“Aye, we shall. Doona worry. Knowledge is the best defense we could have. It willna come to that.”
His left hand laid casually upon my knee while his right wrapped around my back, his palm now resting just above my hip on the curve of my waist. He squeezed me in closer to him, drawing his right hand up to my shoulder so that it brought the side of my face closer to his lips.
“I know I’ve given ye no more than trouble, lass, but I shall be sorry to see ye go.” With that he leaned in as if to kiss the side of my cheek, and I nearly turned us both onto the floor with my quick leap out of his lap.
“Yes. I’ll be a little sad too. I think of you, and Mary, and Arran as friends, and it will be odd to no longer get to see you.” I awkwardly patted him on the shoulder and turned abruptly to make my way out of the spell room, cursing my heated cheeks with each step. I knew they’d given me away.
*
Kinnaird Castle
“Why would the lass have told him such a thing? She has no way of knowing they will be attacked.”
“I doona know, sir. I’m only telling ye what I heard. Arran said that Eoin’s new bride believed they’d be dead within the month.”
“Perhaps she’s got more brains about her than I would’ve expected, being Donal’s daughter. The old sot is the silliest fool in the shire. She must’ve known that the fire and horses were to serve as warnings.”
“Aye. I suppose she must’ve, though Arran dinna seem to know what the lass meant. He was quite drunk; I could no understand how he was still conscious.”
“Aye? Well ye did right by making haste to come tell me. Now go, and keep in mind what will happen to ye and yer family if word of our conversation spreads.”
Ramsay watched as the man turned and made his way out of the room. He’d intended to warn them, to make them fear what was coming, but now that he knew the Conalls were suspicious, he found himself less comfortable with the idea of a straightforward attack.
“Gregory, find yer way in here at once!”
Quickly the man burst through the doorway and stood before Ramsay, awaiting his instructions.
“Ye are the most cunning lad I have in my command. Ye know how to surprise an enemy, how to throw them off course of yer plan. I need ye to advise me on a matter.”
“Of course, sire.”
“We will soon be planning an attack against Conall Castle. It is my intention to destroy all who reside under the castle’s protection. It seems Eoin and his brother have heard news of a possible attack, and I doona want them to suspect us in any way.”
Ramsay watched as the young lad took in the news with a look of shock. An attack on Conall Castle would be a surprise to all who served him. The two clans had been allies for decades.
“Give them cause to suspect another clan. Send me to Conall Castle, but dress me in the tartan of a distant clan. I will say I am a runaway criminal, seeking refuge with the clan for the information I bring to them. I will tell them that my laird is planning to attack them.”
Ramsay clasped the boy on the shoulders. “Aye, perfect. Ride out come morning.”
Chapter 25
“Where’s Arran? I haven’t seen him all day.” I sat down in my usual place as we gathered for the evening meal. I’d spent the day with Mary, gathering the herbs needed for the spell, while Eoin had searched through Alasdair’s things looking for the ring. Although I’d finished the day with an armload of needed herbs, Eoin’s hunt had been less successful.
“I sent him to the village to see if any travelers or townspeople might have heard anything about a possible attack. He was also going to meet with some men to discuss our defenses. It will be important to let the villagers know so that we can be as prepared as possible.”
“Good idea, but we will figure out who’s planning the attack and stop it before it gets to that point.” I gave him a reassuring smile across the table, quickly averting my eyes when his smile turned upward at the corner, his eyes staring flirtatiously.
I simply couldn’t allow myself to get any more attached to him than I already was. If someone had told me six months ago I would be doing everything I could to “friend zone” a man this good looking, I would have thought they were out of their mind, but that was exactly what I was dead set on doing until I made it back home. He was making it incredibly difficult.
Just as Mary exited the kitchen to set out supper, Arran burst through the back doors, dragging another man roughly along behind him.
“I found him trying to climb over the castle gate. I started to throw him in the dungeon before I came to get ye, but he swears he has news that we will both want to hear.” He released his grip on the man, who stood upright and brushed his arm where Arran had gripped him with his hand.