27 AS YE WISH
THE MORN OF Bealtunn dawned dark, wet, and misty.
The murky weather matched Liza’s mood. She’d awoken out of sorts. Nonetheless, she put it all aside and greeted her sisters and Craeg with a warm smile when they joined her in the laird’s solar to break their fasts.
They ate wedges of bannock, fresh off the griddle, smeared with butter and heather honey, and drank cups of warm milk.
“Are ye well, Liza?” Kylie asked, her brow furrowing.
“Aye, thank ye,” she replied briskly. “I slept badly last night, that’s all.”
“Ye are as pale as a bucket of whey,” Makenna added.
“Don’t fuss,” Liza replied, dismissing both her sisters’ concerns with an airy wave. She then glanced over at where Craeg was eating bannock, all the while watching his mother warily. Ever since the incident with Rankin, he’d been slightly withdrawn, nervous even.
And marking the worry in his eyes, Liza’s chest constricted. Her fingers then tightened around her butter knife. “Are ye looking forward to seeing the Bealtunn fire, mo laochain?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “Will it rain?”
Liza sighed, glancing out of the window, where the mist wreathed like smoke. “Hopefully not … and a bit of fog won’t stop us from lighting the fire.” She paused then, favoring him with a reassuring smile. “Or eating cakes dripping with butter and honey.”
To her relief, her son’s mouth curved, excitement sparking in his eyes.
“Aye, and there will be music … and dancing,” Kylie said. “Will ye do a lively step dance with me, Craeg?”
“Aye!” he cried.
“Och, who cares about dancing,” Makenna replied with a snort. “What I’m looking forward to is a large cup of hot caudle.”
Caught up by his aunts’ enthusiasm, Craeg squealed, and something unfurled inside Liza’s chest. Her sisters’ arrival had been ill-timed, but there was no doubt that Craeg loved having his aunts here. Fortunately, Kylie and Makenna had both respected her time, allowing her to attend to daily business without making demands on her. Their only crime was their tendency to fuss like two over-protective mother hens.
Buttering her piece of bannock, she then helped herself to some honey and took a bite. As usual, the griddle scone was crumbly and delicious. However, despite that she’d just reassured Craeg, Liza’s appetite was poor this morning.
And she knew the reason.
Alec.
She pulled herself up sharply then. No. He had to remain ‘Rankin’ to her. She had to stay strong. The trouble was, she’d grown to genuinely like and trust him—aye, she admitted it. After Leod, she’d thought she’d never let another man in—but it would be so easy to fall for the pirate, to lose herself in him.
But she couldn’t, not if she hoped for Loch to take her seriously. Vulnerability was a dangerous thing for a woman in her position.
After breaking their fasts, Liza suggested the four of them take a walk together. Mist still wreathed around Moy, but she was eager to stretch her legs and clear her mind. She had to pull herself out of the mire of her own thoughts. The past days had been a flurry of activity—and with Rae Maclean following her around, she’d spent too little time with her family.
Makenna especially was enthused about the idea. Her sister was restless by nature and used to spending her days working in the Meggernie Guard.
Donning cloaks, lest the mist should deteriorate into rain, the three sisters and Craeg exited the tower house. They were crossing the barmkin when Liza spied Captain Rankin talking to one of the guards by the gate.
Her belly betrayed her by going into a steep dive at the sight of him. Irritation knifed her a moment later, and she clenched her hands by her sides. Just a glimpse of him made her feel as if she were teetering on the edge of a precipice, but she couldn’t have it.
“Lady Maclean,” he acknowledged her before nodding to Liza’s sisters. “Off for a stroll?”
“Aye,” she replied briskly.
“I shall join ye with some of my men.”
“There’s no need, Captain … we have Makenna with us.” Indeed, her sister carried a longsword at her side and a dirk at her hip. “And fear not … we won’t stray far.”
Rankin’s mouth quirked at this, although his gaze remained unreadable. “As ye wish.”
Her breathing grew shallow, longing twisting deep in her chest. They were the same words he’d said before leaving the solar the night before.
As ye wish.
Lord, what she truly wished for was to go to him, to have him enfold her in his arms as he’d done before the hearth. His whispered words had soothed her bruised soul, and his kiss had made her yearn for closeness.
No . She yanked herself up short. Hold fast.
Taking hold of Craeg’s small hand, she swept him away, trying to ignore the look of awe on her son’s face as he stared up at Rankin. It seemed that their play fight—far from cowing him—had merely stoked his fascination with the Captain of the Guard.
Outside the castle, Liza slowed, for Craeg’s wee legs were having trouble keeping pace with her. Her sisters easily caught up with them, and she let go of Craeg’s hand, as he wished to go to Makenna. Watching the way he capered and squealed as her sister tried to catch him made a smile tug at Liza’s mouth.
He’d miss his aunties when they went. And she would too.
She fell in step with Kylie then, and the two of them drew slightly ahead on the path that led east on the edge of the pebbly shore. Mist swirled across the dark waters of Loch Buie. It was a beautiful, yet eerie, sight.
Eventually, Kylie broke the companionable silence between them. “Do ye wish to speak about it?”
Liza cut her a look. “About what?”
“Ye and Rankin.”
Heat flushed over Liza. “I don’t know what ye mean,” she replied, even as her voice caught.
Kylie gave a soft snort. “Liar. I’ve seen the way he looks at ye sometimes … and the way ye watch him when ye think no one’s looking.”
Liza stumbled. Righting herself, she flashed her sister a scowl, even as her pulse bolted. Mother Mary, had Kylie been listening to servants’ gossip? Pushing this disturbing thought aside, she met Kylie’s eye. “Don’t worry … nothing will come of it.”
Her sister gave an approving nod. “A wise choice … having an affair with the Captain of the Guard would undermine ye.”
“I’ve made it clear there can never be anything between us,” Liza assured her. “I can’t let anything … or anyone … put my lairdship at risk.” She pulled a face. “Rae Maclean is looking for a reason to damn me, I’m sure.”
Kylie considered her words, her brow furrowing. “Rae doesn’t seem the malicious sort.”
“Maybe not … but the clan-chief wants him to assess my ability to lead … and I’m worried I’m not doing a good enough job.”
Kylie snorted. “Nonsense. Since we arrived here, ye have been tireless. Rae will have noted how generous ye have been with the villagers, and the repair work ye have undertaken.”
“Aye … but is it enough?”
“I hope so … ye deserve some happiness, dear sister.”
Kylie’s words made Liza’s throat constrict, and when she noted tears glittering in her sister’s oak-colored eyes, she linked her arm through hers and squeezed gently. “I have neglected ye and Makenna since yer arrival here … and I’m sorry.”
“Ye have been busy.”
“Aye, but yer life hasn’t been easy either.”
“No,” Kylie admitted softly. “It hasn’t.”
Liza viewed her sister closely then, noting the tension in her face, the shadow in her gaze. “Were ye and Errol really so unhappy together?” she murmured.
Kylie’s throat bobbed. “We were strangers by the end.”
“Really?”
“He resented me for being barren.” A nerve flickered in her cheek. “And it didn’t help that he sired three bastards in the local village … and everyone knew it.”
Anger knotted in Liza’s gut at these words. “Don’t ye dare blame yerself for his behavior,” she muttered. “The man wasn’t worthy of ye.”
Kylie’s eyes gleamed at her fierce words, and she blinked rapidly. “Thank ye,” she whispered. “It helps to hear that.” Her cheeks had flushed; she still looked on the verge of weeping. Liza wished they were alone so she could wrap her arms around her elder sister, to comfort her.
She was about to say something else when her gaze caught upon something up ahead, and she slowed her pace. “What’s that?”
Kylie’s step faltered as she peered into the wreathing mist. “It’s a man pushing a rowboat into the water.”
Indeed, it was. And as they drew nearer, Liza’s pulse quickened. Even with her poor eyesight, she recognized the burly figure with his unruly mane of dark hair and beard. He hadn’t seen them as he clambered into the boat and started to row away from shore.
“Ross Macbeth,” she whispered. “What’s he doing here?”
“Who?”
Liza didn’t reply. Her gaze shifted back to shore, to where another figure, long and lanky, clambered up the bank and disappeared into a hazel thicket. She drew to a halt then, the fine hair on the back of her arms prickling.
“Liza?” Concern laced Kylie’s voice. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure,” Liza answered, swiveling to meet her sister’s gaze. “But we must return to the castle … immediately.”
Alec’s gaze narrowed as he listened to Liza’s breathless words. He hadn’t expected her back so soon, but here she was, her cheeks flushed from racing up the path into the castle.
“Are ye sure it was Macbeth?”
“Aye,” she assured him. “But I didn’t get a good look at the other man. He was tall and lean though.”
Alec’s frown deepened. Unfortunately, many of the men who lived around Moy and Lochbuie were lanky.
“Did ye see Macbeth talk to anyone from the castle or village when he was here last?” Rae spoke up then, a groove etched between his dark-auburn eyebrows. The chieftain of Dounarwyse stood next to Alec, while the Highland collie he’d brought with him sat faithfully at his side.
“No,” Alec replied, casting his mind back. “Although he took an interest in the repairs to the east wall.”
“Aye,” Liza agreed. Her expression turned thoughtful. “And I caught him looking up at the guards.”
“Maybe he knows one of them,” Rae suggested.
Alec frowned. “If he does, none have let on.” Uneasiness shifted in his gut then. Of course, he hadn’t captained the Moy Guard for long. He didn’t know any of the men he led well, and most of them were new. What if Macbeth had friends locally? What if one of the Guard was behind that failed attempt at gaining entry to the strongroom?
Liza must have been thinking along similar lines, for her lovely features tightened. “He’s up to something.” She reached down to take Craeg’s hand as he joined her. “We must be vigilant over the next few days, Captain.”
“I will start asking a few discreet questions amongst my men,” Alec assured her. “And will double the watch on the walls tonight, just to be safe.” The lads would complain, for tonight was Bealtunn, and many of them were keen to join the revelers at the bonfire and enjoy the food and drink the lady laird was putting on for the folk of Moy and Lochbuie. However, it had to be done.
“In the meantime, I will take a stroll down the shore and see if there’s anyone else lurking in the mist,” Rae announced curtly, heading toward the gate. His dog trotted after him.
Irritation speared Alec’s guts. Curse Maclean, he’d been about to suggest that.
“I’ll come with ye, Maclean,” Makenna said, her gaze glinting as she moved toward Rae.
“As will I,” Alec muttered. Nodding to Liza, he followed Rae and Makenna out of the castle.