“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 wher
e 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.