Seduced by a Rogue (33 page)

Dow nodded fervently. “’Twas why I came, for ’twould be a great disaster, sir, if Annandale attacked Maxwell—or Maxwell attacked
Annandale, come to that. Sithee, the lairds say if they must pay an additional sum first to the sheriff and next, nae one
doots, to Archie o’ Galloway… well, where does it end? ’Tis nobbut a Maxwell scheme to steal gelt from Annandale, they say,
and bad cess to Maxwell!”

Rob smiled. “I wonder, do they say the same of Archie the Grim?”

“Nay, they do not, and I’ll tell you why, sir. The Lord o’ Galloway ha’ tamed that irascible place, they say. Sakes, but raiders
from Galloway used to be near as fierce toward the dales as the English ha’ been. With Douglas controlling Galloway and the
English resting quiet, men can plant crops again for the first time in decades. They be willing to pay Douglas an he asks
them to. Some say he willna ask but will allow the present schemes to continue as they always have.”

“You understand the situation, then, and one can hope you are right about Douglas,” Rob said. “I want you to carry a message
to Dunwythie for me. Tell him I have found his daughter. If he will send his army home and go back to Annan House, I will
take her to him there straightaway. If he agrees to my request, you will hie yourself to Dumfries and tell the lads at Alan’s
Tower that you need a smoky fire set to signal me. We’ll easily see the smoke from here.”

“Sakes, sir, even if that be true and ye could winkle her away from wherever she be now, Dunwythie will think ye took her
yourself. The man be beside himself wi’ rage and he wields the power o’ the pit and gallows. Ye’d be risking your life to
offer him such, let alone to take his daughter right to his door!”

“I have met the man,” Rob said. “He is well known to be generally a man of peace. So, I must hope he will agree that having
his daughter back and keeping the peace are worth more than starting a great clan war to avenge her abduction.”

“But what if he does
not
agree? How will I let ye ken that?”

“You need not, because his refusal will make no difference to what happens next. The sheriff will wait here, as he has planned
to do. And when Dunwythie reaches Dumfries, he will learn that the Maxwells are here in force.”

“I expect he’d assume she were here, too, then,” Dow said, nodding.

“Aye, so sithee now, if Dunwythie said he’d lead his army from Annandale as soon as he could raise it, I make that a matter
of three days, four at most. If you leave for Dumfries at dawn, you should be there in good time to meet him.”

“Aye, easily.” Dow nodded again and drank the rest of his whisky

“If he is not there yet when you arrive, you must ride to meet him,” Rob said, “Then,
you
must build a fire near where you meet and where we can see its smoke from here—some hilltop or other. I doubt you will set
any forest afire if you do.”

“Nay, it be still too damp for such. Forbye, I’m thinking a fire wherever I’d light one would smoke like the devil, as wet
as most wood is by now.”

“Good, then go. If the sheriff’s men ask questions when you leave, tell them I’d told you I had more work here for you if
you found extra time. You just stopped on your way to some other place to see how much work there might be.”

“Aye, sure, they willna trouble me,” Dow said, making his bow to leave.

Rob said, “I owe you for this, Parland Dow. I shan’t forget it.”

“Sakes, sir, I may be helping ye to your death. Ye willna thank me for that.”

Holding the door open, Rob smiled and bade him goodnight.

Dow’s parting words echoed in his mind, but Mairi’s safety had come to mean more than anything else. If Dunwythie’s army met
Alex’s at Trailinghail, the clash might erupt so violently, and other clans join in so quickly, that her father might not
even learn that she
was
there until it was too late.

Clearly, then, the only way to be sure of protecting her now was for Rob to see her safely back to Annan House himself—in
effect, to give her up entirely.

If her father decided to hang him for it, so be it. He did not think the man would, but he had been dead wrong about him before.

It was a risk he was willing to take, for Mairi.

Mairi was fidgeting. With her ears attuned to sounds that might mean someone coming upstairs rather than to what anyone in
the great chamber was saying, she had for some time contributed little to the conversation.

It did not occur to her that Lady Kelso might also be listening for Rob’s step until she heard Eliza speak loudly to her mistress,
as if repeating something.

Looking then toward her ladyship, Mairi saw a twinkle in her eyes.

Lady Kelso said, “Hush, Eliza, I ken fine that you think it is time for bed, but I am not at the brink of my grave yet. I
mean to stay up and talk to the laird.”

“Aye, sure, my lady. But be ye sure he’ll be coming up here?”

“Quite sure, but he had not yet had his supper when last I saw him.”

Mairi concealed a grimace. Her ladyship, having invited them to sup with her, had barely taken a bite when she had recalled
an important message she had meant to give Rob. With no more than that sharp exclamation, she had hurried away. And that had
been that until minutes before, when she had returned.

The remains of her supper were cold, but she did not seem to mind. A truly redoubtable woman, Mairi thought, much as she would
like to be one day herself.

She wondered if she ever would be. Her cousin Jenny was sure of her role and was already redoubtable enough to hold her own
with Hugh, because Jenny had run her estates for some time under her father’s guidance before her father died.

Mairi had run nothing yet and might never do so.

“But I could,” she told herself. “I know I could. In troth, I believe I know enough now to ask the right questions, at least.
And I’d know whom to ask. I just wish I had nerve enough to ask her ladyship what they said below.”

That thought occurred to her while she was still looking at Lady Kelso, and Lady Kelso stared back at her. One dark eyebrow
arched. It was query enough.

“I was wondering, madam,” Mairi said. “Your message to the laird must have been gey long. I should not ask about it, I know,”
she added hastily.

“Nay, then, child, why not? If one does not ask questions, one learns little. I had no message for him, as doubtless you guessed.
’Twas nobbut my cursed curiosity getting the better of me, as my dear husband was wont to say.”

“But I am curious, too,” Mairi said.

“I ken that fine,” her ladyship said cordially. “But we must both be patient until Rob comes to us. What I heard is not for
me to repeat. But he will tell us all about it, and more, I’m thinking. Parland Dow wanted to see him when I left.”

“The knacker is back? So soon?”

“Aye, and I think Rob was glad to hear it. But tell me more about your family, my dear. I should know Annan House and Dunwythie
Mains, I expect, since my Bruce forebears all lived in Annandale. But my lot left when I was small.”

Eliza clicked her tongue. But Mairi willingly complied with her ladyship’s wishes until at last they heard Rob’s quick footsteps
on the stairway.

Rob was still munching sliced mutton and bread with butter when he entered what had become his grandmother’s chamber to find
the four women seated on settle and stools, chatting amiably.

Mairi was looking toward the door when he opened it, so he knew she had been listening for his step.

“All is well,” he said. “I expect the sheriff and his men will camp outside the gate until he grows tired of it. But we are
safe enough in here.” Looking at Mairi again, he said, “I want to talk to you privately.”

“By my faith, Robert Maxwell,” Lady Kelso said. “You cannot be private with her. You have done her enough harm already.”

“Nevertheless, madam, she has already tried to escape. And, with the sheriff at the gate, I want to be sure she has better
sense than to view him as a rescuer.”

“You need not fear that, sir,” Mairi said. “I would not trust the sheriff or his men to treat me kindly. Nor would I trust
them to ask my father to fetch me, or him to trust them if they did. To be a prize of war is not a role I yearn to play.”

He nodded, believing she did understand. But he still wanted to talk with her. “If you will take my advice then, my lady,
you would ready yourself now for bed and sleep,” he said. “Fin Walters is below, waiting to take Annie to her cottage as he
usually does. As loyal as my people are, I cannot doubt that Alex will soon know you are here in the tower. He won’t get in,
but I’d liefer keep to our usual routine.”

“But I thought Annie was to stay with her,” Lady Kelso said. “I assure you, I mean to keep Eliza with me.”

“Both chambers have strong bolts on them,” Rob said. “Mairi can throw hers and be as safe as she would be with any number
of Annies. And Annie’s mother wants her home. So go along now, my lady, if you want her to aid you.”

To his relief, Mairi got up at once and nodded for Annie to go with her.

Satisfied, he sat down to chat with his grandmother, managing to deflect with glib replies her questions about what he planned
to do. He wanted to discuss his thoughts and his half-formed plan first with Mairi.

When he thought she had had sufficient time to prepare for bed, he bade Lady Kelso goodnight and went across the landing to
rap lightly on Mairi’s door.

Annie answered.

“Ready to go?” he asked her.

“Aye, laird,” she said with a smile.

Leaning closer, he said, “Bid your mistress keep her eyes open yet a while.”

Nodding, she said, “I’ll just fetch my cloak.” She pushed the door to and opened it a moment later wearing her hooded cloak.

After turning her over to Fin, Rob went quietly back upstairs. Easing the latch on Mairi’s door up gently, he pushed the door
open.

She stood just a few feet away, looking expectant.

Shutting the door, he opened his arms, and she walked into them.

After kissing her thoroughly, he set her away from him and said, “We must talk. But Gran will have my head off me if she hears
us, so we must not fratch.”

“Are we likely to fratch?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m going to take you home.”

Mairi’s breath caught in her throat. She had yearned for that moment from the day he had captured her. But had anyone asked
about her feelings just then, she could not have described them.

One thing she knew was that she did not want to think she might never see Rob again. At the same time, nothing good could
come of wanting him. Nor did she dare let him see how much she wanted him, lest he decide not to take her home.

Calling upon years of experience to keep her voice under control despite her feelings, she said evenly, “I cannot think why
we should fratch about that, sir. We both knew the time would come when you would have to let me go back.”

“Aye, lass, and now is that time. Although you must not speak of this to anyone, even Annie, I will tell you what I mean to
do. Parland Dow is taking a message from me to your father. He’ll tell him I’ve learned of your whereabouts, and if he will
take his army back to Annandale, I’ll return you safely to him.”