AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The door is still open,” Olivia mumbled. Conner’s head popped. He sprang to his feet and rushed to the doorway as Olivia shimmied out of her bodice and started for the tie at her waist.
“Damon?” Conner gasped. The passion and lust that flowed so freely through Olivia stopped. It was like a drawbridge dropping to cut off everything and everyone from the castle. Craning her neck, she glanced over the couch to find Damon at the door. The expression on Damon’s dirty face confused Olivia.
“Olivia, my love,” Conner said over his shoulder.
“Aye,” Olivia answered as she scrambled to get dressed again.
“Pleasant day,” Olivia said, coming up next to Conner. Conner opened the door for Damon who stormed in to the room completely flustered.
“Aye it is,” Damon said.
“I take it ye found Joseph?” Conner asked as he reached for Olivia.
“Nay, well, maybe. But I did find somethin’ far better though,” Damon said as his expression grew bigger. “Ye might want to sit down for this.”
Chapter 29
Conner sat on the arm of the couch with his arms folded over his chest as he stalked Damon pacing the room. There was an energy to Damon’s mood that made Conner nervous. Rapping his heel on the ground, Damon moved about the room, pausing every so often to look at him before starting again.
“Ye ordered the men to go huntin’ for Joseph. Well we were separated at the crossroads. Most of the men thought he’d gone off to the north. In order to ensure we didnae lose him,” Damon rambled as he picked a small trinket off Conner’s desk and fidgeted with it, “ two men went east, two south, two north. I went west through the woodlands. It took me all but five minutes trekkin’ through that muck and mire to pick up the footprints.
“So, I followed them deep into the woods just east of the village. I nearly lost them durin’ the night. But the moon granted me enough light to spy through the shrubs. I thought of pouncin’ on him right then and there, but I didnae. Somethin’ in the back of me head told me to wait. So I did.”
“Damon,” Conner hissed. “Get to the point.”
“I’m tryin’ to,” Damon said, so overjoyed that he didn’t want to leave any detail out. “Come mornin’ though, I noticed the prisoners makin’ a beeline for a small hut in the middle of the clearin’. Why I never crossed that place before I couldnae tell ye, but it is there. I dae ken that if ye didnae ken where ye were goin’ ye would certainly miss it.”
“So ye trapped Joseph and Henry to the house in the clearin’?” Olivia asked. Her voice was practically as skeptical as Conner felt.
“Nae quite,” Damon said. “For when they entered the house, the place was nae empty. There were two people livin’ there. Almost as if they were expectin’ him to show up.”
“So the man has a family,” Olivia said as Conner felt her eyes on the back of his head.
“I daenae think the women in the house were his family, but I dae believe they are yers, M’Laird.”
Conner dropped his hands and stood. His mouth popped open as he stared at Damon. Every bit of his body shivered as small bumps rose over every inch of skin.
This cannae be true.
“What?” Conner asked.
“Yer maither, and sister,” Damon answered as he practically jumped up and down. “I think I found them.”
“So help me Damon,” Conner said feeling the pressure in his chest mound. His world spun about as he stared at Damon.
“Nae kennin’ what I was walkin’ into, I said that my horse went lame on the road and I’d been travelin’ for days. The women hesitated at first, but ye ken me,” Damon said wagging his eyebrows. “After a bit of convincin’, they let me in.”
“So how are ye so certain ye found my maither and sister?”
“The younger of the two, her name is Sadie,” Damon said. “And I remembered the paintin’. That one, right there of them. While time hasnae been kind to either of them, I ken in my heart the woman in that house are yer maither and sister.”
“Dae ye have any other proof?” Olivia asked as she glanced to Conner.
“I mentioned Conner’s name and was given this,” Damon said pulling out the small parchment and handed it to Conner. Conner’s heart raced as he unfolded the paper and stared at the words scribbled.
“Why did ye leave them there?” Conner gasped as his hands trembled.
“I’m sorry me laird,” Damon said. “From what they told me, they were nae alone. There was a root cellar and I ken I was out numbered. Had I stayed to save them, I would have been killed.”
