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She had ed thus far to keep his mind from the silver flask he had fastened to his sword belt She kept re him that the duke’s men could come upon them at any time—a surprise attack Airdy wanted to be ready to defend himself, didn’t he? For sweet Barbara’s sake?

“And you’re sure she went unwillingly?” He had a way of staring intently into her eyes, as if he could read any lies It was unnerving

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p; “She was kidnapped,” Meg replied firmly

“Och, well then!” But despite her reassurance there seeo away That was understandable, Meg thought, when your wife had an unfortunate tendency to use men for her own ends, and those ends revolved around plots to leave her husband

Ahead of them, the dark hills cleaved the sky Beyond was the Duke of Abercauldy and his fine castle and his fine things And his si She had spurned him, made him look a fool, and not even the fact that she had not wanted to marry him, and had told him many times, hadwondered if she was clever enough to escape her punishment

It couldn’t hurt to have Airdy Campbell at her side, deserted husband and nephew to the Duke of Argyll, as arguably the most important man in Scotland

“Will we camp this side of the hills?” One of herher anxiously They had not wanted Meg to make this journey, but she had told theo alone They caor’s anger they feared, if anything should happen to her

But she could not stay at Glen Dhui—it was i what needed to be done, not one who relied upon a man to do it for her She should have o, cleared the air once and for all, instead of skulking on her own lands, hoping it would all bloay Already she felt better, as if she could breathe properly again

“No, we ride as far as we can today,” she ordered “There is plenty of light left, and we need to make up time The laird has a head start”

“Verra well, m’lady”

“The laird” Airdy sneered “Aye, I can see Gregor as the laird,his betters I hope this Abercauldy cuts him down to size”

Meg bit her lip She had a cutting retort of her own in mind, but it was best not to upset Airdy Not when she planned to use hior for her; he just didn’t know it

The duke’s dungeons were far le cell at Glen Dhui Castle There was no light here, apart fro torch in a wall sconce outside the door, and that barely penetrated the corners of this da held

Above theor reht of it All crenelated towers and pink granite stone walls, it had loo as if it were the creation of a or had ridden forward, at the head of his troop, ignoring his niggle of doubt