Page 51 of Highland Spy

No doubt Connor would be displeased if she did so.

Of course, if she anticipated causing him displeasure, then she might as well do it to the fullest.

Her pulse fired in her veins and charged her with a renewed energy for the first time that day.

She knew how to saddle a horse and how to take care of herself. She was no longer a helpless woman, and had wasted far too many years fearing the disappointment of others.

A moment of hesitation held her back. Kindrochit was a relatively remote castle. No doubt it was why they trained and lived there—away from prying eyes. But it also made finding neighboring towns more difficult.

Outside, the sky was streaked with the cooling hues of sunset and Ariana steeled herself.

She could do this. She was capable.

Connor may have left her behind, but she would still go on a mission this night.

Alone.

Chapter 13

Venturing out alone was not as unsettling as Ariana might have initially thought.

And finding a town nearby had been easier than anticipated. For that she was grateful. While she didn’t have a stable like the one they’d used outside Auchendryne, the surrounding woods provided ample trees where she could discreetly tie her horse. After all, no one would believe a wench owned her own horse.

The heavy, smoky scent of burning peat hung in the air. The houses of this town were more spread apart than the ones in Auchendryne, fewer in number and smaller in size, but all well cared for.

She scanned the narrow dirt road running between the neat row of buildings.

No sign of Connor.

Then again, it was hard to find a man who made it a point never to be seen.

Still, the tension in her shoulders ebbed. He did not appear to be in the same town as she. He couldn’t catch her sneaking out alone.

What she was doing was risky. She had the round vial remaining in her pocket from the night before, but not the narrow one which had made Cuthbert overly drunk, nor the eye tincture. Not that she’d ever use it again. The mere memory of her difficult vision left a strain in her temples.

A tall man with wild blond hair and braids caught her attention. He moved in powerful strides, with all the confident strength of a warrior.

A gait she knew well enough to recognize.

Murdoch.

Instinct made her flinch from view, but curiosity lured her out once more.

He had not been back to the keep for several days and no doubt was performing his own task for Connor.

Rather than guess which tavern to place her luck, Ariana waited for him to duck into a doorway, then followed closely behind. Her eyes adjusted to the light with far more ease without the eye tincture.

Several guests milled about the room or sat at the large, wooden tables. It was not nearly as populated as the Lamb’s Tail Inn, but it did not make breathing any easier.

Instead of the stench of too many unwashed bodies in a small space, the thick, greasy odor of the sputtering tallow candles clogged her throat.

“Would you get me something to drink?” The highborn lilt of feminine English nobility sounded just behind Ariana.

She turned to find a woman with long red hair watching her with carefully tethered patience. The woman’s yellow silk gown stood out in the tavern like a rose in a patch of scraggy weeds.

She pressed a gold coin into Ariana’s palm. “Wine if you have it.”

The precious metal was warm against Ariana’s skin, as if it had been held for some time before being relinquished.