Page 37 of Highland Sword
“You mustcertainlyunderstand the folly in such an act. These people know who you are. They know your connection to the son of Scotland. Do not presume that you can stride into that jail and then walk out freely.”
“Of course I can. Who is to stop me?”
“The Inverness jailer, for one.”
“He is no match for me,” she scoffed.
“And Sir Rupert Burney’s henchmen?”
“I thrive on the ability to outwit and outrun such scoundrels.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am. And in addition, you’ve just armed me with my trusty weapon, Excalibur. Thanks to you, I’m now prepared to take on an entire company of dragoons from Fort George.”
“Miss Drummond.”
“Mr. Grant?”
He eyed her suspiciously. “What exactly are you doing?”
“I’d have thought a barrister of your skills and abilitywould know when a witness was leading him on a merry chase.” She slipped her hand from his grip. “Give me some credit. I have no intention of going anywhere near that jail. Once you get to know me, sir, you’ll find Idohave a lighter side.”
CHAPTER12
AIDAN
Aidan, Morrigan, and her two Mackintosh escorts left the caravan as the wagons followed the road past Castle Hill. He could see the steeples of Inverness when they turned off.
Long before his time and his father’s time, an ancient castle once stood on that hill above the river, watching protectively over a village that would grow into a town and then into a bustling city. An arrow-shot from the stone walls, a seven-arched bridge was eventually built to span the Ness. From the castle’s ramparts, knights and ladies watched ships from across the world bring their riches to the river’s quays. Now, centuries later, the city and the port continued to thrive, but only a few stones remained of the once mighty fortress.
After the stops here and at the jail on Bridge Street, Aidan and Morrigan would continue on to Searc’s house by Maggot Green and wait for the wagons to be loaded and ready to travel back to Dalmigavie. They’d have plenty of time for what they hoped to accomplish.
Leaving Searc and Blair and the others, they followedan old road east, skirting the south side of Inverness. They immediately passed through the cattle market, crowded with buyers and sellers of traditional shaggy red beef as well as newer breeds of milk cow. The city ended here, and the neighborhoods gave way to fields and pastureland that surrounded estates which had stood since before the days of Oliver Cromwell. A few moments later, the four of them turned up a fairly long lane lined with ivy-covered walls. Several horses and ponies grazed on one side, and a garden rose in tiers on the other to a large, rambling house. Following the lane past a gate leading to the front door, they dismounted by Barn Hill’s stables.
“I need to know your plan,” Morrigan pressed as they left their horses with the Mackintosh fighters.
Nearly a fortnight had passed since the day he met Morrigan Drummond on the streets of this town. Seeing her now, Aidan realized his view of her had been changing. He still hadn’t formed a firm judgment as to who she really was and what made her behave so differently from other women he encountered. At the same time, he’d made a few discoveries about her personality, the most obvious being her temper. It was dried kindling that took just a spark to set aflame.
He always did enjoy a good blaze.
“You’re right. You should know my plan.”
“What is it? What are you going to say?”
“I’ll tell you when I know.”
“I should have done this by myself,” she huffed.
“We already determined that would not have worked out well.”
“This is important. Your cavalier attitude is making me nervous.”
He repressed his smile. “I can’t imagine anything likea casual visit making you nervous. Your charm is limitless.”
Aidan nodded and tipped his hat politely to two middle-aged women supervising a half-dozen young girls in a group beyond a row of hedges. The students were huddled around a litter of puppies.
“Never mind the flattery, Mr. Grant.”
