Читать книгу Claiming His Highland Bride - Terri Brisbin - Страница 11

Chapter One

Achnacarry Castle, Loch Arkaig Scotland

‘It took you long enough to answer my summons.’

Gilbert Cameron’s voice echoed from where he sat—at one end of the large hall—to the place where Alan stood near the entrance. Enough arrogance and anger filled that voice that anyone not needing to be in the hall for duty or interest scurried out through every possible doorway. No one wished the chieftain of Clan Cameron to turn his eye or his ire on them. As it now was on Alan.

‘Uncle, I came as soon as I received word,’ Alan said, walking forward. A few who yet remained nodded at him, careful not to let his uncle see their greeting. When he reached the place where his uncle sat, at a long table and in the high chair of the chieftain, Alan stopped and bowed. ‘My lord.’

Alan detested his uncle, though he’d made a vow that not through word or deed or curses whispered under his breath would anyone know. The curses now were aimed at his own stupidity for, indeed, delaying before answering the call when it did come. No encounter between them ended well and probably never would. Not since his uncle had become chieftain. Truly though, not since Agneis had married Gilbert Cameron.

‘Did The Mackintosh have you dancing to his tune then, Nephew?’ Gilbert sneered out the words. ‘So that you could not answer the call of your kin and chief in a timely manner?’ A few snorts and chuckles echoed around them as some of his kin joined in his uncle’s scorn.

‘I was not in Glenlui, Uncle,’ he explained in a half-truth. ‘As soon as I received your message, I rode.’ Alan watched his uncle’s reaction to his softened and almost respectful tone and saw the moment that the man decided to move on from scorn to...

‘I require your presence,’ he said, tilting his head towards the small chamber near the corridor. ‘Come.’

Alan followed his uncle and two others into the chamber used by the steward of Achnacarry Castle and waited for his uncle to sit. From the continued silence, he suspected the subject would not be to his liking.

‘I need you to accompany me south towards MacMillan lands.’

‘Knapdale is about four days’ ride, when I travel alone.’ He always travelled faster and better alone. Several questions sat on the edge of his tongue but he held them back, waiting for more about the task. Then Alan realised his uncle’s words—towards MacMillan lands. ‘Towards their lands or to them?’

‘It seems I must go to meet my betrothed,’ Gilbert said. Alan let out a breath and shook his head.

‘Betrothed, Uncle? I did not ken you were marrying again.’

The thought of it roiled in his gut. Another woman put to the not-so-tender mercies of a cruel man who ruled with cold regard for anyone but himself. The icy gaze that felt upon Alan then told him he had overstepped once more. The only thing he could do was draw Gilbert’s attention from his anger or sense of insult to the matter before them. ‘As I said, four days.’

‘Then, since I had to wait on your arrival, ’tis a good thing we will meet them halfway.’ Gilbert nodded at the others. ‘They should be near Ballachulish now and we can reach there in two days.’ Gilbert paused when someone knocked on the closed door. ‘Come.’

‘My lord, they are ready.’ The servant delivered his message and tugged the door closed behind his interruption.

‘We leave now,’ his uncle declared. ‘Fill your skin and get some food.’ With nothing else to say, Gilbert left the chamber. Alan stood for a moment as the surprising news sank in.

His uncle, the widower of two very young and now dead wives, had sought yet another. In secret. For, if The Mackintosh had known this news, he would have shared it or asked after it with Alan. And that sent a shiver of foreboding down Alan’s spine. The old laird had been fierce and ruthless, but never had Alan not trusted him or his word. As he left the chamber and walked to the kitchen to replenish his supplies, he realised that was the problem now.

He did not trust his uncle.

Not for a moment.

Not to keep the clan’s interests placed before his own.

Nor did he trust any young woman to his care.

Alan had not known Gilbert’s first wife, Beatha, but he had known Agneis. They’d run the forests and swam the lochs together as children when she would not be left behind by the lads seeking childhood adventures. Mimicking their every action, she boldly claimed her place among them...until she reached the time when it was clear she was a young woman.

As she’d blossomed in body, Alan had even had a wee dream of marrying her, but their bond was too deep to allow him to think of her as anything but a friend. When news came that she was to be Gilbert’s second wife, he was forbidden to speak to her again.

Agneis had not wanted to marry Gilbert, but since he was high in the esteem of the clan elders and his brother the chieftain, her father forced her to it. Two years, she’d lasted. The subtle marks of abuse became more blatant but no one took her husband to task for it. Alan had not been here, had not been here for her, and he blamed himself even now for her eventual death.

Turning the corner into the corridor that led to the kitchen, Alan nodded to several people along the way, trying to make the grim smile he kenned he wore into something less threatening. He yet had many friends among the kith and kin of Achnacarry Castle and did not wish to frighten them away during this short and rushed visit.

With his uncle waiting for him, Alan did not dawdle too long in the kitchen or in the chamber he used when here.

* * *

A scant quarter-hour later, he mounted a horse and rode out with the chieftain and his men. All were warriors and accomplished at travelling hard and fast and Alan’s estimate of his own travelling time was not increased by much by their company.

* * *

Alan kept to himself during the two days on the road, as he always did around his uncle. His father’s presence could have a moderating effect on the animosity between them, but Gilbert had made certain his father was away from Achnacarry as much as Alan was. By placing him in charge of Tor Castle in the southern part of their lands, it kept his father out of sight. As they crossed out of Cameron lands his uncle approached him.

‘You will speak of this to no one,’ Gilbert said. ‘Nothing you hear or see. To no one. Unless I give you leave to do so.’

‘Certainly, Uncle,’ Alan said, nodding in agreement, still not sure of his purpose here. He was not high enough in the clan to need as a witness and not liked at all by his uncle. So, why had he been summoned then?

‘Not even your beloved Mackintoshes.’ There was so much more than disdain and dislike in his tone. Something else deeper and darker echoed there.

Alan nodded again. His uncle turned and walked away as quickly as he’d approached. Clearly, his task was done and he felt no need to speak to Alan otherwise. The comment, or command as it more felt to him, about the Mackintoshes worried him.

Something about this whole situation—a secret betrothal to the MacMillan heiress—did not feel right to him. There was no love lost between the MacMillans and the Mackintoshes or others in the Chattan Confederation. Or with the Camerons for that matter. So, why would his uncle tie himself and their clan to them? There had to be some benefit, even if just for himself and not the clan. Right now, Alan could not see it.

His father had been banished to Tor Castle though his uncle couched it in terms of loyalty and defence. When they passed by Tor without pause, Alan knew there was no one to question or from whom he could seek counsel. So, he would have to wait and see what happened when his uncle met with his betrothed. Would they return to Achnacarry or travel back to Knapdale? Would the marriage occur soon? He had many questions he dare not speak.

* * *

Any hope of getting answers were dashed the next morning as they reached the encampment of the MacMillans. A huge man wearing a grim, dark glare stood waiting for them as they approached. They drew to a stop a few yards from him and all remained mounted while his uncle climbed down and strode to the man.

There were no pleasantries spoken between them. No greetings exchanged or signs of familiarity or friendship. His uncle matched the man’s stance, feet spread wide and arms crossed over his chest, and they spoke in tones so low no one could hear. Tension rippled in the air around them as the two chieftains spoke for some time, each one’s voice getting more strident as the conversation continued. Alan studied the two men and realised that, of the two, his uncle was more at ease. Calmer. More focused. The MacMillan, who it surely must be, was agitated. Angry. Worried.

‘Alan!’

He threw his leg over the horse’s back and dropped to the ground. Well, if nothing else, he would now discover what had happened and his part to play. He strode to the two and bowed. ‘Uncle. My lord.’

‘It appears that there is a problem with The MacMillan’s daughter,’ his uncle said. Alan remained silent, for his uncle wanted to control how he spoke of this problem. And he had no doubt at all that whatever had happened was no surprise to Gilbert Cameron. So he waited. ‘She has disappeared.’

Of all the things he could have dreamt of hearing that was not one of them. Alan glanced first at his uncle and then Lord MacMillan and knew one thing. His uncle was not surprised by this news. That played into the reason for his summons, Alan knew.

‘How can I help?’ he asked, carrying out the role he was meant to have.

‘Your uncle speaks highly of your skills in finding those lost. She has been missing for nearly three days.’

There were many questions he wished to ask, all of them would be deemed impertinent or too personal, so he asked for that which he needed to begin his task.

‘When did she go missing? Where was she?’ Alan looked back at the encampment. They’d chosen a place by the river, on high enough ground to stay dry.

‘She was seen last after we had our evening meal, three nights ago. She retired to her tent and her servant saw to her. The next morning, when she was called to break her fast, the tent was empty.’

Alan nodded. ‘Take me there.’ At the surprise on the chieftain’s face at being given an order, Alan added, ‘If you please, my lord.’

With a huff, the MacMillan laird turned and walked towards the tents and the river. They passed by several larger ones, reaching the last one that lay closest to the river. The noise of the rushing river grew as they approached it. How had the lady slept with this much noise? ‘This one?’ he asked in a near shout. ‘Has anyone touched or moved anything? You have searched the area?’ he asked, believing that the laird would have done that first.

‘Aye, my men searched along the river and back to the last village. No sign of her.’ As Alan lifted the edge of the tent’s flap, the laird continued. ‘Her maid said nothing is missing from her belongings and nothing seemed awry when my daughter retired for the night.’

‘And no one else went missing at the same time? Could your daughter have gone off with one of your kin or other servants?’ Alan asked.

He paused and stood blocking the entrance for he did not wish the laird to follow him inside. He wanted a chance to search for himself. A chieftain’s daughter, a wealthy heiress, did not simply walk away from her father. There was every possibility that she had been kidnapped.

‘Have you received any demands for her return?’

‘You think she was taken?’ his uncle asked before the other could. ‘Who would do that?’

From his uncle’s expression, he’d not thought of that possibility. Why not? The MacMillan’s daughter stood as his only heir and would be worth a huge ransom. Alan narrowed his gaze, watching his uncle’s eyes. His stomach clenched then, making him certain his uncle both knew more and was more involved than the woman’s father might be.

Though he wanted to understand his uncle’s part in this, right now he needed to look for signs so he could track the woman. Good God, he did not even know her name!

‘My lord, what is she called? Your daughter? How many years has she?’ he rattled off the questions quickly. He needed to know certain things now. ‘How tall is she? Her hair and eyes—what colour are they?’

‘Her name is Sorcha,’ Hugh MacMillan said. There was no hint of affection or concern in his voice. ‘She has ten and nine years and stands to my chest.’ The chieftain marked her height on his chest then. ‘Her hair is dark brown and her eyes are blue mostly.’

‘I need some time to examine her belongings. How far downriver have your men searched?’

‘Storms raged until late last night, so not far yet.’

‘There were storms the night she disappeared?’ Alan glanced at the swollen, raging river and suspected something other than kidnap then.

‘Aye. Heavy rains, lightning.’ The laird pointed over towards the river. ‘A bridge upstream washed out yesterday. Some farmers said they’d never seen such storms or such a flow as it is now.’

Alan was filled with a strange sadness then, for he suspected the lass was not just missing but was, indeed, dead. If she left her tent for any reason and lost her way or her footing, she would have been washed away in a moment.

‘I want to search her things,’ he said. ‘If you will gather the searchers, I would speak to them as well, my lord.’

* * *

Alan spent the next hours examining the woman’s belongings, questioning her maid and the men who’d gone off searching for her and walking the course of the river for several miles himself. His uncle stood with a knowing look in his eyes and The MacMillan glared at him the entire time, giving no hint of warmth or true concern over his daughter’s loss.

From the few bits of conversation he’d overheard between the two chieftains, Alan wondered which one was the more ruthless man. He also came to realise that the lass mattered not to either of them, but the marriage and the alliance did. That was all that seemed of importance to them.

* * *

By nightfall, Alan had finished his work and stood before the chieftains and their men to tell them what he’d discovered. The conclusion was not difficult—Sorcha MacMillan was dead. Something bothered him about it though. Though the others had missed the signs, he’d found them easily. Torn scraps of the gown she’d worn to bed. Bits of ribbons she used to tie her hair in braids. He’d even discovered one small braid of her hair entangled in the bushes near the river. Almost as though a path had been laid out before him there, leading him to one conclusion.

As his uncle and her father stood waiting on his words, Alan understood that less experienced searchers might not consider the signs he’d seen as easily found. Even without finding her body, for the strength and flow of the river might have carried that miles and miles down through the glen, he was certain of his findings.

‘My Lord MacMillan,’ he said quietly, holding out the ribbon he’d found, ‘I fear that your daughter is dead.’

If Alan had expectations of an emotional display or even a few kind words expressed over the loss of a beloved daughter, they did not come to fruition. If anything, the hard man turned harder still with an iciness in his gaze that had nothing to do with the chill weather around them. At his uncle’s nod, the chieftain followed him away from their gathered men to a place a short distance from the tents. Although they turned and left quickly, it was not so quick that Alan missed the knowing smile on his uncle’s face.

Gilbert Cameron was not displeased by this death.

Once more it would seem that his uncle would be the one benefitting by a young woman’s death. As he waited on his uncle’s orders, he offered up a quick prayer that this lass, like the ones before her, was in a better place than she would be as Gilbert’s wife.