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Just then, he heard the thud of hooves coming along the path. Looking up, he saw two horses appear out of the gloom, plodding slowly around a bend in the trees. Seeing the riders, Angus breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Lads!” He put up his hand to hail the riders who were coming from the north. On the right, sitting proud on a chestnut gelding, was Simon Beckett, man-at-arms to Melissa’s brother, Felix. On the left, swaying to the rhythm of a stout black stallion, was John Monroe, the captain of the guard at Moore Castle.
The riders paused just ahead of Angus, and the horses immediately dipped their heads to snatch up tufts of grass. Angus knew the men well enough, as Ryder often invited them to his councils and meetings, and he hoped that allegiance would inspire them to help him.
“Have ye seen Melissa on yer ride through the woods?” Angus jumped right in, aware that it would soon be getting dark.
Simon frowned, sitting up straighter in the saddle. “Melissa? Do ye mean Me Laird’s sister?”
“Och, who else would he mean?” John retorted, with a roll of his eyes.
“Aye.” Angus nodded. “She went out to gather mushrooms a while ago and she hasnae come back,” he lied, not wanting the two men to know the real reason behind her absence.
John furrowed his brow, adding a layer of seriousness to his already stern face. “When did she head out?”
“A few hours ago.” Angus swallowed the anxious bile that tried to rise up his throat.
Of course, he knew she was probably just trying to worry him, and would return to the cottage before nightfall, but he refused to rely on that probability. If she had tripped or lost her way, and he made those other assumptions, she could be in danger.
John nodded. “Ye’re sure ye’ve nae just quarreled, and she’s gone on one of her wanders? I remember her wayward behaviors when she was a younger lass, and I was in the service of her faither.”
“Aye, that’s right,” Simon chimed in, with an amused smile. “I vaguely remember her wanderin’ off all the time. Her faither despaired of her. If ye’ve quarreled, I’m sure she’ll return when she’s good and ready.”
Angus frowned. “Ye both kenned her faither?”
“Och aye, we were raised in his castle,” John confirmed.
Simon nodded. “We were friends of Felix when we were all bairns, but I dinnae have much to do with the rest of the family. I just kenned them as any castle resident does. Ye hear gossip and whispers.” He paused, turning more somber for a moment. “We owe what we have to Felix, else we’d still be mournin’ the ruins of Quinn Castle, lackin’ two coins to rub together.”
It had always been a sore point for Angus that he had not known Melissa’s father very well, or for very long. He had passed after a draining sickness, brought on by the shock of the former, wretched Laird of Moore torching his castle. Melissa rarely spoke of it, but Angus knew it still haunted her. Still, he wished he could have seen the place where she grew up, but Colby Greene had destroyed any hope of that.
“Are ye on yer way to speak with Laird Millar?” Angus shrugged off the silly feeling of envy. He had bigger things to worry about.
John nodded. “Aye, our Laird is wantin’ to arrange a gatherin’ to honor the anniversary of his faither’s death. So, I suppose we’re mostly on our way to speak with Lady Millar about… whatever it is ye’re supposed to discuss when it comes to a gatherin’.”
“Could ye take me there? I cannae search the whole forest by meself, so I’ll borrow a couple of lads to help me.” Angus hoped he did not sound too desperate.
Simon glanced back over his shoulder. “I can ride back to Moore Castle and fetch her brother, if ye like? Or John can do that, and I can do the other—whichever ye prefer?”
“Would ye?” Angus breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone would know how to find Melissa, it was her brother.
John shuffled forward in the saddle. “Get up, and I’ll take ye to Laird Millar. Divide and conquer, eh? It’s the best way, though I wouldnae worry too much. Lasses always find their way home, once they’ve ceased wantin’ to scratch yer eyes out.”
Climbing up behind the captain of the guard, Angus did not care about any embarrassment he might have to face if he went back to the cottage and found Melissa there. He would have preferred to feel the sting of his men’s mockery than spend another unknown number of hours panicking that something had happened to her.
He clung onto John as the fellow squeezed his thighs and drove his horse into a lope that smoothed out into a gallop. Pounding along the path, Angus looked back over his shoulder and watched as Simon followed suit, wheeling his horse around and charging off through the forest to Moore Castle.
We’ll find ye, love, wherever ye are.
Chapter 3
Crashing through the undergrowth, her legs bruised and scratched by errant branches and tangles of thorns that had tried to whip her off her feet, Melissa staggered out between a dense spread of looming trees.
For a moment, she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her, as it had gotten dark while she had been stumbling and running in circles around the forest. Yet, it suddenly seemed lighter. Still evening, with stars just beginning to peek through above, but the shadows were not so disorienting.
A second later, she realized why, and almost unleashed a cry of absolute joy. Her shoes were no longer struggling to pick their way through brambles and roots and mossy mounds that seemed solid but gave way the moment they took her weight. Instead, she was on hard, unfettered ground. A road. The road, at last.
“I kenned I could do it!” she whooped, to no one but herself, feeling proud that she had managed to get out of that mess alone.
