Page 61 of A Bridge Through Time
Robert inhaled sharply. “Aye, well apparently she did. And my Irene as well. Where do you think they’ll have gone?”
Cailin looked out into the darkness and thought for a moment. Where would Ashley go? The answer came almost immediately. “The beach. The lass loves the beach.”
“Cailin, gather the men. We’ll need torches. We’ll go on foot, to search along the path and down onto the beach,” Robert ordered, taking control of the situation immediately.
“Aye, Robert.” Cailin ran off, shouting commands to the men he passed on his way to the great hall.
Within minutes, Cailin had a dozen heavily armed men with torches organized, and they stood at the postern gate, ready to begin the search.
They followed the path away from Breaghacraig, searching for any signs that the three who’d gone missing had passed this way. Cailin was beside himself with anger and fear. He had told Ashley repeatedly, she was nae to leave the castle without him or one of his men. Why would she go off like that? He knew Irene was just as hardheaded as Ashley could be, when she got it in her mind to do something and the two of them together could only spell trouble. He’d give Ashley a piece of his mind once he found her. Verbal threats about locking the lass in her room hadnae worked, but mayhap this time he would really do it. As he strode along the path, Cailin found the anger kept the fear at bay and he focused on it, drawing strength for the task at hand.
As they approached the tree line at the top of the bluff, Cailin heard the faint sounds of a puppy barking and then the woeful cries of a young lad.
Robert signaled to their men to stay back, before he raced towards the sounds with Cailin.
Cailin reached William first. “William are ye alright?” He cut the ropes holding William to the tree. The puppy was jumping all over them in his excitement. William sobbed uncontrollably and Cailin pulled him into his arms to offer the young boy some comfort. His mind was awash with fear for Ashley and Irene,but he needed to calm the boy enough to get him to talk. “What happened, William? Where is Lady Ashley?”
“Come now, lad,” Robert said gently. “We need yer help to find them.”
William sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He hugged the puppy close as he took a deep breath and nodded. “I ken I shouldnae have done it, but I followed them to the beach. We were playing with the pup, when men on horses came riding across the sand. We ran and made it to the top here.” He took another deep breath and with visible effort, held back the tears that were threatening to spill. “We thought we’d gotten away, but there were more waitin’ for us up here.”
“What happened next?” Cailin urged.
“The mean man called Lady Ashley a horse thief and told her she was to ride with him. Lady Ashley tried to run away, but he grabbed her by the hair. Another man slapped her really hard, and then choked her. The mean man on the horse told the other man; he called him Roger, to stop hurting Lady Ashley. The mean man told one of the men to put Lady Irene on a horse and another one to tie me up, as he didnae want the pup or me.” William began crying again. “Then the man named Roger threw Lady Ashley up onto the mean man’s horse, and they all rode away.”
Cailin was seething. These men William spoke of were dead men, as far as Cailin was concerned. They’d pay dearly for hurting Ashley.
“Cailin,” William’s little voice broke into his turbulent thoughts.
Cailin glanced down at the lad, brushing his tears away. “Aye, William?”
“Lady Ashley knew the mean man. She called him Thomas.”
“Aye. Thank ye, William, ye’ve been a verra brave lad. Come, let’s get ye back to yer Ma and Da. They’ve been worried about ye.”
Cailin’s calm exterior was an illusion, inside he was boiling with rage. He was acutely aware that Ashley’s life was in jeopardy, and that knowledge frightened him more than anything ever had before. He knew he’d have to force that fear away, if he were going to be effective in the hunt for Ashley and Irene.
Cormac appeared at his side and placed a hand on Cailin’s shoulder. “We’ll find them, brother,” Cormac reassured him quietly.
Cailin remained silent. On the battlefield, he had a single-minded focus, but this was personal. The bastards had been stupid enough to take his woman and he would have no mercy for them.
“We ride, now,” Robert announced to the men.
They hurried back to the castle, and Cailin knew every man was aware of how high the stakes were. The clan was very fond of Irene, and he knew Ashley had made a good impression on them since her arrival. They would do anything required of them, to save the two women from capture.
Once back in the castle courtyard, Cailin mounted his horse, which one of the stable boys had already prepared. All around him, preparations were underway for their departure and men shouted back and forth in the torchlight.
“Robert! Cailin!” Ewan called out as he and Lena made their way across the bustling courtyard.
“Is it true?” Lena asked worriedly. “Have they taken Irene and Ashley?”
Robert put his booted foot into the stirrup and mounted his warhorse. “Aye. I’m afraid ‘tis so,” he confirmed grimly.
Lena almost collapsed to the ground, but Ewan caught her and held her close to his side.
“Brother, I leave ye in charge here at Breaghacraig. If all goes well, we’ll return quickly with our women,” Robert commanded.
Ewan nodded. “Godspeed, Robert, Cailin. Our prayers will go with ye.”
