Page 84 of Surrendering to her Highland Captor
“What are ye doing here?”
Her tears returned, though remained unshed, and were prompted by the wave of unabashed joy at seeing the children.
“We came to help rescue ye,” Christopher told her proudly.
“Well,” Arran added with a smile, “I helped Uncle Loch and Aila get here. Christopher?—”
“Ye can regale Taryn with yer stories later,” Lachlan cut off. “Might I suggest we move to a more private room?”
The boys talked Taryn’s head off with their stories of snowball fights and feasts in the Great Hall as they led her to the Laird’s personal study. They pulled her onto the sofa and climbed up next to her, neither of them wanting to be parted from her again. James followed, reluctantly relinquishing her hands to the children but staying close. Taryn settled into the sofa, content to have her entire family around her once more, or nearly her entire family.
“Is Elsie here too?” she asked Aila, peering up at the group of adults that had followed them into the study.
Lachlan and Aila stood in front of the fire, letting the heat melt away the snow from their travel clothes. James stood on the other side of Christopher, within arm’s reach of Taryn. Across from her on the matching sofa, Iona, and the man Arran had introduced as her husband, Finn, sat hand in hand.
“Nay,” Aila said. “She is still at the Kincaid Castle.”
“I suppose she and Sorcha are ripe with worry.”
Aila exchanged a look with Lachlan, making warning bells go off in Taryn’s mind.
“What is it?” Taryn pushed.
When no one offered a quick response, not even the boys, Taryn knew something was seriously wrong.
“Aila, tell me. Is it Elsie?”
“Nay, nay. Elsie is safe and sound,” Aila assured.
“Then it is Sorcha. What has happened? Where is she?”
Aila sighed and cast one last look at Lachlan, who only shrugged.
“She was bound to find out sooner or later,” he told the room.
“After we discovered ye missing,” Aila began her explanation, “Sorcha and I were out of our minds with worry. The plan was that Lachlan and I would come here in search of allies to help defend us from Baron Dudley. That is what we were in the middle of when James arrived to tell us of yer fate in the McGregor prison.”
“What of Sorcha?” Taryn pushed.
“I tried to get her to stay put with the children, but she would nae listen. She was convinced that it was the English who had taken ye. She has gone to the Baron’s estate to find ye.”
Taryn’s stomach fell to the floor. Had she not already been sitting, her knees would have buckled.
“So he has her too,” she whispered in horror.
“We dinnae ken that yet, I was completely against the plan at first too.” Alia hurried. “But then she reminded me just how cunning and strong she is. I made her swear that she would be careful, that she would keep herself safe. She could nae risk ye being alone in that man’s house. She had to go after ye.”
Swallowing hard, Taryn turned to James, her expression grim.
“I cannae let that man take two of my closest friends. We have to rescue them both.”
“And we will,” he promised. “Look at this room, Taryn. There are three clans represented here. Three clans full of warriors willing to fight for what is right, to take a stand against the Baron. He may be powerful, but he is nae strong enough to resist three clans.”
“Four,” Iona corrected. “My cousin, Laird Murray, has answered my letters. He has pledged his men as well.”
“And judging from the mass of McGregor rebels still pouring into the courtyard,” Finn added, having moved to the window to peer outside. “We will be quite the army.”
Amazement and relief flooded Taryn. Only hours ago, she had been convinced that the Baron would be the end of her and the McGregor Clan. She had felt so utterly alone and hopeless. Yet now she sat, surrounded by her true family, with the promise that a better future was still on the horizon.
