“Clyde is a verra busy mon.”
“Ah, aye, we heard about that poor lass,” Ned said. “She had to pay for all she had done and planned to do but it was a verra hard death. I suspicion ye didnae tell the women everything, aye?”
After a quick glance to make sure they were alone, Harcourt shook his head. “’Tis why the body wasnae brought home for a while. Cleaned her up a bit although ye cannae hide everything, can ye. Callum sent word that I needed to come and help find a trail for the ones who hanged her. So I am hoping all that will nay be known. For the sake of her sisters if naught else. Joan has made no mention of it and she helped them prepare the lass for burial so that may be the end of it.”
“It will be hard for those lassies for a while but I think the people here are nay the sort to hold the sins of one kinsmon against a whole family.”
“Nay,” agreed Nathan. “Good, kind folk here.”
“The lassies are still working out their punishment for setting their sister free,” said Harcourt. “Couldnae just let that go e’en though they didnae hide their crime. Oh, and now that ye are back, ye will probably start wooing the lassies again.” He ignored their grins. “Word of warning. Biddy’s sister Davida is young and verra bonnie and no fool. She e’en saw the wrong in her sister and there isnae any mercy in her heart for the woman.”
“Yet she set her free.”
“Family.” Harcourt was not surprised when both MacFingals nodded.
“Weel, the most important thing we discovered is that Sir Adam is verra busy gathering an army and ’tis a sizeable one.”
Harcourt cursed. “I suspected that. He has failed to kill either Annys or Benet, failed to drive her away with everything from stealing stock to setting the village on fire. Only thing left is to just take the place. He wasnae e’en planning to do that fair. He was using Biddy to find him all the secret ways in so he could send men inside and slaughter as many as possible that way.”
“And Biddy failing in that, getting herself caught and questioned, enraged Clyde,” said Ned. “When the word first came that the fool lass had actually run back to the keep, and then that ye had kenned about her meeting with Clyde, he killed two fools before he grew cold again. And, nay, I am nay sure how he kenned it. Thinking he has one or two lads just sitting round in ale houses gathering news. Only thing I am sure of is that no one here, aside from Biddy, has e’er helped him. The lack of another spy was what so enraged Clyde and he was verra clear about that when he was ranting.”
“It is the kind of news that would travel far and fast. But, she was nay clever enough to have kept it all to herself when she went to him anyway. So, do ye think this army a worthy one?”
“Some of it. He has a small number of men sent from half a dozen kin and money to hire more swordsmen. The quest to take Glencullaich from a four-year-old boy has stirred up a lot of MacQueens. I suspicion they are hoping for a wee piece.”
“It sounds as if Sir Adam will have to fight hard for a long time to get his arse in that laird’s chair. And, if he works some miracle and wins the battle, that knowledge will give me some comfort.”
“Och, we willnae lose,” said Ned. “Got more skills, more wits, and more strength. And big, thick walls. Dinnae forget the big thick, walls.”
Harcourt laughed. “Nay, let us ne’er forget those walls. Especially since we are mostly confident we have sealed all the bolt-holes. The two we might have to use have been heavily secured but are still able to be used. I am nay one to think it noble to die to the last mon, woman, and bairn. Ye can see when that time comes that a loss is racing toward ye. That is when ye start to get the women and bairns out, while ye can still have men ye can set on the walls to protect their retreat.”
“Agreed,” said Nathan. “A large number of Sir Adam’s forces are just hired swords, and the number of those whom I would call skilled is but a small part of it all. There is only one group he hired that ye need to be verra wary of.”
“His archers,” Harcourt said. “We saw a showing of their skills when they fired the village. Are they still with him?”
“Aye and there are about twenty of them.” Nathan nodded when the others cursed. “They will be busy replacing their arrow, however, and it appears there is a scarcity of fletchers in the area.”
“Had a great need to be south of here for a wee while,” added Ned.