ahead. I don’t want the distraction of wondering if you will keep silent or if one of you will somehow warn them of our approach.”
When she nodded again, he took his finger away.
“How long?” she whispered. The whisper indicated naught of her emotions. Nor did he want to know what they were.
“It will seem long to you, staying here,” he said. “I’ll make my way up that hill to see what I can from the top. I must know how many guards they’ve set near their dam and how high it is. I’ll leave my tools with you.”
“I can be patient if you will be careful. I just hope you can find us again.”
“I’ll find you,” he said. “But do not be congratulating yourself, lass, because I am displeased with you. Your coming here makes my task more dangerous than it would be without you. Moreover, you promised—”
“I promised only not to worry about you,” she reminded him. “If you recall—”
“I do, and I recall, too, that afterward, when I said I wanted a second promise from you, you cut me off and said, ‘Aye, aye,’ did you not, as if you—?”
“I did, but I—”
“You did, and you know I took it to mean that you understood the promise I sought and had agreed to it. Nay, do not try to defend yourself,” he added, hearing her draw breath to do so. “You ken fine that you are in the wrong, Cat. But if you want to pretend that you don’t know it, I’ll make it quite clear to you later.”
Catriona squirmed, feeling none of her usual eagerness to debate with him. His tone made his feelings as clear as they would be if she could see his expression. Indeed, she could easily imagine it, and she had come to know him well enough to be certain that she did not want to test his tolerance now by reminding him that she had also said earlier that she would not promise not to follow him.
“We’ll wait for you,” she said. “I should tell you, though, that even if you punish me sorely for this, sir, I’m glad I came. If aught should happen to you—”
“I know, lass, and I wish I could promise you that nowt will happen, but I cannot. Your grandfather thinks nowt of the Comyns, but they did succeed in this venture, and they may even have men surrounding the loch now, watching and waiting until Rory Comyn summons them.”
“You don’t believe that.”
“I don’t. But in my experience, it is better to assume that the other fellow knows more than I do and is as smart, or smarter, and as skilled with a sword.”
“God-a-mercy, even Ivor says that no one can best you with a sword. I worried about you swimming here with it, but I’m glad that you did.”
“I have my dirk, too,” he said. “Now, take these things we brought, and Boreas, and go uphill till you find a place where you can see the path but not be seen from it.” He paused. “I must know that I can depend on you this time to obey me.”
“I will, sir.” Following him up to the path, she clicked her tongue to Boreas.
When she could discern the dog’s moving shape, she gestured widely toward the hillside and felt more confident when she saw Boreas cross the path and begin to range back and forth. Fin said no more to her and soon vanished into the darkness.
By the time she had settled where she could still make out the path, she decided that he must have reached the hilltop and would return before she knew it.
The rain eased more. The minutes crawled by.
Taking his time, Fin wended his way to the top of the hill, careful not to disturb any Comyn who might be nearby. Telling himself that he needed to live at least long enough to deal properly with his erring wife, he knew that his true intent was to live long enough to make love to her until they wore each other out.
Despite that pleasant fantasy, his battle-honed senses remained alert. The rain eased to gentle mist. When he reached the crest and found a vantage point, he soon discerned movement beyond the dam, near the silent bed of the dammed-up burn.
A male voice drifted to his ears. “Be they all asleep below?”
Another said, “All save two watchers, aye, and all be nigh the burn. D’ye think this thing will hold? Because they’ll get a