Diarmot shook that small grief aside. "Good, where did she go?" He did not like the identical looks of chagrin the women wore.
"She didnae leave the wee map with us," said Gay. "We think she did that on purpose so that we couldnae follow her."
"So, Ilsa is alone with Geordie and Margaret."
"Margaret!" Fraser cried out in surprise.