out to sea from his windows and the sail on his nephew's little boat was white, Lachlan rowed until they were well away from the castle.
"Why did ye wait to raise the sail until now?" Ilysa asked, astute as always.
"Why did Connor have guards stationed at your door?" he countered. Lachlan had told that set of guards he would take the night duty for them, and they'd been happy to let him.
"I suppose he did it because of those two men being murdered," Ilysa said. "But he needn't worry. I have a bar on my door."
Did she really not know?
"The guards were not there to protect ye," Lachlan said, "but to keep ye in."
* * *
"What?" Ilysa felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach. "Why would Connor do that?"
"You tell me," Lachlan said. "On our way to harass the MacLeods, Sorely was bragging that he'd caught ye leaving the castle against orders and ran to tell the chieftain. Then I heard from the men on duty last night that Connor left the castle shortly after you did. So I'm guessing he followed ye and didn't like what he saw."
Of all the ill luck. The one night Connor followed her was the night she went to the faery glen and spoke with Alastair MacLeod.
Good heavens, does Connor believe I'm a traitor?
She could think of no other reason why he would imprison her. Of course, she understood how suspicious it must have looked, but Connor had known her all of her life. More, they had shared every intimacy, and he said he loved her. He could not truly love her and believe she was capable of turning on him and her clan.
She understood now why Connor could not bear to be in the same room with her today. But why did he not simply ask her what happened? True, he had been busy preparing for the coming battle, but if he had time to order men to guard her door, he had time to put the question to her.
The blood drained from her head as she realized Connor must have followed her all the way back from the faery glen without once attempting to speak to her. He had already condemned her. How could he think so little of her?
She must finally accept in her heart that there was no hope for them.
While the small boat glided through the darkness, the terrible thoughts swirled round and round in her head. She was glad Lachlan could not see her silent tears. She did not know how she would live through this, but she would. When she was only eleven, her brother was sent away and her mother fell apart, leaving Ilysa to take over her mother's duties and be responsible for them both. She told herself that if she could survive that, she could survive anything.
As soon as they entered his sister's cottage, Ilysa forgot her own troubles. Lachlan's sister was weeping with the sick child in her arms while five or six other children looked on with big eyes.
"Beannachd air an taigh," a blessing on this house, Ilysa said in a low voice.
"This is Ilysa," Lachlan said when they stood next to his sister. "She is a good healer, Flora. If anyone can save Brigid, she can."
The child's lethargy and the sound of her labored breathing rattling in her chest worried Ilysa deeply.
"I can see you've been doing just right, washing her with cool cloths," Ilysa said, attempting to reassure the mother. "Your other children are frightened. I'll take good care of wee Brigid while ye see to them."
She exchanged a glance with Lachlan, and he nodded.
"Where is Malcom?" he asked as he helped ease the ill child from his sister's arms and into Ilysa's.
"I don't know," Flora said while Lachlan led her to where the other children were huddled together. "I've been worried sick about him, too."
"When ye have a moment, Lachlan, I need a pan of hot water," Ilysa said, keeping her voice calm.
Brigid's hacking cough was sapping her strength. Ilysa hummed to soothe her as she rubbed a salve over the little girl's chest to ease her breathing.
"Feels good," the child whispered.
Ilysa brushed the damp curls back from her face and kissed her forehead. Her fever was high. She was a pretty, curly-headed thing, but so ill that Ilysa anticipated it would be a long night - and the outcome was uncertain.
* * *
"I do love Ilysa, for what little that's worth," Connor said after letting