No! Rose held her hand over her mouth and nearly flew down the stairs. She jumped over the last four and raced back to the captain.
“Tis Neill! ’Tis Neill! He just killed Mr. Watley!”
“Rose—”
“I went to the turrets,” she told him quickly. “I saw him. His hair has grown longer, but ’twas him. He was moving toward his cottage but then he saw Mr. Watley and he went after him.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip to keep from crying. “Where is my father? Where is Mr. Jones? Anyone to help?”
“Jones took your father to see MacPherson.”
Her eyes opened wider. “What? No!”
The captain raised his palm. “If what you told me was the truth and MacPherson is not a savage, then there will be peace.”
“But why the secrecy?” she demanded quietly? “No! It does not matter now. We are alone?” Her heart battered in her chest when he nodded.
“I will get my bow and quiver,” she told him and turned to hurry up the stairs.
He caught her sleeve. “No! I—”
Something smashed against the font doors. Wood cracked and made Rose’s heart boom in her ears. That wasn’t the sound of one man. What was happening? Who was behind the door? Was it the devil with the fire?
The door didn’t hold for another hit but crashed open, spewing splinters everywhere.
The captain stopped on the stairs and turned around to face the assailants. “Go!” he told Rose behind him on the stairs. “Lock yourself in your chamber and go out through the back chamber in the wall! If you can get to my Mary—”
The man with the yellow hair stepped into the castle. He looked up the stairs at Rose and she almost went to him. The captain’s hand on her arm stopped her.
“Neill,” she gasped out while twenty men filed into her home behind him. “Where have you been?”
His cool, sapphire gaze warmed as if set ablaze from within. “My sweet Rose, if I told you, you would not believe me, so best I save us both the trouble and tell you only that ’tis good to see you.”
He was a year or two younger than Tristan. He was handsome—on one side of his face. The other side bore the scars of being burned up his chin, over his cheek and eye to his temple. She’d always considered Neill a hero from trying to save her. Yet now, she was afraid of him. She had many questions to put to him.
While she was trying to decide which one to ask him, his gaze slipped to the captain.
“Captain, where is the earl?” he asked.
“He is not here. I do not know where he is.”
Rose stared at him, recognizing his anger. “Neill, what is the matter? Why did you bring these men here?”
“Because I did not come in peace.”
Immediately, the captain held his long broadsword, ready for battle.
“I would not take that posture, Captain,” he warned.
“You are not me.”
One of Neill’s men grabbed Rose and held a blade to her throat.
“Put the sword down, Captain Harper,” Neill commanded. The low pitch and confidence in his voice was complete. “And I will not have Roddy kill her.”
What? What was he saying? Oh, this was not truly happening!
“If Roddy kills her,” the captain growled as he put away his sword, “he will be in hell a moment later.” He turned to stare into Roddy’s eyes. “And I will not need my sword to put him there.”
Rose wanted to smile at him. But she couldn’t, she was too confused and terrified. Neill was here as an enemy. She felt tears burning the backs of her eyes. They had been friends. Why was he letting his soldier hold a knife to her throat?
“Neill,” she finally cried out. “Please. Why are you doing this?”
“In time, my dearest.” He smiled at her and she saw her dear, familiar friend.
“If I am your dearest as you claim,” she flung at him, “you would not be standing there doing nothing while this brute you call Roddy is frightening me with his blade.”
Neill’s jewel-like eyes cut to his soldier. “Roddy, if you want to keep your hands, take them off her now.”
Roddy obeyed without hesitation.
The instant she was free, Neill reached out and took her by the wrist.
He stared at the captain “Where is everyone?” he called out.
“Gone.”
Neill’s smile faded and then he shrugged. “Oh, well. When is the earl expected back?”
“Neill, what do you want with him?” Rose asked.
“Rose.” The captain made a move to go to her, but she held up her palm when Neill’s men positioned themselves to kill him.
“Who opened the gates to you?” Captain Harper demanded.
“Why were they locked to him?” Rose asked.
Neill set his deep blue gaze on her and his smile softened. “I have worried so often over you.”
“Neill, I do not understand why you would come here fighting.”
“He locked me out, Rose. The gates that kept you in were fortified to keep me out.”
She shook her head. Her father loved Neill. “But why? Why did he lock you out?”
“Everything will be revealed in time,” he promised. “But presently, the less you know the better. Now, I need you both to be calm while we leave.”
He pointed to the captain. “I do not want to kill you but if you breathe off beat, I will gut you where you stand before you realize I have done it. This is all about her, understand, Captain? I’m not killing you because I know you mean something to her, and you were kind to me at times.”
He snapped his fingers and two more men came forth and took hold of Captain Harper. “Bring them. The rest of you, everything else goes as planned.”
“What do you mean everything else?” the captain demanded. He struggled and almost broke free.
“Come with me and my men and all your questions will be answered—as I expect mine will be.”
“I have nothing to tell you,” Captain Harper promised.
“Do
