Page 75 of Kilted Hate

“As dae I,” Kai added. “I ken I didnae spend as much time with her as ye two, but I ken lasses, and I ken when lasses are lying.”

“What about that time she and I sparred together,” Magnus said. “She couldnae have kent I could read her mind, but all she was worried about was upsetting ye, offending ye. Surely, if the woman hated ye, she wouldnae have cared.”

“It was an act,” Domhnall barked.

“In her head?” Magnus retorted.

Domhnall huffed because he had no reply to that. As he desperately sought something else to back up what he now believed, he said, “What about the day I was attacked outside the village?” He gestured angrily. “How could her braither have kent I was going tae be there if nae fer her?”

Kai and Magnus did not have an answer to that, and feeling victorious in his argument, he continued. “I went tae see her just ‘afore I left and told her where I was going. She kent.”

Magnus’s brow furrowed then. “Hang on. Ye told her just ‘afore ye left.”

“Aye,” Domhnall replied firmly.

“Then how did she get word tae her braither so quickly? Besides the fact that she got badly hurt trying tae protect ye,” Kai jumped in.

Magnus was nodding, and clearly thinking exactly the same thing.

Domhnall opened his mouth to retaliate when he realized exactly what they were getting at. “I… I…” But he couldn’t answer, for like his brothers, he suddenly realized that it couldn’t have happened like that.

“There is nay way she could have got a message tae her braither in time fer him tae organize his men and be there the same time as ye,” Magnus said, voicing what they were all thinking.

“Then how…?” Domhnall trailed off, trying to understand how her brother had known.

“He found out some other way,” Kai said. “There’s nay other explanation.”

“Are ye saying we have a spy in the castle?” Domhnall gawked.

“Had,” Magnus replied. “I imagine it was one o’ her braither’s men. But he’s likely with them now.”

“So, Katherine was right,” Domhnall said.

“What dae ye mean?” Kai asked.

“I accused her o’ passing information ontae her braither. I told her that the two attacks had tae have come from what she’d told him. But that isnae possible. She had nay idea I was taking her horse riding that morning, and that’s when the first attack happened.”

It cannae have been her.

“Exactly,” Magnus said.

“Get out o’ me head, Magnus.”

“What?” Kai asked, desperate to know.

“Domhnall is now realizing that it couldnae have been Katherine.”

“She still betrayed me,” Domhnall snapped. “This doesnae get her off the hook.”

“Maybe nae,” Magnus countered, “but had ye let her explain hersel’, you’d ken a lot more.”

Domhnall heaved a worried sigh, and began wondering whether he hadn’t just made a colossal mistake.

But I found the letter. She was still working with her braither.

Thinking back to what he had actually read in the letter, a slow realization revealed itself.

I have concluded that you cannot get word out to me, and thus, I deduce that a meeting might be more suitable. There is a well just off the road on the other side of the village. Meet me there tomorrow at dusk.

---