Medieval Ever After (112 page)

“And your uncle William and young Will?”

“Unfortunately, William is not well enough to travel, and Will has his hands full with his new responsibilities.”

She nodded distractedly, her mind racing at the thought of all the preparations that would be needed in the coming days.

“I’ll have Agnes make up my old chamber, along with two others in the tower keep,” she said absently. “It will be tight, but I think we’ll all fit.”

“And I’ll assemble a hunting party later today,” he offered. “The castle stores are well-stocked, and with some fresh meat, we’ll have more than enough for a proper wedding feast.”

She brought her attention from thoughts of preparation back to him for a moment. “Is this why you’re training the men so hard? You want to impress your family and show them how skilled Loch Doon’s men are?”

His face relaxed slightly, but she didn’t miss the barest flicker in his eyes. “Aye, that’s it. As the youngest, I’ve always felt I had something to prove, as I’m sure you understand.”

But that wasn’t it. Or at least it wasn’t all of it. Uneasiness settled in her stomach, but she tried to mask her thoughts. What else was he keeping from her?

“Very well,” she said levelly. “I’d best go see to the preparations for our guests.”

He nodded, but his gaze searched her. She spun back toward the great hall quickly, hoping not to give away her doubts under his scrutiny.

As she slipped inside the doors to the great hall, she heard him barking orders once again to his men. Though she walked calmly across the hall in search of Agnes, her mind was in turmoil. Daniel wasn’t telling her something. Though it made sense that his family would want to gather for a wedding celebration, why would they come down during this hard, lingering winter rather than wait for spring?

Suddenly she realized that in a matter of days, she’d be meeting her new brothers and sisters by marriage. That thought sent her careening into panic. Would Daniel’s brothers and cousin be just as difficult and stubborn as he was? And what would the women be like? Would they embrace her, or would they think her odd and unladylike, as she often felt in the presence of other women?

Her mind swirled.

“Agnes!” she shouted up the spiraling stairs in hopes that her maid would hear her. “We have much to do!”

HIGHLANDER’S RECKONING

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Daniel eased his
aching, exhausted body into the wooden chair behind his desk. After a grueling training session with the men all morning, he’d selected a few of the sturdier lads to help him finish the repairs to the curtain wall.

Though his body screamed, he enjoyed the feeling of pushing his physical limits. And even though part of him longed to trudge downstairs and fall into his bed, he knew he could muster enough energy to savor every inch of Rona.

If she’d have him tonight
.

The dark thought cooled his blood somewhat. He’d lied poorly to her earlier today, and he knew she was suspicious. Hopefully the rushed preparations for his family’s arrival would keep her occupied enough for the time being.

He hated himself for such a thought, and for lying to her again—or rather, omitting some of the truth. But he wasn’t ready to tell her everything—that he hadn’t just been sent to Loch Doon by the Bruce to marry her and bring the castle firmly under his control.

Sieging Dunbraes would be time-consuming and difficult. But for all that, it would represent a major strike by the Bruce and the Scots against the English. Warren had held Dunbraes for so long and withstood so many attacks that to take the castle from him and the English would be a major coup. And to defeat the bastard Warren in the process—Daniel’s fists clenched in anticipation.

He needed his brothers and cousin close to help him plan the attack. Nothing could go wrong, and though he prided himself on his tactical and fighting skills, he wouldn’t let his pride get in the way of calling on his family for help. He trusted no one more than them.

And this mission was as secret as they came.

It wasn’t that he still doubted Rona’s loyalties. But he’d feared from the moment he arrived at Loch Doon that Warren’s allies lurked within the castle walls. Though he was a vile and coldblooded bastard, Warren was also smart. If the two scouts in the Galloway forest were any indication, he was likely keeping a close eye on Loch Doon. The less Rona knew about his plan to lay siege to Dunbraes, the safer she was.

A knock at the study door brought him out of his uneasy musings.

“Come,” he said brusquely.

Malcolm entered carrying a sealed letter. “This just arrived for you, my lord,” the thin young man said obsequiously.

Daniel waved him forward and took the letter from him. The wax seal bore no markings. Very like Garrick, he thought as he broke the seal.

Just as he’d guessed, the letter was from his middle brother. He scanned it quickly. In as few words as possible, Garrick wrote that they were in a village not far from Loch Doon and would likely arrive in a day or two. That meant Robert and Burke would probably reach the castle a few days later.

“Will that be all, my lord?” Malcolm asked.

Daniel rubbed his chin, considering the man before him for a moment.

“I think it would be best if you returned to Dunure to be with your Laird, Malcolm,” he said carefully.

He’d thought about Malcolm much in the past two weeks. The man possessed the knowledge that Rona had been sneaking into the woods to meet someone behind Daniel’s back. Though Malcolm had promised not to speak of it, Daniel still wasn’t sure how much he could trust him. With his family arriving, he needed to be sure that they could go about planning the siege against Dunbraes in absolute secrecy. Malcolm was watchful. And observant. Perhaps too much so.

Malcolm’s eyes widened. “But why, my lord? Have I not proven myself to you? Have I displeased you?”

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Daniel replied smoothly. “But I thought you would prefer to be at home with Laird Kennedy. Besides, surely now you can rest assured that Loch Doon is in good hands.”

Though a soft touch normally worked to soothe Malcolm’s pride, this time he seemed to grow more agitated.

“And if I wish to stay?”

Daniel considered him again. “Perhaps you are worried about the expense of traveling back to Turnberry,” he said levelly, though ice was forming in the pit of his stomach. “If that is the case, I assure you that I’ll help you in the matter.”

He pulled open one of the drawers on his heavy wooden desk and withdrew a pouch filled with gold pieces. He hefted it once, then tossed it to Malcolm, who awkwardly caught it. It was a small fortune, a hundred times more than the expense of traveling the short distance to Dunure in Turnberry. Daniel watched him closely for his reaction.

Malcolm’s face shifted ever so slightly in understanding—and resignation, for some reason. The second emotion puzzled Daniel, but at least the man seemed to comprehend that he was being given a bribe to ensure his silence about Rona.

“I think this will do the trick, my lord,” Malcolm said, all traces of deference dropping from his voice. Suddenly Daniel sensed that he was catching a glimpse of the man’s true character, and he tensed internally.

Slowly, Daniel rose from his chair and walked around to the front of the desk. He stood more than a head above Malcolm and was at least twice as wide.

“I’m glad that’s settled. I think it best for you to leave immediately. Tonight.”

Malcolm shrank back slightly from Daniel’s subtly threatening stance over him.

“As you wish, my lord,” he said in his old submissive manner. He backed toward the door with a bow and then let himself out silently.

Daniel exhaled and sank onto the edge of the desk. Had he imagined the subtle shift in Malcolm’s behavior? It had been fleeting, but Daniel got the impression that first the man didn’t want to leave, and then when he’d accepted the coins, a flash of hatred for Daniel had flickered in his eyes.

In all likelihood, Malcolm was still loyal to Kennedy. He probably simply bristled at the fact that he’d been forced to take orders from Daniel, the Highland barbarian usurping his Laird’s authority over Loch Doon.

But Daniel couldn’t shake the unease at the man’s almost imperceptible shifts. He was glad he’d decided to send him away. He could only hope that Malcolm would keep his mouth shut about Rona’s trips to the Fergusons’ cottage. It would be all too easy for someone to learn that she was flying a falcon reserved for princes and that her friend flew one allowed only for kings. Though he would do his best to shield her from the consequences should anyone find out, he didn’t know how far his protection could extend.

Malcolm stuffed the pouch of coins into his belt as he strode toward the servants’ sleeping quarters off the great hall. He collected what few personal effects he had, then crossed the yard and made his way to the postern gate.

The boats on the castle’s docks had been moored for the night, but one of his precious gold coins bought him a late-night ride to the village. Another coin secured an old horse from a bleary-eyed villager.

That was as much as he would spend, he told himself reassuringly. The rest was all his.

Instead of pointing the horse toward the northwest, where Turnberry lay, he guided the shaggy animal to the south. He followed the loch’s shoreline since the thin moon didn’t provide enough light to go through the forest. Once he reached the southern tip of the loch, he turned eastward. Toward Dunbraes.

There was nothing he could do about the fact that the Sinclair cur had thrown him out. Warren would just have to understand that. He’d fed Warren enough information over the last several months to have earned at least a little grace from the English lord.

If Malcolm’s reports on the Kennedy fool weren’t enough to soothe Warren’s anger at losing his inside man, he hoped his most recent discoveries would placate him.

The hours slipped by as Malcolm rode through the night toward Dunbraes. By the time he reached the imposing walls of the castle, he was exhausted. Still, his nervousness about Warren’s reaction kept him sharp. Once he’d identified himself to the guards posted on the castle walls, the portcullis was raised for him and he was taken to Warren’s chamber.

Malcolm could hear Warren’s angry curses as the guard posted outside the chamber woke his sleeping lord and told him there was urgent business.

“Come!” Warren bellowed through the closed door. The guard quickly exited, leaving the door ajar for Malcolm.

Malcolm entered the opulent chamber. The light from the candle the guard had left reflected off the dark polished wood and gilded ornamentation that filled the room. Warren sat upright in an enormous four-poster bed, a white sleeping gown his only clothing. Distantly, Malcolm thought it amusing to see the powerful, hot-tempered Englishman in such an informal setting.

Warren’s eyes scanned him for a moment before recognition hit him.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Sinclair sent me away. I think he was growing suspicious.”

“And you just left?” Warren shouted.

“He thinks he sent me back to Kennedy,” Malcolm said calmly. He’d never liked the bumbling, ineffectual Laird, even as a lad growing up in the Kennedy clan. When he’d been brought to Loch Doon along with several other clanspeople three years back, he’d made it a point to work his way into the Laird’s good graces for no other reason than to steal coins here and there behind his back. Kennedy was so impotent at managing the castle that he never even noticed the consistent imbalance in the ledgers.