to ask.’ Killian stared at her, wondering exactly what she intended to do, once she reached Tara. Travelling alone was a disastrous idea, one more dangerous than she could imagine.
And yet...she could help his sister slip away at nightfall. Or Taryn could help to deceive the King’s men by disguising herself at night, letting them believe she was Carice and thereby granting his sister more time.
He wasn’t a man to make a decision lightly, especially when there was so much at stake. If he refused to let Taryn get involved, Carice would be taken against her will in the morning. It would be far too difficult to help his sister escape.
But a deception at night could work, especially if Taryn remained behind in Carice’s place. The soldiers might believe it for a few hours, if she kept her face shielded.
He couldn’t fathom why he was even considering this. It would never work.
‘May I warm myself by your fire?’ Taryn asked quietly.
He decided it was best to consult Carice in this, for it was her decision to make. ‘I will take you to my sister’s chamber, and you may warm yourself there,’ he told her, ‘but she has been ill and is resting. If she awakens, you may ask her what she wants to do.’
‘I would think she’d be relieved and eager to help me.’ Taryn’s mouth twisted. ‘Especially if she can somehow avoid the marriage.’ There was a faint trace of unrest in her eyes. For all her bravado, this woman was afraid of Rory Ó Connor.
He led her up the stone staircase and when they reached the top, he blocked her way. ‘I will let you meet my sister. But if Carice refuses to let you travel with us, you’re going to leave.’ He would find another way of helping his sister escape the marriage—even if it meant carrying her out of the fortress in the middle of the night.
Taryn nodded slowly in agreement, though he suspected she would not give up that easily. Killian knocked upon his sister’s chamber and heard her weak reply, ‘Come in.’
He pushed the door open and found Carice curled up on her side, her strained expression revealing her pain. The room smelled of sickness, and it was clear that she hadn’t managed to eat the bread that her maid had brought.
‘Leave us,’ Killian told the serving girl. She obeyed, glancing at Taryn as she did. After the girl was gone, he went to Carice’s bedside. ‘I’ve brought someone to meet you. There has been a change in our plans since we last spoke.’
Taryn remained on the far side of the room, but he beckoned for her to draw nearer. When she did, she held her hair against her cheeks, hiding the scars. Though he understood why she did it, it bothered him. His sister was not the sort of person who would judge someone by her appearance.
Upon the foot of the bed, a smoke-grey cat arched his back and stretched, clawing at the coverlet. Harold began purring and jumped down, rubbing against Killian’s legs. He scratched the cat’s ears and lifted Harold up, giving the animal affection before he sat beside his sister. By the Rood, she looked weary and frail.
Carice opened her eyes and looked first at Killian and then at Taryn. ‘I have seen you before,’ she said to Taryn, her voice barely above a whisper. Her fingers dug into the sheets as if another stomach cramp plagued her. ‘You are Lady Taryn of Ossoria.’
Taryn nodded. ‘I am, yes.’ Even with her hair shielding her face, she held herself back, keeping a goodly distance from both of them. Killian sensed that she was nervous.
‘Why have you come?’ His sister struggled to sit up, and Killian assisted her, propping up a pillow behind her shoulders.
Taryn glanced back at him, as if questioning whether or not she should tell Carice everything. He nodded for her to continue. ‘Tell her.’
‘I know you are betrothed to the High King,’ Taryn said. ‘My father is the High King’s captive, and I cannot let him die as a prisoner. I must get close in order to save him, and I...I wanted to accompany you to Tara.’
Carice stared at the young woman as if uncertain what to say. The cat jumped down from the bed again, padding towards Taryn. The moment he approached, she tensed and moved aside to avoid him. Harold responded by purring and nudging her legs, but Taryn wouldn’t even look at the animal.
‘King Rory’s men arrived less than an hour ago,’ Killian told his sister. ‘They want you to journey to Tara in the morning.’
‘They what?’ Horror came over his sister’s face. She glanced towards the door as if trying to think of an escape. ‘So soon?’
He squeezed her hand in quiet reassurance. ‘I haven’t forgotten my promise, Carice. Trust in me.’
Taryn came closer. ‘I will help you to avoid the marriage,’ she told the other woman. ‘I could disguise myself in your clothing until you’ve managed to leave. And then Killian will bring me to Tara in your place before anyone knows you have gone.’
Killian studied his sister, who had laid her head back down. God above, he wished he could take this suffering from her. She should have had a life before her, marriage and the children she wanted. Instead, every moment was filled with pain.
‘What do you want to do, Carice?’ he asked, gently touching her cheek.
His sister let out a weak smile. ‘It seems that Fate has changed our plans, doesn’t it, Killian?’ She closed her eyes for a moment. ‘While I understand your offer, Lady Taryn, I fear it cannot work. My father would never allow us to carry out such a deception, much less an escape.’ She reached out a hand to the cat, who came closer and rubbed his head against her fingers. ‘If the King’s men are here, my father will insist upon accompanying me.’
The desolate weariness on her face was like a blade in Killian’s chest. If she had to leave with the High King’s men, it would end her life even faster.
He wanted to plead with Brian to end the betrothal, but the chieftain was blind to his daughter’s illness, believing that she would overcome it. He wanted Carice to be Queen of all Éireann, no matter what the cost. If these men wanted her to leave with them, Brian would send his daughter.
‘Your father doesn’t have to know,’ Taryn said. ‘Let him believe that I am merely accompanying you to your wedding. No one will suspect anything if you begin the journey at my side. We could travel in a litter, and then you can slip away at night. If I remain hidden, it would give you time enough to flee. Perhaps my guard could take you wherever you want to go.’
His sister took a shaky breath. To Taryn, she admitted, ‘What you are suggesting is dangerous. If I do escape, when you arrive at Tara, the High King’s men will tell him what happened. You would be punished for deceiving his men.’
‘It is a risk,’ Taryn agreed. ‘But I am willing to try, for my father’s sake.’
‘And what if the High King demands that you take my place?’ Carice asked. ‘You are Lady of Ossoria, after all. What if he forces you to marry him?’
Taryn’s face reddened, and she shook her head. ‘He would never wed someone like me.’ She fingered the ends of her hair, and Killian knew why. She didn’t want anyone to see her features. And though he could demand that she show his sister the scars, he was holding back her secret. There was no need to voice what both of them knew. The High King of Éireann would never accept a scarred woman as
