Page 13 of It Began With A Kiss
Up the stairs they went and as they reached the entryway, he stepped over the knights who were softly snoring. The stupid fools! Broden gave them no further thought as he made his way through a door leading outside. This was almost too easy, and he took extra care to keep to the shadows to not be seen.
Angus made a distraction at the rear postern gate, allowing Broden to open the door and make his escape across the narrow spit of land. The Englishman had already gotten lazy if Broden was able to escape this easily. He would be certain to use it against the new laird when he planned to overtake the keep.
CHAPTER10
Aiden kept a steady arm around Iona’s waist as they made their way from the castle grounds over to the mainland, whilst several of his knights guarded their backs. He knew this narrow pathway was dangerous, but in the light of day it seemed even more so, as he saw that death awaited them if they put a single foot in the wrong place. They were striding on what could only be termed as the backbone of a narrow cliff, the ocean shore far below. A moment’s negligence and they would meet their end. He had no intention of dying such an unseemly death, nor of allowing the lady or her son to do so.
Gregor’s laughter rang out in the morning air as he picked up a rock and tossed it over the ledge. He went to the edge to peer down so he could watch it hit the cliffside and bounce into the ocean. “Are ye frightened, my laird?” the boy teasingly asked. He began walking backwards all the while watching Aiden behind mischievous brown eyes. The lad clearly took after his father, for there wasn’t much resemblance to Iona that Aiden could see.
“Watch yer manners, Gregor,” Iona warned as she, too, surveyed her steps.
“Mama… he knows I am but jesting. Besides, if he can climb the cliffside with nothing but the moon tae light his way, then this should be easy for him!”
Wide eyes turned to face Aiden. “Ye climbed the cliff?”
“It seemed the most sensible way to gain access to the castle in the dead of night,” Aiden shrugged with a small smile.
“Ye could have easily died! ’Tis no small feat tae climb such deadly heights.”
“Would you miss me?” he teased, squeezing her waist.
A sound escaped her. Part of it, he thought, was amusement. “Bah! I hardly know ye, so how could I possibly miss ye?” Iona exclaimed, whilst a blush of embarrassment that matched her hair rushed across her cheeks. She finally turned her face up to look at Aiden before she softly continued. “Ye dinnae have tae keep such close care of me, my laird. I have walked this path a hundred times or more without any mishap.”
“You will have to indulge me and my whims, Lady Iona. I did vow to protect you and your son, did I not?” he asked, gazing down upon her.
“Aye. I suppose ye did,” she said, before she yelled out to her son. “Gregor, watch where ye be walking or I’ll take ye tae task if ye stumble and hurt yerself!”
“Stop coddling me, mama. I am a grown man,” he yelled back.
“Ye are far from grown, Gregor Ferguson, and dinnae forget it,” Iona replied. She sighed. “He is going tae be the death of me.”
“He is but attempting to prove his worth. He will be fine, Iona,” Aiden replied, whilst his attention returned to the lad. “He is his father’s son.”
“Aye, the spitting image of Ewan, for certain. Have ye learned anything yet as tae who might have killed him?”
Aiden gave a low growl of frustration. “As much as I would like to tell you otherwise, unfortunately, I have nothing to report. You yourself saw me standing over his body but the deed had already been committed by the time I arrived. I heard someone yelling that the laird had been killed but my men were nowhere near the body. I am thinking the worst but have no proof or even any leads to who might have killed him.”
“We may never learn, then, who the culprit was,” Iona said, a catch in her voice that told Aiden of her sorrow. He hated to add to her torment.
He halted their progress along the narrow path. “There is more…”
She wiped at her unfallen tears before she raised her head to stare upon him. “More?”
“Aye. I am afraid so,” he murmured, unsure how to tell her of his latest news.
“Out with it then,” she ordered.
“’Tis Broden… he escaped from his cell.”
“Escaped?” she gasped.
“Aye, obviously with some help. But again, I have no clue as to who might have aided him,” Aiden replied.
Iona cursed beneath her breath. “He will have gone into hiding in the village. There are enough of his supporters tae allow him tae disappear for weeks on end. If he does not wish tae be found, we willna find him.”
“I can get my knights to go hut by hut?”
“?and make ye more of an enemy than ye already appear if ye raid their homes,” she finished with a shake of her head. “Ye did want me being by yer side tae be a show of camaraderie, did ye not?”
