Gannon shook his head vehemently. “I will not leave you, my lady. Caelen would gut me and feed my innards to the wolves if I allowed you to go through with this plan of yours.”
A sound of rage blew past her lips. She was so furious and so unbelievably terrified that she could barely hold it together. She wanted to curl into a tight ball and pretend none of this had ever happened. But Caelen’s life depended on her being able to save him, and save him she would if she had to battle her way through every one of her clansmen to do it.
“Will you just let him die while you wait for his brothers to gather their warriors and attack Cameron? Think you that Caelen will even still be alive? Think, Gannon. My father and his men bear an injured man with them. Caelen will slow their travel back to Cameron’s lands. If I leave now and ride straight through, I can arrive on their heels, before they’ve had time to determine Caelen’s fate.”
Gannon thrust his hand into his hair and turned away. “What you ask me to do, my lady, is impossible. How can I abandon you while I run to Ewan for help? How can I face Caelen if something happens to you and his bairn? You underestimate Caelen’s strength. It matters not if he took an arrow to the back. He will survive. He has much to live for.”
Rionna tugged at Gannon’s arm until he faced her again. “My clansmen will follow but only I will gain entrance to Cameron’s domain. ’Tis important he thinks I came alone. Everything rides upon my ability to make him think what it is I want him to think. I must buy time for Ewan to arrive. I’ll not ask your permission to do this, Gannon. What I ask for is your help. I need you to go to Ewan. If I send one of my men, after what has occurred, Ewan will think it a trick. He’ll believe you. You were his most trusted man, a man he sent into service to his brother so that Caelen would have someone he trusted close by. Don’t betray that trust, Gannon. I and my babe are counting on you to help us save my husband.”
“You don’t play fair, my lady,” Gannon said in disgust.
“ ’Tis nothing fair when it comes to the life of my husband,” she said fiercely. “I love him and I won’t let him go to his death if there is anything I can do to prevent it. I’ll take on my father and Duncan Cameron and his entire army if ’tis what it will take.”
Gannon’s expression softened and he touched her arm in a gesture of comfort. “Caelen is a fortunate man, my lady. ’Tis not often a man has a wife so fierce that she would risk her life to save his.”
“Then you’ll do it? You’ll leave at once for Neamh Álainn?”
Gannon sighed. “Aye, I’ll do it.”
Rionna threw her arms around him and hugged him, much to his dismay. He disentangled himself from her grasp and scowled.
“ ’Tis my hope you’ll defend me as fiercely as you do Caelen, because when he discovers what I’ve allowed you to do, he’ll take off my head.”
“Go now,” she said. “I’ll gather the men in the courtyard to tell them what must be done.”
Rionna stared nervously at the assembled warriors, their grim faces outlined by the blaze of torches. Gannon had already ridden out and Sarah was preparing Rionna’s bag so that she would be ready to depart as soon as the men were apprised of the situation.
“Will Simon live?”
She didn’t register who called out the question. She was still numb and her thoughts were occupied with the task before her.
“I know not,” she said honestly. “He is being cared for. If God wills it, he’ll live this day and long into the future.”
“Who did this thing, my lady?”
She drew in a deep breath. “ ’Twas my father, your former laird. He has allied himself with Duncan Cameron and seeks to destroy my husband so that he may regain leadership of this clan.”
She held her breath as she waited their response. It was entirely possible that they’d embrace the idea of her father returning as laird. Caelen had gained their respect, aye, but Rionna couldn’t be assured that given the opportunity, they wouldn’t turn away.
“What is to be done?” Seamus demanded as he stepped forward, his beefy arms crossing his chest as he glared his displeasure. “Surely we aren’t going to let such an insult to our laird pass.”
It took all of Rionna’s restraint not to throw her arms around the huge warrior and pepper his face with teary kisses.
“We ride to Duncan Cameron’s land,” she said when she could speak without her throat knotting up. “Gannon has ridden to Neamh Álainn to apprise Ewan McCabe of the situation. When we near Cameron land, you will all fall back and await my command to attack.”
Murmurs rose from the men and Seamus stepped forward. “What then will you be doing, my lady?”
“I’m going in to save my husband,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument. She may not be laird of this clan, but in this moment, she’d take down any man who tried to prevent her from going after Caelen.
“It’s going to require the biggest deception of my life. ’Tis possible my husband may despise me before it’s over, but if I’m successful, he’ll be alive and ’tis all that matters. The question I pose to you, is whether you’ll stand with me and risk your lives to save our laird.”
Seamus cleared his throat and then turned to stare over the assembled men. Then he slowly looked back at Rionna. “I’m with you, my lady.”
One by one, the men stepped forward and declared their willingness to back Rionna in her plan.