“Did Daniel truly threaten to slay Jamie?” Ana asked, her expression frank and serious.
Isabail nodded. “Choked him to near death right before me. He would have killed him if I hadn’t opened the tomb.”
“He’s a good lad,” said Ana. “And he’s already been through much.”
Meeting her gaze, Isabail swallowed heavily. “I fear for him. I truly do. Daniel will not hesitate to end his life if he feels the need.”
“Niall and the laird are going after him,” Ana assured her. “They will see to his safety.”
An image of MacCurran approaching the gate at Tayteath sprang into Isabail’s mind. She pushed herself weakly into a sitting position. “Tayteath has never fallen to a siege.”
“They will find a way.”
Isabail groaned in frustration. “If I could accompany them, they could enter the castle freely. My soldiers will open the gates to me.”
“You are not well enough to travel,” Ana pointed out, setting her pestle on the table. “And I do not believe the MacCurran would want you in his party.”
Isabail put a hand on the bandages wrapped about her waist. She felt surprisingly well, considering the grievous wound she sported. Only a wee bit weary. “Please,” she begged. “Ask the laird if I can accompany them. It would save many lives on both sides if the castle can be entered peacefully.”
Ana looked dubious.
“Please. I will never forgive myself if I don’t make the attempt.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, the healer nodded and ducked under the fur panel over the door.
Isabail downed the rest of her cup of ale, then set it aside. She was feeling stronger by the minute. Whipping aside the blanket, she swung her feet to the floor. The MacCurran would never agree to take her along if she could not stand on her own feet.
Gathering her resolve with a deep, indrawn breath, she shoved against the straw mattress and thrust herself upright. All might have gone well had a wave of dizziness not washed over her at that moment. She teetered to one side, reached for the wall, and missed. Crashing to the wooden floor, she narrowly missed landing on the brazier.
“You foolish lass,” growled the MacCurran as he strode across the room and scooped her into his arms. The comforting warmth of his chest competed with the throbbing pain in her hip from the fall. “You lay near death only a few moments ago. You should yet be abed.”
Isabail gave in to her desire and pressed her cheek against his chest. “You cannot go without me. Tayteath is unbreachable.”
“No castle is unbreachable,” he said gruffly.
“If I accompany you, it will not be necessary to try.”
To her regret, he lowered her to the mattress and stepped back. “You cannot come. Speed is of the essence, and you will only slow us down.”
She pushed to her elbows. “What good is speed if you can’t get past the castle gate?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles of his forearms rippling in the firelight. “If de Lourdes is not there, the sooner we know that, the sooner we can consider other possibilities. And it’s vital that Jamie know we have come for him. That knowledge might be all that keeps him alive.”
Two excellent arguments.
“But if Daniel is there,” she countered, “he will lock down the gates and hold you off. He might even threaten Jamie’s life as a means to repel you.”
“I have no intention of simply marching up to the gate and announcing my presence.” He favored her with a steely stare. “No matter what arguments you use, I will not agree to take you with us.”
She studied his face. “If we were already wed, would you take me along?”
“Nay.”
“Fine, then,” she said with a pout. “Leave without me.”
He continued to stare at her with his fierce blue gaze. Then he sank to a crouch beside the mattress and cupped her chin.
“Take care, lass.”
