The Anguish of the Scottish Lairds (Clans of Mull #3)

Kelvan

Kelvan stood on the parapets of Mingary Castle near Kilchoan in Ardnamurchan, catching sight of the small galley ship headed toward him. It was too small to be from Europe, so it had to be his men near Mull.

As soon as word reached him about the green meadow faery and the wee laddie with special powers, he arranged everything just the way he wanted. He’d arranged to have men on Ulva, Coll, and Mull, all ready to do his work. He’d had Egan at Drimnin and Garvie on Ulva, but some chieftain had taken care of Egan for him. And Garvie had gotten too arrogant, so his death was no true loss either. He’d found someone to take his place in less than a day. A younger man who did whatever was asked of him.

It didn’t matter. Egan had been past his prime and had gotten too far along in his years. And Garvie’s temperament was too explosive. He’d become more of a hindrance than an asset. The only true loss had been the old couple who’d watched over the bairns. That had upset him because they were harder to replace. The woman had treated the bairns as if they were her own, but when the entire incident with Egan and his men had taken place, someone had located the couple and set them free. This was a huge loss because it wasn’t easy finding someone to care for bairns.