Page 46 of Kilted Abduction
“If she was nae a spy, why would somebody put that information out there?” Enya asked.
“So, when she was taken in, whoever was lookin’ fer her would ken right where tae come.”
It was something Ciara had mentioned earlier when they were out on their walk, but it wasn’t something Magnus hadn’t already been thinking about on his own. Strategically speaking, it made a lot of sense. The Highlands offered a lot of places to hide, and if Fairfax and her father were searching for her as she said, the fastest and most efficient way to find her would be to have others doing the work for them so all they had to do was swoop in and take her back once she had been found and taken into custody.
“And if all that is true, if that information was planted tae get us tae dae their dirty work fer them, that puts us all in danger,” Magnus said. “We all ken the sort of monster Lord Fairfax is, eh? And if this is his plan tae get us tae hold Ciara for him, telling them where she is, he could be marchin’ on us right now.”
Kai shook his head. “I’ve heard nothin’ of an army on the move. And that’s somethin’ I would have heard, I’m certain.”
“Nae yet, perhaps,” Magnus said. “But ‘tis possible word that we’ve got Ciara hasnae gotten back tae Fairfax and Laird MacDougal just yet.”
“If I might say a word,” Katherine said.
“Please, love,” Domhnall replied.
“I had a long and lovely conversation with Ciara at breakfast, as you all know,” she said. “For what it’s worth, I found her to be charming and kind. I did not sense any sort of guile or deception from her. So far as I can tell, she is what she claims to be—a young woman on the run. I know you would say that is what a clever spy would make me believe, and I do not disagree. But I did not get the sense that Ciara has any sort of agenda save escaping her father and a marriage to a terrible man.”
Domhnall purses his lips. “So, what are ye proposin’ then, wife?”
“I propose we take her into our protection,” Katherine replied. “We cannot return her to the sort of marriage that would await her at the hands of Lord Fairfax. I know better than most just how monstrous he truly is.”
“’Tis noted,” Domhnall said with the same soft expression he had every time he looked at his wife. “Thank ye, Katherine.”
“Of course.”
Magnus knew Katherine to be an intelligent woman who had a good sense about people. And Domhnall knew it too. If she was saying she didn’t get the feeling that Ciara was anything but what she seemed to be, her words carried weight. It wasn’t an opinion Domhnall was going to blow off without thinking about it. And Magnus was glad to hear that somebody else had the same opinion about Ciara that he was staring to come to.
“Kai,” Domhnall finally said. “We need to find out if the stories we heard are true or nae. We need tae ken quickly. We need ye tae get back out there and find out what ye can. And also find out if Fairfax is marchin’ on Dunvegan.”
“Aye. I’ll learn what I can.”
“That’s all well and good, and I agree, we need tae find out,” Thora said. “But I think we’ve got another problem we need tae address.”
“And what is that?” Domhnall asked.
“I think we need tae be worried about why this lass can resist our gifts,” she said. “Magnus cannae hear her thoughts and Kai cannae influence her emotions… why is she immune?”
Domhnall stroked his chin as he seemed to consider the question for a moment. He sat forward and clasped his hands together.
“’Tis a good question,” he said.
“And? Dae ye have an answer?” Thora pressed.
“I admit, I dinnae have an answer.”
“Anybody?” Thora asked as she looked around the circle.
Magnus shook his head. “I’ve thought about it, and I have nothin’. I dinnae have the first clue how she’s immune tae our gifts. It’s bleedin’ irritatin’, is what it is.”
“Maybe she’s wearin’ a charm of some kind,” Enya offered.
“A charm?” Kai asked.
“Aye,” Enya said. “She might have a charm that’s been bewitched that protects her from the sort of things we can dae.”
“’Tis but children’s tales,” Domhnall said.
“’Tis nae,” Enya replied. “Charms and bewitchment are real, braither.”
