The Hawk (Highland Guard #2)(106)

“How did you find them?” her father asked.

The powerful Englishman sounded as proud as a lad who’d caught his first fish. “One of my men grew jealous when a lass he’d taken a liking to at a village alehouse kept coming and going at strange hours. Last night he decided to follow her and nearly stumbled into their encampment. I should have thought of it before. Follow the women, and they will lead you to the men.”

“Why didn’t you attack immediately?” Ralph asked.

“They are camped in a valley between two rocky mountains,” Sir Aymer replied.

“And you can’t get your horses through,” Ralph finished.

“Aye, so we’ll take cover in the nearby wood and come upon them unaware. Have your men join us in the wood near the loch at the head of Glen Trool. With MacDougall’s Highlanders coming from the north, MacDowell’s men from the south, and the additional English troops from the king, we’ll attack at dawn and crush the rebels once and for all.” She heard the pounding of a fist on wood. “But I want to make damn sure he doesn’t escape this time.” He paused. “Do you have any loyal female servants with you?”

It was a strange question. Typically, conquering armies made use of the locals for their servants, and the English were no exception. Few personal servants were brought into war—and those that were were men.

“Nay,” her father started to say, then stopped, realizing at the same time as she did why Sir Aymer had come to them. Because of Ellie and Matty. “Aye, my daughter Matty brought a maidservant with her. She can be trusted. What do you have planned?”

Ellie could almost hear Sir Aymer smile. “There is going to be one extra woman who joins the feast tonight.”

“A spy?” Ralph asked.

“Aye, to discover their numbers and how well equipped they are. Despite the rumors, Bruce does not have an army of phantoms. I want to know who those men are—with all the trouble they’ve caused me, I’ve something special in mind for them.”

A cold chill ran down her spine. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard mention of Bruce’s phantom guard, and something about the stories of the mysterious warriors with nearly inhuman strength and skill sounded eerily familiar.

“Alice is a respectable girl, not a whore,” her father said, not hiding his disgust.

“Of course not,” Sir Aymer replied contritely. “She won’t be expected to do anything more than help with the food and ale. Be assured the woman will be well rewarded for her trouble.”

Her father must have looked uncertain.

“She won’t come to any harm,” Sir Aymer assured him. “My men will escort her to the edge of their encampment well after the feasting has begun. She can claim to have gotten lost from the rest of the group. By that time they’ll be too drunk to argue.”

“You’ve thought of everything,” her father said dryly.

Ellie moved away in a trance, her heart racing wildly in her breast as she tried to make sense of everything she’d heard.

One thing was clear: the English had set a trap for Robert and his men, and if they weren’t warned, they’d be in grave danger.

She raced up the tower stairs to the small chamber she shared with her sister, not knowing what she was going to do, but knowing she had to do something. She couldn’t let him die—not when it was in her power to help him. Even if he did not return her feelings, she loved him.

Besides, she owed it to him. She should have told him who she was as soon as she discovered his identity. She could not regret making love with him, but she did regret the difficulty it must have caused him with Robert. Too late she’d realized that he would see his actions with her as disloyal to the king. And with what she’d learned of his past, she understood how important that was to him.

Perhaps this was a chance to atone for her mistake. But what could she do?

Frantic, she tore open the door and was surprised to see her sister staring out the window in much the same manner as she’d been doing earlier. There was something forlorn and sad about the set of her shoulders. Matty turned at the sound and smiled, though it didn’t brighten her eyes. So wrapped up in her own heartbreak, Ellie realized that Matty hadn’t been herself lately. She vowed to find out what was troubling her sister, but first she had to find a way to warn Erik.

The vague outlines of a plan had taken hold. A plan that was both risky and fraught with danger.

Matty took a step toward her. “What is it?”

Ellie met her sister’s concerned gaze and felt the weight of the past two months crash down on her. She hadn’t wanted to burden her sister with her secrets, but Ellie knew that if she was going to do this, she couldn’t do this alone.

She took a deep breath. “I need your help.”

Erik MacSorley, a man known for his perpetual good humor, was in a perpetually black mood. Not even the pretty lass sitting in his lap doing her best to get a rise out of him could cure what ailed him.

He’d been ruined. Bewitched by a lass with silky dark hair and flashing green-flecked hazel eyes who haunted his days, his nights, and every blasted minute in between.

He hadn’t forgotten her; if anything, his memories of her had only grown sharper. Standing out against everything that had come before—and after—in bold contrast. Making everyone else seem ordinary in comparison. The irony of his first impression of her as just that was not lost on him.