“I must confess, I havenae been completely honest,” she said quietly.
Errol’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing, his mouth set in a thin line. Then he surprised her by sweeping his gaze over at the people in the pub, before turning his eyes back to her. His hard expression gave her naught and she wasn’t sure why he looked so upset with her.
Still, she pushed on. Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, she spoke. “After ye left the chapel earlier, I found another item in the cupboard.”
His shoulders relaxed a little and his frown lifted just a bit.
“What was it?”
Moira lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I dinna ken. ’Tis a scroll, but I havenae opened it to see what it says inside, if aught.” She dug into her pocket and withdrew the rolled parchment.
“Open it.” Errol leaned in, closing the distance between them, his curiosity piqued.
She slipped off the fragile twine keeping the paper rolled, and carefully unfurled it. The parchment looked similar to the map.
The ink faded from the passage of time. Moira had to squint her eyes to see.
Errol grabbed the candle and moved it closer so they could read the words under more light.
‘If ye are reading this, then ye have found oursymbols.
Two clans. Two coats of arms. Onelove.
Continue yer quest formore.’
Below the words was an illustration of what she could only assume was the next location.
Moira’s gaze clashed with Errol’s. “Are ye aware of a relationship betwixt a Hart and a MacLeod?”
Errol shook his head.
She didn’t ken of one either. She only kenned that the riff between the clans had started long ago. Long afore her da was born.
“But, clearly, that is what this is saying is it no’?”
Rubbing the stubble of his beard, he shrugged. “I cannae disagree, but I ken of none.”
Were they following some sort of love quest? Nay, they couldn’t be. The map mentioned a hidden Hart treasure. That wouldn’t equate to some lover’s tryst equating to a treasure hunt.
But she was baffled. In all of her research she had never found aught to suggest that the Harts and MacLeods had ever come together in a union. It would have been in the Hart annals. For certs her parents would have been aware of such a coming together. Wouldn’t they?
“If we continue on, the next stop on the map is a day’s ride from here.”
Her head snapped up. “Ye ken the location? Is it still on MacLeod lands?”
“Aye. I ken the general area. Though I dinnae remember what is there.”
*
The first cluehad been found. Just as he believed, this hunt would uncover what his family had fought so hard to keep quiet for generations.
As much as he wanted to cut them down where they had stood at the chapel, he took pause at committing such an unholy act on sacred ground. His hesitation made no sense, really. He didn’t really believe in a higher power. If there was someone in the clouds, dictating people’s livelihoods from above, then they for certs would not have assigned him this particular lot in life. Why make him suffer for untold reason?
But it mattered naught. It was too soon. He needed to wait until they got to the last clue afore making his move. That way he could destroy all the clues, and no one would be the wiser.
His mission would be complete. His family’s secret would remain buried.
“I told ye I was smart,” he snapped to his father.
