He imagined a tiny version of his Annie, dark hair framing a heart-shaped face, curious amber eyes narrowed in concentration as she picked a lock with her hairpin. Her favorite childhood game.
The crowd had thinned as they made their way to the outskirts of town. They were nearly there. A few more feet and their escape would be in sight. He spotted a cluster of people standing and talking around a wagon that had a few sacks in the back, as though they’d just been to market. It wasn’t hard to recognize Old Max and his sons, massive, bearded crofters with a jovial spirit that could make anyone smile. Especially now.
Old Max raised his hand when he saw them, and they all jumped into action.
Craig was assisted off the horse, which he was slightly grateful for given the pain in his ribs. Into the back of the wagon he went, lying down among the sacks.
“Good to see ye,” he murmured to the lads. They chuckled as they covered him until he wasn’t visible to anyone looking in.
“Let’s go. Jenny’s distraction will no’ last long,” Annie urged.
“Where to?” Old Max asked.
“Nairn. I’ve been given a contact there who’ll sail us to my cousins at Cluny Castle.” Annie slipped into the back of the wagon beside Craig, her long legs stretched out beside his.
“That’s a far cry from Skye,” Old Max pointed out, even as he started in that direction down the road, the wagon bouncing as he picked up speed.
Craig gritted his teeth against the pain, grateful for the throbbing ache. Every bouncing jolt forward meant they were farther from town, farther from Boyd, farther from death.
“’Twill only be for a short time, but I want to see my brother, and MacLean needs a wee bit more time to heal before he’s thrust back into the fray.”
“Aye, the rest of the lads will be happy to hear that he’s alive,” Max said.
“Ye know I can hear ye?” Craig chuckled. “I’m no’ dead.”
Annie’s laughter tinkled through the grain sacks. “Ye will be if ye speak again.”
Craig grinned, his blood still racing and nerves keeping him on edge. Was this going to work?
Nearly five hours later, his muscles cramping and his back screaming, they arrived in the seaport town of Nairn. Rain spilled on them all in droves. Craig had long since discarded the dress and bonnet, and once they were clear into the countryside he had been able to sit up to endure the ride with the rest of them. He told the story of his rescue to pass the time.
Their wagon bounced through the village toward the sea, where even in the rain, gulls squawked and flew overhead. They dismounted near a dock tavern, the lads going inside to discreetly inquire about fishermen who might know Mistress J. Craig remained with the wagon, lying in the back and pretending sleep.
Annie walked along the dock, stopping to chat with the few fishermen she came across. “My dear friend is in search of her uncle. Her name is Jenny. Might he be here?”
She made her plea over and over to every little boat she found until one man stood up.
“How is my wee J? I’ve no’ seen her in an age,” he said. His hair and beard had long since gone gray, and he wore a cap pulled down over his forehead. Dressed in loose trews and shirt and jacket that had seen better days, he beckoned her closer.
Annie took tentative steps, eyeing the man’s fishing boat carefully. “She’s well. In fact, she’s asked me to invite ye for a visit.”
“Is that so?”
“Aye. Might I trouble ye for a ride?”
He looked up toward the sky, the rain pelting down from the dark clouds showing no signs of relenting. “Of course, a friend of my niece is a friend of mine. But the weather is not helping, my friend.”
“Will this help?” Annie pulled out the pouch of coins and handed several to the old sailor.
He bit into the coins, his eyes lighting up. “Immensely.”
Not five minutes later, Annie was hugging Old Max and his lads and bidding them farewell. She asked that they gather the others and bring them to Cluny Castle for safekeeping.
“We’ll see ye there, Doc,” Max said.
Craig climbed from the back of the wagon, and side by side, he and Annie walked down the dock to find the man who’d agreed to take them east. Every step, Annie worried more. She feared the fisherman would have taken off with her coin