“He was there in the clearing,” Evina murmured with a frown.
“Aye. ’Tis lucky he came across the two o’ ye when he did and could help the Buchanan fight off those bandits.”
“Why was he out there?” Evina asked, recalling her father saying he had a task for him. As she recalled, that task was why Gavin couldn’t go in her stead to show the Buchanan where to find the weeds he needed.
“Oh. Well, I do no’ ken,” she admitted. “Young Gavin was hurrying out o’ yer da’s room as I arrived to sit with him that day.”
Evina lowered her head unhappily, her mind awash with confusion.
“I did hear yer da say, ‘Do no’ lose them and report what ye see back to me,’ as Gavin came out the door though,” Tildy admitted. “And then the lad rushed below and out of the keep.”
Evina jerked her head back up at this news. “Do no’ lose who?”
“I do no’ ken,” Tildy admitted with a shrug.
Evina frowned, suspecting she did know and that it was she and Rory he’d sent Gavin to watch. What was her father up to? He was the one who had sent her out with the man. Why then send Gavin to watch them? Shaking her head, she muttered, “And now the Buchanans are here?”
“Aye, and are they no’ a strapping bunch o’ lads,” Tildy said with awe. “’Tis like standing in a forest o’ tall trees to be in the same room with ’em.”
“Hmm, I did no’ think Rory had sent his letter yet,” Evina muttered. “Apparently, he had though, and he did complain after all to his brothers about how he came to be here.”
“Oh, nay, Lord Buchanan has no’ sent a letter yet. I ken yer father assured him he’d send a courier with it, but the poor lad ne’er got the chance to write it. He’s been sitting watch over ye since the attack. He ne’er got around to writing a message to be sent.”
Evina’s eyes widened at this news. “Then why are the Buchanans here?”
“I think yer da sent fer them,” Tildy admitted.
“What?” she asked with amazement. “Why?”
“I do no’ ken, but after I finished tending Gavin’s wound, yer father sent me away so he could talk to him. He spent an hour in his room, and then came out and sent for his seal. A courier left ere the sup with the message he wrote, and now the Buchanans are here, so I’m assuming he sent fer them.”
“He sent for them last night and they are here already?” she asked with surprise, thinking the messenger should not even have arrived at Buchanan yet. Mayhap they’d somehow got wind that Rory was here, and had already been on the way when they encountered the messenger. Or mayhap they came and missed the messenger entirely.
“Nay. He sent a messenger out four nights ago,” Tildy corrected her gently. “Ye’ve slept through four nights and three days, lass.”
“I did?” she asked with dismay.
“Aye,” the maid said solemnly. “I was beginning to fear ye’d ne’er wake, so was most pleased to see yer eyes open when I came in.”
Evina smiled at her faintly, but the expression was quickly replaced with a frown as she considered what her father could be up to. If he’d sent her and Rory out to pick weeds and sent Gavin to watch them . . . Had he been hoping to catch them at something they shouldn’t have been doing? If so, then Gavin had no doubt had an earful to tell him, she thought with alarm. And then her father had sent for the Buchanans to . . .
“Oh, dear God,” Evina breathed, and pushed aside the furs covering her.
“What are ye doing, lass? Ye were sore injured! Ye should no’ be trying to get up,” Tildy cried, bending as if to prevent her rising, but stopping short of actually touching her.
“I have to,” Evina got out through gritted teeth as she tried to sit up and pain raced through her chest. Trying to ignore it, she gasped, “Help me. We have to stop Da.”
“Stop him from what?” Tildy asked with concern, taking her arm to help her up.
Evina didn’t answer; she couldn’t speak at the moment. She was too busy trying not to pass out as she struggled to her feet. Dear God, her chest hurt. Even breathing caused a burning pain. Breathing hard now as she was felt like she was being repeatedly punched. It was enough to make her want to just collapse back on the bed and hopefully lose consciousness. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. If her father was up to what she thought he was, she had to stop him.
Chapter 7
Conran pushed the door to Laird Maclean’s room open and then stopped abruptly on the threshold as he stared at the four men in the room. His oldest brother, Aulay, and his two younger brothers, Rory and Alick, were all there, as well as Evina’s father. He scowled briefly at the old man who was standing next to the mantel rather than lying abed as he should be, but then Conran pushed the door closed and turned his attention to Aulay. “What are ye doing here? How did ye even ken where I was? I ne’er got the chance to write ye and tell ye I was here.”
“I wrote them,” Fearghas Maclean said solemnly.
“Aye,” Aulay growled. “A messenger arrived from Maclean just after the sup the night before last.”
“Oh.” Conran relaxed somewhat and then smiled crookedly. “Ye must have been worried sick ere the message arrived to let ye ken I was okay.”
“Actually, we had no idea ye were missing,” Aulay said wryly.
“What?” Conran blinked at this news and then shifted his gaze to Rory and frowned. “But ye must have realized something was amiss when I did no’ drop off the medicinals as I promised.”
Rory grimaced. “I’m afraid I was held up at the inn, dealing with the innkeeper’s daughter for several days. Her labor was long and hard as I feared, but she survived. I only arrived home the day before the message arrived at Buchanan, and when I realized ye had no’ dropped off the medicinals, I just assumed ye’d forgotten and set off, taking them with ye.”
“Aye,” Alick said with amusement. “He was fair froth with ye until we got the message and learned what really happened.”
Conran scowled at this news, offended that his brother would imagine he’d forget something like that. But rather than address it, he turned to the Maclean. “Why did ye write them?”
“He wrote to apologize,” Aulay answered for the old man. “In his message, he explained he was sorry that his daughter had kidnapped Rory and dragged him back here to Maclean, and explained that it was all in a desperate bid to save his life.” His eldest brother arched an eyebrow, his lips pursed. “Ye can imagine our surprise since Rory was sitting right in front o’ me while I read the message.”
“Ah.” Conran grimaced and glanced from his brother to Laird Maclean, and back. Both men were looking at him as if he’d piddled on the floor. “Aye. Well,” he muttered, “there was a bit o’ a mix-up there.”
“Nay? Do tell,” Aulay said dryly.
Conran scowled at his sarcasm, and said firmly, “First o’ all, Evina did no’ kidnap me.” Turning to Fearghas then, he glared at him grimly for throwing his daughter under the horse that way, and barked, “What were ye thinking telling them something like that?”