Page 18 of Scottish Rose: Coira

“It’s the cages. And Sir Philip.”

“What? My uncle? What has he done to make you cry?”

“Nothin’. No’ him. It was his twin brathair, Lord Ralston the Bold.”

“You knew him?” Lance put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest.

“H-he kept me prisoner, hangin’ in the cage along with my sister.”

“What did you say?” Lance held Coira at arm’s length and studied her face. Had she just said what he thought she said? “Coira, tell me this isn’t true.”

“It is,” she said, wiping away a tear. “It was horrible.”

“Why would my uncle have done such an awful thing?”

“He wanted to find the Stone of Scone, or Stone of Destiny as it’s called. Effie stole it from the Scots to give to the English for my release.”

Lance’s ears perked up at this. The last thing he wanted to do was to use Coira’s hardships to his advantage. But his uncle told him if he wanted to keep the castle, he had to find out where they hid the stone. It was only a stone, so why should the Scots care about it so much?

“Coira, you’re shaking. You need to calm down. I am sorry that happened. I didn’t know about it. I suppose that is why you seemed apprehensive to come to Liddel Castle.”

“It holds a lot of bad memories for me, Lance.”

“Shhh,” he said, brushing back her hair and kissing the top of her head. “Those memories are in the past. It’s all over now. I am going to make sure those thoughts never bother you again. I will get rid of the cages anon.”

“And what about Sir Philip?” asked Coira. “Can ye please have him leave as well? I canna live here if I am goin’ to be seein’ him. His presence reminds me too much of what happened in the past.”

Lance realized it wasn’t going to be easy to get rid of Philip. The only way to make him go was to find out where the Scots hid the stone. He didn’t like this at all but had to do it. “Coira, where did the Scots hide the stone?”

Coira wiped her tears. “Well, Aidan had it back at the MacKeefe camp and used it as his pillow.”

That was easier than he thought. Lance would have his information and be able to send Philip on his way after all. “So that’s where it is, then?”

“Nay, no’ anymore.”

“What do you mean? Did they move it?”

“After it was stolen, Aidan stole it back and buried it where the River Annan and the Evan Waters meet. But I’m no’ supposed to tell anyone because it is a secret.”

“In the river,” he repeated, knowing that he had his answer. Now, he just had to tell Philip, and then Liddel Castle would be his to keep.

Chapter 8

Coira stood with Zara the next morning looking out the window, watching as Sir Philip loaded the cages onto a cart.

“Why would he be takin’ the cages?” asked Coira. “Lance told me he was goin’ to get rid of them. I thought he would break them up and throw them away.”

“What does it matter?” asked Zara, running a brush through Coira’s hair. “Your husband is taking care of the problem. Besides, it looks like Sir Philip is preparing to leave. See? You have nothing to worry about anymore. Now you can leave the past alone.”

“Perhaps,” said Coira, watching as Lance conversed with Philip. “But I dinna think Sir Philip is leavin’.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that my husband was askin’ about the Stone of Destiny and where the Scots hid it.”

“What did you tell him?” Zara pulled the brush away.

“I told him it was buried where the Annan River and the Even Waters meet.”