"No, no," she cried out.
Crispin shook his head at Owen, telling him without words to keep his mouth closed.
"Connor will never forgive me. Oh, God, what have I done? I've killed his brother… No, she can't see him. Help me, Crispin. Please. I want Connor."
He slowly put his hand out to her. She frantically shook her head at him. "No, I'm not clean. He touched me with his hands and his mouth…"
And then she threw herself into his arms. "Take me to the lake. All right?"
"Yes, mi'lady," he lied. "I'll take you to the lake."
She patted his arm. "Thank you. I've gone and done it, haven't I?"
"Done what?"
"I killed him."
"No, he destroyed himself. He deserved to die. Connor would have killed him for you."
"Will he hate me?"
She fainted in his arms before he could answer her.
Donald moved forward, his dagger in his hand, pulled his plaid from his shoulder and sliced it into two long strips to his waist.
Crispin held Brenna in his arms and turned so that Donald could bind the injury with the material. He spoke in a low whisper when he gave his orders. "You're taking the watch for as long as I'm away. I'm taking her to Lady Kincaid. She'll need stitches," he added. "Giric, you take others, surround the three soldiers waiting for the bastard in the meadow. Bring them inside the keep and make them stay by the stables."
"What about Connor's stepmother?"
"Donald, you tell her what happened. If she wants to take his body home, let her, but not one of Connor's soldiers escorts her. Understand?"
"Yes," Donald answered.
"Aeden, find Connor and tell him what happened. Assure him his wife will be all right. Don't paint it any darker than it already is."
"Will she die?" Owen whispered, terrified by the possibility.
"No, she won't die. Donald, no one but our own comes inside the fortress until Connor, Alec, Quinlan, or I come back."
"Will you leave her with the Kincaids?" Owen asked.
"No. I'm staying with her until Connor gets to her."
"Do the three soldiers with Raen stay even if Euphemia leaves?"
"They leave with her."
Donald finished binding her injury, nodded to Crispin, and went to the stables to get his commander's horse. He called orders as he ran. He wanted a full contingent riding with his mistress, and everyone was ready to leave immediately.
"Leave the dagger in his shoulder," Crispin ordered. He was so furious now, his voice shook with rage. "She told Connor's wife to submit to her son. God help her when our laird finds out."
"Do you want me to tell him?" Aeden asked.
"Tell him everything, but make sure he understands she won't die. He has grown extremely fond of his wife."
Crispin started across the courtyard, stopped, and then turned back toward Raen and spit on him.
Blessedly, Brenna didn't awaken until they were dismounting in Kincaid's courtyard. Alec and Jamie stood in the doorway. Alec blanched when he saw Brenna's condition. Jamie began to weep. She put her hand to her mouth to keep herself from crying out.
Brenna asked Crispin to let her walk. She took hold of his arm and slowly made her way toward the steps. Crispin noticed the glazed look was still in her eyes and knew it was going to take her a long while to recover from the horror she'd endured.
Brenna stopped in front of Alec. "I killed Connor's stepbrother."
And then she turned to Jamie. In a bewildered voice, she said, "Now she's never going to like me."
Alec lifted her into his arms and carried her inside. "It's all right, Brenna. Your husband likes you, and so do we."
"Alec?"
"Yes?"
"I'm so sorry."
Chapter 17
Quinlan returned from England empty-handed. Thoroughly frustrated and bewildered, he gave his accounting to his laird.
"MacNare had already dispatched troops to England. We followed their tracks from the Lowlands on, knew their number, and exactly that many returned from Baron Haynesworth's fortress."
"How many were they?"
"Twenty-six soldiers, all fully armed."
"But they didn't have Faith with them."
"No."
"You're certain."
"We watched them leave, Connor. Yes, I'm certain."
"And what did you do to them?"
"What do you think we did?"
Connor nodded approval. "How many of my men engaged in this battle?"
"There were eleven of us."
"A fair fight then. Were any of my men injured?"
"Donovan's thigh was cut through, but his was the most serious of the injuries. The others suffered only paltry cuts. To be honest, I don't think Donovan would have made it back if it weren't for…"
"Weren't for what?"
"This is where it becomes a little bizarre," he said. "The baron's soldiers watched the fight from their tower, and I had only just decided to go inside the fortress to find out where Faith was when the drawbridge was lowered and a procession came out. Your wife's mother was leading the soldiers."
Quinlan paused to smile before he continued. "Her Gaelic is worse than Lady Brenna's," he said. "Her soldiers were armed, of course, but it didn't take long for me to realize they meant only to protect their mistress. I understand where your wife gets her courage. Her mother dismounted, demanded to know who was in charge, but before I could tell her, she spotted Donovan and went over to him. Needless to say, your soldier didn't want her to touch him. It didn't matter to her though. She had her supplies with her and cleaned and stitched his injury for him."
"And what were you doing?"
"Answering her questions about your wife. I assumed she was worried about her, but she insisted she wasn't worried at all. She explained that if Brenna had been in serious trouble, she would have sent her medallion to one of her sisters or brothers. Because she didn't, her mother knew she was safe. She was worried about you, though, and sent a message to you."
"What is it?"
"Treat her well or answer to her family. They had all heard what happened to Lady Brenna's escort, of course, and she assured me the baron hadn't realized what a monster the laird was. Oh, and you're going to love this. You have his gratitude for rescuing his daughter."
Connor shook his head. An Englishman's gratitude? What in thunder was he supposed to make of that?
"What about Faith?"
"She has vanished. Her mother was worried until MacNare's soldiers showed up. They had no advance warning, she explained, and they searched every corner of the keep looking for her. The mother believes someone came to her assistance. She thinks she knows who the savior is too."
"Who is he?"
"You."
"Didn't she wonder then why you were there instead of me?"
"She didn't seem to."
"What am I going to tell my wife, Quinlan? I can't continue to keep her in the dark about her sister. Eventually she'll find out from someone else. Gossip travels like the wind in the Highlands."
"You'd be right about that. In fact, it sounds as if someone heard about this situation and got to Faith before we did. I doubt it was one of her brothers. He wouldn't let his mother worry so. He'd tell her, wouldn't he?"
"I would assume so. There's only one other man I can think of who would go to such trouble on Brenna's behalf."
"Who?"
"My brother. This sounds like something he would do, doesn't it?"
"He hates England."
"But he's fond of my wife," Connor said. "I must talk to him before I tell Brenna anything. God willing, Alec has her sister tucked away somewhere. Did you have anything else to report?"
He shrugged. "Mi'lady's mother sent gifts for her daughter, and she…"
"And she what?" he asked, wondering over his hesitation.