Chapter Seventeen
Gregory entered Daniel’s solar right before Evan.
Once they were all settled in chairs, Daniel leaned forward and placed his forearms on his thighs.
“Two important matters, men. I need our warriors in top shape. Evan, I still want ye to go to the border, and Daniel, I am expecting the Gunn and the Sinclair to arrive any day.”
Gregory’s brows rose. “Indeed? What makes ye think so?”
Daniel leaned back in his chair. “I’ve had a couple of men watching the trails from both Clyth Castle and Sinclair Castle Girnigoe. One of the men reported back early this morning that there is a large contingent of men with both the Sinclair and Gunn banners only a day or so from us.”
Gregory let out a low whistle. “Do ye think they came to fight?”
Daniel shrugged. “I doona think so. My mon said there weren’t enough to forge a battle, but enough to ken they had something important on their mind.”
“My wife,” Gregory said.
Daniel nodded. “Aye.”
Evan glanced between Daniel and Gregory. “What is yer plan, laird?”
“I will see what they have to say. Why they would arrive without enough forces to wage a battle leads me to believe they have another method of taking Megan.”
Gregory snorted. “Let them try. I doona care what they come with. I’m no’ giving up Megan. She is my wife and will stay just that way.”
Daniel nodded. “I agree. I have no intention of turning the lass over no matter what information or method they arrive with.”
The laird slapped his legs and stood. “Just be sure our men are prepared for battle, even though I doubt there will be one.” He turned to Evan. “I will postpone yer trip to the border until the Gunn and Sinclair have arrived and speak their piece.”
Gregory left the solar more concerned than he had pretended in the meeting. The only way they would be able to take his wife was if they grabbed her when she was alone. Any other way would cause anyone who put their hands on her to lose their head.
As he headed to the list to work with the men, he thought about whether he should tell Megan or not. As an adult woman, she had the right to know, but he didn’t want to worry the lass if whatever Gunn and Sinclair hoped to do would be only speak with them.
It didn’t matter. No one was taking Megan from him. They were legally married by the church, so whatever nonsense The Sinclair thought he could get away with would never work. Otherwise, there would be a battle, even if he had to fight it by himself.
*
Two days later Megan entered the kitchen and came to an abrupt stop only to have what felt like a brick wall walk into her immediately. She turned to see one of the warriors behind her. “Is there something amiss, John?”
He shrugged with a guilty look on his face. “Nay. I was just going to see about getting a couple of oatcakes.”
She watched him go to the table against the wall and pick up two oatcakes. He smiled at her and walked toward the great hall.
It was very odd to see one of the warriors in the keep during the time they were to be on the list. She’d noticed how during the last couple of days she seemed to be tripping over warriors all day.
Later, when the keep doors were opened and the vendors piled in to sell their wares, Gregory left the list and walked up to her asking if he could join her as she browsed. She just looked up at him and stared, then shrugged. Things were strange, indeed.
*
It was the evening meal and Daniel, Beth, Gregory, Evan, and she sat at the dais, waiting for the lasses to bring out the food. They were all busy with conversations when a man hurried into the great hall. “Laird, they are here.”
Daniel, Gregory, and Evan all stood. Megan tugged on the cuff of Gregory’s léine. “Who are here?”
“Yer uncle and The Gunn.”
She jumped up as if to run away when Gregory grabbed her around the waist. “Doona go anywhere lass. Stay next to me no matter what anyone says.”
All the days of being guarded when the men were pretending they were not guarding her finally made sense. They must have known that Anthony and The Gunn were on their way.
“Ye kenned about this, dinna ye?”
Gregory looked down at her with an expression that she didn’t quite understand, but brought tingles to her stomach. “Aye, we did, but I dinna want ye to be worried about it.”
She placed her hand at her hip and smirked. “That was the reason for all the men following me. And here I thought I had become so bonny that I was attracting men.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Ye doona need any other mon but me.”
She patted his arm. “Aye.”
Daniel motioned to Gregory and Evan. “We will meet them at the gate.”
Megan grabbed onto Gregory’s sleeve. “I am coming, too.”
“Nay. Ye stay here.”
“Why? Ye ken why they are here. I should be allowed to speak for myself.”
“’Tis dangerous.”
She continued to hold onto his sleeve as he walked, running to keep up with him. “’Twould ne’er be dangerous for me with ye alongside me.”
Gregory came to an abrupt halt and looked down at her. “’Tis true, lass. I would ne’er let anyone hurt ye.”
She flushed and instead of trying to get her to stay in the keep, he took her hand. They linked fingers and walked together to the gate.
Daniel was already there with Evan alongside him, talking with Anthony and The Gunn.
“There she is!” The Gunn pointed at her. “My intended wife. I shall take her with me now.”
Gregory tensed and held onto Megan’s hand a tad tighter. “Ye have wasted yer time, Gunn. Megan and I are married, so she canno’ marry ye.”
The man whipped out a piece of parchment from his pouch and waved it. “This is a direct order from the king. Lady Megan Sinclair is to marry me.”
A bit taken aback by that news, he wrapped his arm around his wife as she whimpered.
Daniel stepped forward and reached out. “I would see that paper.” He moved back to where Evan, Gregory, and Megan stood. He opened it up and read it, then handed it to Gregory.
It was an order from the king that Robert Sinclair’s widow was to marry Laird Stephen Angus Gunn of the Gunn Clan immediately up receipt of this order and it was signed by King George II, with his seal upon the paper.
Gregory tossed it back to The Gunn. “’Tis no matter to me because Megan Mackenzie and I were married before a priest of the church a couple of weeks ago.”
“There can be an annulment,” The Gunn shouted.
Gregory grinned and looked down at Megan. “Nay, there is no reason for an annulment.”
All the soldiers standing behind Daniel, Evan, Gregory, and Megan drew their swords.
“As stated, there are no grounds for an annulment, so I suggest ye take yer men and return home. Megan Makenzie is a member of the Mackenzie Clan now and as her laird I will not permit her to leave with the two of ye,” Daniel said.
Gregory knew exactly what those words meant. Daniel had refused an order of the king and he must have known the two men trying to rip his wife from him would not let it go.
The two men now had the monarch behind them.
“I would offer ye food and drink, but considering what ye came here for, I doona trust ye in my keep.” Daniel placed his hands on his hips and studied the men.
“’Tis an outrage!” The Gunn screamed. He waved the order toward Megan. “Ye canno’ defy an order of the king.”
The men behind the Mackenzie clan members, who still had their swords out, moved forward. Evan spoke. “My men will see ye out of the castle.”
Even though the Gunn and Sinclair had men behind them, too, Sinclair turned and waved his men toward the gate. A wise decision since Daniel could empty out the men practicing on the list and slaughter the ones with Gunn and Sinclair in a matter of minutes.
Once they were gone, Megan turned to Gregory, her hands twisting. “What are we going to do? Will I have to marry The Gunn?”
Gregory took both of her hands in his. “Calm yerself, lass. No one will make ye marry anyone because ye are mine. He can bring the king right here and I will no’ let ye go.”
She burst into tears, and Gregory wrapped his arms around her. Daniel, Evan, and the other men left them and returned to the keep.