Still wearing the breeches, the laced-up leather boots, and the tunic she had worn when she and Maccay had gone fishing early that morning, Alis paced back and forth. Six steps one way and six steps the other. She nibbled on her fingernail, trying to make sense of it all. Her head pounded and she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling, even when she clasped them together in front of her chest.

Looking for an answer though none presented itself. Her anger at Maccay had evaporated the moment he had stepped between her and that intimidating Clyde McGregor.

She tried to understand the situation from the perspective of the Duncans. The arrival of Clyde McGregor might seem suspicious to them, but she didn’t know them or their history. While she was aware of the animosity between the clans, she didn’t know their history above or beyond what Maccay had told her.

Apparently, the McGregor and Duncan clans had been sworn enemies for generations. Why, she didn’t know, nor did she think it mattered.

Nevertheless, she had felt a visceral reaction to the sight of Clyde McGregor. She wasn’t sure what had triggered it, his size, his voice, the surprised expression that had given way to fury? All she knew was that at that moment, she had never been so terrified. Nor so grateful when Maccay and Phillip had interceded on her behalf.

She still couldn’t get over the fact that they had, if albeit briefly, considered that she might be a spy. When she removed emotion from the question, she could understand, at least a little bit. If she were to be completely honest, she didn’t know either. More than anything she longed to remember.

The name Mairi didn’t trigger any internal sense of recognition. It didn’t bring back memories of her childhood, her parents, or friends or family. She didn’t feel like Mairi. She felt like… she felt like Alis.

How long would that last? The thought that the laird would make her go with the McGregors was terrifying. She resolved at that moment that if he did, she would run away.

She would rather risk death in the woods than be forced to go where she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to cause trouble or to trigger a renewed spate of violence between the McGregor and Duncan clans. Sarah was close to giving birth to her first child. The thought of something happening to her or to Heather, or either of the Duncan brothers, let alone Maccay, filled her with a sense of dread.

If she had to go with the McGregor, and she ran away from them, they wouldn’t blame the Duncans, would they? Then again, maybe they would. Maybe they wouldn’t believe she couldn’t remember any more than the Duncans had when she’d first come to them. Then what?

She stopped in the middle of the room and stomped her foot with frustration.

Why had Clyde McGregor come here? And of all the people who claimed her, why did it have to be an enemy of the Duncan clan? What could she do—

A knock at the door prompted her to freeze. Her heart dropped her stomach and she half- crouched in a frightened reaction, staring wide-eyed at the door, heart pounding.

“Alis, it’s Maccay. Let me in.”

A surge of relief passed through her body as she quickly stepped the door and allowed him entry.

Immediately after he stepped inside, she shut the door and stood with her back to it. She wasn’t taking any chances.

“What’s happening?”

Maccay turned to her, his expression somber. “Clyde McGregor and his companion are camping in the woods to the west. Patrick MacDonald and the Kirkcaldy sheriff, or whoever he is, are camping in the woods to the east.”

“So they’re not going to take me away?”

Maccay gazed down at her and she saw the concern and worry in his eyes.

“Phillip is trying to give us a little time. Besides, they need to answer a few questions. He wants some proof that you are who they say you are.”

“And if I am?” She didn’t like the fear she heard in her voice and straightened her shoulders. “If I am who they say I am, Maccay, I will probably have to go with them, won’t I?”

His silence gave her the answer.

She looked down at the floor, forcing herself to stay calm, blinking back a sudden warmth in her eyes before looking up. “I know this is a difficult situation, and I don’t want to put the Duncans in—”

Maccay again wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head.

She could’ve stood like this forever, enveloped in his strong embrace, listening to his heart thudding beneath her ear, feeling his breath against the top of her head. She relished the moment and tried to memorize every sensation, just in case she would never have the opportunity to do so again.

“There’s something you should know, Alis.”

She appreciated that he didn’t call her Mairi. After all, she was Alis.

“What is that, Maccay?”

He gently nudged her out of his embrace and gazed down at her, one hand under her chin so she could look up at him. She searched his eyes as he stared down at her. Her heart sank. She knew. She would have to go. She—

“I love you.”

She stared at him, surprised.

That wasn’t what she is expected to hear, but his words brought her great sense of relief.

Despite her worries, she could help the smile she felt lifting her lips, her heart, and her spirits. “I think… I know… I love you too, Maccay.”

He grinned and pulled her into his embrace again. She wrapped her arms around his waist, both of them reveling in the moment. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to feel his embrace forever; to know that she would be with him… but despite their proclaimed affection for one another, it didn’t change the circumstances.

Her cheek pressed against his tunic, she spoke. “If I am who they say I am, if I am truly the niece of the McGregor laird, I’m going to have to go with them, aren’t I? To prevent bloodshed between the clans.”

He said nothing and once again, her heart sank. What did it matter that she was in love with him or he with her?

“Alis, I promise you, I’ll do everything within my power to keep you here, with me, if that’s what you wish. But I also want you to know that if… if you want to go, I won’t stop you.”

This time it was she who gently pulled away from his tight embrace. “I want to stay here with you, Maccay, and the Duncans. Everyone has been very kind. I don’t know the McGregors and I don’t think I want to. That man unsettles me. If that’s what the McGregors are like, I want nothing to do with them. I don’t understand why I fear them, but at the same time I can’t let… I can’t let it be my fault if something happens. I can’t be the reason for renewed animosity between the clans.”

“There is no such thing as renewed animosity,” Maccay said softly. “Our clans have been fighting for longer than any of us can remember. It takes little to trigger bloodshed. Not that long ago, Clyde and Jake clashed. I would assume that’s why he’s here—he’s planning something, but we haven’t figured that out yet.”

“But why would he come here if there’s such open animosity between your clans? What could he hope to gain? If he’s already tried to kill Jake once and he’s after revenge, why would he come here? Why not ambush him in the woods?”

“I don’t know,” Maccay replied. “And that’s probably something the laird also wants to know.”

Alis hadn’t realized how secure and comfortable she’d grown living here with the Duncans, and in Maccay’s house, until it soon to be ripped away from her. Wasn’t it always that way? To become so comfortable with something and taking it for granted, only to realize what you had only when one risked losing it?

How did she know that… and why did everything have to be so complicated?

As she stood, securely wrapped in Maccay’s embrace, a myriad of thoughts raced through her mind. While she appreciated the fact that Phillip was trying to stall, and that for now at least, the McGregor was camped in the woods with his companion, how long could she possibly hope for a reprieve?

Who was to say that the man riding with Clyde wasn’t racing back at this very moment to McGregor lands to gather reinforcements? And when it came right down to it, why would she, a lone female, be so important to the McGregor clan that they would risk open warfare with the Duncan clan?

She was just a woman. Women weren’t a particularly important component in clan hierarchy. Again, she wondered how she knew that. But she did. Especially not a niece, potentially one of many to the McGregor laird. What was she? A convenient excuse to wage war?

“Who am I, Maccay?” she asked, not really expecting an answer. “They say that I’m the niece of the McGregor laird, but if so, why was I left in the middle of the woods by myself?”

“Now that’s a question that we all would like an answer to.”

They continued to stand as they were, arms wrapped around one another, not saying anything, both of them absorbed with their own thoughts, fears, and anxieties.

After a while, she forced her thoughts from our own problems and focused on Sarah and Heather. “What do you think is happening with Patrick MacDonald?”

“I don’t know.”

She felt the vibration of his voice rumbling from his chest and tilted her head, resting her chin against his breast bone. “I’m worried about Sarah and Heather. What kind of trouble can this bring to them?”

“We’re worried,” Maccay admitted. “And the simple answer is that we don’t know. Phillip and Jake married them legally, but gossip travels far and fast. It could lead to bigger problems in the future.”

“Why don’t you go see if you can find anything out? If nothing else, it might distract us, and me especially, from worrying about the McGregors. Anything is better than standing here, dreading what’s going to happen to me, or to us.”

Maccay leaned back and frowned down at her. “I cannot interfere with that issue. That is between Phillip, Jake, and Patrick MacDonald.”

“Not necessarily,” she said. “You think of Sarah and Heather as sisters, don’t you?” She didn’t give him time to answer. “I know that all of you are close, and Sarah told me that you, Hugh, Phillip, and Jake grew up together.” He said nothing. “Aren’t you curious?”

Maccay shrugged. “Of course, I’m curious, but I was told to stay here with you.”

She frowned. “I’d like to go sit with Sarah and Heather, if it’s at all possible. They’ve got to be worried sick. Maybe we could provide comfort to one another.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

“Why not?”

“For one, because the laird told me to stay here with you. And for two, as I said before, that particular situation doesn’t involve me. Or you.”

She stepped away from him, shaking her head. “Please, Maccay. It should be safe enough, don’t you think? The McGregors are camped in the woods. I really would like to at least see if there’s anything I can do for them, especially after everything they’ve done for me, and the support they’ve shown me.”

She felt guilty about it, but truth be told, if she had to stay cooped up in this small house much longer, she would simply collapse with worry. She needed to be doing something, anything to distract herself from her own problems, even if it was sitting with Sarah and Heather in an attempt to provide them some comfort. There had to be something that she could do other than sit here and wait for the axe to fall.

She said as much to Maccay. Finally, he seemed to relent and offered a deep sigh.

“Fine. But Phillip isn’t going to like it.”

“He doesn’t have to know,” she said. “Please.”

He gestured toward one of the hooks on the wall where a rough blanket cloak hung. “Cover yourself with that. We’ll go to the manor house, but if I get any indication that there’s trouble afoot, or if Phillip or Jake are there, we’re turning right back around and coming back here. Understood?”

She barely hesitated. “Understood.”

Alis looked forward to getting out of the house and doing something but the thought of Clyde McGregor lurking nearby had her nerves on edge. She and Maccay left the house, he in front, searching the grounds before gesturing for her to come outside. He grabbed her hand and held tightly. Afraid she would run? Or was it out of protection? She wanted to believe it was the latter.

“Maccay, what if—”

“Shhh,” he lifted a finger to his lips. “Let’s just get to the house as quickly and quietly as possible.”

His nervousness startled her.

It was at that moment that she realized what she was asking him to do. She tugged on his arm, prompting him to stop. “Never mind, Maccay,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go anymore. I’ll go back to the house.”

He paused and turned to glance at her over his shoulder, obviously confused.

She didn’t want to argue with him here and tugged again on his arm, heading back toward the house.

With a sigh, he followed. As soon as they were inside, he shut the door.

“What’s the matter? A minute ago, you were insisting that we go. What happened?”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “After we were outside, I didn’t… I didn’t realize that I was putting you into such a difficult situation.” He said nothing as guilt washed over her. “I was thinking only of myself. I don’t want you to get into trouble with the laird. I can wait. I’ll try harder to be patient.”

His expression softened as he let go of her hand and placed it on her shoulder. “I know this must be incredibly difficult for you,” he said. “I’ll go check on Sarah and Heather. If I see Phillip or Jake, I’ll ask if it’s all right if you stay with them at the manor house.”

“Thank you,” she said.

To convince him that she meant what she said, she moved to the table and sat down, folding her hands in her lap.

While it went against the grain for her to do so, she would wait.

It was difficult, but if he could do it, so could she.