Page 11 of Sins of a Scot
“Ye see, ye cannae, can ye? Ye only went after she told ye ye should go. And then, when we were outside, she tried to grab this.”
Iseabail assumed Owen was pointing to his necklace.
“What would she want with it?” Owen asked.
“She’s likely a thief. She saw an opportunity and took it. I mean, we ken how easily ye are swayed by the lasses, Owen.”
“Nae,” Owen spat. Iseabail could hear the frustration in his voice. “It’s more than that. I ken it. She was there when I was fighting. I saw her. Ye ken as well as I that nay women are allowed intae those rooms. How did she get in? Who let her in? Did she cast a spell on another poor soul?”
“I dinnae ken, and neither dae ye. I also think this is a fool’s errand,” Daire replied, now sounding a little frustrated himself. “Ye have far more important things tae concern yersel’ with. What if yer father finds out ye have a prisoner in the dungeons? What are ye going tae tell him? Ye sure as hell cannae tell him the truth.”
“I can tell him part o’ the truth.”
“Nae!” Daire barked. “We are lying tae him already. Dae ye nae think I feel bad enough, keeping the truth from him? Keeping from the man I have stood beside fer more years than I can remember, the fact that his son is fighting men in taverns fercoin tae save himsel’? I am his closest friend, Owen, and I am lying tae his very face. How dae ye think that makes me feel?”
Another silence fell, and while Iseabail stretched her neck to hear, her mind began to work.
So, his faither doesnae ken about his fights. What’s more, Owen is fighting tae save himsel’.
But save himself from what?
Who cares? Surely, ye can use this information against him if he willnae let ye go.
Perhaps she could. Perhaps Owen Sinclair’s deceit could just be her way out of there.
CHAPTER FOUR
Not long after that, Iseabail heard no more words, and guessing the men had left, she moved away from the metal bars separating her from freedom, and dropped herself down onto the cold stone floor of the dungeon.
Well, this is a fine mess, I have got mesel’ intae.
When she had ventured out of her home in search of something that would save her family, Iseabail had not envisioned being thrown into a dungeon. She had imagined many other scenarios, but this had not been one of them. The dangers she imagined she would have to face had been things like robbery, or a threat to her life, or the menacing advances of a man.
Perhaps she had rushed things. She had pushed too quickly, and thus, had been caught out. Perhaps she ought to have wooed Owen, gotten to know him better, taken her time, and only then, attempted to take his necklace.
Well, it is a little too late fer that now, isnae it? What is done is done, and I am now stuck here until I can find a way o’ escape.
Besides, if there was one thing she didn’t have, it was time. Laird Sutherland would be growing impatient, and she had no doubt that he would be taking his frustrations out on Keane and her father. It worried her that they would be suffering. Of course, worrying was hardly going to help, but it did not stop her mind from imagining the dreadful torture they might be experiencing.
Glancing over at the guard and feeling desperate, she wondered if now might be the time to escape.
Nay! Learn from yer mistakes, Iseabail. Ye might have rushed trying tae get the necklace, but ye cannae rush this. There is still time fer Owen or his huge companion tae return. It is better fer ye tae wait.
She nodded at her assessment and decision, and then sighed heavily. This was the time for patience, as difficult as it was under the circumstances.
Her mind wandered, and she thought about her father and brother. How bizarre that all three of them now found themselves in the same predicament. While she sat in this dungeon, her family were captured in another, miles from where she was being kept. She wondered what might be going through their minds, or if they were thinking about her. If they were, they were likely imagining anything other than her being imprisoned.
Iseabail pushed herself from the floor and moved towards the small window high in the cell wall. At first, she could see little, but as she maneuvered herself, she finally caught the tiniest sliver of the bright moon, peeking between the buildings in the courtyard. Maybe they could see the moon too. Maybe they were looking upon it at this very moment.
“I hope ye are well,” she whispered. “I hope Laird Sutherland has kept his word, and that ye are still alive.”
It had occurred to her that the evil man may well renege on their agreement. The fact of the matter was, how could she know? While she had been searching village and glen for this crystal, her father and brother might already have been dead.
Dinnae think like that! Ye cannae think like that. Ye’ll send yersel’ mad.
It was true, she would. More than that, she would lose the only thing that was keeping her going.
Hope.
