Chapter Nine
Jamie and his four warriors had made camp on a high ridge well beyond the limits of Castle Creagan. He stood watching the torch fire on the battlements flicker in the distance. Somewhere within its stone walls, his betrothed no doubt bemoaned her fate. Not that he felt like celebrating. Still, he had no wish to shirk his duty. He doubted the same could be said of Lady Fiona.
He shook his head. How he had wanted to give his people a lady worthy of Castle Làidir. And now, he was saddled with a selfish, vapid bride who clearly thought more of herself than her people.
“My laird.”
Jamie slowly shifted his gaze from the distant battlements to the young warrior who now stood at his side. “What is it, Grant?”
“Ye’ve said nothing since ye came back from the keep. Forgive me my intrusion, but will ye not tell us what transpired? Did the MacDonnell consent to the betrothal? Do we have an alliance?”
Jamie’s hands clenched into tight fists. If Grant considered a betrothal that brought the lady to tears and her clan to call out in protest an alliance, then he supposed that’s what they had. “Aye,” he muttered. “We are betrothed.”
Grant’s face lit up. “But that is wonderful news.”
Jamie patted Grant on the back. “Only if ye can see past the fact that my soon-to-be wife despises me and thinks me little better than a bull, chewing cud.”
Niall, another warrior, came forward to offer hope. “Our clans have been feuding for longer than anyone truly kens. Mayhap, in time, ye and the Lady MacDonnell will be able to find a true peace.”
Jamie cocked a brow at the young man. “An easy thing for someone not doing the marrying to say. ‘Tis not ye who must lie with a woman whose eyes hold daggers for ye.” He stormed over to the fire and grabbed a flask of ale off the ground. “In this one instance, I can hardly fault her as the feelings are mutual.”
He raised his flask high in the direction of the keep. “Sleep well, Lady Fiona.” Then he took a mighty swig and turned back to face his men. “This is the last night she will enjoy the protective bosom of her clan. On the morrow after next, she will be placed in my care, and I do not intend to let her out of my sight until our vows have been spoken and our union consummated.” He started pacing in front of the fire. “I will not be played a fool by a fickle and unfaithful MacDonnell. Unlike the last attempt at a marriage between our clans, this alliance will happen. And once Ranulf MacKenzie has been defeated, and I beget an heir, I needn’t touch her again. She can leave Castle Làidir and return to her family if that is her wish.”
“Is she so repulsive then?” Seumas asked.
Jamie looked back at Castle Creagan. “She is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever beheld, but her fineness is only a mask hiding the true shallowness of her character.” He shrugged. “No matter. Our union will be enough to create peace between our clans—at least long enough for us to quell the threat of the MacKenzie.”
“How many travel with us on to Làidir?” Sebastian, the youngest in their party, asked.
Jamie turned and scanned the few warriors he had chosen to accompany him. “I have limited her to two servants. I know not how many MacDonnell warriors will make the journey. Seumas, ye will be in charge of her party. Sebastian, ye’ll also ride with them. Grant and Niall, ye will ride with me and the lady.”
“Will we not ride together?”
“I do not intend to take her on the open road and risk an encounter with the MacKenzie. This her father knows. But my other reason for taking her separately from her kin is that I cannot trust her not to run. On the road, she could easily appeal to a faithful clansman for aid in escaping.”
“What then is our route?” Niall asked.
“We go by way of the Hidden Pass.”
Niall’s eyes widened, showing his surprise. “That will be a hard journey for a lady.”
Jamie shrugged. “She will not be so pampered in my keep. It is better that she get used to that now.” He turned back to study Castle Creagan.
“Why do ye keep watching the gate?” Seumus asked.
“If ye had seen her face when her father consented that we wed, ye’d know why I believe she plans to run.” He gave his men a stern look. “We will watch the gate in shifts until we depart.”
Grant crossed to his side. “Ye ken if she really wants to run, she will likely choose to leave through a passage not known to us.”
“Aye, I ken,” Jamie snapped. “But what would ye have me do? Not be vigilant?”
Grant backed away. “Nay, I just want to prepare ye for the worst.”
“The worst is if our clan falls to the MacKenzie. Even if the lady were to run, her father has committed to an alliance. The MacDonnells will stand with us, or I will bring down the might of the MacLeod upon their heads.”