Page 41 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
“We cannae go there,” Gretchen said, and shook her head. From where they hid, Hope peered to see what she was talking about. She saw Callum standing with men she recognized as the guards who held her in the cottage.
“They must have taken the other path leadin’ to the village,” Gretchen said. “We cannae go there, that man will hand us right back to them.”
“Nay, that man is Callum… and he is a friend of Ian, he wouldnae do that,” Hope defended and they both peered out again. From where she stood, it looked like Callum was looking right at her even though she knew he couldn’t see them. “He is a good man,” she added, and swallowed, waiting for the guards to leave.
There has to be an explanation for this… maybe the guards were here to deliver another message? Or search his cottage?
She saw him shake hands with one of them, and then his voice thundered in the surrounding air. “I want ye to find both girls, and bring them back to me. I will hand over the Lady to Laird Galloway myself if that is what it takes.”
Color drained from her face and she felt sick. Hope couldn’t control the retching sound that escaped her lips as she emptied the contents of her stomach on the ground.
“We have to run,” Gretchen announced when one guard shouted.
“Over here.”
Gretchen pulled her up before she had time to recover, and they sprang into another race. This time Hope knew that if Ian didn’t find her now, then she would never find her way back to him. Not after finding out that Callum was not on their side.
30
Ian rode down the plains, his mind lost in his thoughts. His head hurt from his sleepless nights, but he couldn’t fall asleep at night knowing that Hope was out there in danger, and he couldn’t find or protect her.
How did this happen? Where can I find ye, Hope? I need ye, I need to find ye.
Troubled, he had ignored his sister’s talk about staying safe in the Castle while Callum searched the town, and went out for a ride to clear his head. He thought of Hope every time, and when he found her, he would never let her out of his sight. He just needed to find her first.
His horse neighed as it jumped over a fallen log, and he continued galloping with speed. The harsh wind pushed his hair away from his face, and it was freezing, the cold penetrated his riding habit and chilled his skin, but Ian did not care. Winter would soon be over in the Highlands, and then it would be spring, the time when the flowers bloomed and the land seemed magical, so lovely with flowers and animals flourishing.
A part of him regretted not going with her to the village that day. He had wanted to attend to court matters, and he had asked her to go. Maybe if he was with her, then he would have been able to protect her better.
His throat tightened as the strong feelings of failure hit him then. He couldn’t do anything… he felt helpless, unable to stand against his uncle even though he could see his treacherous acts, unable to protect his wife from his uncle… he was still like the little boy trapped in a Castle with the man he knew was responsible for his father’s death.
Ian swallowed and struggled to maintain a tight hold on his emotions. If he wanted to find Hope, then he needed to remain clear headed and alert. That was the most important thing to him now, finding Hope.
He slowed his pace when he saw the last peaks of the mountains bordering Galloway from the Blyth clan, and he wondered if there could be any other hiding spots this far away from the village.
Ian steered his horse back in the direction he came and rode back. This time he decided to stop by Callum’s yard and ask for updates.
As he rode, he heard noises coming from far ahead, and followed it. When he got closer to the source, he noticed guards scattered across the plains, like they were hunting.
He didn’t think Lyall would go out hunting in this weather, and his uncle would have made a big occasion out of his hunting trip if he wanted to make one, so this could not be a hunting trip.
Lyall would have invited me and his other corrupt officials for a hunting trip, so that meant these men weren’t hunting, but searching.
Ian’s alert gaze searched the plains, and he noticed the men made no move to use their bows, even though they hung loosely on their backs.
“Find them,” he heard one yell in Gaelic. “Find both women and bring me the head of the servant,” he added with a cackle. Ian immediately knew in his gut that the women they were trying to find was Hope.
Maybe she had escaped with the help of someone? A serving girl?
He chose to believe it was her, so instead of continuing his ride, he pulled his cloak over his head, and kicked his horse in the sides. If Lyall’s guards were searching this field so desperately, then Hope had to be here, somewhere.
Ian was about giving up, but what kept him going was that tiny shred of hope that she was somewhere in the vast majority of land hiding. It was a plain, and she could be anywhere. He had to get to her first.
Ian spotted a plateau and rode toward it. It was the last place he hadn’t looked, and he could hear the guards riding in his direction. He sped up, reached there, and dismounted his horse fast. This time he yelled her name out loud.
“Hope–”
He hoped she would hear him if she was hiding somewhere. “Hope if you’re here, please, please just call for me.”
