Chapter Ten

Connie hadn’t realized how good it would feel telling Alec some of what she’d had to endure during her marriage to Duncan. She now understood what the expression “having a weight lifted from one’s shoulders” felt like, because she really did feel so much lighter now after the simple act of unburdening some of her horrid experiences.

She was finally coming to appreciate that it hadn’t been her fault each time Duncan had struck her, as much as her mother and he had blamed her for his actions.

Being with Alec, even for such a short time, was reminding her of how decent men treated others—with respect and not with their fists. Already she was starting to feel a bit more like her old self, though she’d never again make the mistake of placing possessions and titles above all else. That lesson had been learned the hard way, and she had no intention of repeating it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sudden tension in Alec’s posture as he casually began to glance around.

“What is it?” she asked him.

“I’m not certain.” He continued to slowly swivel his gaze across the tree-lined ridges in the distance. “Probably nothing.”

“Please don’t keep me in the dark,” she rebuked him. “I’m not a child, and if something is wrong, I need to know. Then I can help, or at least be prepared to take action.”

Slowly, he nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve spotted a man hiding among the trees in the distance. Don’t look, though,” he was quick to warn her.

Connie kept facing straight ahead, though it was hard not to glance to where Alec was referring. “Could it be a farmer or a passing clansman?”

Alec shrugged. “Possibly, but why simply stay and watch us? I have the feeling he’s very specifically interested in us. Though that makes no sense at all, considering no one should know we’re coming this way, let alone be waiting to keep watch for us.”

“Could Fergus have discovered me gone and sent ahead a telegraph to the outlying townships?” The thought brought with it a sense of alarm. She felt like kicking the flanks of her mare and racing as fast as she could away from the potential threat.

“I doubt it. The telegraph offices wouldn’t even be open yet.”

“Oh, no, of course not.” She wasn’t thinking straight, otherwise that fact would have been glaringly obvious. Without thought, her body seemed to brace itself of its own accord, ready for the slap that would usually accompany her suggesting anything so stupid.

“Are you all right, Connie?” Alec’s voice was gentle.

Taking in a somewhat shaky breath, she nodded. It was going to take her some time to get used to not having to be on her guard all the time, her body braced for an attack. “Yes, I just realized how silly my suggestion was…and usually Duncan would display his displeasure and slap me if I uttered such a thing in front of him.”

She could hear Alec mutter something about hoping the bastard was rotting in Hell under his breath, and it brought a tingle of warmth to her heart. He seemed to really loathe the thought of her being hurt, and she liked that—a lot.

“Do you think we need to worry about the man in the trees?” Connie thought it best to get back on topic and redirect her focus away from Alec and what the thought of him caring about her was doing to her heart. And though she’d withstood her body being broken, she didn’t think she could stand her heart being broken. Not by Alec. Especially not by him.

“He doesn’t seem to be moving,” Alec replied. “And I can see no weapon in his hands. Though that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a rifle within easy reach, and we’re approaching his shooting range if he does.”

“Such a comfort, that,” Connie dryly remarked. “I’d forgotten how honest you were.”

Alec looked briefly taken aback, but then a slow smile replaced the frown. “Aye, you used to hate it.” For a brief moment they shared a grin. But then Alec’s eyes became serious. “I think I’d best find out what the man is doing, though.”

“And how do you intend to do that?”

“In a few seconds, I’m going to start riding hard for him,” Alec replied. “When I do, I want you to ride for the opposite tree line, and then make sure you can’t be seen from the road.”

Connie shook her head. “I have no intention of hiding while you face possible danger.”

“We need to know what the fellow is doing here.” His voice was infinitely patient. “If he means no harm, then all will be fine.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Connie felt like screaming at him. “You said yourself, you don’t know if he has a rifle with him. What if he does?”

He winked at her. “Then I’d best ride toward him quickly. Rifles are terrible at close range.”

“I think a bullet would still do damage if it struck your flesh, would it not? Regardless of the range?”

“I’ll be fine. Now, when I tell you to ride, I want you to ri—”

“I’m done with being a coward. If you’re going to put yourself in harm’s way, then I shall, too.” Connie pressed her heels into her horse’s flank, and before she could change her mind, she urged the animal toward where Alec had said he saw the man. She could hear Alec swearing as the sounds of horse hooves followed closely behind.

She couldn’t believe she’d done such a thing. But she was sick and tired of the men in her life treating her like she couldn’t do anything of use. And she wasn’t going to let Alec think he could do so, too, even if he was trying only to protect her.

It was time she showed both of them that she was more than capable of taking an active part in all facets of their investigation. Even if it meant riding toward a man who possibly had a weapon within easy reach.

Good Lord give me courage.

…

Glenn stood silent, hidden among the trees, simply watching the duchess as she and a man rode along the path in the distance. His employer would not be happy to learn that her grace wasn’t traveling alone.

“She looks prettier in person than in her picture,” his companion, Troy, whispered from behind him. “But she’s with a bloke. I thought she weren’t meant to be with no one else.”

Controlling his wish to tell Troy to stop being an idiot, Glenn swirled around to face the man. “She wasn’t. But she is, so we’re not going to be able to rescue her now, are we?”

“Why not?” His companion cracked his knuckles together. “I reckon the two of us can take ’im.”

Glenn glanced back to the man riding alongside the duchess and quickly disagreed with his companion’s assessment. The man with the lady looked as tall and broad as an ox, and he held himself in the saddle with an air of competence. It was the same man he’d seen speak with the duchess at the ball the other night, and definitely not someone to be trifled with. “I doubt it. Plus, the gentleman is most likely armed.”

“What? So we just gonna let the lady get away?”

His employer wouldn’t like it at all, but what choice did they have? Besides, if they were heading to Inverness, as his employer thought they were, there would be plenty of opportunity in the city to get her away from the gent and take her to the safe house. “We are. Go and ready the horses; I’ll meet you at the clearing in a minute.”

His companion trekked back through the forest, presumably to where they’d left their horses, while Glenn watched the duchess for a moment more.

He still couldn’t understand why she was heading to Inverness when she should be fleeing as far from Scotland as she could. Perhaps she was trying to clear her name?

For a moment, he wished he could tell her the truth, and why he was helping to do what he was doing. But he couldn’t. He’d promised his sister before she died that he would get his revenge on those who had perpetrated such an evil act upon her. And Glenn would ensure she and the other ladies had their vengeance, even from the grave.

But until he did, he was sworn to secrecy.

He got a fright when suddenly the duchess spurred her horse and began riding toward him, with the gentleman following closely behind. It appeared as if she was looking almost directly at him. He had to get out of there, because one thing his employer had been more than clear about was that he was not to get caught.

He scrambled backward and began to run through the forest to where the horses were tethered.

“We have to leave now,” he yelled to Troy, who was already astride his horse. The man needed no further encouragement and took off down the track without a backward glance.

It took Glenn a hasty few goes to get up on the saddle, as he was not a confident rider by any means. But he sent up a prayer when he managed to sit himself astride the beast and urge the horse away from the area. The duchess must have seen him hiding among the trees, though he hoped he was far enough away that she hadn’t been able to recognize him from the castle.

As his heart rate eased the farther he got away from the area, a new sense of worry began to take ahold of him. His employer would not be happy he’d been unable to secure secure the duchess. Though, her grace had that gentleman with her. So it wasn’t actually Glenn’s fault he couldn’t get her.

He wondered if his employer would see it in that light. He doubted it.

His employer was rather exacting and had been in a rage since killing the duke. Glenn didn’t understand why. Not really. But then, his employer had funny ideas sometimes. Sometimes Glenn even wondered if madness ran through his employer’s family.

He rather suspected it did. Which may not bode so well for Glenn himself.

Though he was on God’s mission, so surely the Lord would steer his employer’s wrath away from Glenn himself. He dearly hoped so and shuddered to think what might happen if the rage was redirected at him.