Page 19 of At the Highlander's Mercy
‘Yes. Word of your presence here was sent yesterday to both, though I suspect your father knows already.’
She shifted against the wall, drawing in a quick gasp as she moved. Her leg. She’d limped into the hall and out of it this morn. Now, after a day in the kitchens...
‘Lilidh—’ he began.
‘Rob,’ she interrupted. He paused and nodded to her to continue. His coming to his senses about her treatment and decision not to let his cousin, or his betrothed, give the orders could wait.
‘Though I suspect the outcome might be no different, there is something you should know,’ she said. The frown on her brow bespoke of news he would not like. ‘I am not certain if your aim is war with both the
MacLeries and the MacGregors or not.’ She shiftedagain, pulling her legs up towards her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She was waiting for him to respond.
‘Taking you prisoner involves both, I think. Neither your father nor your husband will suffer the insult to their honour lightly.’
‘He is dead,’ she said, almost on a whisper.
‘Connor is dead?’ he asked, going to her before he even knew he’d stood or taken a step. ‘Your father...’ Somehow he could never picture the ruthless, unbeatable Highland warrior dead. Regret rather than satisfaction pierced him. So many regrets.
‘Not my father. Iain MacGregor. My husband died recently.’ She shrugged. ‘Though as his widow, I am sure his family will take insult since that’s how you meant this to be.’
Dear God! Knowing the MacGregors, they would declare war against his clan just for the fun of fighting! This changed many things, especially since it made Connor the only one with whom they would be dealing. No one to argue or to mitigate with him on their behalf. Though Rob knew Connor paid heed to his wife and, now that Rob held Lilidh prisoner, Jocelyn would press for war against him. No mother was more dangerous when defending her young than the wife of the Beast.
Rob rubbed his face and turned away from Lilidh. Could this get any more tangled? Had Symon had any inkling of what they would face when he launched into this folly? And now, as chieftain, it was Rob’s duty to get them out of it and save the clan, as well.
Then the truth of the matter struck him—Lilidh’s husband was dead.
‘When did he pass?’ Rob asked as he faced her. He searched her expression for some sign of grief over the loss.
‘Nigh to a month ago now,’ she said in a calm voice. A tone far too calm for a wife missing her beloved husband, he thought.
If she was returning to Lairig Dubh when taken by Symon, then surely she could not be carrying an heir? Was she returning to tell her parents of the news?
‘And his heir?’ he asked, unexpectedly nervous over the answer. Somehow the thought of her carrying the child of Iain MacGregor turned his stomach. A political marriage, he had no doubt, but the image of her in that old man’s bed forced Rob to confront many of his old feelings and desires and dreams.
‘His brother has taken his seat as chief,’ she explained without having to say more.
She carried no child of Iain MacGregor in her womb.
The implications ran furiously through his mind now. The problems. The possibilities. So much to consider and so much to make sense of before taking the next step. It was obvious that the MacGregors were concerned over the shift of loyalties in the area or the news of a new laird would have been announced. The
MacKenzies could not have known of it or they would have shifted their attentions and attempts for new allies to the larger, more powerful, wealthier MacGregors over his clan. Would they now leave the Mathesons to face the rage of the MacLerie on their own?
He turned his attention back to the woman in the centre of all of this. He’d still not commented on the death of her husband and she did not look as most women who were recently bereaved appeared.
‘My condolences on your loss, Lady MacGregor,’ he said, offering his words to her official title. He’d met and known Iain through his time as foster son to Connor and he seemed a fair man. The only thing he could hold against him was... No, he could not think that. ‘His death was unexpected?’
At her curt nod, Rob understood that Lilidh would not respond well to pity or too much soft sympathy, so he did not offer that. Since she knew that her marriage had made the two clans allies, Rob did not ask more about it or examine his own feelings when they tried to push their way to the front of his thoughts. Instead, he walked to where she sat and held out his hands again, this time not allowing her to refuse.
‘Come. Sitting on the cold floor will only make things worse,’ he said. ‘Did Siusan stay with you all day?’ He’d sent a message to the woman as soon as he’d ordered Lilidh to the kitchens. She was trustworthy and would not torment or abuse Lilidh. He lifted her to her feet and did not release her until she’d taken several steps. When they reached the chair nearest the hearth, she took hold of it and used it to keep her balance.
‘Yes, she did. I do not remember her, but she said she’d visited Lairig Dubh years ago,’ Lilidh said. Pushing her now-loosened hair out of her face and over her shoulders, she took in and released a deep breath. ‘MayI wash?’ she asked, pointing at the basin where he’d left it on the floor.
Rob got the basin, added more hot water to it and placed it on the chair before her. After watching her for a few moments, he turned his back and gave her some privacy. It gave him time to sort out his thoughts.
If he did not take command of everyone in the clan, Lilidh would not be the only one in danger. He had been surprised, much as Symon had been, when he was named his father’s successor, but if he did not step in and fully accept it, so much would be lost in lives and more. Looking back now at Lilidh, Rob knew he would not allow her to be mistreated while in his custody. He might allow others to think what they would, but no one else would give orders about her again.
This might be his first step—it would not be his last.
He would discover the truth about Symon’s involvement with both the MacKenzies and, if any, his father’s death. He would convince the elders who stood at Symon’s side to come to his. And whether the MacKenzies
