The Laird of Stonehaven (27 page)

What would Graeme do when he learned about the annulment? Would he storm Castle MacKay? It was her understanding that the keep was impregnable. That knowledge and the king’s signature on the annulment document had sealed her fate.

She was lost.

And bereft.

And powerless. The spirits were no longer with her. Tears spilled from her eyes as she sent Graeme a mental message that she feared would never reach him.

Graeme prowled his bedchamber like a caged animal. Something was wrong. A burning sensation in his gut warned him of danger. Danger to whom? Did Blair need him? He shouldn’t have let her leave. The wail of the wind through the trees beckoned him, and he strode to the window. He feared he was going insane when he heard Blair’s voice riding the wind. Fear for his wife escalated.

How long would he have to wait before one of his men brought word of Blair’s safe arrival at Gairloch? Tomorrow at the very earliest, he supposed. Heaving a frustrated sigh, he left the chamber to join his men in the hall. Though Blair had been gone but a few hours, it felt like an eternity. Perhaps a game of cards or dice would take his mind off the woman he . . .

He halted, suddenly aware of the direction his thoughts were taking.

Could it be?

Did he love Blair?

His feelings for her were nothing like the pure, innocent adoration he had felt for Joan the Maid. What he felt for Blair was neither innocent nor pure. He wanted her with a yearning that nearly unmanned him.

Nay, he couldn’t let himself love Blair. The last thing he wanted was for her powers to return.

Blair awoke to the sound of laughter outside her tower prison. Disoriented, she was slow to recall everything that had happened the previous day. When full awareness came to her, a cry of dismay left her lips. She was her brother’s prisoner. Her Campbell escort shared her captivity, as did Father Lachlan.

Shoving herself to her feet, she caught sight of the food congealing on the tray and she recalled that she had refused to eat last night when Niall’s toady had brought it. She had, however, used the hot water and soap Gordon had brought with her food.

The laughter grew louder. Then the door flew open. She wasn’t surprised to see her brother and MacKay standing in the opening. She raised her chin to a defiant angle.

“I hope you are shaking in your boots. My husband will retaliate when he learns of this.”

“Ye no longer have a husband, lass,” MacKay said. “Ye’re free now to wed me. ’Tis as it should be. We will wed immediately.”

Blair squared her shoulders. “You canna force me to marry you.”

“Oh, aye, I can. Ye will wed me and gladly.”

“Exactly how do you intend for that to happen?”

“Do ye value the lives of yer Campbell guardsmen and that worthless priest?”

Blair blanched. “You wouldna dare!”

“I dare much, lady.”

“The king will punish you.”

Niall’s laughter joined MacKay’s. “Think again, Blair. The king is grateful to us for revealing treasonous acts against him and willna punish us for killing men accused of plotting his downfall.”

She sent MacKay a chilling smile. “Dinna you fear I will place a spell on you?” She pointed a finger at his privates. “Once I threatened to shrivel your manhood. I still can, you ken.”

MacKay shifted uncomfortably. “Dinna threaten me, lady. If ye attempt to place a spell on me, I will slay ye first, then the Campbells.”

Horrified, she blurted out, “Why do you want me?”

“Dinna flatter yerself. ’Tis not ye I want. I covet yer powers.”

“I possess no powers.”

“Liar!” Niall and MacKay shouted together.

“What exactly is it you want from me? How can my powers help you?”

“Once we are wed, I will tell ye. What I have in mind is not a difficult task for ye.”

“I willna wed you.”

“MacArthur,” MacKay said, “ye can begin executing Graeme Campbell’s clansmen immediately. I recommend ye start with the priest.”

“Nay!” Blair pleaded. “Father Lachlan is Niall’s own kinsman. Have you no heart?”

“Wed me and all will be well. No one will be hurt, and Father Lachlan can accompany the Campbells to their stronghold after the wedding.”

“I will go with you to your keep, but I willna wed you. And if you touch me, I will make you verra, verra sorry.”

MacKay shook his head. “Marriage is the only way I can keep ye with me to do my bidding.”

“Spare my escort and Father Lachlan, and I vow to remain with you until you have what it is you want from me.”

“Dinna let her trick ye,” Niall warned. “I say we execute the whole lot of them and force Blair to wed ye. ’Twill make her more amenable to yer needs.”

Blair pointed a finger at Niall and slowly moved it downward to his groin. Closing her eyes, she began to chant, aware that what she did was nothing more than a scare tactic. She could no more shrivel Niall’s privates than she could make the sun fall from the sky.

Niall must have thought otherwise, for he grasped his groin and let out a high-pitched squeal.

“Damn ye! Remove the spell.”

Aware that she now held the upper hand, Blair said, “Release Graeme’s kinsmen.”

“After we are wed,” MacKay repeated, forestalling Niall’s answer. “I need ye to use yer powers to find something that was lost long ago.”

Blair’s brows shot upward. Finally MacKay had given her a reason, though it didn’t satisfy her. What was he looking for? “I told you my terms. Though I willna wed you, I vow to help you locate what you lost. If I succeed, you must let me return to my husband.”

“Forget MacKay! Remove the spell!” Niall pleaded in a voice fraught with fear.

Blair stifled a smile when she saw that Niall was still clutching his groin. “Release Graeme’s kinsmen, and I will consider it.”

“Aye, anything ye say. I dinna want to be a eunuch.”

“Dinna be such a coward,” MacKay scoffed. “The moment ye release Campbell’s clansmen, our control over the witch is gone.”

“Ye’re a selfish bastard, MacKay. It wasna ye she put a spell on.”

“Nevertheless, ye canna release Campbell’s clansmen just yet. Ye can set them free the day following our departure. And be sure to send a copy of the official document dissolving Campbell’s marriage with them.”

“Remove the spell, Blair,” Niall cried. “I promise to release yer escort as MacKay directed.”

Blair pretended to consider Niall’s proposal. At length she said, “I willna wed MacKay, and I willna remove the spell if you force me to wed him.”

“Wed MacKay or not,” Niall said. “Either way yer dowry remains under my control. It shouldna be difficult to find what Mackay has lost. I promise yer escort will be released unharmed the day after ye and MacKay depart.”

“If you refuse to accompany me to my keep, the priest and all your men will be promptly executed,” MacKay added. “I dinna really want to wed or bed ye. I have a fondness for my cock. All I ever wanted from ye are the powers ye possess.”

“God’s nightgown, MacKay! Think ye I dinna value my cock? Make her remove the spell before ye leave.”

“Mayhap we should kill a Campbell or two,” MacKay said slyly. Then she will remove the hex she placed on ye.”

“Aye,” Niall readily agreed. “I will order it immediately.”

“Wait!” Blair cried. This was getting out of hand. The mind was a powerful weapon. Though she had done nothing more than chant a few garbled words, Niall had truly believed she had placed a spell on him. Now she had to make him think her powers were even stronger than he’d believed.

“If you harm even one of my men, I vow you will never perform as a man again. I offer instead a compromise. I will willingly accompany MacKay if you promise to release Graeme’s clansmen the day after our departure. Only then will the spell be lifted. If you renege, you will be permanently rendered impotent. You can depend upon it.”

Blair held her breath, watching Niall closely as he pondered her words. Everything depended on his belief in her magical powers.

“Verra well, I agree. Yer men will be released the day following yer departure . . . if,” he stressed, “I can still perform as a man. I will bed a serving maid before their release to make sure all is well.”

“You willna fail, Niall, that I promise.”

“Are ye ready to travel, lass?” MacKay asked, apparently impatient now that the terms had been set.

“Aye. The sooner we reach your stronghold, the sooner I can find what you lost. I wish to return to my husband without delay.”

“Dinna ye understand the king’s edict?” Niall said. “Ye’re no longer wed to the Campbell. I am yer legal guardian and keeper of yer dowry. Since no other mon in his right mind will wed ye, I care not where ye go or what ye do after MacKay finishes with ye. Return to Graeme Campbell and become his whore, if it pleases ye.”

Grasping her arm, MacKay forced her toward the door. “Our horses are waiting in the courtyard.”

“I want to take my things with me,” Blair said, gesturing toward the basket containing her medicines and the bag of clothing sitting next to it.

“Verra well. But hurry. I wish to reach my stronghold before nightfall.”

Blair retrieved her belongings, then followed MacKay down two flights of stairs to the hall. Niall trailed close behind. No words were spoken as they proceeded out the door. A dozen MacKay guardsmen milled about in the courtyard. Her own horse had been saddled and stood waiting.

MacKay gave the order to mount and hoisted Blair into the saddle. Blair grasped the reins as the party rode off at a brisk pace.

“Dinna forget your promise!” Blair called over her shoulder to Niall.

“Dinna forget yers!” Niall shouted back.

Anxiety and no little amount of fear rode Graeme. He shouldn’t have let Blair leave. What had he been thinking? He ought to have received word of Blair’s safe arrival by now, yet all he had heard were vague warnings that seemed to come from inside his head.

Heath clapped him on the shoulder. “Ye worry overmuch, Graeme. I am sure we will hear from Aiden today.”

“If I dinna hear soon, I will ride to Gairloch. Sickness or nay, I dinna trust Niall MacArthur.”

“Methinks ye have fallen in love with the wench,” Heath said. “She has bewitched ye as surely as ye live and breathe. I never thought to see the day ye’d be mooning over a woman. Ye changed after ye returned from France. Joan the Maid’s death affected ye greatly.”

“Joan is my past, Blair is my future,” Graeme said, surprised at his willingness to reveal so much to his cousin. He was struck by the realization that it was long past time to let the memory go.

“ ’Tis true,” Heath said, “ye love the lass, dinna ye?”

“I canna. I didna want to believe in the Prophecy, but Blair made a believer of me. She claims to love me, and according to the Prophecy, if her love is returned, her powers will grow strong and prosper. If she retains her powers, I canna stop her from using them. And if she uses them, people will continue to fear her. You can see the danger in that as well as I.”

“Willing or nay, ye love her.”

Graeme shook his head, refusing to acknowledge it.

“Och, ye have always been a stubborn bastard,” Heath said when silence stretched between them.

“I can wait no longer,” Graeme announced, abruptly changing the subject. “I ride to Gairloch to claim my wife. I want a dozen men armed and ready to accompany me within the hour.”

“As ye wish,” Heath replied, hurrying off to do Graeme’s bidding.

Graeme whirled about, nearly colliding with Glenda. “Out of my way, lass.”

“I heard what Heath said to ye,” Glenda confided. “I dinna believe ye love Blair. She has bewitched ye.” She sidled close, pressing her breasts against his arm. “Let me help ye break the spell. Take me to yer bedchamber now. I know how to make ye forget ye have a wife.”

“Dinna waste your time, Glenda,” Graeme advised. “I willna break my wedding vows. One of God’s chosen taught me the meaning of faith.”

“Ye’re a fool,” Glenda spat. “Ye should have wed me, Graeme Campbell. Everyone believed we would wed when ye returned from France.”

“You were the only one who thought that, Glenda.”

Pushing past her, he continued on his way.

“Ye’ll be sorry, Graeme Campbell,” she muttered. “Ye and the witch will be verra, verra sorry.”

Armed with claymore, shield and dirk, Graeme joined his guardsmen in the courtyard. Clad in identical Campbell plaid, they wore their bonnets sporting a sprig of rowan at a cocky angle.

“We will follow where ye lead,” Heath said, riding up beside Graeme. “We have been itching for a good fight.”

“I hope it willna come to that,” Graeme said tersely. “Mayhap my fears are for naught.”

So saying, he gave the signal to mount and preceded his men through the gate. As fate would have it, Graeme came upon Blair’s escort long before he reached Gairloch. His heart in his mouth, Graeme spurred his horse to meet them. His men followed.

“Where is Blair?” Graeme shouted, reining in sharply. “What happened at Gairloch?”

“Forgive me, Graeme,” Aiden replied. “I should have expected a trick. Naught inside the keep seemed amiss when we arrived. When MacArthur’s steward offered to show us to our quarters, we followed. We had no idea we were being led straight into a trap. ’Twas a battle we couldna have won no matter how bravely we fought. We were outnumbered, and disarmed and imprisoned in the dungeon.”

“Father Lachlan deceived us,” Graeme spat.

“Nay, he joined us in the dungeon. Here he is now.”

“I plead for your forgiveness,” the priest said. “I had no part in Niall’s machinations. If I truly didna believe him near death, I wouldna have come to fetch Blair.”

Graeme’s expression turned grim. “Where—is—my—wife?” he demanded. “I know only what Niall told me,” Father Lachlan explained. “He said to give ye this.”

He handed Graeme a rolled parchment. Graeme tore it open, fear settling deep in his gut as he perused the words.

“Damn the man to hell!” Graeme shouted when he came to the end of the document.

“What is it?” Heath asked.

“MacArthur and MacKay have convinced the king to set aside my marriage to Blair. The bastards! I’ll wring their bloody necks.”