the room and turned to lead the man back to the passage entrance.
“Right,” Conran said as he plunged into the dark passage, thrusting his torch out ahead. “Aulay and Rory can take the path that leads behind the castle when we get to the split, and ye and I can take the path away from the castle,” he suggested, and then recalled that the man was still recovering from an injured arse and said, “Or mayhap ye and Rory should take the path around behind the castle if ’tis shorter.”
“I can manage the path away from the castle,” the Maclean assured him, his voice harsh. “The bastard tried to kill me daughter. I’m no’ letting him get away with that.”
“Nay,” Conran agreed grimly.
It was Rory who asked, “What if he’s already out of the passages and tunnel?”
“If he took the passage around behind the castle he’ll stand out like a sore thumb among me people and be captured at once,” the Maclean said firmly. “But if he took the tunnel that leads out beyond the wall, the men will beat him. ’Tis a very long tunnel and the men will be on horseback. Even if he ran flat-out the whole way, they’d beat him there.”
Conran didn’t comment, he merely nodded, counting on it being visible in the torchlight. But he was silently hoping the man was still in the passages somewhere. He’d like to get his hands on the bastard himself.
Chapter 11
“Rory obviously did no’ trouble himself to see to bandaging yer wound ere hying off with the other men, did he?” Saidh asked with annoyance.
Evina merely shook her head as Greer set her down on the bed in the chamber Aulay and Jetta were using.
“Oh, dear, ye’re bleeding,” Jetta said, moving to her side at once.
Evina glanced down. The plaid had slipped at some point, revealing the top of her breast and the wound there. Blood was sliding from it and disappearing under the plaid.
“Damn,” she muttered in an irritated whisper. The wound hadn’t bled since the second day, but it seemed its getting wet, or perhaps her struggles against the man who had tried to drown her, had opened it up again.
She wasn’t the only one cursing. As Tildy hurried to her side, she had some fine choice words to say about the men running off without tending her wound first.
“I’ll have to get me medicinals, the salve Lord Rory gave me and some linens from yer room and bind ye up again,” Tildy said with annoyance as she examined the wound.
“Here we go again,” Alick muttered.
“Here we go what?” Tildy asked with confusion.
“They’ll no’ let ye go back to me room any more than they did me, Tildy,” Evina reminded her.
Evina scowled at the young man, still annoyed that they hadn’t let her go back to her room to fetch clothes. They had nearly been to this room when she’d recalled the gown she’d dropped when Conran had picked her up so abruptly and startled her. She’d immediately asked Greer to set her down so that she could return to her room to collect the gown and a tunic, but everyone had protested the suggestion. Not wanting to have to sit about in mixed company with only the plaid wrapped around her for covering, Evina had argued strenuously. But when Saidh had offered to loan her a tunic and gown, she’d finally relented. She’d rather have her own clothes, but Greer and Alick simply weren’t going to allow her to return alone to her room. Borrowed clothes would have to do.
“I have some wrappings and medicinals,” Jetta announced now, hurrying to a chest against the wall. “I always bring them with me when we travel. Just in case,” she added, not needing to say more. Accidents happened, and it was always good to have such things on long journeys.
“Perhaps we should step out in the hall while the women tend Evina’s wound, Alick,” Greer suggested.
“Do ye think we should?” Alick asked. “Conran wanted us to watch her. What if there is a passage entrance in here and her attacker uses it to get to the women?”
“I’m sure that with the women here . . .” Greer began, and then paused and frowned as his gaze moved to his wife and settled on her still-flat stomach.
Saidh’s eyes narrowed angrily on her husband, and she opened her mouth, but before she could spit out whatever she would have said, Jetta blurted, “’Tis fine. I’ll grab one of Aulay’s plaids