"Aye, he mentioned that she said something about a cat, a white lady and a betrothed who wasn't a betrothed, who would kill her," Saidh admitted, and then added, "but since none of that makes any sense, is it no' possible that 'twas just a fevered dream she was telling ye about?"
Aulay stiffened at the suggestion. It was not something he'd considered, and it did seem possible, but after contemplating it briefly, he shook his head. "It matters little. She was terrified at the mention o' her family and I'll no' risk returning her to people who might be sending her to her death." Eyeing her coldly, he added, "And ye should no' expect me to. Ye certainly did no wish us to send Murine back to her brother, or leave Edith to the care o' her murderous family."
"That was different," Saidh said at once.
"Was it?" her husband asked gently.
Biting her lip uncertainly, Saidh turned to peer at Greer, and asked, "Ye think she really may have a family like Murine or Edith's?"
Greer considered the matter and then said, "I think Aulay is right to move cautiously here until we ken if that is no' the case fer this poor lass. It would be a shame if he and Alick rescued her and then he and Rory put such time and care into healing her, only to hand her over to a family who would see her dead anyway."
Saidh's shoulders slumped slightly as she released a sigh, and then she turned to peer at Aulay for a moment, before finally saying, "Well then, we shall ha'e to figure a way to find out who she is without giving away that she is here until we ken that 'tis safe to do so."
Aulay merely grunted and picked up a pastry. It was exactly what he'd been saying. He bit into his pastry with a little sigh of pleasure.
"I would like to meet her," Saidh announced, standing up. "I presume she is up in yer room?"
Shaking his head, Aulay swallowed the food in his mouth, intending to answer, but Rory did it first.
"She is still at the lodge."
"Ye left her alone when she may have a murderous family out to get her?" she asked with dismay.
"She's no' alone. Uncle Acair and a retinue of soldiers are there with her. As is Mavis. Besides, her family do no' ken she is there," Aulay said at once. "They can't. We do no' even ken who they are," he pointed out with exasperation. "Besides, I could no' bring her back. She has no clothes."
"Oh aye," Saidh said, her expression clearing. "Alick mentioned that."
Aulay was just relaxing again, when she suddenly nodded and headed for the keep doors. "Well, that can be fixed quickly enough. We brought some dresses fer her. I'll head to the lodge now and give them to her. That way I can meet her too."
"Men!" Greer barked, grabbing several pastries to take with him as he got to his feet.
Aulay raised his eyebrows as a dozen MacDonnell soldiers immediately stood at the far end of the trestle tables and started to follow their lady. Turning his gaze back to his brother-in-law, he asked, "Is there something ye've no' told us?"
Greer paused and glanced to him in question. "What do ye mean?"
"Well, 'tis no' a long trip. Ye really do no' need yer men to ride to the lodge and back," he pointed out. "Is someone out to harm me sister? Again?"
"Oh." He smiled. "Nay. The men are needed to drive and guard the wagons with the chests o' dresses in them."
The MacDonnell hurried off then, leaving Aulay staring after him.
"Just how many chests and wagons are there?" he muttered to himself.
"Six chests, three wagons," Alick answered, bringing Aulay's head around his way.
"Six?" he asked with disbelief.
The younger man clucked his tongue with disgust. "I knew ye were no' listening to me up in yer room when I was telling ye o' me trials trying to find Saidh."
"Six?" Aulay repeated.
"I told ye!" he said with exasperation. "I'd just missed Saidh and Greer when I got to MacDonnell. They'd already left to see Niels and Edith at Drummond, but were gone from there too when I reached Drummond. They'd left there for Carmichael to see Dougall and Murine. But I stopped the night at Drummond and when Edith heard about poor wee Jetta, she decided she'd send some dresses and managed to fill a whole chest for me to take," he explained. "She e'en gave me a wagon to harness to me horse to cart it in. O' course, dragging the wagon with the chest in it slowed me down further and by the time I got to Carmichael, Saidh and Greer had already left there as well. They were headed for Sinclair. I stayed the night at Carmichael and when Murine heard Jetta's sad tale, she filled a chest for me to take in the wagon too. And then--"
"Let me guess," Aulay interrupted dryly. "Saidh and Greer had already left Sinclair by the time ye got there too, but Jo and Campbell Sinclair insisted ye stay the night, heard the tale, and gave ye a chest as well."
"Three chests," Alick corrected him, his expression grim.
"Three?" Aulay echoed with surprise.
"Aye, one with dresses in it, and two with bolts o' fabric she thought Jetta might use to make gowns in a fashion she preferred," he explained, and then added with disgust, "I needed a bigger wagon and another horse to help pull it, and now I was going ridiculously slowly."
"Aye, I can imagine," Aulay growled.
"Me next stop was MacDonnell again, where I finally caught up with Saidh and Greer, and she supplied a chest o' dresses as well. But they decided on three midsized carts rather than the large one in hopes we could travel more quickly."
"So ye went all the way up to Sinclair," Aulay muttered, shaking his head.
"I ha'e been everywhere this past week," Alick said with disgust, and then accused him, "Ye truly did no' listen to a word I said in yer bedchamber, did ye?"
Aulay stared at him for a minute, and then rather than answer the question, growled, "And ye told all o' them about Jetta?"
"Uh," Alick said weakly. "Well . . ."
Aulay closed his eyes.
"I suspect that means we'll be having more company within the week," Rory put in, sounding cheerful.
"More like within the next hour," Alick said apologetically. "They were all eager to come meet Jetta and sent messengers to MacDonnell yester eve with news they'd be arriving at Buchanan this morning. 'Tis why we left so early. Saidh wanted to be here to greet them."
&
nbsp; "God's teeth," Aulay muttered with disgust. His home was about to be invaded by three more very beautiful, very kind and very sweet busybodies who would help his sister interfere horribly in his life, he thought and then frowned as a thought struck him. Scowling at Alick, he asked shortly, "If Edith gave ye a chest o' damned dresses, why did ye no' just return to Buchanan then? Why continue to hunt down Saidh? The dresses were what were wanted."
"Aye, but I kenned ye'd want Saidh and the others here for the wedding," he pointed out as if that should be obvious, and then added, "Finding them all now saved me having to find them later."
"What wedding?" Aulay asked with bewilderment.
"Yours . . . to Jetta. I felt sure ye'd want to marry her now that ye've taken her to yer bed."
"I didn't take her--she is alone in me bed," Aulay growled furiously. "Her honor is safe."
"Aye, but no one else kens that, and she's obviously a noble lady. Ye can't just tell her ye're her husband, let people think ye've bedded her, and then not marry her. She's ruined now whether ye've slept with her or no'," he pointed out, and Aulay suddenly understood. Alick had continued to hunt Saidh because it allowed him to call in reinforcements. The rest of the family had been dragged into it, to force him to marry Jetta if he didn't agree to do so willingly. Dear God, they would force Jetta to marry him whether she wanted to or not if he didn't do something to prevent it.
Glancing toward the keep doors, Aulay stood abruptly, thinking only that he needed to beat Saidh to the lodge, collect Jetta and flee. Where to, he didn't know, but fleeing was the only way to save her from being forced to marry him when she might not want to.
"Did ye no' mention to me last night that ye wanted to question the men who were on the gate about what they may or may no' ha'e seen when Katie was shot with the arrow?" Rory asked solemnly.
Aulay paused and turned on him with a scowl. Leave it to Rory to be his conscience. His younger brother had been doing that for the last five weeks when it came to his interactions with Jetta and he was growing heartily sick of it. Besides, that was before he'd learned the four horsewomen of the Apocalypse were about to descend on him. Well, three, he supposed. One of them was already here.
"Saidh loves ye," Rory said solemnly. "So do Murine and Edith, and Jo likes ye too. And all four o' them are kind. They'll no' harm Jetta or do anything to hurt you." He allowed that to sink in and then added, "And Geordie and Katie need ye here."