them in case they’re found by their friends and bring more dragoons to Cnàmhan Broch.”
“Ye bloody fool.” But Dirk didn’t deny him. In fact, he looked at Toran with newfound respect. “Lead the way.”
Ten
“The supplies are ready. A rider has been sent ahead to my brother to have his men meet ye in Perth.” She returned Hamish’s signed document to one of the three Mackintosh men who were still faithful to him. Those three traitors she was sending away supposedly at Hamish’s own request, though truly it was to get them away from Cnàmhan Broch. “Keep his letter on ye in case ye’re stopped by dragoons. They’ll try to confiscate the materials, but hopefully knowing they are going to troops fighting for Cumberland, they will allow ye to pass.”
“We’ll endeavor not to be caught in their path, my lady.”
“Good.” Jenny smiled pleasantly even though it was an effort to arrange her face that way to people she knew to be traitors.
What they didn’t know was that Jenny had already sent word through Fiona that the envoy was leaving, giving their exact route. Rebels who might be so inclined could attempt to confiscate at least part of the contents that way, but with strict instructions not to confiscate it all, lest her brother come northward with his troops. Just a teensy bit to sting his pride and boost hers.
With the prince’s arrival in Scotland imminent, the more supplies they had for his rebellion, the better. She wasn’t about to give everything she had to the other side. Sending anything at all was painful, but it was her only choice in order to keep the dragoons from descending on her castle like a horde of swarming flies.
“Godspeed,” she said to the half-dozen men, three of whom were her own loyal men and would return to her once the delivery was made. “And if ye should come across any outlaws who wish to rob ye, dinna allow them to rob ye of your life.”
“Aye, my lady, we will honor your wishes.”
“Good. I shall see the three of ye back here in a fortnight. Dinna delay, we need ye.”
“We shall be swift.”
And then they were riding through the gate. Jenny climbed the stairs to the wall, ostensibly to watch them go. In truth, she was searching for Toran and Dirk. She’d pretended not to notice the two of them leaving, dressed as though they were going hunting. But she’d watched every movement, every surreptitious glance from Toran in her direction.
She knew where they were going, of course, as she had been the one to command Dirk to take Toran with him. The two men would prove to be the most powerful in the ranks of men, given that neither had been a clear winner in their scuffle. If the rebellion had any chance of success, they needed everyone on the same side, which meant Dirk and Toran had to work out their problems—away from prying eyes and the possibility of others taking sides.
The late-afternoon sun was covered by clouds, but still there was no sign of the men—only the swaying grasses and wildflowers, the long-limbed trees and lush greenery, the high-peaked mountains in the distance that kissed the gray sky. She supposed she wouldn’t see either one of them until after dark, if at all.
The rest of her day moved quickly as messages came in from her rebel contacts. Jenny took a look at the tallies of supplies they had left as well as gathering a circle of women to work with her mother in darning more socks and shirts. It turned out that Isla Fraser was quite adept at making socks, and she joined the women, excited to be doing something useful for the rebels. Apparently all she’d been allowed to do when she’d resided with her uncle was sit and look pretty.
Jenny felt for the girl. What a bore it must have been. Jenny was lucky to have had a father who embraced a woman’s talents in all things and to not have been boxed into a corner because of her sex. Women had so much more to offer than sitting prettily and doing what they were told. The pain of missing him was a great reminder of why she risked so much to keep his legacy and his dream alive.
She marched up to her room and changed out of her gown into trews, a shirt, and a frock coat, determined to train with the men. Now that her brother’s spies were