Chapter 15
“M’Laird? Are ye in here?” Footsteps echoed across the stone floor of the castle’s arsenal, where Owen was making a list of the weapons in Clan Dunn’s possession. It was something he often did, so they would never be caught in a weakened position.
“Over here!” Owen called, recognizing Sawyer’s voice.
The man-at-arms skidded around the corner, clutching something in his hand. His face was ashen, aside from two patches of red in his cheeks, though Owen could not tell what had caused the flush: anger or exertion?
“There’s news, M’Laird.” Sawyer flopped down onto the bench where Owen sat, handing him two letters. “Ye must be popular, M’Laird. I daenae like it.”
Owen took the letters and wasted no time in opening them. He was not afraid of what they might contain, even if they hailed from Elias Spencer, for Owen had been expecting word from that English Earl ever since Heather had chosen to ride north.
Ye cannae have her back, ye wretch. I cannae give her up.
Aye, it’ll be her choice, but it’ll break me heart if she leaves.
Owen could understand how his actions with Heather might be perceived as revenge of the pettiest kind, but they could not see into his mind or his heart.
If they could, they would know his affections were genuine, as was his hope to marry her one day.
Laird Dunn,
I consider this a letter of courtesy, though you deserve none. You must have thought you had escaped my wrath, but you have only stoked it by your despicable actions.
Indeed, I would have written sooner, but I thought it best that you were given the chance to remedy your grave mistake. As you have not, you leave me with no choice: you will pay dearly for kidnapping my daughter, just as you will pay for killing my beloved son.
This is not a warning. This is a promise.
The Earl of Gallagher
“At least he was concise,” Owen muttered, scrunching up the letter.
Sawyer cast him a concerned look. “Was it the Earl?”
“Aye, of course.” Owen sighed. “He’s threatenin’ me. He disnae say how or when, but we can likely expect an attack. Have the guard strengthened and send scouts into the forest, so we’re nae taken by surprise. Ye never ken with these Sassenachs—he might’ve sent this from a few miles away.”
Sawyer nodded stiffly.
“Speak yer mind, Sawyer,” Owen said, having no patience for stoic silence.
The man-at-arms swept an anxious hand through his hair. “Do ye regret bringin’ the lass with us?”
“Nae at all,” Owen replied without hesitation.
“Can ye fathom what he would’ve done to her if we’d left her?
At best, he’d have kept her imprisoned in her room for the rest of her days.
At worst, he’d have beaten her bloody. It wouldn’ae be the first time a father has punished a daughter so severely that she’s lost her life. ”
Sawyer unleashed a huff of frustration. “Och, we should’ve pretended to kidnap her back then, so she could’ve gone back and claimed she had naught to do with it.”
“Do ye think he would have treated her any differently?” Owen challenged. “He’d have howled at her, claimin’ she’d been dishonored, and she would’ve met the same fate.”
Sawyer raised an eyebrow. “Has she been dishonored? I mean, in the most honorable sense of the word.”
“That’s none of yer business,” Owen chided, but his expression no doubt gave him away, for Sawyer began to grin.
“Och, ye devil! Have ye fallen for the lass, M’Laird?” Sawyer clapped his hands together in excitement. “That changes everythin’, M’Laird. If ye love the lass, then I’ll be the first to celebrate ye bringin’ her here!”
Owen swallowed uncomfortably. “We havenae confessed love to each other, but… I want to take her as me wife.”
“M’Laird! Do ye ken how relieved everyone will be?
” Sawyer punched his Laird lightly in the arm.
“The whole Clan were thinkin’ they’d never see any of yer bairns runnin’ around to secure the Clan’s future.
Even though she’s a Sassenach, they’re goin’ to welcome her as one of their own if ye reveal that! ”
Owen shook his head. “Until this unpleasantness with her faither has been remedied, I cannae reveal me intentions to the Clan. So, ye best nae say a word about it.”
“Me lips are sealed.” Sawyer drew his fingertips across his clamped mouth.
Owen did not believe a word, for Sawyer was a known gossip. Indeed, that was precisely why Owen had told him the truth, for he hoped that the news would filter slowly through the Clan. That way, the shift in demeanor toward Heather would be gradual, and she would not suspect anything strange.
I hope ye’ll adore her as much as I do, just as I hope she will nae be leavin’ us.
He smiled, thinking of her and their exploits the previous night.
He could still hear her gasps of pleasure, though if he concentrated on them too eagerly, he would find himself awkwardly hiding the stirring of his loins.
As such, he turned his attention back to Sawyer, who was beaming from ear to ear.
“Look at ye, grinnin’ like the cat that got the cream!
” Sawyer cheered. “Och, I didnae ken it was love, M’Laird.
Ye should’ve said sooner. I’ve been cold as snow-covered bollocks toward her.
From now on, she’s gettin’ the Sawyer Connelly that this Clan adores.
I’ll have her laughin’ so hard she squirts milk from her nose. ”
Owen narrowed his eyes. “Ye’ll warm to her slowly, and ye will nae be makin’ her laugh.
Ye’ll treat her as ye’d treat any future Lady Dunn, with respect and dignity.
” He paused. “Though, I’d ask ye to keep watch over her when I cannae.
I daenae want her to ken her faither might be comin’, so if she ventures outside the castle walls, daenae take yer eyes off her. They might try to kidnap her.”
“Ironic,” Sawyer muttered, his enthusiasm deflating. “What does the other letter say?”
Remembering there was a second, Owen unfolded it more cautiously. Now, he feared what it said, in case it announced that the Earl and his Englishmen were at the gates already.
Would he really be foolish enough to march an army up here after a war has just ended? He prayed not.
To his fleeting relief, the second letter was not from Elias.
Laird Dunn,
Apologies for the hurried nature of this letter. I am at an inn, writing this, in the hopes that it will reach you before I depart. I could not delay informing you, as I intend to ride north tomorrow at dawn.
I have news of William’s killer.
If you wish to discover more, you will also ride north as soon as you receive this.
Meet me at the White Hart Inn in the village of E—K.
I have it on good authority that it is not far from Dunn Castle, over the mountains.
I will wait for you there. If I have not yet arrived, I would urge you to wait for me.
This is not something I can reveal in a letter, in case it is intercepted.
With this information, I believe your innocence can be proven. However, if this information is correct, it will also reveal something far more troubling, which will require your aid.
I send this in good faith.
Yours Sincerely,
Brandon Watson
“Does this mean anythin’ to ye?” Owen showed Sawyer the letter, pointing to the location that had deliberately been omitted.
Sawyer frowned for a moment, before his eyes lit up. “It has to be Erinkillie. E. K. It’s the only village over the mountains with those letters in it.”
In that moment, Owen thanked the heavens that his man-at-arms had been studious in his youth, for so many of his Clan were content in their illiteracy.
“Do ye think it might be a trap?”
Sawyer hesitated. “I cannae be certain, M’Laird, but I daenae think he’d have us ride to a Scottish village if he was goin’ to ambush us.
The villages in those parts are from the McVey Clan, so he wouldn’ae have a hope.
” He rubbed his chin. “Then again, it does seem somewhat suspicious that his letter came at the same time as Elias’.
It might be that they’re nae goin’ to ambush us, but they want ye out of the castle. ”
The McVeys were bannermen of Clan Dunn, but it was not much of a comfort to Owen.
Even if Brandon was not a spy or a double-crosser, the threat of Elias’ attack weighed heavy upon Owen’s shoulders.
On one hand, discovering the true culprit would free him from Elias’ wrath.
On the other, Owen could not leave Heather here alone until the real killer was revealed, one way or another.
“Saddle the horses. Three of them,” Owen instructed: his heart straining under the stress of what lay ahead.
“Tell the gray guards what is afoot, but swear them to secrecy. If Elias arrives, they’re to seal the gates and inform him that Heather is inside.
They’re to hold that position and that lie until we return. ”
The gray guards were Owen’s most skilled, elite soldiers.
Clad in gray garments, they were easy to distinguish among the rest of the castle’s forces.
And if anyone could be trusted to hold the castle in a siege state without faltering, it was them.
They would not protest or be swayed, for they were as loyal as they were talented.
Sawyer’s frown deepened. “Ye cannae be serious, M’Laird. Tell me ye’re nae thinkin’ of takin’ Lady Heather with us?”
“I have to,” Owen replied firmly. “I cannae risk her bein’ snatched while we’re away. Like ye said, there’s a chance Brandon might be trickin’ us to get me away from the castle. If that is the case, Elias and Brandon would never think I’d be daft enough to take Heather with me.”
Sawyer puffed out a weary breath. “Aye, but there’s still a risk in takin’ her with us. If Brandon sees her, and he isnae our ally, then he might try to kidnap her himself.”
“I can fight one man, Sawyer,” Owen chastised, feeling affronted. “Meanwhile, our army will contend with Elias. So, saddle those horses and inform the gray guards. I’ll tell Heather meself.”
With urgency crackling in the air, the two men left the arsenal together, before parting ways to undertake their respective tasks. It eased Owen’s nerves, somewhat, that Sawyer had not continued to protest. Evidently, he had come to realize it was their only choice, too.
“Ye better nae be a lyin’ bastard, Brandon,” Owen hissed, as he marched toward Heather’s chamber. He knew she would be there, for they had not slept until the early hours of the morning. While he had been forced to rise and perform his duties, she had the luxury of being allowed to sleep late.
Ye’re nae takin’ her from me, Elias. I daenae care if ye bring the entirety of the English army; I will nae let her go back to ye, ever again.
His throat constricted, thinking of the future she might have if she was dragged back to Gallagher Castle.
Whether Elias beat his daughter or imprisoned her, it was no future at all.
“Please be what I’m prayin’ ye are, Brandon, and nae what I suspect ye are,” Owen softened the venom of his whispered hiss, for all of their futures now rested in what sort of man Brandon turned out to be.