Chapter 13
After leaving his father and heading to the library to look over the accounts, Lachlan found the peace and quiet a little stifling. He was still angry about his clan turning away from his own wife, but until she asked for his help, he had to respect her wishes.
It would be so much easier to decree that his wife was to be respected and loved by all.
There were reports from the villagers bordering Brisbane’s lands that a wild animal was stalking their livestock.
Tomorrow, he would organize a hunt with some of his men to try to track down the beast. There were also reports of damaged fences.
He’d have to see if they were the result of the wild animals or something else.
A knock at the door broke his concentration. “Enter,” he growled. He hated being closed off in the library. He was better at hunting and training than the mind-melting tasks of looking over reports and balancing accounts.
Adair walked in with a letter in his hand. “If that is another report, ye can toss it in the fire,” Lachlan growled.
The guard paused. “Truly?”
“Nay,” Lachlan sighed. “What is it?”
“Not a report, but a messenger from Fenton lands. The messenger rabbited away, so I assume that an immediate response isna needed. Perhaps the Laird is looking after his daughter?”
That surprised Lachlan. Despite Errol’s parting words, Lachlan got the feeling that the Fenton Laird didn’t care much about his daughter’s happiness. Stretching out his hands, he gestured for Adair. “Let us see what he wants.”
Breaking the seal, he unfolded the letter and frowned as he scanned over it. “It appears that Errol Fenton is eager to make sure that his daughter is well. He is planning on visiting in several days.”
“Already?” Adair growled. “’Tis barely been a week since the ceremony. What does he fear?”
“I doona know, but I suppose we will find out.”
Cursing the timing, Lachlan folded up the letter and tossed it on the desk. If Fenton was going to be here, he wanted to invite Gair as well. Not that he thought his friend would think he was conspiring behind his back, but he felt more comfortable having him here if Fenton was here.
“I want to send out a hunting party for whatever beast is terrorizing the pastures along the northern border.”
“That should be fine. Ye want to join us?”
Lachlan hesitated. He was itching to go on a hunt, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be far from the keep with members of his clan taunting his wife. “Nay. I trust that ye can lead them.”
Adair looked surprised, but he didn’t say anything. “Ye should know that yer wife is spending time with mine. Elspeth has been mute on their subjects of conversation.”
“Aye, I know,” Lachlan laughed. “Truth is that I am pleased that she has a friend. I believe that others have not been so welcoming.”
The guard looked awkwardly around the room and shifted from foot-to-foot. “Aye,” he said finally. “Many are not pleased that ye wedded a Fenton, but I suppose ’tis not her fault and we shouldna hold it against her. Will ye step in?”
Lachlan shook his head. “Nay. My wife hasna said one word to me even though they are salting her meals. I believe she wants to earn their respect, but I willna let this last much longer. I willna have my wife dining on salted foods.” He appreciated her curves too much to have her losing them because she couldn’t eat.
“Verra well. I still think ye should join the hunt. It will be good for ye to get the blood flowing. Ye have been tense since Quinn’s funeral,” Adair observed. “And I hope that ye doona mind me saying, but ye arena the type to rule from the keep.”
He wasn’t wrong. Lachlan wanted to see the predator himself. If wolves were moving in from the mountains, they would need to be more vigilant.
“I will see ye in the morning. I may join ye then.”
“I will see if Jamie, Doug, and Blaine will join us. Blaine has been off-kilter since his sister left. I think it will do him some good.”
“He has?”
Lachlan hadn’t noticed anything different with Blaine, but he and Kenzy were close. With Kenzy gone, Blaine was no doubt feeling her loss. Lachlan hated that Kenzy felt she had to leave, but he had no idea that her feelings for him ran as deep as they did.
“Perhaps I should go so I can spend more time with him. We can spare him if he wants the time to spend with Kenzy and make sure that she is settled.”
“I will ask. I am sure that he would appreciate that.” Adair smiled a little. “Quinn would have loved the hunt.”
“Aye. Far more than he would have enjoyed his wife’s father coming to visit.” He rubbed a hand over his cheek. “Will ye make sure that the patrol changes go smoothly? I need time to make a new change for Fenton’s visit. I want a heavier presence around the keep while he is here.”
Adair raised an eyebrow. “Ye doona trust him?”
“I am just being careful. ’Tis all.” The alliance was too precarious for him to voice his fears.
Restless after her unnerving lunch with Maggie, Sloane moved back outside to explore and clear her thoughts.
The sun was setting behind the mountains and the villagers were herding the livestock back into their pens and stables.
She’d met some of them during the wedding celebration, but not all of them knew her yet, so it was nice to see the flash of genuine smiles.
Resting against one of the posts holding the sheep, she glanced idly out over the fields. Scores of heather were growing wildly along the hill. Wishing she had a basket to gather some, she wandered over when a shadow swept over her.
“Have ye finally come out from hiding?” a voice said nastily. Sloane turned her head and frowned. “Do I know ye?”
“The name is Robina and ye certainly know my daughter, Isla.”
This was the wretched woman who would cast out her own daughter at her weakest moment?
“I have not been hiding, and I do know yer daughter. She is a wonderful woman,” Sloane said forcefully as she narrowed her eyes at the woman. Knowing that the woman hated her, Sloane studied her more closely.
As a younger woman, she’d probably have been quite pretty.
Older now, she hadn’t lost her beauty, but her age was etched on her face and it was more pronounced as she smiled cruelly.
Her long, thick blonde hair tumbled down her back.
It was strange to see a woman with her hair down during the day when she would have been working, but from her clean hands and dress, it looked like the woman hadn’t done any work that day which was even stranger since Sloane hadn’t seen anyone exempt from working.
Even Maggie and Freya helped in the keep.
“Perhaps ye should be. It might be safer for ye. I hear ye got yerself lost the other day. I would hate for anything to happen to ye.” There was a malicious gleam in Robina’s eyes that matched the tone in her voice and belied her words.
“I will be sure to be more careful.”
“Ye doona deserve to be mistress of our clan after what yer father did. ‘Tis disgusting what Laird Lachlan did and now, ye are meddling in affairs that are none of yer business! ‘Tis no wonder ye want to be friends with my daughter. Ye two are obviously cut from the same cloth!”
Refusing to engage in hateful banter with the woman, Sloane deliberately stepped aside. Moving around the hateful woman, she started walking away when she heard crying in one of the pastures.
Turning her head, Sloane gasped when she saw a small boy no more than three or four standing alone in one of the goat pens. It looked like one of the larger goats was getting ready to charge at him.
Those horns would puncture right through him.
Without thinking, Sloane picked up her skirts and raced down the path to the field. Behind her, she thought she heard someone calling her name, but she didn’t stop. She wasn’t sure that she would make it in time as it was.
When she reached the fence, she pulled herself over it and jumped.
Pain shot up her leg as she landed awkwardly on her ankle, but she didn’t stop.
Reaching the child just as the goat did, she threw herself over his tiny bottom and grunted when she felt the horns graze over her back.
Lifting her head, she saw that the goat was jumping in the air and ready to head back toward them.
“Put your arms around my neck,” she commanded the child as she got up.
Hurriedly leaping to her feet, she held the kid close and dodged out of the way just in time. Men were running toward the fence, but she didn’t think they would get there in time.
Knowing her only hope was to try and outrun the goat before it charged again, Sloane desperately moved back to the fence. Their shouts of panic told her that she wasn’t moving fast enough and she used all of her strength to throw the child over the fence into their arms just as she stumbled.
“Move!” Lachlan roared before he hurtled over the fence and reached her. The goat shied away at the last minute, and he hauled her up in his arms and carried her out. “Sloane. Sloane! Bloody hell, she is bleeding. Get me the healer!”
Blinking, she stared up at him. Where had he come from? “’Tis all right. I feel fine.” Staring down at her dress, she frowned. Blood was all over her dress and seeping onto his shirt. “Oh. That is blood. Is that my blood? The child? Is the child bleeding?”
“The boy is fine, Sloane. That is your blood.” He looked around the crowd angrily. “Why are ye staring? Healer! Now!”
At his bellow, she winced. He was oddly angry as he gripped her tight and carried her toward the keep. “Ye can put me down. Just because I am bleeding doesna mean that I cannae walk. And ye must stop yelling at yer people. ’Tis not verra nice.”
“Doona worry. The next person that I intend to yell at is ye. How could ye do something so reckless?” he growled. “Mountain goats are fierce animals. I am surprised that ye are not dead.”
A wave of dizziness passed through her and she groaned and clutched at his shirt. He would be furious if she passed out in his arms. “The lad wouldna have survived. I couldna risk it,” she said weakly.
Lachlan looked down at her and hissed. “Stay with me, wife. I willna be pleased if ye die.”
“I want ye to be pleased.”
With a snort, Lachlan carried her to his chambers and laid her down on her side on the bed.
She winced when she heard the ripping sound of the fabric of her dress.
She didn’t have many, although she assumed that it was probably already ruined with the blood.
She didn’t have much experience trying to wash blood out.
A look of relief crossed his face. “’Tis not a deep wound, but ’tis still a nasty gash. I ought to wring yer pretty little neck for this.”
“I might die if ye do that and ye just said that ye willna be pleased if I die,” she pointed out with a whimper. Now that she was lying down and feeling safe with Lachlan, she was starting to feel the ebb of pain grow.
“Hush, now. The healer will be here soon. I promise that I willna wring yer neck until ye have stopped bleeding.” Staring at her, he shook his head and stroked her hair. “I nearly died of fright when I saw ye with that beast.”
Shifting in the bed, Sloane winced from the pain. “Do ye want me to apologize again?”
“No, Sloane. Ye saved that boy’s life. Ye doona have to apologize for anything. His family is indebted to ye. We, as a clan, are indebted to ye.”
With wide eyes, she tried to shift again. She needed him to know that she hadn’t saved the lad’s life just to earn his respect or the respect of her people. That would have been horrible.
“Lachlan, I…” She winced as the blankets stuck to her. “I am bleeding all over yer bed.”
“Our bed.”
Someone entered the chambers and Lachlan looked up sharply as an older woman walked in. “Ah. Good. Ye are here. She has four gashes along her side and back.”
Sloane was about to tell them about her ankle as well, but Lachlan was already hovering anxiously and she didn’t want to make it worse. Instead, she closed her eyes and let the healer look her over. Once the woman saw that she was fine, she’d put Lachlan’s fears at ease.