“Be safe and watch your surroundings.” Cook had never said that to Aisling before, and she wondered if she feared Rupert would try to retaliate against her.
“Thanks. We will be.” Aisling and Nelly went to the women’s chamber, and Aisling stripped off her clothes. “Take my bow with you. You’ve been practicing, and if we encounter any trouble, you can use it to take down the threat.”
Nelly frowned and picked up the bow and quiver of arrows resting beside Aisling’s pallet. “You think Cook is worried about us?”
“Aye. No telling what Rupert might do after getting in trouble with his uncle. And then having to muck out the stalls? He will be sure to want to get back at me.” Aisling shifted.
The two of them headed out of the castle to the inner bailey, where Aodhan and Coinneach were coming down the tower stairs.
“I’ll be out shortly,” Coinneach said, smiling at Aisling. He went inside the barracks and soon emerged as a wolf, hurrying to join Nelly and Aisling.
“Howl if you get into trouble,” Aodhan said, “and I will come with an army of men.”
Aisling and Coinneach inclined their heads to him. They would have raced across the meadow if Nelly hadn’t been with them. Instead, they walked beside her as her wolf companions.
“You might not have had a chance to tell Coinneach, Aisling,” Nelly said, “but the washer women who have joined our kitchen staff said they believe that Rupert is Osmond’s son. Even Cooksaid she’d heard the rumors for years. But she warned us no’ to speak on the matter because we could be in trouble.”
In real danger, Aisling wanted to say. She glanced at Coinneach to see how he viewed the news. He licked her face. She took that to mean he was glad others knew about it.
Aisling and Coinneach howled to let his family know they were coming.
They finally reached the croft where Magnus and Tamhas were outside doing last-minute chores. As wolves, they could see well in the dark. Human crofters would have been abed by this time. His mother came out too.
Tamhas brightened to see them, but especially to see Nelly. She smiled brightly. But he seemed a bit tongue-tied. He needed some alone time with Nelly.
“They wanted to run as wolves. I came along to protect them.” She showed them Aisling’s bow. “Rupert accosted Aisling in the inner bailey and was punished by having to work in the stalls. So we worried he might retaliate.”
“We’re delighted you are here,” his mother said.
“Come in,” Magnus said, heartily. “Join us for some ale.”
Aisling and Coinneach woofed at them and then raced through the meadow to the forest and to the trail to the waterfall, huffing and puffing. When they reached the spot, they sat watching the water spill down the rocks.
Coinneach shifted and sat on the stone they used for seating. “I told Aodhan what we suspect—that I could be Hamish’s son.”
Aisling shifted and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.
“Did he believe you?” She sounded worried.
“Finally, aye.”
“You told him my mother took you away?” Real fear shown in Aisling’s eyes.
“He assumed it.”
“Can he be trusted?”
“I believe so. He wants to help me prove I’m the chief’s son.”
She let out her breath. “Which means my mother and other women in the birthing room that day would know you were healthy and very much alive. And that you were removed from the room.”
“And replaced. Did they see my wolf mark?”
“My mother, aye. I dinna know about the others.”
“Do you know the names of the women who were there when I was born?”
“I’ll ask my mother. I should have done so before. What if Aodhan makes inquiries, and it spreads throughout the pack? Already, the rumors seem to be rampant that Rupert is Osmond’s son. But hearing you are Hamish’s son, that could be catastrophic.”
