Page 82 of Desire of a Highlander

The walk back to camp seemed to take an eternity. Urgency boiled through him like hot acid and he had to restrain from breaking into a run.

“Where’s Elodie?” Morag asked. “Why didnae she come with us?”

“She stayed behind to talk to the nice people,” Ronan replied, trying his best to keep his tone even. “Dinna worry. She’ll be back soon.”

Morag took this on trust and began to drowse against his shoulder. That trust settled heavily across Ronan’s shoulders. Morag trusted him. His people trusted him. And Elodie...

Oh God help him, Elodie.

Only when the campsite came into view, did Ronan allow himself to breathe easily. The moment Morag’s mother saw them approaching she let out a cry.

“My bairn!”

She came running across the camp, skirts gathered in both hands. Morag wriggled free from Ronan’s arms and raced towards her.

“Mam!”

The woman dropped to her knees and wrapped both arms around her daughter, sobbing openly.

“Oh, thank God... thank God...”

Around them, people stopped what they were doing and relief rippled visibly through the camp. Ronan looked around until he spotted Faye and beckoned her over.

“Eamon,” he called quietly. “Ye too.”

The young man hurried over. “What happened? Where’s Elodie?”

“We need to speak privately. Follow me.” He nodded towards one of the abandoned carts standing at the edge of the camp and the three of them hunkered behind it.

“Where did ye find the lass?” Eamon demanded. “Who took her?”

Ronan pulled in a deep breath. “Lord Henry and Lady Alana Murdoch took Morag.”

Faye and Eamon went very still. Faye hissed out a string of colorful curses.

“They are the ones who were looking for the Steading,” Eamon growled. “The ones who sent their thugs to attack us.”

“Aye. And it turns out they’re not just opportunists trying to grab land like I thought. They’re rebels against the crown.”

Faye scowled. “Rebels?”

“Disinherited nobles who would hang should the king’s men get their hands on them.”

Eamon looked confused. “So why do they want the Steading? It’s hardly fit for nobility is it?”

“They want it as a base. Somewhere they can build their forces where the king’s men willnae find them.”

Eamon’s face darkened. “Bastards.”

Ronan nodded once. “It gets worse. They know who I am and they offered me an alliance. They’ll help me reclaim my lands if we join them.”

Faye snorted. “I hope ye told them where to stick their damned alliance! After what they did to Thomas and David? Besides, we’ve all had our fill of squabbling lords.”

Ronan met her gaze. “It isnae that simple. They took Elodie prisoner.”

“They what?”

“They released Morag,” Ronan said, the words scraping his throat raw. “But they kept Elodie. They mean to force my hand. If I dinna do what they want, they’ll hurt her.”