There was a moment of tense silence, with Earl Sinclair glaring at her and Molly standing firm, refusing to back down. Then Alice Brewer stomped over and stepped between them.
“I said ye shouldnae have untied her!” she said to Sinclair. “She has a tongue like a rasp and causes naught but trouble. I’ll have her chained to the mast and gagged.”
Earl Sinclair caught her arm as she turned to give the order. “No. Leave her be.” At Alice’s raised eyebrow, he added, “What harm can she do?”
Alice frowned, looking between Molly and the Earl. “Fine. But if she gives me any lip, the gag is going on.”
The woman stomped off and Molly watched her go. She crossed her arms. “You know what?” she said to Earl Sinclair. “I think she likes me.”
To her surprise, he barked a laugh. “Do ye reckon? Then ye are in a very select group. Alice doesnae like many people.”
They stood in silence for a while, staring out at the ocean. The looming presence of Angul’s Finger rose up on their starboard side, the waves lapping and crashing against its base, the cries of seabirds mingling with the slap and gurgle of the water.
“For what it’s worth,” Earl Sinclair said after a moment. “I didnae want ye to get caught up in this. Neither of ye. If I had my way, ye would both be safe back at the Pinnacle right now.” He turned to look at her, his gray eyes as stormy as the thrashing sea. “I’m sorry to put ye in danger, lass.”
Molly opened her mouth for an angry retort but the look on his face stopped her. There were emotions there she hadn’t expected to see: regret, weariness, and a deep, abiding sorrow.
“What about Conall?”
He gave a sad smile. “That boy could find trouble in a force ten gale. I tried to keep him safe. Why do ye think I threw him into jail?”
With that he walked off, leaving Molly staring after. Was he saying that he’d deliberately put Conall in that cell to keep him safe?
No. He was just playing with her again and she wouldn’t fall for it. Molly slowly walked back to the mast. She sat down cross-legged on the deck, looking out across the fleet of ships. They were all waiting for something, that much was clear. But what? What was Earl Sinclair planning that needed so many ships?
She sighed and leaned back against the mast. From here she could see everything: the undulating sea, the crew bustling around on their respective vessels, and Earl Sinclair surveying it all with a stern gaze.
You don’t know the sacrifices that I’ve made to protect this land. I tried to keep him safe. Why do you think I threw him in jail?
She shook her head. It made no sense. His words didn’t square with the man who would betray his country and treat his son with such contempt.
Where was Conall now? Was he safe? Her heart ached at the thought of him and for a moment she missed him so much that it took her breath away. She longed to hear his deep voice, feel his silky hair, smell that unique mix of sea-salt and wood smoke that was unequivocally him.
It was crazy, utterly crazy, that she would fall for a man from a world so different from her own. But there it was. And despite everything, despite the terror of her present situation, despite the fear and confusion of being hurled back in time, she wouldn’t change it for anything. Conall was worth any price.
Are ye willing to take the path that will lead ye there? If ye do, then perhaps ye will discover the path ye were born to tread and the one who will walk it with ye.
“Ship ahoy!”
The shout brought Molly out of her thoughts. She straightened, and glancing up at the sky, she saw that the sun had climbed almost to midday. The fleet of Earl Sinclair’s ships still bobbed in the rolling waves around Angul’s Finger, but they were no longer alone. A second fleet was sailing toward them from the open ocean to the north. These new ships were all clinker-built like Alice’s, and they were all bristling with men.
Was this what they’d been waiting for? Molly scrambled to her feet, clinging onto the mast to help keep her steady.
The lead ship approached and pulled alongside. It was a large, two-masted vessel with a tall figurehead at the bow. Molly watched in trepidation as a small group of men climbed up to the railing of that ship and then vaulted across onto the deck of Alice Brewer’s ship as easily as if they did this every day. They were not dressed like the highlanders Molly had seen so far but wore leather and wool clothing that reminded her of the raiders that had attacked Lanwick.
A tall man with blond hair and beard seemed to be the leader. He put his hands on his hips and looked around, surveying the ship. Alice walked forward to greet the man, a half-smile on her lips as they began speaking together in low voices. From here Molly couldn’t catch what she said but the man laughed and then turned to look at the Earl.
With a sinking feeling, she watched the earl and the newcomer shake hands, grinning like old friends. The man turned, looking around the ship. His eyes fell on Molly and he strode over to her, a smile on his face. Molly fought the urge to back away.
“Well, what do we have here?” The man said as he looked her up and down. He was broad shouldered, with hair of a sun-bleached gold, tied back in an elaborate braid. He wore a cloak over his leather tunic and vest, embroidered with silver thread. “My name is Leif Snarlsson,” he said in a deep voice with a slight accent. “And I’m told that you are a member of the Order of the Osprey.”
The name sent a tremor of recognition through her. This was the man that Conall had been tracking, the most wanted criminal in Scotland. He appraised her with bright eyes that seemed to miss nothing. She saw no emotion in them, just hard, cold calculations. She sensed that showing any kind of weakness in front of this man would be a mistake.
She lifted her chin and met his gaze. “What if I am?”
He chuckled and turned to look at Alice and Earl Sinclair. “Oh, I like her. I can see why you brought her.”
He turned back to Molly and caught her chin in fingers as strong as a pair of pliers. “You and your precious Order have been a pain in my arse for too long. Tell me, why shouldn’t I throw you overboard and let you feed the fishes?”
