The sound of thundering hooves announced an approaching rider. Robert banged on the roof. The coach immediately pulled to one side and stopped.

Robert leaned out the window, and smiled at the rider who’d just pulled up. “Ah, Leeds. You’re early.”

Leeds patted his lathered horse. “Ye expected me, sir?”

“Oh, yes. Miss MacAllister gave you the slip.”

“Indeed she did, sir. Ye said to tell you if—”

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

“Three days ago, sir. Just as ye said it would, Aniston’s coach came fer her. And every day, she sent it away. The last day, she sent it off as usual, went back inside, and we ne’er saw her again.

“We thought she was still inside the George fer the day, but when she hadna come down fer dinner, I sent someone upstairs.” Leeds shook his head. “She was gone.”

“I warned you,” Robert said, feeling an odd mixture of irritation and excitement. He shouldn’t be excited, damn it.

“I don’t understand, sir. She made quite a point o’ sendin’ off the coach, tellin’ the coachman tha’—” Leeds caught Robert’s dry smile and broke off.

“That’s when she left, then. I daresay she sent the coach around the corner, then exited through the back door and went to meet it.”

“We were watchin’ the back door, sir.”

“Perhaps she found an open window, and met the coach down the road, away from the inn. No matter. If she’s escaped then you can be damned sure we’ll see her again, for she’s heading to Balna-gown Castle, too. What sort of coach did Aniston send?”

“It was a light one, sir. Made fer travelin’ swiftly, no’ comfort.”

Robert glanced down the road behind them. “If she left three days ago, and if she has a lighter coach, she could catch up, though we still have a day or two before we need to worry. At least she’s behind us, and there’s only one road into Tain, the closest village to the castle, so she’ll have to come this way.”

“Aye, sir. I rode hell fer leather once’t I knew she’d escaped.”

“Good man.” Robert noted the man’s exhausted face. “Tie the horse on back and join Stewart on the box. We’ll stop shortly to spend the night at some ill begotten inn. Stewart seems to know every damp bed this side of the Argyll River.”

Leeds grinned. “Aye, sir.”

Robert settled back into his seat. He wasn’t the slightest bit surprised by the news. So you didn’t listen to a word I said, did you, Moira? Some things never change.

He should be upset, but he realized that if she hadn’t followed, he’d have been disappointed. Since their meeting at the George, he’d been plagued with memories of the feel of her beneath him on the bed. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see her delicious body stretched out on the coverlet—every delicate hollow, seductive shadow, and beckoning curve. Because of those memories, he’d found sleeping very unrestful, but far more interesting than usual.