“Where did ye attend to me?” Skye pressed, her eyes lighting up. “What can ye remember?”
Annabelle swallowed. “Nae much. Yer husband called on me at me home and said he needed me help. Ye were staying in a small cabin only a few miles away. The cabins are built to provide shelter for those who need it, so I assumed ye were only passing through. Ye were sick, but nothing much. Just a wee tonic set ye right.”
“And me husband, what can ye tell me about him?”
Annabelle gave her a long, confused look. “Well, I never saw his face. He wore a mask all the time.”
“A mask?” Evander echoed. “What mask?”
“It was a plain carved wooden mask. He said that he was badly scarred.”
Skye’s breath caught, and her lips parted for an instant. Then she collected herself. “Then how do ye kenheisnae me husband?” she responded, jerking her head toward Evander.
Annabelle barely glanced at him. “Well, I could see his eyes, and he didnae have such bright green eyes. I would have rememberedthat. Do ye really nae remember me?”
Skye swallowed, offering a wan smile. “I… I really havenae been meself. I’m sorry.”
“I shouldnae be surprised,” Annabelle sighed, shaking her head. “Ye were always asleep when I arrived. Ye would wake up for a while, but ye seemed… disoriented. Yer husband said that it was the sickness, and I gave ye a healing tonic. We talked, but honestly, ye didnae make much sense. I was just so proud to wait on a lady.”
“And how long ago was the last time we met?”
“About a week. I can give ye the directions to the cabin, if ye like.”
Skye nodded eagerly. Stepping forward, she placed a hand on Annabelle’s shoulder. “I have been sick, but I am better now. Thank ye for yer help, Annabelle.”
“And if ye have any more information about Lady Moira or her husband,” Evander interjected, taking a step forward, “bring it to Laird Bryden at Keep Bryden. Ye will be richly rewarded, I can guarantee it.”
Annabelle nodded uncertainly, glancing between the two of them.
Evander couldn’t even begin to imagine how confused and nervous the poor woman was. Still, he wasn’t going to let a twinge of pity get in the way of this valuable clue.
Asking her to accompany them back to Keep Bryden might be too much, however. She’d likely refuse, and then what? Would he chase her down?
Without thinking twice, he reached into his pocket and took out his coin purse. The woman brightened at the clink of gold.
“For yer troubles,” he said, handing over the coins. She accepted them with a smile.
“Thank ye, sir. Ye can find the cabin north of town. Follow the path lined with red berries, ye will get there in a couple of miles. And it was good to see ye again, Lady Moira. Uh… Skye,I am glad that ye are…” She fumbled for the right word. “… recovered.”
Abruptly, she turned on her heel and scuttled away, leaving Skye and Evander staring after her.
“Well,” Skye said, her voice shaking just a little. “That was… unexpected. I wish ye hadnae let her go.”
“I could hardly wrestle her along with us in this crowd,” Evander pointed out. “What would ye prefer, that I tied her up and threw her over me saddle?”
She sagged. “Nay, of course nae. But this is a solid lead, is it nae?”
“Aye, it is. Ye were with a man, one who tried to take care of ye, including bringing a healer to see to ye. Her information is good. I will investigate that cabin as soon as I can. For now, we had better find ye a new dress and then go home, aye?”
“Aye,” she echoed, still staring in the direction in which Annabelle had disappeared.
They hadn’t made it more than a couple of steps through the crowd before someone shouted Skye’s name. Both of them flinched, spinning around.
A tall, blond-haired man of about thirty plunged through the throng toward them. A heavy gray kilt hung around his knees,his shirt tight around his muscular frame. A single blue eye gleamed in his ruddy face, the other eye hidden behind a battered old eyepatch.
Evander recognized him at once, and his stomach tightened. A quick glance down at Skye showed that she recognized him, too.
She let out a disbelieving laugh. “Mason? Mason, it’s ye!”
