Page 92 of The Fierce Highlander

Chief reached him first and wouldn’t stop barking.

“What happened?” Noble called out before reaching the young woman.

“Chief wouldn’t stop barking. He wanted out of the keep and he would never leave the keep without Mistress Leora. I looked for her and could not find her. One of the young bairns told me she saw Mistress Leora and the novice leave the Great Hall with a man.”

“Leora gave me her word she would stay in the keep until I came for her. She would have never left of her own accord,” Noble said, his heart pounding violently in his chest.

“You should know, sir, that Mistress Leora was looking for Lady Elizabeth, who was nowhere to be found in the keep. And as you said, she gave you her word not to leave the keep so Novice Angelica offered to go find the elderly woman, but unfortunately failed to locate her.”

Finley came rushing toward them. “Hedley is missing.”

A fierce anger twisted Noble’s fine features and everyone there took several steps away from him, fearful of what he might do.

“Get Lance, Finley. We go find my wife,” Noble ordered.

CHAPTER26

“You need to escape before he takes his blade to you again,” Lady Elizabeth whispered. “Worry not about me or the novice, escape and get help.”

Leora was thinking the same and was relieved when she and Lady Elizabeth had been forced to ride together, one of the mercenaries keeping a tight hold on their reins while Novice Angelica rode with Simmons, who kept her locked tight against him.

“He will not wait to cut you again and the blood loss you let drop from your arm as a trail to follow will weaken you if you do not stop it. You need to go before it is too late,” Lady Elizabeth murmured. “The only thing that matters is that you stay alive. You must save yourself.”

“You and the novice could suffer for it,” Leora whispered.

“We will suffer either way. If you escape and get help, we have a chance of surviving,” Lady Elizabeth encouraged. “We need a diversion so you can make your escape and, once free, no matter what you hear, you must keep going. Do not let anything stop you.”

Leora understood what the older woman was trying to tell her. She had to ignore any threats and any horrific screams coming from her or the novice. She had to stay strong and make her escape no matter how others might suffer because of it. That would be difficult for Leora to do. She could not abide someone suffering because of her.

Lady Elizabeth gripped Leora’s arm. “Do as I say. Let nothing stop you. It is our only chance. And know this, Leora, whether you are my granddaughter or not I would be proud to call you my granddaughter. You are a remarkable woman,” —she chuckled low— “for a Highlander, that is.”

“And you are not terribly bad, for a Lowlander, that is,” Leora whispered, having grown fond of the woman.

Silence settled between them for a few moments, then Lady Elizabeth spoke. “I am going to pretend a faint and fall off the horse.”

“You will hurt yourself.”

“You can ease my fall some, keeping hold of my arm, as if trying to help me, until I am near the ground, then let go. Chaos will no doubt pursue. I have no doubt that Novice Angelica will fight Simmons to free herself and hurry to help me, and the fools will rush to gather around to see what happened since they are not an organized bunch. Hedley thinks highly of himself and would never consider that you would dare attempt an escape. He will make a show and push past the fools who gather to see what is happening and that is when you must make your escape. Back away easily so you don’t draw attention to yourself, then run when you are clear of the chaos and don’t stop running. You cannot ride out of there, that would cause attention and you would be stopped. Besides, on foot you can hide more easily. If it should go any other way, make a run for it. We are not that far from your clan and perhaps your husband is already on his way to find you.”

“I pray it is so,” Leora said, hoping that the possible miracle she and her husband often teased each other about would, in this situation, come true.

“Call out as I grow weak in your arms and tilt to the side to draw attention,” Lady Elizabeth ordered and went limp.

Leora did not have to pretend, Lady Elizabeth delivering her performance without preamble and startling her. She called out her name with worry when she went completely limp in her arms and tilted precariously to the side. She grabbed the older woman’s arm as she began to slide off the horse and frantically continued calling her name. She grew heavy to keep hold of as she tumbled off the horse and Leora was barely able to keep hold of her before she hit the ground. She hurried off her horse, and as Lady Elizabeth predicted, chaos soon ensued. Novice Angelica battled her way out of Simmons’ arms and hurried to Lady Elizabeth. Everyone came to a stop and hurried off their horses, eager to see what had happened and Hedely shoved everyone out of his way to get to the core of the problem.

Leora took advantage just as Lady Elizabeth told her to and moved away as they all pressed forward, far too curious to pay her heed, not having given thought that she would dare make an escape. Once she was beyond the curious onlookers, Leora ran into the woods and again did as Lady Elizabeth advised… she did not stop running.

Surprisingly, she was able to run a distance before she heard the first roar of discovery. The next shout had her stopping.

“I will take great pleasure in making the old woman suffer if you do not return right now, Leora,” Hedley yelled, his roar carrying loudly throughout the forest.

Let nothing stop you. Lady Elizabeth’s warning rang in her head.

She started running again and halted when a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the woods.

“There will be nothing left of the old fool by the time I get done with her,” Hedley bellowed angrily.

How did she let the old woman suffer? It wasn’t right. She froze where she was uncertain as to what she should do. If she ran for help, Lady Elizabeth and the novice could be dead by the time she returned. If she didn’t go for help, none of them would have a chance. Wasn’t the choice easy?

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