Chapter Six #2
Keegan finally noticed the injured guard, lying on the ground beyond several more men who either stood watching or helped hold him down.
“I hope he will recover quickly.” Keegan accepted a cold bannock from their cook, Oran, a tall hefty man with a short gray beard and a bald head.
“I need another bannock for Lady Seona.”
Oran nodded and handed him one. Keegan headed toward the bushes where most of the women were gathered. Apparently, Seona was behind a bush, dressing, with the help of her maids.
“Halt right there, Master Keegan,” Lady Patience said, her critical glance darting down his shirt-clad body.
Aye, he knew very well he was not dressed properly, but at least his private parts were concealed.
Besides, it could not be helped. He’d needed to give Seona his plaid for warmth.
They were in the wild Highlands and had just survived an ambush.
Men often threw off their bulky plaids to fight more easily in battle.
Keegan held up the bannock. “Lady Seona has not yet broken her fast.”
Lady Patience grabbed the oat cake from his hand. “I’ll give it to her.”
Annoyance drove through him. “I thank you.” He gave a mock bow, but waited where he was.
“That will be all,” Patience said, with a flick of her hand.
His annoyance grew into full blown irritation and he crossed his arms over his chest. Obviously, he wasn’t a laird, but neither was he a servant. “Lady Seona was cold, and I allowed her to borrow my plaid. Do you ken if she’s finished with it?”
Lady Patience narrowed her eyes and hastened behind the bush.
After a few moments, she returned, holding his plaid between her thumbs and forefingers as if it contained vermin.
Grinding his teeth, he snatched it from her and strode away.
He wanted to call her a vile name, but somehow restrained himself.
The lady had been like a thistle pricking his arse all winter, glaring at him when he merely glanced Seona’s way.
Somehow, he had to catch Seona away from her again and give her another lesson in knife fighting. And ’haps steal another kiss. Anticipation rushing through him, he suppressed a grin.
As he belted his plaid into place, Dirk approached him at a determined pace. “We have a problem.”
Keegan tensed, his attention focused. “What is it?”
“The coins are gone,” Dirk growled in a hushed tone.
Keegan frowned. “Which coins?”
“I told you about the money I was going to pay Lady Seona’s father for breaking the contract he had with my father. ’Twas a large amount.” Dirk lowered his voice further. “Five thousand merks.”
“Hell. One of the outlaws must have stolen it. Was it on Nolan’s body?”
“Nay. I asked the guard who brought his weapons to me. The bag of coins was in my tent, but when I took off after Nolan and Isobel, the money was left unguarded.” Dirk released a long, frustrated breath. “Now what am I going to pay Chief Murray with?”
Keegan thought for a moment, but had no ready answer. They were too far away from Castle Dunnakeil now to return and get more money. Nothing else they carried with them would be as valuable, beyond the horses. “Mayhap you won’t need to pay him,” Keegan suggested.
“Well… nay, I don’t have to pay him. ’Twas only an act of goodwill to keep peace between our clans.”
“’Haps the horse will be enough,” Keegan said, motioning toward the finest horse to ever come from the MacKay stables.
Dirk shrugged, then eyed Keegan. “Or… if you ask for Lady Seona’s hand and he agrees, no payment will be necessary. In fact, you’ll receive her dowry.”
A flash of excitement lit within him. ’Twas what Keegan yearned for more than anything. And he didn’t even care if she came with a dowry. “If only I could be so lucky.”
“Isobel and I will go with you to the Murrays’. ’Haps we can help convince her father.”
“’Twould mean the world to me, cousin.” Keegan smiled and shook Dirk’s hand, a thrill of exhilaration moving through him that he might have a chance with Seona.
He didn’t think she would be opposed to marrying him.
Of course, he hadn’t asked her. ’Twould have been premature.
But after that kiss, and the sweet but sensual way she responded, he was convinced she felt as drawn to him as he was to her.
He had to find out for certain.
∞∞∞
Haldane MacKay rode north across the moor as if the devil himself chased him. Although Dirk MacKay was not half as fearsome as a devil, he had a large force of men with him. More than Haldane had. That was why he hadn’t succeeded in his mission.
He hungered for revenge so badly he could hardly sleep at night.
That bastard, Dirk, had murdered his mother, and then taken the castle and chiefdom from his brother.
Aiden no longer wanted to be chief, so Haldane would take the responsibility off his hands.
’Twas what his mother and father would’ve wanted.
He would not rest until Dirk was dead.
Glancing back through the dawn light, Haldane saw only six of his men following. Donald McMurdo was right behind him. Gil and Finlay followed, along with the others. Two were missing. They must have been injured badly or killed.
Haldane paused, allowing the others to catch up.
“Where are MacLeod and Quinn?” he asked McMurdo.
“Nolan MacLeod got into the tent while I was trying to kill Dirk. When he noticed Nolan making off with his woman, he chased after him. That gave me a chance to get the hell out of there.”
“You didn’t kill Dirk. Furthermore, you ran instead of helping MacLeod. I thought you were an assassin.”
McMurdo spat on the ground and narrowed his dark eyes, looking as mean as ever. But Haldane was less than impressed with him at the moment.
“That bastard Dirk is big and a fearsome fighter. I doubt you could take him down, laddie,” McMurdo said with a smirk. “I’d wager Nolan MacLeod is a dead man about now. Dirk didn’t want his woman messed with. If you think I’m risking my life for that MacLeod whoreson, you’re wrong.”
“Never mind him,” Haldane snapped. He was no closer to achieving his objective than he had been yesterday, and now he was minus two men. “What about Dirk? ’Tis your job to kill him if you want payment.”
“Aye. I’ll kill him.” McMurdo nodded confidently. “We’ll catch up to them afore long. They’ll be out in the open and exposed for many more miles now.”
“I don’t want to follow too closely,” Haldane muttered, still annoyed that McMurdo hadn’t done what he’d promised.
But Haldane couldn’t kick McMurdo out of the group.
He was more experienced than any of them.
He’d taught them things over the past few months.
And he was the one who could most easily kill Dirk, given his experience.
“I’ve lost two more men. Only seven of us left now. Dirk has almost two dozen.”
“Aye, but we ken well how to be canny and wily. Nobody said we had to fight fair.”
Haldane nodded. “I like it.” He couldn’t wait to see what kind of crafty ideas McMurdo had in mind. The old highwayman had lived this long somehow, despite a life of crime. Haldane wanted to be like him, wanted to learn everything he could from him.
“I say we head south again,” McMurdo said. “Once the sun burns off the fog, one of the lads can climb the hill just north of their camp to see if the MacKay party has packed up and left. I’m thinking they’ll head out with all haste because of the ladies.”
The ladies. Aye. Haldane pictured Lady Seona and her lovely dark blue eyes. If only he could’ve lopped off Keegan’s head, he would’ve had Seona. She’d make a fine wife and lady of Dunnakeil.
Nolan had told him ’twas a long way to Teasairg Castle, where the MacKay party was likely headed. Lady Isobel had grown up there. Haldane and his men would have plenty of opportunities to attack them again. Next time, they’d use a different, more successful strategy.
“I agree. We head south.” Haldane glanced at the six men waiting around him, then kicked his horse into a trot.
Something jangled behind him as it fell to the ground. Sounded like a purse of coins. He stopped and turned to see McMurdo dismounting. He grabbed a leather purse from the ground and shoved it into his ragged doublet.
“What is that?” Haldane demanded, riding back.
McMurdo’s eyes narrowed and, for a second, he looked ready to run Haldane through. The man was intimidating, but Haldane held the upper hand; he possessed the thing McMurdo wanted most, including gold. The burial tomb in the church.
“Is that gold coins?” Haldane asked.
McMurdo let out a resigned breath. “Gold and silver,” he admitted grudgingly.
“Where did you get it?”
“I found it in Dirk MacKay’s tent after he followed MacLeod.”
“Let me see.” Haldane held out his hand. “Any MacKay money is my money, in truth, for I’m the rightful heir to the chiefdom and barony.”
McMurdo glared, his lip twitching in a near snarl, but he handed over the leather pouch. ’Twas heavy and it filled Haldane’s palm. He pulled open the drawstring to find it full of gold and silver coins. “Saints! ’Tis a fortune.”
McMurdo nodded. “Just a little more than I paid for my burial place in the church.”
“Since you turned this over to me, you will still have your beloved tomb. We can use this to hire mercenaries. With more men, we’ll be able to take down Dirk and anyone else who gets in our way.”
“’Tis a brilliant plan. If you can find skilled mercenaries. Not too many of them in the wilds of the Highlands,” McMurdo muttered.
“I’ll find men desperate for work. Have no worries.”
McMurdo shrugged and mounted.
Haldane was well aware McMurdo would’ve kept the money a secret, but he had to admit the old man was incredibly lucky and canny to have found it. Now, they but had to catch up to Dirk and his party again. A new plan was forming in his mind.