Page 3 of The Bells of Triumph
He set the lantern on the table that was covered in all the papers she was referring to, illuminating the maps.
“Aye, we will have to see that their generosity is repaid as soon as we are able.”
Flora continued to bustle about, lighting the fire and then putting a kettle on over it as he got settled into his chair at the table.
“I am still impressed that ye and Connor were able to conjure such a detailed map,” she complimented, taking her spot beside him.
Creating the maps was the first thing he and Connor had set out to do. No one in the village had any current drawings, and very few had even bothered to travel outside the village itself. They had needed the maps to be able to plot out a course of action.
“Aye, well, it was nae verra difficult after having spent countless hours studying them with a tutor.”
“Did yer tutor also teach ye how to win a war with a man like Campbell? I suppose that would make all of this far too easy,” she laughed humorlessly.
“I might have gotten a lesson or two in strategy,” he answered, reaching out to capture her hand once more. “But even now, I am unsure that we have found the best course of action.”
For a silent moment, they studied the poorly drawn image of a castle that was situated just outside the Murray Village, which was for sure the most crucial place for this fight. Glenkirk Castle had been the first among those built in the Murray Clan but had been abandoned by the Laird when Murray Castle was constructed several years later. It was half the size of Murray Castle, but just as well positioned
“We have spent days locked in this room, pouring over these pages,” she pointed out. “And still, we can all agree that it is a good plan. We travel to Glenkirk while Campbell is still recovering from his injuries. Once we have secured the castle for ourselves, we let it be known to Campbell that we are there. Ye have said a dozen times that Campbell is too prideful of a man to allow us to stay there for long. Our presence alone will draw him out and lure him to us. It is there that we will fight.”
“Aye,” he drawled, not convinced.
“What issues do ye see with this plan? We will be able to alert those in Murray Village, ensuring that they are nae harmed in the fight. We will be well positioned to attack, with Glenkirk an excellent place to defend.”
“It is a good plan,” he agreed. “It is the best that we have been able to come up with so far.”
“But?”
“But it all hinges on Campbell taking the bait.”
She sighed and rose to make their tea. He rubbed at his temples while he waited for her response. It was the same conversation they had been having for days. It was the same argument that he had presented to Connor. No one had beenable to convince him that this wasn't a problem, nor had he been able to create a better plan. They were stuck in a stand still.
“What makes ye think he would nae?” she asked, setting a steaming cup of tea in front of him.
He sipped heartily, letting the warmth from the drink spread to his bones as the caffeine coursed through him. He willed the drink to give him the answers and energy he needed as his mind protested at having to work so hard on so little sleep. But Seamus knew that now wasn't the time for rest.
“It is nae that I doubt he will take the bait. It is that Campbell is unpredictable and growing more so by the day. He will, nay doubt, be furious at the loss of Drummond and his leg. I cannae say with full confidence that he will be rash enough to march out to us a second time.”
“What do ye think he will do instead?”
“I dinnae ken. But as ye said, we have been unable to come up with anything better than this. I may nae be able to predict what Campbell will do, but I am quite certain that it will take a good deal of convincing to get Finn on board with our plans. So we must be ready. We must present this strategy with confidence, even if we dinnae have it.”
For the next hour, that is all they discussed. They drained cup after cup of tea, covering every detail from who would say what to how it would be said. They even talked through which time of day would be best to have the meeting and where it should take place. He wanted to leave nothing to chance. There could be no room for error in this.
“It sounds as though the rest of the village is starting to rouse,” she said, stretching in the chair as she glanced towards the doorway. “Perhaps some food and a change of scenery would do us some good. We can continue this later.”
He nodded, though he was still put out by their inability to come up with a better scheme. Seamus rolled his neck and then they both stood, making their way out to the rest of the tavern.
As she had suspected, nearly a dozen others had taken up seats in the tavern with plates of food set in front of them.
“Good mornin',” the tavern owner greeted. “I thought I heard ye two in there, but I did nae want to disturb ye. Hungry?”
Flora smiled and nodded at the old man who was one half of the couple who kept the place running.
Moving through the crowd to find a table of their own, Seamus was surprised at just how many people greeted them. Their words and faces were all filled with the same warmth and respect that he had seen these men offer Rolland, though Seamus felt as though he had done nothing to deserve it.
It didn't take them long to eat the food placed in front of them, having already been awake for several hours. And while Flora managed to offer smiles and polite greetings of her own, Seamus could do little but nod in acknowledgement. He could barely stand to look these men in the eyes, knowing just how greatly he had failed them.
“I should go,” Flora told him, drawing him out of his thoughts. “The rebels will have gathered for training and I want to make sure we get a full session in today since tomorrow will be cut short.”
