Chapter Twenty-Four

The man behind the counter with the jovial expression grew serious and rubbed his chin as he regarded Katie and Evan. “Aye. There was a mon in here two days ago that I didn’t ken. I had seen him once when I took my meal at the Hare and the Hound. He was two tables away from me. Kept his head down and looked side to side the entire time, like he was waiting for someone to grab him. Had his back to the wall and watched the window to the street, also.”

“What did he buy?” Evan asked, apparently anxious to get to the information they needed.

Evan’s idea was a good one. Richard would expect them to chase him back to Stirling, which is precisely what Katie had wanted to do. Ever since they had discovered Gavin missing, her stomach had been in knots thinking about that horrible man having his hands on her innocent brother.

“The mon bought some apples, nuts, cheese, and oatcakes. He also bought a small pot, two mugs, and tea.” The storekeeper tapped his chin. “That is probably all. Oh, and some bars of peat.”

Katie and Evan turned to each other. “Ye were right,” she said. “He’s holding him here, waiting for all the searching to be over.”

“Is there anything else I can help ye with?” The storekeeper looked over her shoulder as the door behind them opened.

Katie turned to see Alasdair striding toward them. “Any news?”

Evan shook his head. “Nay.” He turned to the storekeeper. “Thank ye for yer information. If the mon comes back again, see if ye can hold him here and send someone to the castle.”

“Aye, certainly.” The mon looked from Alasdair to Evan. “Is there more I can do? Ye seem to be in a dither.”

“Ye have already been a help, and just keeping yer eye out for the mon and sending word to the castle is verra good.”

Katie, Evan, and Alasdair gathered outside the store. “I believe Armstrong is somewhere within a few miles.” Evan turned to Alasdair. “We dinnae see the lad on our ride to the village, and this storekeeper”—Evan jerked his thumb at the store behind them—“said a stranger came in to buy supplies. ’Tis my opinion Armstrong assumes we will all be heading off to Stirling to rescue the lad, so he will stay put and then head back home when things quiet down.”

Alasdair nodded his agreement. “I suggest we split up and begin a search.”

“Aye, except Katie will be going with me. I dinnae want her off by herself searching for the lad.”

Katie poked the fool oaf in the arm. “I am right here, ye ken. ’Twill be faster if the three of us split up.”

“Nay.” Evan gave her his my-mind-is-made-up-so-dinnae-think-ye-can-change-it look. Then, to her complete astonishment, he laid his hands on her shoulders and said, “I shouldn’t have been so sharp with my words. I apologize.”

Katie almost dropped to the ground at his words.

“But it isnae safe for ye to be out and about alone, looking for the lad.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he added, “And I can get a lot more done if I’m not worrying about ye every minute.”

“Well done,” Alasdair mumbled, then ducked as Evan’s hand moved to slap him on the back of his head.

“We’re wasting time,” Evan said. “Alasdair, check the south and west area; Katie and I will take the north and east.” He took her elbow and led her to where their horses stood. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he tossed her up on the horse. In a few seconds, he was on his horse and heading east from the village.

They checked the few empty cottages they were aware of from their visits to the area. Katie was happy to see several families had already moved from the castle into them.

Each place they stopped, they left instructions to send word to the castle if either Armstrong or Gavin were spotted. Katie became more anxious as it grew closer to sunset. She didn’t want to halt their search until morning, fearful that they would be too late to save Gavin from Richard’s vile intentions.

They traveled through a heavily wooded area that would lead to another cluster of cottages that Ian MacDuff had told them about during his interview for the land steward job. The path was not even wide enough for them to ride side by side, so Katie followed behind her husband.

The dimness of the area reinforced her fear that nighttime would force them to stop their search. If they had a full moon, they could continue, but unfortunately heavy cloud coverage made it difficult, if not impossible, to see anything.

Not paying particular attention as she worried about her brother, her horse suddenly reared up, causing her to grasp the animal’s head. Evan had stopped and she had almost walked her mount into his. He motioned for her to move closer. He pointed off in the distance. “Smoke coming from that cottage.”

Katie looked where he pointed. It was a small cottage, nestled among the trees like in the fairy tales she’d read to Gavin when he had been a wee lad. From the scant light, it appeared there was no pathway to it, and no land surrounded it for a garden or any other sort of life necessity. A small stream of smoke rose from the chimney.

“Looks to me like a place not usually occupied.” Evan spoke softly, even though they were well enough away for anybody in the place to hear them.

“Aye,” Katie whispered back.

Evan climbed from his horse and helped her down. He leaned in close to her ear. “Stay close behind me. Dinnae say a word, and watch where yer walking as best ye can in this poor light.”

Katie nodded, her heart beginning to pound. She prayed the cottage would be where Richard held Gavin, and she also prayed that she wasn’t too late to rescue him.

Hugging herself closely, she followed Evan, amazed that at his size, he was able to move so quickly and quietly. On the other hand, she felt like an elephant tramping through the woods.

When they were about fifty yards from the cottage, Evan stopped. “If Richard has Gavin inside, I’m thinking the mon is feeling safe right now, with his idea that the rest of us are headed to Stirling. I want to take a look in the window. I need to know if the mon has a weapon, and if Gavin is tied up.” He took a deep breath and cupped her face in his hands. “I need to do this alone. I want ye to wait here.”

…

Much to his amazement, Katie nodded. He let out the breath he was holding. Rescuing the lad with no one being hurt would be much simpler if he didna have to fash himself over having to rescue Katie too.

Evan tipped her chin up with his knuckle. “Wait here until ye hear from me.” He lowered his head and kissed her, holding back all the love he felt for his wife until they were in a place where he could show her as well as tell her.

He had a lot to make up for.

Trying his best to not trod on a small branch and snap it or stumble over a hidden animal hole, he moved toward the cottage. The encroaching darkness helped to make him invisible, but also any danger unseen. As he got closer to the cottage, Gavin’s horse and one other, presumably Armstrong’s, came into view. They were stabled in a small lean-to next to the cottage.

That confirmed that he was in the right place.

The cottage grew clearer as he neared the small building. ’Twas obviously an abandoned home, with thick vines wrapping around the outside. He bent low and headed for a small window cut from the wood. There was no glass in the opening, but someone had tacked up a piece of cloth.

He could hear voices but was unable to tell if it was a child speaking. He laid himself flat against the wall outside the window and slowly used his index finger to push aside a corner of the cloth. He sucked in a deep breath when he saw Gavin sitting on the floor in the cabin, his hands obviously tied behind his back. There also was rope knotted around his ankles, and his body rested against the wall directly across from where Evan stood.

Evan dropped the cloth, then moved to the other side of the window and pushed up that part of the covering, giving him a different view of the space. Lord Armstrong sat at a table facing the front door. Evan leaned in farther to hear what the mon said.

“Ye will love living with me, lad. I will give ye anything ye want.” The fierceness in the mon’s expression was frightening.

“I want to go home,” Gavin said. Evan was proud of how strong the lad’s words were. He didn’t look panicked and—thankfully—not abused. Yet.

Armstrong scowled. “Nay. Yer home is with me now. Ye will be the son I never had. The son I would have had were yer sister not a dishonorable woman.”

“My sister is honorable. She is perfect,” Gavin shouted. “’Tis ye who is not honorable.”

Dinnae provoke him, Gavin.

Evan’s eyes did a sweep of the room. He would have no problem taking the mon down, but if he held a gun, he could harm the lad with one shot. He dropped the curtain and stealthily walked around the cottage. The front door was the only entrance, and as he’d noted, Armstrong sat facing that direction.

Evan went back to the window and looked inside once more. The mon seemed to be playing some sort of card game with himself. There was a plate of cheese and oatcakes sitting in front of him, as well as a glass of a dark liquid, most likely whisky, that he took a sip of in between his card moves.

Two candles sat in front of him on the table. A roaring fire, the smoke of which he’d spotted from the woods, burned brightly, giving the room more light than the candles alone would have. Although dried tears tracked down Gavin’s cheeks, he otherwise appeared unharmed. No doubt Gavin would do a whole lot of screaming if the man tried to force his attentions on him. Armstrong was probably wisely waiting until he had the lad at his manor, where he could do as he wished without anyone disturbing him. Well-paid servants traditionally turned their eyes and ears from such things.

Evan shuddered at the mon’s intentions, and a rage rose up in him that he had to control in order to get the lad out without anyone getting hurt. Armstrong should be beaten to a pulp, since Evan doubted he would give up his disgusting inclinations once they took Gavin from him. He would most likely turn his sick attentions to another innocent victim.

Since there was no hurry to get the lad, he trotted back to where he’d left Katie. Once they stormed the place, she could comfort the lad while he took care of Armstrong. They might not be able to keep him from finding another youngster, but Evan intended to bring him to the magistrate to be held for kidnapping. Hopefully, for a long time.

“Is he there?” Katie asked as he reached her.

“Aye.” He held up his hand. “He is not harmed but tied up. There are only the two of them there in the cottage.”

“We must hurry to get him out.”

“Nay.” Evan shook his head. “I dinnae think the mon will do anything to Gavin while they’re here. My concern is he might have a gun. If we burst into the place, one shot could kill someone.”

“So what will we do?”

“The cottage is verra small, with only one door and one window. Armstrong is sitting at a table that faces the door, entertaining himself with drink and cards. Gavin is sitting on the ground in the corner across from the window.”

“At least I can take a deep breath now that we ken where he is. But I’m still anxious to get my brother away from that mon and back home. I won’t feel easy until then.”

Evan touched her cheek. “We will, mo ghràdh. The lad has not been harmed and sits less than a quarter of a mile from us.” He pulled her against his chest and ran his hands up and down her back in comfort. “We must discuss how to do this without someone getting shot.”

Katie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Aye. We need a plan.”

“We have to draw Armstrong away from Gavin. The best way would be to lure him out of the cottage.”

“I should do it,” Katie said.

“Nay.”

“Listen to me.” Katie fisted her hands at her side. “Ye naysay me even before ye hear my idea. ’Tis quite annoying and something I dinnae plan to live with.”

Evan backed up as she poked him in the chest. “Ye are not always right. Yer way is not always the best way.” As she worked herself up into a dither, he held in his smile, feeling like a lion being attacked by a wee hissing kitten.

“My ideas are good too. I have taken care of my household, brother, and clan for years.” She placed her hands on her hips. “I willnae be treated like a bairn.”

Once her tirade ended, he rubbed his hands over his face. “Are ye done now, lass?”

She gave him a curt nod. “Aye.”

“Fine, then tell me yer plan.”

She thought for a minute, then drew herself up. “I will go to the cottage and tell Richard I will go with him. Then, when I am certain he is unarmed, I will signal ye, and ye can come in.” She watched him closely for a minute, then, her shoulders slumping, said, “Nay. That’s not a good idea.”

He smiled and bent to kiss the tip of her nose. “Not a bad one, lass, just not the best.”

“And I suppose ye have the best,” she mumbled. Suddenly, Katie was jerked backward, arms wrapped around her middle from behind, and a knife appeared at her throat.