Highland Master (43 page)

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the vee-shaped wake in the loch before it registered that she had neglected to tell Boreas to stay behind.

Fin watched the dog’s silent approach, reminding himself that wolf dogs were naturally quiet animals. Even so, he wanted to shake Catriona, or worse.

Instead, he said, “I’m glad Boreas came with you, because I must leave you here—” Hearing her indrawn breath, he broke off long enough to put a firm finger to her lips, silencing her, before he added, “Just listen, Cat. Don’t speak.”

She nodded, which he thought was wise of her. Boreas, emerging from the water a short distance away, shook himself and waited where he was.

“I’m going to leave you both here, and you
will
stay,” Fin said, “because I must see what lies ahead. I don’t want the distraction of wondering if you will keep silent or if one of you will somehow warn them of our approach.”

When she nodded again, he took his finger away.

“How long?” she whispered. The whisper indicated naught of her emotions. Nor did he want to know what they were.

“It will seem long to you, staying here,” he said. “I’ll make my way up that hill to see what I can from the top. I must know how many guards they’ve set near their dam and how high it is. I’ll leave my tools with you.”

“I can be patient if you will be careful. I just hope you can find us again.”

“I’ll find you,” he said. “But do not be congratulating yourself, lass, because I am displeased with you. Your
coming here makes my task more dangerous than it would be without you. Moreover, you promised—”

“I promised only not to
worry
about you,” she reminded him. “If you recall—”

“I do, and I recall, too, that afterward, when I said I wanted a second promise from you, you cut me off and said, ‘Aye, aye,’ did you not, as if you—?”

“I did, but I—”

“You did, and you
know
I took it to mean that you understood the promise I sought and had agreed to it. Nay, do not try to defend yourself,” he added, hearing her draw breath to do so. “You ken fine that you are in the wrong, Cat. But if you want to pretend that you
don’t
know it, I’ll make it quite clear to you later.”

Catriona squirmed, feeling none of her usual eagerness to debate with him. His tone made his feelings as clear as they would be if she could see his expression. Indeed, she could easily imagine it, and she had come to know him well enough to be certain that she did not want to test his tolerance now by reminding him that she had also said earlier that she would
not
promise not to follow him.

“We’ll wait for you,” she said. “I should tell you, though, that even if you punish me sorely for this, sir, I’m glad I came. If aught should happen to you—”

“I know, lass, and I wish I could promise you that nowt will happen, but I cannot. Your grandfather thinks nowt of the Comyns, but they did succeed in this venture, and they may even have men surrounding the loch now, watching and waiting until Rory Comyn summons them.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“I don’t. But in my experience, it is better to assume that the other fellow knows more than I do and is as smart, or smarter, and as skilled with a sword.”

“God-a-mercy, even Ivor says that no one can best you with a sword. I worried about you swimming here with it, but I’m glad that you did.”

“I have my dirk, too,” he said. “Now, take these things we brought, and Boreas, and go uphill till you find a place where you can see the path but not be seen from it.” He paused. “I must know that I can depend on you this time to obey me.”

“I will, sir.” Following him up to the path, she clicked her tongue to Boreas.

When she could discern the dog’s moving shape, she gestured widely toward the hillside and felt more confident when she saw Boreas cross the path and begin to range back and forth. Fin said no more to her and soon vanished into the darkness.

By the time she had settled where she could still make out the path, she decided that he must have reached the hilltop and would return before she knew it.

The rain eased more. The minutes crawled by.

Taking his time, Fin wended his way to the top of the hill, careful not to disturb any Comyn who might be nearby. Telling himself that he needed to live at least long enough to deal properly with his erring wife, he knew that his true intent was to live long enough to make love to her until they wore each other out.

Despite that pleasant fantasy, his battle-honed senses remained alert. The rain eased to gentle mist. When he reached the crest and found a vantage point, he soon dis
cerned movement beyond the dam, near the silent bed of the dammed-up burn.

A male voice drifted to his ears. “Be they all asleep below?”

Another said, “All save two watchers, aye, and all be nigh the burn. D’ye think this thing will hold? Because they’ll get a right dousing down there if it fails.”

“Aye, sure, it will hold. We’ve piled wood and rocks high to hold the planks in place against the rising water. It be rising quick now, too. If this rain picks up again, it may get high enough to drown the lot o’ them by morning and mayhap Shaw’s men, too. I just hope our lads a-watching them do keep themselves safe.”

“I’m surprised Rory didna want them all kept below with the others.”

“He didna want to hear them Mackintoshes bemoaning their lot all night, he said. Come what may, I mean to find me a place to sit well above this great pile.”

“Me, too, aye. But we’d best keep one o’ us to each side like Rory did say.”

Satisfied with what he’d heard, Fin shifted to a better position, drew his dirk, and waited for the one who would guard that side of the dam to come up to him.

The result was almost too easy, because the man came carelessly, paying heed to naught but where he put his noisy feet.

Clapping an arm around him from behind, Fin put his dirk to the man’s throat. “One squeak and ye’re spent,” he muttered, affecting the local accent. “How many watchers d’ye keep round yon loch?”

“Two at their landing, and three others, if ye dinna count us two here.”

“Who guards your prisoners?”

“Them other three I told ye about. All the others returned to our encampment below. Nae one else be out yonder, for nae one can see nowt tonight!”

“How many sleep below?”

“Nigh a score to send out and about at dawn. That be all o’ them, I swear!”

“Is that counting Albany’s army or that of the Douglas?” Fin asked dulcetly.

His captive stiffened but kept silent.

“Ah, now, ye’re a fine honest chappie,” Fin said. “A feather in your chief’s bonnet, ye be. I’ll just go and see if your friend yonder be as fine and honest, shall I? Nay, now, cease your wriggling. I’ll no disturb ye more, I trow.”

Catriona was sure that something horrid had happened to Fin. She had heard nothing since he had left her with Boreas, and the dog lay dozing beside her.

She kept her dirk in hand, just in case, and had wrapped herself in Fin’s mantle. Although she was grateful for its warmth, its dampness permeated to her skin, making her think longingly of the hall fire at Rothiemurchus.

The dog raised its head, and a moment later, silently, a shadow loomed over them. “God-a-mercy, I hope that’s you,” she muttered, gripping her dirk tighter.

“It is, aye,” Fin said. “I’ve come to fetch that sack and your rope.”

“How many guards are there?”

“None who will disturb us,” he said. “Now, come, for I want to get this done. Albany’s army will come round the Cairngorms and Douglas from the south through Glen
Garry. They could be here tomorrow if Ivor, Shaw, and their men cannot stop them. Albany expects the Comyns to capture Rothesay and Alex Stewart for him, and as many Clan Chattan prisoners as they can. I won’t let that happen.”

Indignantly, she said, “Neither will my father or Ivor. And even if they should somehow fail, do you think Rothesay and the Lord of the North are such cowards that they would leave those of us here to face Albany and Douglas alone?”

“Nay, but if Albany captures them, it will put everyone here in danger, because he will declare us all part of their conspiracy. I agree that Shaw’s men and Ivor’s from Lochindorb will likely stop Albany’s armies or the terrain and bad weather will, because neither leader has experience in the Highlands. But if Albany is determined enough to get his hands on Rothesay and Alex, he may just do it.”

“In this weather, we cannot use our signal fires to bring more aid,” she said.

“Nay, but if we can avoid armed confrontation, we’ll sort things out. However, we must defeat the Comyns here. Then, if Albany does win through, he’ll have to deal with your grandfather. The Mackintosh can handle him if anyone can.”

“He has cowed fiercer men than the Duke of Albany,” she said. “And my father and Ivor
will
succeed. But what about Rothesay and Alex? Neither one will like being out of the action and neither is easily persuadable.”

“I hope that Alex will persuade Davy to go with him,” he said. “But I cannot think about that. First, I must see if I can perform a feat of magic with this dam.”

“What can I do? And, prithee, do not tell me that I can do naught.”

“You and Boreas are coming with me to keep watch whilst I bore my holes and plug them,” he said. “Three watchers guard the prisoners on the hill above your landing, but the two watching the dam expected no relief for anyone before dawn.”

“How do you know all that?”