Page 16 of A Forbidden Night with a Scot
Next to him, Alicia gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. “Who is the bairn?”
“Doirin’s lassie, wee Mairead,” said the guard. “Doirin’s mad with worry. She’s inconsolable.”
“We’ll look fer Mairead,” said Alicia without hesitation. “We’ll all help ye look.”
“Where was she last seen?” Samuel asked, hoping that nothing had happened to the child. If she had strayed too far, perhaps she had gotten lost or perhaps brigands had taken her, even if the MacCallum lands were generally safe.
“She was playin’ by the kitchens, me laird,” said the guard. “But after that, I dinnae ken. Nae one has seen her since. Laird MacCallum has sent us all out tae look fer her.”
“Alicia!” a familiar voice called and Samuel turned around to see Katherine waving at her sister as she rushed towards them, holding up her dress to make sure she wouldn’t stumble and fall. “Did ye hear?”
“We did,” said Alicia. “We are goin’ tae look fer her.”
“I’ll come with ye.”
Samuel nodded at the guard as he and the two girls left the castle in search of the child. “We should head tae the back,” he said. “That’s where the kitchens are. Perhaps she is still somewhere there.”
“Dae ye think somethin’ has happened tae her?” Katherine asked, her voice barely a whisper. “Dae ye think perhaps…”
“Naething has happened tae her,” Samuel assured her, because it was the only thing he could do in that moment. It would do no good, letting Katherine and Alicia wonder if the child was well or if something terrible had happened to her. In fact, it wouldn’t do him any good either.
“Wait,” Alicia said before the three of them could head off. “Samuel, ye’re hurt. The bee sting, ye must see the healer first.”
Samuel had forgotten all about the bee sting, even though it still hurt a bit. However, he had had much worse injuries in his life, and a little sting was certainly not as important as finding the child.
“I can assure ye, I am fine,” he said. “Come, let us search.”
“Nay,” Alicia insisted. “Katherine an’ I can search while ye visit the healer.”
“The healer is probably searchin’ fer the bairn, too,” Samuel pointed out, but no matter what he said, the panic still lingered in Alicia’s eyes. She truly was terrified for him still, thinking that something would happen to him. “Naething has happened tae me so far, right?”
“But somethin’ may happen.”
The last thing Samuel wanted was for Alicia to fear for him, but he couldn’t simply visit the healer while everyone else waslooking for the little girl. Instead, he decided on a compromise, one he hoped would work.
“I promise ye, I will visit the healer once we find the bairn,” he said. “I will go right away.”
Alicia was hesitant at first to accept the suggestion, but then she nodded. “Alright,” she said. “As long as ye promise.”
“I promise,” said Samuel, and the three of them set off to comb the grounds.
It was no easy task, holding himself together as the three of them circled the castle walls. The only things that kept the memories from flooding back into his mind were the need to find the little girl and the knowledge that he had to keep Alicia and Katherine calm. He didn’t want them to fear. He didn’t want them to be so worried about the girl that they’d end up putting themselves in danger.
As they came to the back of the castle, Samuel saw that people were already searching there, calling out Mairead’s name only to receive no response. Guards and servants alike were there, working in small groups, but the girl was nowhere to be found.
“Ye go ahead,” Katherine said. “I will speak tae the servants an’ see where else they’ve searched, an’ I will find ye.”
Samuel nodded, thinking it was a good plan. There was no point in looking where others had already searched, and so he andAlicia walked farther into the forest that stretched behind the castle. There, the trees were still sparse, but for a small child, it could be disorienting. She could have easily gotten lost, Samuel thought, not knowing how to find her way back to the castle.
“Mairead!” Alicia called, her voice echoing around the forest. “Are ye here? Mairead?”
Once again, there was no response, at least none they could hear. Samuel’s chest tightened at the thought that maybe they truly were too late and something had happened to the girl, but he did his best to distract himself and tell himself that she was alright.
“Wait,” Samuel said then, putting a hand on Alicia’s shoulder to stop her. “Listen.”
It sounded distant, but Samuel could have sworn he could hear a child’s cry, somewhere a little deeper in the forest. His gaze met Alicia’s, and he knew she was thinking the same thing as he did when she took off, running towards the source of the sound, Samuel following close behind.
“There!” called Alicia, pointing up at a nearby tree, where Samuel could see a small girl, nestled among the branches. She was holding onto one of the thicker ones desperately, her arms wrapped tightly around it as she wailed. “Mairead! It’s alright! We’re here!”
