“I gave my word,” Crispen said stubbornly. “You said a McCabe never breaks his word.”
Ewan shook his head wearily. “I’m beginning to regret telling you of things a McCabe doesn’t do. Come, let’s sit in the hall so you can tell me of these adventures of yours.”
He leveled a glance at Alaric, silently commanding his presence as well. Then he turned to Gannon. “Take your men and ride north to find Caelan. Tell him Alaric has returned Crispen home. Return as quickly as you can.”
Gannon bowed and hurried away, shouting orders as he went.
Ewan set Crispen down but kept a firm grip on his shoulder as he herded him into the keep. They walked into the hall amid a chorus of cries and exclamations. Crispen was soundly hugged by every passing woman and slapped on the back by the men of the clan. Finally Ewan waved them away so they were left alone in the hall.
Ewan sat at the table and patted the space next to him. Crispen hopped onto the bench while Alaric sat across the table from them.
“Now tell me what happened,” Ewan commanded.
Crispen looked down at his hands, his shoulders drooping.
“Crispen,” Ewan began gently. “What else did I tell you McCabes always do?”
“Tell the truth,” Crispen said grudgingly.
Ewan smiled. “Indeed. Now begin your tale.”
Crispen sighed dramatically before saying, “I snuck out to meet Uncle Alaric. I thought I’d wait at the border and surprise him when he came home.”
Alaric glared across the table at Crispen, but Ewan held up his hand.
“Let him continue.”
“I must have gone too far. One of the McDonald soldiers took me and said he was going to take me back to his laird to ransom me.”
He turned pleading eyes on Ewan. “I couldn’t let him do that, Papa. It would shame you, and our clan can’t afford a ransom. So I escaped and hid in the cart of a traveling merchant.”
Ewan tensed in rage at the McDonald soldier, and his heart clenched at the pride in his son’s voice.
“You could never shame me, Crispen,” Ewan said quietly. “Now go on with your story. What happened next?”
“The merchant discovered me after a day and he chased me out. I didn’t know where I was. I tried to steal a horse from men who were camping but they caught me. M—I mean she saved me.”
“Who saved you?” Ewan demanded.
“She saved me.”
Ewan swallowed his impatience. “Who is she?”
Crispen fidgeted uncomfortably. “I can’t tell you. I promised.”
Ewan and Alaric exchanged frustrated glances, and Alaric raised one eyebrow as if to say I told you so.
“All right, Crispen, what exactly did you promise?”
“That I wouldn’t tell you who she was,” Crispen blurted. “I’m sorry, Papa.”
“I see. What else did you promise?”
Crispen looked puzzled for a moment, and across the table, Alaric smiled as he caught on to the direction Ewan was headed.
“I just promised I wouldn’t tell you her name.”
Ewan stifled his grin. “All right, so continue with your story. The lady saved you. How did she do this? Was she camping with the men you tried to steal the horse from? Were they escorting her to a destination?”
Crispen’s brow creased as he struggled with whether he could divulge such information without breaking his promise.
“I won’t ask her name again,” Ewan said solemnly.
Looking relieved, Crispen pursed his lips and then said, “The men took her from the abbey. She didn’t want to be with them. I saw them bring her into the camp.”
“God’s teeth, she’s a nun?” Ewan exclaimed.
Alaric shook his head adamantly. “If that woman is a nun, then I’m a monk.”
“Can you marry a nun?” Crispen asked.
“Why on earth would you ask a question like that?” Ewan demanded.
“Duncan Cameron wanted to marry her. If she’s a nun, he can’t, can he?”
Ewan straightened and shot Alaric a fierce look. Then he turned to Crispen, trying to keep his reaction calm so that he didn’t frighten his son.
“The men you tried to steal the horse from. Were they Cameron soldiers? Were they the ones who took the woman from the abbey?”
Crispen nodded solemnly. “They took us to Laird Cameron. He tried to make … her … marry him, but she refused. When she did, he beat her badly.”
Tears welled in his eyes, and he made a fierce expression to hold them back.
Again, Ewan glanced over at Alaric to judge his reaction to the news. Who could this woman be that Duncan Cameron wanted her badly enough to steal her from an abbey? Was she an heiress sequestered there until her marriage?
“What happened after he beat her?” Ewan prompted.
Crispen swiped at his face, leaving a trail of dirt over his cheek.
“When she came back to the room, she could barely hold herself up. I had to help her to the bed. Later a woman woke us and said that the laird was in a drunken sleep and that he planned to threaten me to make her do what he wanted. She said we had to escape before he awoke. The lady was afraid but promised me she’d protect me. And so I promised her that I would take us here to you so that you could protect her. You won’t let Duncan Cameron marry her, will you, Papa? You won’t let him hurt her again?”
He gazed anxiously up at Ewan, his eyes so earnest and serious. He looked so much older than his eight years in that moment, as if he’d taken on a great responsibility, one far greater than his age warranted, but one he was determined to follow through with.