Page 91 of Hold Fast

In the near distance, hoofbeats. The shifting of a leather saddle in the cold air. Desperate, wild panic clawed at her as she realized that the sounds were not coming from the direction of the keep but from deeper in the woods.

The horses drew closer. That there was more than one was unnerving, but not as much as their silence. Were the MacDonald men looking for her, they would be calling her name and wanting her to find them. But judging by the slow plodding of the horses and the silence otherwise, she couldn’t help but assume that these people did not want to be noticed.

“Una, dinnae drag your feet. Get your arse inside that hollow tree.”

“I willnae fit!”

“You must try,” he said, shaking her gently with the hand still gripping her bicep. “You must, Una.”

But the hoofbeats drew closer. Una felt frozen on the spot, paralyzed by fear, unable to follow even Blair’s simple commands.

“Goddamnit,” he cursed under his breath just as a large bay horse stepped into the clearing.

“Ah, Blair! You are nae as useless as I thought!”

Una’s blood went cold as she looked into the eyes of Giffard, Laird Cameron’s right hand and most trusted man. He was the captain of his guard, his closest advisor, and what most resembled a friend, if a man like Malcolm was capable of friendship.

“What do we have here?” he said, dismounting and walking toward her, his eyes glinting with malice. “Una? What a pleasant surprise! It has been too long!”

The words were friendly, but the tone made her shiver. Like a cow before the slaughter, Una looked out of the corner of her eye and saw shadows in the trees become clearer, men on horses. Dozens of them.

Giffard chuckled, gleefully rubbing his hands together. “Of all the boons my laird expected, this could nae have been farther from anything he dared to hope for. Una, how fortunate we found you! Now we can rescue you and bring you home.”

“I willnae go anywhere with you, Giffard,” Una spat.

Giffard clucked his tongue. “I cannae leave you here in enemy territory, so verra far from home. It wouldnae be right.” He turned his gaze to Blair. “Bring her here.”

Blair squeezed Una’s arm before towing her closer to Giffard.

“Blair, I want you to ride ahead and send a man to fetch the laird.”

“He has important business. Surely this can wait until he returns next week,” Blair protested quietly, but Giffard cut him off.

“Ride ahead and send someone to fetch him now!” he barked before turning back to Una with a serpent’s smile. “There is nae business more important than bringing one of his lost lambs home.”

Blair clenched his jaw but stormed across the clearing, back in the direction from which he’d come. The men had dismounted and closed ranks around them. Before she could scream, Giffard had grabbed her wrist and spun her around so that her arm was twisted behind her back, her back to his front. He grabbed her other wrist and wrenched it back as well, bringing her to her knees.

Una felt as if she would be sick. Why had she left the walls without telling anyone that she was going? Joan would have kept a secret. She could have told her. As it was, nobody would know where she had gone or what had happened to her.

A single sob escaped her.

“Quiet,” Giffard said.

Una looked up to see Blair glance over his shoulder at her before disappearing into the fog. She screamed, and with a blinding burst of pain at the back of her head, the world went dark around her.

CHAPTER39

Ewan rolled over and reached for Una, startling when his hand brushed nothing but a cool sheet. Perhaps she had gone to the privy. He had demanded that she wake him whenever she needed to use it so that he could help her, but he also knew for a fact that she never did. He waited, focusing on his breath, until enough time had passed that she would have returned from the privy.

His hackles rose, but he forced himself to remain calm. Perhaps she had gone to the kitchen for an early breakfast. She had been hungry at odd hours lately. His entire day had already been spoken for, but he wouldn’t be starting on any of those items until he talked to Una. He needed to apologize. He needed to tell her about the looming Cameron threat. Somewhere in the midst of their not speaking last night, he’d realized that she had a right to know.

He’d done the wrong thing for the right reasons. But that didn’t make it the right thing.

He’d tell her everything and then he would apologize for being such a horse’s ass. Perhaps she could help him. Perhaps she had a tincture for worry such as his.

With a sigh, he dressed and made his way downstairs. The Great Hall was filling as men made their way to the long tables to break their fast. His brothers and sister sat at the table on the dais, and Ewan wove his way through the crowd to reach them. As he sat, Catriona ladled oats into a bowl and handed it to him.

He ducked his head and ate.