“If Connor were to wed one of my daughters—assuming he does become your chieftain,” Shaggy said, “I could be persuaded to let him keep that galley as a wedding present.”
“That galley is a fine, fast boat,” Ian said. “I’ll speak to Connor about your daughters.”
“Tell him he can use the galley when he comes to fetch one of them.” Shaggy’s crooked teeth showed in the midst of his bushy beard, in what Ian took for a smile.
“When Connor comes for the wedding,” Shaggy called back as he headed to his boat, “we’ll discuss his position on the rebellion.”
Poor Connor. He would have his hands full when he became chieftain.
If he still lived.
As soon as Ian was back inside the gate, he got his horse.
“I may not make it to Dunscaith Castle before the gathering begins,” he said to his father, as he mounted. “Can ye delay the ceremony to choose the chieftain until I can get there with Connor?”
“The
“I’m going with ye,” Sileas said, reaching her hand up to him.
“Good. I want ye with me.” He helped her up onto his horse.
Last time, he had left her, thinking that would keep her safe. He wouldn’t risk being parted from her again. Whatever happened today, they would face it together.
As soon as Shaggy’s boats rounded the bay and were out of sight, Ian and Sileas galloped over the drawbridge. The sun was a lighter circle of gray in the heavy clouds ahead. It was raining between here and Dunscaith Castle, which meant there was a reasonable chance Hugh would not see the smoke from Knock Castle and learn that his plans had gone afoul.
Ian was counting on it. To have any hope of success, he needed surprise on his side.
CHAPTER 41
“Ye look as poor an excuse for a man as I’ve ever seen,” Ian said, leaning over the bed to squeeze Connor’s good shoulder. “But ye never looked better to me.”
Connor was weak and battered, but he was alert.
“He’s no fit to go anywhere yet,” Ilysa said, her brows pinched together. “And poor Duncan is as weak as a kitten.”
Despite the direness of their situation, he and the other men exchanged amused glances. Even badly injured, no one but Duncan’s sister would compare him to a kitten.
“And Alex’s leg wound frets me something fierce,” Ilysa said, pointing an accusing finger at the offending patient.
“Ach, we’ll all be fine,” Duncan said, though he was so pale that the freckles stood out on his face.
“Do ye think ye can travel?” Ian asked Connor. “The gathering is starting.”
Wee thing that she was, Ilysa stood between him and Connor and put her hands on her hips. “Ye can’t mean to get him out of this bed, Ian MacDonald.”
“I can make it to the gathering,” Connor said between his teeth, as he tried to sit up.
Duncan caught his sister’s arm as Ian went to help Connor. “Connor has to go,” Duncan said. “We all do.”
The effort to sit up had cost Connor; he was breathing hard and sweat beaded on his brow.
“We must go, but the question is how,” Alex said from his stool across the tiny room. “I hate to admit it, lads, but we won’t strike fear in the hearts of our enemies in our present condition.”
Ian looked them over. Duncan and Alex had two good legs between them and one good sword arm, and it was doubtful Connor could stand at all.
“Alex is right. If Hugh sees ye coming looking like this, he’ll finish ye off before we make it into the castle,” Ian said. “We need to get the three of ye inside without anyone seeing ye.
“We have two things in our favor,” he continued. “First, Hugh isn’t expecting ye because he thinks you’re dead.”
“And the second,” Sileas said, “is that it’s the eve of Samhain, so we can dress ye in disguises.”
Half the clan would be wearing costumes—whether to imitate the dead or ward them off, Ian was never sure.
“We can paint our faces black,” Duncan suggested. “A lot of the young men do that.”
“If I arrive with three men of your size and hair color—especially yours, Duncan—I fear blackened faces won’t be enough to prevent someone from guessing who ye are.”
Tearlag, who had been bent over something boiling in the iron pot over her fire, turned and spoke for the first time. “Ilysa, I haven’t yet given away the clothes of the last person we helped lay out. They should do, aye?”
“My braw brother won’t like it,” Ilysa said, a slow smile spreading over her face. “But I believe we’ll get ye into the castle without anyone recognizing ye.”
Ian steered Shaggy’s fine little galley around the point. Luckily, there was a stiff breeze so he didn’t have to row.
“Ye look fetching,” Alex said, choking back a laugh as Duncan held his bonnet against the wind. “I fear it will be hard keeping the men at a distance.”
