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of the cottage just as he stepped out from behind the door. The wide-eyed look on his face radiated an elation she could not put into words. He grabbed her in his arms and twirled her around in the air. When he lowered her feet to the ground he cupped her face in the palms of his hands and kissed her hard.
    “Ah, Agatha,” he said, touching her face as if putting it to memory. “You are the most beautiful sight in the world. I could drown in your eyes. They are the most incredible shade of green I have ever seen.”
    Màiri stepped back from him, realizing it was already too late to run. “You can see?”
    “Aye. I can see! I am na longer blind.”
    Màiri cast a glance to Kenneth standing at the side of the cottage. One hand rested on the hilt of his sword, the other on the dagger at his waist. Blind, Iain MacAlister had been a threat only to Màiri’s heart. Now he was a much more dangerous adversary.
    If he discovered her identity, she would have saved his life only so Kenneth could take it.

     

Chapter 4
    Iain led their tiny procession through the Scottish countryside, following a bubbling stream that would eventually take them to the convent. No matter how often he turned around to look at her, she did not look any more rested than before. Her expression seemed more drawn, her complexion more sallow, and the circles beneath her eyes a little darker. The worry etched on her face did not go away, but seemed more defined with each rise they topped.
    Kenneth stayed at her side, his hand resting on the hilt of the dagger at his waist while his gaze constantly scanned the surrounding groves of trees as if searching for unsuspecting hiding places. The shared looks that passed between them seemed strangely reminiscent of a silent reassurance, claiming each safely covered step a milestone accomplished. It seemed as if they both worried more about a danger they would recognize than the faceless brigands who had left four of his fellow MacAlisters dead. Iain watched the perimeters with as much caution as Kenneth. He would not be taken unawares again.
    They’d traveled since early this morning, stopping only once for their midday meal, but that had been hours ago. He’d noticed then that she’d eaten very little, picking at their fare of cold meat and bread and cheese with little enthusiasm. Now, the sun sank low as it began its descent and he looked behind him as Agatha rolled her shoulders then swayed atop her horse. The little sleep she’d gotten last night had obviously not prepared her for the long hours of traveling today.
    “Are you all right, Agatha?” he asked, slowing his mount until he rode next to her. Kenneth kept his hand on the hilt of his dagger while he checked the surrounding open space, but did not move away from them. Since Iain he had regained his sight, Kenneth had stayed at her side as if he thought she might need as much protection from him as from any unseen forces.
    “Aye, I am fine.”
    “You look weary. Perhaps we should stop for the night?”
    “Nay. We can go a little while yet. There’s much daylight left.”
    He felt his temper rising. “You are too tired.”
    “We must reach the convent by tomorrow.”
    “You are that anxious to start your life with the sisters?”
    She turned her face from him. “Aye. I am that anxious.”
    He followed her gaze as she watched a small squirrel scamper across the meadow then run up one of the huge, old trees on the edge of the dense wooded area to their right. He felt that, given the chance, she would not hesitate, but leap from her horse and follow the animal to hide in the forest.
    “Aren’t you just as anxious to get home?” she asked, turning back to him.
    “Aye. Only I wish I were na leaving behind me the graves of the four loyal friends who had traveled wi’ me.”
    The look in her eyes bespoke a regret he could not explain. “You should na have come here.”
    “I had na choice.”
    “It was that important to do the MacBride’s