Page 76 of A Sinful Night with a Scot
The selfish little wench.
Staring back at William, Roland said, “I willnae let her get away with this.”
William nodded eagerly, clearly delighted that his words had had the desired effect. “Nay, Roland. Fer the sake o’ yer clan’s survival, ye cannae.”
Roland thought for a second, and then sneered. “I’ve been inside Mackay’s castle. I ken the layout. I ken exactly what we’ll dae.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Five days after her father had left, Elsie sat in the drawing room with Iseabail and Anna. A sense of ease had now settled throughout the castle. Word had travelled about the arrangement that had been made between Keane and Laird Munro, and thus, there was no longer fear of an imminent threat.
“While we have loved our stay here, and I have delighted in getting tae ken ye, Elsie,” Iseabail said, “Owen and I will be travelling home in a couple o’ days.”
Those words saddened Elsie. She and Iseabail had formed a strong bond, and she now saw the woman as the sister she had never had.
“I ken ye cannae stay forever, but I am still saddened tae hear those words,” Elsie lamented. “I have enjoyed our time together. Even if ye did terrify me a little when ye first arrived.”
Elsie grinned at Iseabail and she grinned back.
“Believe me, that kind o’ wrath is reserved only fer me braither,” Iseabail assured her teasingly. “Speaking o’ which. How long are those three going tae spend in their council meeting? They must have been in there fer an hour.”
Elsie shrugged and then laughed. “And they say us lasses can talk.”
“Indeed,” Iseabail said.
As though the women had summoned them by magic, the drawing room door opened. Keane strode into the room, followed by Owen and Alisdair.
“Ladies,” Keane said, nodding to them both.
“Are yer jaws tired?” Iseabail quipped.
While her remark had all the men frowning, Elsie giggled at their private joke.
“I dinnae ken what ye mean, sister,” Keane said.
“It doesnae matter,” Iseabail replied, swiping a dismissive hand. Changing the subject, she continued. “I thought it might be nice if we all went out fer a picnic this afternoon.”
But Keane shook his head. “We have business tae attend tae.”
Iseabail frowned up at Owen, who nodded. “While things have been quiet for the last few days, we want tae mak’ certain that Roland has kept tae his word. We have decided tae tak’ a jaunt around the grounds further out o’ the castle, just tae be certain.”
“Och, perhaps I could go with ye,” Elsie piped up. “It is me faither after all, and?—”
“Nay!” Keane said firmly, cutting her down before she even had a chance to finish her sentence. “This is an assignment fer the men, Elsie. Stay here with Iseabail where ye are safe.”
His complete dismissal of her angered her more than he could know. Not only did she feel utterly humiliated in front of the others, she could also feel rage building up inside of her. Gritting her teeth, she remained silent while the men continued to discuss their plan. Not wanting to show her anger, she kept her eyes averted so Keane, or anyone else for that matter, could not see her fury.
A little after that the men left, leaving Iseabail, Elsie and Anna alone once more. But Elsie had taken orders all her life. Her father had treated her with the same dismissal that Keane had displayed, and she had had enough. Having had the courage to rid her father from her life, she was now not going to allow Keane to do the same.
“Are ye all right?” Iseabail said, looking at Elsie with concern.
Pinning on a false smile, she said “O’ course. I am fine. I have just remembered that I have tae write a letter though. Would ye excuse me just fer a wee while?”
“O’ course.”
Iseabail’s expression betrayed her slight disbelief at Elsie’s words, but she said nothing more, and a moment later, Elsie left the drawing room. Quickly hurrying upstairs, she grabbed her cloak. Having now been in the castle long enough, she knew the secret tunnels to get her to the courtyard. For fear of being spotted by Keane, or, in fact, Iseabail, Elsie hurried through a small door in the wall of the upper corridor and made her way through them.
Five minutes later, she was crossing the courtyard toward a building beside the stables. Staying out of sight, she watched Keane, Alisdair and Owen mount their horses before moving in the direction of the gate.
