Page 89 of A Highland Bride Taken
Talia must have sensed the restrained menace in his body because her eyes widened with fear, and she rushed to answer.
Better.
“The Laird sent men to take them to McCormick Castle. From there, he plans to send them to Sinclair Orphanage and keep them there until ye produce an heir.”
He crouched down before her, and she flinched as if she expected him to strike her.
While the little witch deserved it, he was not in the habit of beating women, no matter how aggravating they were.
He marched straight out of the castle, calling for his horse as he went. The stablehands hurried, and in no time his stallion was saddled and he was mounting it, calling for his warriors to get ready.
They moved as a formidable group towards Clan Sinclair to bring his sons home.
No longer his nephews. The twins were his sons, and he would like to see who would be stupid enough to prevent a determined, angry father from reaching his children. He would not hesitate to teach them a lesson. If they wanted a war, he would give them one.
His sons were coming home with him, no matter what happened.
Campbell was gone, and Mabel was left in the room with Talia, whose latest revelations had made her question just how much trust she should have in people.
Before this evening, she could have sworn that Talia was a young, beautiful woman, albeit withdrawn. She would never have guessed that she had a deceitful bone in her body. Perhaps it was just as they say—that appearances could be deceiving.
At first, Mabel was furious when the governess admitted to her part in the twins’ kidnapping, but over time, that anger cooled and was replaced with gratitude and even a little admiration.
It could not have been easy for the lass to come up and tell them what she knew, knowing that she risked capital punishment or even death for her betrayal.
“I guess ye are the golden-haired lady who accosted them in the market?” Mabel asked quietly.
“Aye,” Talia mumbled. “It wasnae me intention to take them that day. I just came to observe them in order to report back to Laird McCormick, but Connor drew me into conversation.” She gave a rueful smile. “They told me they were hungry but didnae want to disturb their aunt Mabel, so I offered to buy sweets for them. I was just taking them to the candy stall when ye saw us.”
“Why did ye run, then, if ye were just taking them on a short walk?”
“I panicked. I thought ye might somehow realize me true mission. I was nervous all the time.”
“So ye decided to come into our home? Ye must nae have gotten enough information from the first visit,” Mabel probed, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
“Laird McCormick decided that I needed to watch ye even closer. Watching ye from a distance was nay longer enough.”
“Then why did ye confess? That is a sure way to blow yer cover.”
“I lived in McCormick Castle since I was little. When I reached the age of sixteen, the Laird decided that I was smart enough to help the clan. He sent me to spy on neighboring clans. He figured that a small, fragile-looking lass willnae attract attention, and he was right. They never suspected me, and I felt proud that I was helping keep our clan safe. He then sent me here, saying that he wanted to keep an eye on his unruly grandson to make sure he was doing his duty and that he was giving his nephews the good education befitting sons of a laird.
“To be honest, when I first came here and saw ye playing freely with the lads, I thought ye werenae a good influence on them. But over time, I realized that ye had a loving heart. I loved how ye created a happy family from the grieving family. I envied the love ye all shared, and I didnae want to be the intruder who destroyed it.
“I told Laird McCormick so, and he was angry. He threatened to throw me ailing maither and sister off the castle walls if I didnaecomply. I agreed to continue, but he must nae have trusted me because he sent someone else to spy on me. He thought I didnae ken, but I did. I shadowed his new spy, and it was how I ken where he took the boys. I love them. I dinnae want to see them hurt and afraid, that is why I summoned the courage to tell ye. I am sorry, Me Lady. I would accept whatever punishment ye decide on,” she said with a bowed head.
“I willnae punish ye, Talia. Ye have been a good governess to the boys, and I am grateful that ye told us where they were taken. I admire yer bravery to tell the truth. I promise that Clan Muir will protect ye from Laird McCormick. We would make sure he cannae touch ye. We will find a way to bring yer maither and sister here.”
“Thank ye, Me Lady.” Talia smiled. “I am grateful for yer kindness. But before we proceed, there is something ye must ken,” she said seriously.
35
Campbell was well acquainted with anger. He had been angry when his grandfather first came to take Aiden. He had hated his grandfather for being cruel and his father for being weak. He had been enraged when the neighboring clans first started to encroach on his lands. He had felt insulted that they thought him weak, simply because he was young.
He had become intimately familiar with that volatile emotion, but for the very first time, he understood rage, the type that enveloped his whole body and turned his vision red. It was that anger that led him to push his horse beyond its limits to take him to his dratted grandfather’s castle.
The journey would have taken two days ordinarily, but he made it there before sunset the next evening.
His rage gave him strength that was almost superhuman in its intensity. Whenever he imagined the boys curled up somewhere dark and cold, shivering in terror, he grew even angrier. The memory of Mabel’s loud sobs when they first learned that thetwins were missing still tore at his heart, pushing him to find the cause of all that pain and stop it.
