Page 67 of Sutherland's Secret
He sat in his saddle and gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep from running around like a lunatic looking for her.
He had to find out if the English had caught her. He had to catch up with the English and see for himself that they didn’t have Eleanor.
“Where are ye going?” Lachlan asked, putting his horse between Brice and the road.
Brice had no time for this. The longer he waited, the farther the English, and possibly Eleanor, got. “I have to see if the English have her.”
“That is madness. Ye’ll get caught.”
“Nay. I’ll stay to the shadows, but I have to know, Lachlan.”
“She went into the forest, just like ye told her to do.”
Brice hoped to God that was true, but it was easier to follow the English and assuage that fear first. He glared at Lachlan. “What if it were Hannah? What would ye do?”
Lachlan hesitated, then moved his mount out of the way.
“Try to round up the men,” Brice said. “And look for Eleanor.”
He rode on, his heart in his stomach and a prayer on his lips. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t. He would die if he lost Eleanor.
He roughly pushed away the thought that he was going to lose her no matter what when his ship arrived in a week’s time.
He was as stealthy as he could be. Galad was a good horse, well trained, and Brice knew he would do what he was told. Brice had left the other men and the two refugees in Lachlan’s care. They had another safe house to go to before the night was over. But first Eleanor.
Brice caught up to the English three quarters of an hour later and pulled Galad back. There were six of them riding in single file, all silent. Eleanor wasn’t with them and neither was Oliver.
Brice slumped in his saddle, his heart thundering. But his relief didn’t last long, because he knew she was still out there somewhere.
He turned his mount around and found Lachlan alone in the middle of the road, waiting for him. When he saw his friend’s expression, his heart dropped.
Chapter 27
“What happened?” Brice forced the words through a tight throat.
“You best come with me,” Lachlan said.
“Tell me.”
Lachlan shook his head. “ ’Tis best ye see this for yerself.”
For once Brice didn’t have the breath to argue or demand. Feeling more helpless than he ever had, he meekly followed Lachlan through the thick brush and trees.
They rode for about ten minutes until he could see a faint light through the trees. He thought he should probably yell at someone for lighting the way for the English to find them, but he found he didn’t have the voice to do so. The light was faint anyway, and they were well away from the main road.
He heard it first, the cry. It didn’t sound human; it was more animal-like. “What the—”
Lachlan held up his fist, the sign they used for “quiet” and “halt.” Lachlan reined his horse in and slid off. Brice followed suit only to have his knees almost give out on him, his legs were shaking so badly. His entire body was shaking. He didn’t think he’d ever felt such fear. He had no idea what he was going to find on the other side of those trees, but to judge by Lachlan’s expression, it couldn’t be good.
They cleared the trees, and at first all Brice saw were his men in a semicircle, looking at something on the ground. They parted when they saw him coming.
Eleanor was sitting on the ground, her back to them. In front of her was the woman they had been transporting, her husband at her head.
Eleanor looked over her shoulder and smiled a weary smile. Brice swore his knees buckled, but with some force, he straightened them and walked over to her. She held something in the crook of her arm. Brice dropped to his knees.
“It’s a girl,” she whispered, tears shimmering in her eyes. Gently she pulled a blanket away to reveal the scrunched-up red face of a newborn baby.
His gaze flew to hers. “What in the—”
