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“Did anyone see or follow ye?” Gregor asked.
Rogan was on Gregor’s question heels with, “And what did ye see? Were there any guards there? Are there too many that we’d need help to overpower them or few enough that we can go through?”
“And—” Gregor was about to throw another question out at him when Artur cut him off.
“Ay!” the leader snapped in a hushed tone, ordering the two men to stop speaking. “Give the man a moment to speak and he’ll answer ye.”
Donnan sat and nodded his thanks to their leader. “I got to the part of the dungeon where the tiny window is, no there were no guards at that point, but I can bet there were some at the front. There were strolling guards’ aye, but I kept to the shadows as much as I could and evaded them. I slid the note into the window and left.”
The chief handed him a stick of skewered winter hare meat and Donnan took it gratefully. It was cold but he ate it anyway. “The guards have a set rotation, it is tight but we can beat it with precise timing. Disarm the guard at the front, slip into the dungeon and free him, then run.”
“Aye,” Artur said. “I ken but we need to dae more observation first and take a gamble on the lass and find out if she can help us. The letter we gave the English lad to bring to her by tomorrow, Hopefully, she will send one back.”
“And if she doesnae?”
“We’ll break him out by force,” Artur said decidedly. “Our Laird is nae going to suffer at the hands of an unworthy Sassenach, so help us, God. He’ll be free if we have to die to make him so.”
Chapter 21
“I could never be prouder,” her father stated. It was the fourth day after the Christmastide celebration and after her father had summoned her right after she had broken her fast. Adelaine had expected this summons the very day after the celebration but her father been busy in the town for the last three days.
“Pardon?” she asked.
The Earl’s eyebrows danced up, “You don’t know? Islington came to me to ask me about courting you. Islington told me the lovely impression you made on him last night. He also told me that he had asked you to court you but the answer you gave him was nothing definite. He said that you looked to be weighing your choices and assumed it was because you weren’t comfortable saying yes without my permission.”
What? That was not it! I did not say yes because of…because…ugh, I don’t know.
“Was that it, Adelaine?” Her father gave her a look that said he had already decided that was her reason and she just had to confirm it. Adeline could not do anything else.
“Yes, Father, that was the reason,” she said. “And he took me by surprise. I wasn’t even sure that I had made an impression on him.”
It was a blatant lie. She could never tell her father that the Islington had said he wanted to kiss her and that she had refused him. The Viscount had little knowledge of women with principles, he had even told her so. Would she go into the courtship knowing that he had so little? Would she have to teach him how to respect her?
Caelan knows how to respect me…
“Well, you have,” her father said. “And I gave him my tentative support before Westhall wrote to me about it. You don’t have to be cautious Adelaine. He’s young but he is no fool; he has graduated university with honors, and his Viscounty has not fallen into debt. But even as I wait on the full report, you have my permission and blessing to be courted by this man.”
“Thank you, Father,” she inclined her head and attempted to smile. “I hope it goes well.”
“It will, I am confident about that. It will be a wonderful match, like your mother and I were. The boy has manners, he knows respect, he’s smart and capable and you are the same,” he said before his expression dipped into something vaguely resembling nostalgia. “I wish Sarah was here to see you blossom into the lovely young woman you are.”
“I wish so too,” Adelaine added.
“I wanted to speak with you before I send off a note to him. He asked for an audience with you and I am incl
ined to give it. I just had to get your views on the matter.”
Again, she could not say no.
“I’d be happy to see him again,” Adelaine added. Truthfully, Islington had interested her and had given her a glimpse of the gentleman he could be. She just needed him to follow through on it. She needed to judge what part of him was the libertine and what part was decent.
“Good,” her father said while reaching for his quill. “I’ll send it off today and perhaps in the following days, he’ll be here. Get that maid of yours to air out your best dresses.”
“Yes, Father,” she hesitated. “The prisoner in our keep, are you going to send him to London? Have you heard from the King yet?”
Her father gave her a deeply-suspicious look but she kept her face neutral as could be, hoping he would take her question for just natural curiosity. Her heart was pounding in her chest but she did not dare make her anxiety be known. After a long moment, her father’s eyes softened.
“No, I have not but he will be executed,” he leaned back in his seat. “Even with your tender heart, you must see that it is fair recompense for his crime.”
