“I assume he will come as well,” she confirmed. “If me faither has aligned with him, as we suspect, then he will nae trust me faither tae act alone. He will want tae see it done.”
Domhnall’s hand moved, flattening against the table as though to anchor himself against the direction the conversation had taken.
“And ye would just stand there,” he pointed out, “kenning they may both be present.”
Margaret did not hesitate. “Aye.”
The word settled between them. Cameron was the first to break the silence.
“If we place men along the ridge,” he said, already turning slightly to adjust the map, “and keep the main force hidden beyond the rise, they will nae be seen until needed. A smaller escort with the laird, at a distance, would maintain the appearance of compliance.”
Domhnall did not immediately respond, but Margaret saw the shift in him. The refusal had not vanished, but it had begun to give way to calculation.
“And signals?” Cameron added. “We will need clear timing.”
Margaret stepped closer to the table.
“There is a break in the cliffside path,” she said, indicating a narrow marking on the map. “If I stand there, I will be visible from the higher ground, but nae from the approach behind. Ye will see me. They will nae see ye.”
Domhnall’s gaze followed her hand.
“And when dae we move?”
“When he speaks,” Margaret clarified. “When he reveals his intent, nae before.”
Cameron nodded slowly.
“That gives us cause,” he said. “Nae merely suspicion.”
Domhnall exhaled. And she knew he had accepted.
“We will require a representative we can trust,” he mused.
Margaret inclined her head. “Aye.”
His gaze returned to her then. “And ye willnae step beyond what is agreed. Nae a pace further than is necessary.”
Margaret met his gaze without flinching.
“I have nay desire tae be brave,” she assured him softly. “Only tae be effective, so we can end this.”
Domhnall nodded, while Cameron straightened, already moving to gather what would be needed: messages, riders, preparations that would set the plan into motion. The chamber grew quieter as the details settled into place. Distances were measured. Positions were assigned. The shape of what was to come took form not as theory, but as inevitability.
Margaret stood very still. She knew what it meant.
She would go, she would stand before her father and she would draw him into the open.
“Once this is done,” Cameron told them, “there will be nay question of their guilt.”
“Nay,” Domhnall agreed.
His gaze did not leave Margaret.
“There will nae.”
For a moment, no one spoke. And though the plan had been made, though every detail had been set with care and precision, Margaret felt, with quiet certainty, that what lay ahead would not be governed by planning alone, but by will and by trust.
The matter, once decided, admitted no delay.
