“Dwyn,” Geordie breathed with relief as he held her. She recognized his scent and immediately curled into his arms. He didn’tsay anything else; he simply started to run with her, heading up the hill.
“Laird MacGregor! Oh, dear!”
Dwyn stretched up to glance over Geordie’s shoulder at that surprised gasp and nearly laughed aloud when she was confrontedwith Father Machar’s bottom yet again. The other man, Laird MacGregor, had slung the priest over his shoulder and was hardon Geordie’s heels. She was just relaxing when she looked past him and saw how close Brodie’s men were. There were a barefew feet between Father Machar’s head and the closest of Brodie’s soldiers, and their pursuers weren’t having to cart anotherperson with them.
They’d be on them in another minute, Dwyn thought with dismay, and then her head swiveled so she could look forward as a thunderousbattle cry rent the air. Not one, she realized as she saw the darkness ahead morph into several moving shapes. Many. The airwas reverberating with the shouts of countless men on horseback, charging down the hill toward them.
Eyes wide, Dwyn watched the warriors approach, afraid they would charge right over them. But the horses flowed around themand trampled, or engaged, the men following instead, she saw as she swiveled her head again.
“Geordie!”
Dwyn turned forward again at that shout and saw two men on horseback approaching, each leading a riderless mount. The menwere nearly on them before she recognized her father and Alick.
“Take Dwyn and the priest to the women,” Geordie ordered, setting Dwyn in her father’s lap even as the MacGregor helped FatherMachar up behind Alick on his mount.
“Husband!” Dwyn grabbed at his hands as he released her. When Geordie paused, his head lifting to hers, she whispered, “Ilove ye. Be careful.”
Geordie squeezed her hand, but then turned to mount his horse as the MacGregor mounted his own. The two men rode into thefray as her father and Alick turned to head back up the hill.
Dwyn had no idea where the women were, or even who they were, and was too busy trying to watch Geordie over her father’s shoulderto care much. Unfortunately, it was too dark and the scene too chaotic to see much. She quickly lost sight of her husbandin the dark shapes battling in the trees.
“Are ye all right, lass?”
Dwyn shifted her gaze to her father’s face. She couldn’t see his expression, but he sounded concerned. “Aye, Da, and gladto be safely away from Brodie.”
“Geordie’ll get him,” James Innes said with confidence. “He was most worried about ye. I think he near killed Katie when shewould no’ tell him where ye were.”
“Ye ken about Katie?” Dwyn asked, as surprised at the knowledge as she was over the fact that she’d briefly forgotten allabout the woman.
“Aye. Geordie worked it out that Simon could no’ have been stabbed without going through her with her position before him,and she was the only one who kenned ye were at the waterfall, so is the only one who could have told Brodie that.”
“Oh,” Dwyn sighed, and they both fell silent as they rode. She was beginning to fear they were going to ride all the way backto Buchanan when the horses began to slow.
Lifting her head, she glanced ahead, her eyes widening at the sight before them. Several torches had been planted in the groundin a large circle that surrounded a fire and several logs where women sat waiting, or had. They were all getting up now andrushing to meet them as her father slowed his mount and helped her dismount.
“Dwyn!”
Turning, she found herself caught up in a fierce hug by Aileen. Una soon joined them, wrapping her arms around both of them.
“Are ye all right?” both of them asked at the same time, not releasing her.
Managing a smile despite the pain they were causing her by pressing against her bruised chest and stomach, Dwyn hugged themback.
“Aye. I’m fine now,” she murmured, and then heard as Father Machar assured the women surrounding him, “Oh, nay, I’m fine,m’lady. Just fine. Lady Buchanan took good care o’ me, though she took a terrible beating herself.”
Dwyn sensed rather than saw when all eyes turned on her. Sighing, she opened her eyes to glance around in time to see thatmost of the women were all now moving toward her.
“Brodie beat ye?” Una asked, sounding angry as she pulled back. Reaching out, her sister pushed the hair out of Dwyn’s faceand inhaled sharply, then breathed, “Bastard.”
“I’m fine,” Dwyn assured her.
“Nay, Dwyn, you are not fine,” a woman she’d never met before said quietly with an English accent. Una and Aileen fell backat once to make room for the newcomer. “You have a split lip, a terrible black eye and a bump and cut on your forehead thatlook serious. Come over by the fire and let me look at you.”
“Dwyn, this is Jo Sinclair,” Saidh said, taking her arm and urging her toward the fire.
“Aye,” Murine said, urging Father Machar toward the fire as well as Dwyn was ushered that way. “Ye remember us mentioningher. She is a fine healer.”
Dwyn nodded silently. The women had told her all about how they’d met, which had been at Sinclair. They’d been invited thereby Campbell Sinclair’s mother in the hopes that he’d be interested enough in one of the women to finally marry and producegrandbabies for her. As Dwyn recalled, it was where the women had got the idea to invite all the heiresses to Buchanan. Buta fine joke had been played on all since Campbell had arrived at Sinclair with Jo already as his wife. Even so, the womenhad become fast friends, and Saidh and the others had insisted that Jo and Campbell, as well as Jo’s aunt and uncle, the MacKays,should be invited to the wedding at Innes.
“Brodie did this?” Saidh asked as she urged her to sit on the fallen log closest to the fire and looked her over.
“Aye,” Dwyn murmured. Noting the
