“Ye have no need to speak to my wife,” Ness said coldly. “Someone set that fire on purpose. Since yer sisters nearly died in that fire, I expect that ye will help me.”
“Why would ye think it was deliberate? I told ye last time that I was in the keep that it was a fire trap.”
“It started in the vault, where I had planned to put Ava’s dowry money. No vault will make it difficult to secure it.”
Cormac let that sink in. “When do ye expect the dowry to arrive? Perhaps we can build a temporary vault.”
Ness hesitated. He wasn’t prepared to give Cormac too much information. “Aye. We will built a new vault. Go home to yer sisters, Cormac. We have a verra long few days ahead of us.”
Nodding, Cormac turned before he stopped. “I feared that ye would be just like Errol and lead us to the brink of starvation. Again. When I saw Ava, all I could think was that ye were taking yer pleasures with a beautiful woman while the rest of us lived in fear and uncertainty. She is a strong woman, and I regret the fight that I have stirred up against ye. I hope that ye will accept my apology. Together, I think we can rebuild.”
"Ye admit that ye sent Finn to spy on me."
The man hung his head in shame. "Aye. Ye gave no reason for leaving, and I feared the worst. I have only ever thought of this clan. Ye are as well. Ye were right to send Finn away. Even though I can see the truth, he never would have. I think in the end, he would have betrayed even me."
A truce. It was all that Ness had wanted, and it had taken Cormac nearly losing his family to see the truth. All he wanted to do was make things safe for his people and his wife. This was the first step. Grateful, he nodded to Cormac.
Waiting until Cormac was gone, Ness returned to the cottage. Ava had risen from the bed and had started to dress. Not ready to say goodbye just yet, he covered her hands with his and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. “How do ye feel this morning?”
“My throat feels raw, but I am otherwise fine.” Reaching up, she curved a finger over his cheek, and his body tightened. “There is still worry on yer face. Will it ease ye if I promise to not run into any more fires?”
“Ava.” She was not going to like this part. “I am sending ye to my cousin for the foreseeable future. I think ye and Sloane will get along well.”
Immediately, she withdrew and turned her head. “Away. As if I have done something wrong. As if I’m a child to be sent to my room.”
His gut churned at the accusation. Is this really how she thought of him? How could he explain that she was starting to mean more and more to him? “Ye could have died.”
“I willna apologize for not being a coward! I am yer wife! ’Tis my place to be by yer side! How can ye send me away so easily?” Her eyes flashed in pain. “I am a fool to think that this could be more than a convenient marriage.”
Her words cut him deep, but he was resolute. Until he knew that she could be safe there, he would not have her by his side.
“Ava, ’tis just to make sure that ye are safe. Someone deliberately set that fire. This place is too dangerous for ye right now. When I have identified the traitor, I will call ye back.”
“Traitor? Ness, more than half of yer clan can be construed as a traitor! It could take years!” Her chest heaved as she wrapped her arms around her body. "Could be Cormac!"
"I doona think so. 'Tis his sisters that ye saved, and I just had words with him. He has admitted that he was wrong and admitted to sending Finn after me. He shows contrition, and I believe him. I cannae fathom the kind of man who would risk his family just to gain in this world. I like to think that kind of evil died with my uncle."
Her heart broke, but at least she knew that she no longer needed to fear Cormac. “Tell me the truth. Are ye just doing this to get rid of me? Am I nothing more to ye than my dowry?”
Cold anger sliced through him, and he gritted his teeth. “Is that really what ye think?”
“I doona know what to think, Ness.” There were times when he held her that she thought maybe, just maybe, they could find love, but now?
He'd threatened to send her away, and she'd deliberately disobeyed his orders by going into the keep. Apparently it meant nothing to him that she had good reason. Ava shook her head and turned away. “I will pack my things. I assume that ye will not be escorting me?”
He wanted desperately to spend even a few more days with her, but he was afraid of his own weakness for her. “The vault has been destroyed. We must build a temporary one to house yer dowry.” He knew how it sounded, and she raised her chin and nodded.
“If ye will excuse me,” she muttered coldly. “I would like to check on the sisters before I am exiled.”
“Ava…” Ness started, but she was hurriedly lacing up her dress. If nearly dying in a fire wasn’t enough to convince her that she was in danger, he didn’t know what else he could say. Helplessly, he watched as she silently grabbed her cloak and walked out of the room.
20
The MacFarlane lands were vast and beautiful, but it was the MacFarlanes themselves that captivated Ava. Sloane was as big as a boat and clumsy, but she was also warm and loving. Lachlan hovered over her anxiously like a husband besotted with his wife and the babe she was carrying. They were a reminder of the relationship she would never have with Ness, and it broke her heart.
“I should have given birth a week ago,” Sloane grumbled as Lachlan helped her out of a chair at the small dinner table. “This is yer child, ye know. Ye could have a talk with him. Let him know that I am more than ready for him to make an appearance.”
“If he is as stubborn as ye, then I doona think I can do much good.”
Ava suppressed a laugh as Sloane glared at him, but Lachlan immediately kissed the top of her head, and his wife smiled happily.
Their marriage looked so effortless and full of love, and they were not a love match from the beginning. What did Sloane do that Ava was not doing?
“Again, I appreciate ye taking me in on such short notice and with so much happening with ye.” Ava was flustered to think of what to say to them. She still couldn’t believe that Ness would send her here knowing that his cousin would give birth at any minute. How they must resent her.
Sloane seemed to know what she was thinking and glowered at her. “Ye must stop saying that, Ava. Ye are family, and I am eager to get to know ye. Believe me, if ye are still here when this babe comes, ye will be earning yer keep. I hear babies require much work.”
“Oh, I am sure I’ll be here. Ness doesna seem too eager to have me around.” She didn’t realize out bitter she sounded until the words were out, and she winced. This was his family. She needed to be careful about what she said around them. “I am sorry. That did not come out how I intended.”
Rubbing her belly, Sloane smirked. “I am sure that came out exactly as ye intended. My cousin is clearly a fool. Most men are. Now if ye will excuse me, the babe has tired me out, and I would like to rest. Lachlan, my love, will ye please entertain Ava until she is tired?”
“I doona mean to be any trouble. I am used to entertaining myself,” Ava said hastily.
Sloane’s expression darkened, and she shook her head. “I believe here ye will find that ye willna lack for company.”
In the three days that Ava had been here, she could only say that Sloane was correct. Everyone seemed eager to speak with her, and they were all so nice and friendly, but Ava couldn’t help but miss the small cottage that had been her home for the last three days. She missed having Ness in her bed. She missed having a purpose.
It was the absence of his strength and warmth. She’d seen him kill, and yet he was so gentle with her. Now that it was gone, it was all she could think about.
She missed the man she was desperately in love with.
“Ye think Ness was wrong to send ye here,” Lachlan said in a low voice after his wife had left. Picking up his glass of wine, he studied her over the lit candles on the dinner table. “I had not realized that things were so disjointed
with his land. I certainly didna know that they were dangerous.”
“I believe he thinks someone is after my dowry although I doona understand the reasoning behind it. Wouldn’t they want to see improvement in the Fenton clan? It would be beneficial for all.”
“He isna thinking that someone wants to steal yer money and keep it for themselves. Whoever controls the purse strings can make a bid for laird, and from what it sounds like, most doona believe that Ness should be in charge.”
Annoyed, Ava leaned over and gripped the sides of her chair. “‘Tis ridiculous. He loves the clan and his people, and he wants nothing more than to make right the wrongs of his uncle. He doesna do enough to let people know that. He is too laden with guilt. If he had not sent me away, I could have helped him!”
“He fears for yer life!” Lachlan’s burst of passion brought her up short.
“I am not so fragile that I would shatter simply because a group of people doona like me,” Ava said hotly. She didn’t even realize that she was rising out of her seat until she was standing and banging her fists on the table in frustration.
With a slow sigh, he sat his glass down. “I believe my wife said something similar to me when we were first married. Highlanders are raised to be warriors. Protect others around us. ‘Tis not in our nature to let others fight our battles for us, and Ness is simply doing his best to honor his vows. There was a time that my wife wasna so well-liked. My clan rose up behind my back to torment her, and she persevered.”
“How?”
“By being Sloane. By doing what came naturally to her which was to love. She won me as well.”
Ava briefly closed her eyes. “Ness sent me away.”
“Aye.”
“He is a fool.”
“Aye,” he agreed with a nod of his head. “But when it comes to love, I believe that we all are.”
At that, she faltered and slowly sank back into her seat. “I doona believe he loves me,” she whispered. “I believe he only regrets.”
“If Ness didna care for ye, then ye wouldn't be here. He is not tucking ye away so he can forget about ye, Ava. He fears what will happen if ye stay. Ye doona think that is love?”
Before she could answer, there was a loud bellow as Sloane called out Lachlan’s name. Immediately, he was on his feet and racing out of the dining chambers and up the stairs. Ava was hot on his heels.
Standing over a wet puddle, Sloane gripped the wall outside her room and grinned. “Fetch the midwife. Yer child is coming.”
In the end, Ness and his men decided that the old vault was still the best place for the dowry. Hurriedly, with Cormac’s help, they managed to set the stones and rebuild the door. Two men would sit outside the vault door while another two men would guard the only usable entrance of the now ruined keep, and at least one of those men would be someone that he trusted.
He consoled himself with the reminder that he had an immediate use for the money, and it would not linger in the vault for long. In fact, the fire had scared a lot of people. Ava’s heroic actions had done the impossible and pulled the clan together.
That night, he wearily walked back to the cottage. His bed called to him, and he longed to lay his head on his pillow and close his eyes, but he knew that all he would see would be the pain and anger in Ava’s eyes as she left with his guards.
His heart was heavy, but he would rather have her alive and angry than by his side and in constant danger.
“If ye continue to snap at everyone, ye willna make any friends.”
Startled by the sound of the female voice, Ness spun around and reached for the dagger in his belt, but it was only Miriam who walked out of the shadows.
“If ye are looking for Mary, she isna here.” He couldn’t think of no other reason that the woman was here although it was plain to see that they were alone.
“Actually, I am looking for yer wife. Did I hear correctly that ye sent her away? What kind of fool are ye?”
“Excuse me?” Narrowing his eyes, Ness gritted his teeth. He’d dismissed the rumors that the old woman was a witch. She’d never been kind to him, but she’d never been insulting either. “I am yer laird, and ye will treat me with respect.”
Snorting, Miriam hobbled out on a cane and sat on the edge of the chair. “If ye want respect, ye must earn it. Ye were away too long as a youth, and ye have become too hard as a laird. People fear what the future holds for them, and yer attitude lately leaves much to be desired. That woman of yers tempered ye, so why would ye send her away?”
“‘Tis none of yer business,” he growled, but Miriam maintained eye contact, and he sighed. “She nearly died in that fire. How can I keep her here when there is always the threat of danger?”
Her features softened as she studied him. “I knew ye as a child, before the weight of the clan fell to yer shoulders. I knew then that ye would be heir. Yer future was a bright halo surrounding ye as ye laughed and played. I watched that light dim every time Errol ordered ye from the lands. He didna care about politics or alliances. He knew that ye could wield the power to take all of this from him, and he didna want ye to see the truth of what was happening.”
“Why did no one tell the truth?” he demanded. “When I returned for each of those precious few days when I could relax, why did no one tell me how bad things had gotten?”
“Ye were heir. To them, ye supported him. Why would they go to ye? Why would they risk their lives? If you were supporting him they would spend the rest of their days in a cage.”
Gritting his teeth, he stared at the witch. “Why did ye not tell me? Ye were the one who saw my halo.”
“Events must happen in a certain order. If ye had unseated Errol, ye would never have met Ava. She is important to ye, Ness. Surely ye see that by now.”
“Aye. Why do ye think that I have sent her away? I must keep her safe.”
“Ye are laird of a clan in a powerful alliance with the King in a country that is always on the brink of war,” Miriam said mildly. “Ye are always around danger, but I doona see ye hiding.”
“Of course not.”
“And yet ye expect her to do the same.”
“She isna a highlander, she isna a warrior!” he roared. “She is a sheltered lass who has no idea how the world works.”
“And yet she risked her life to save strangers. Seems to me that she may not know how the world works, but she does know how the world should work.” With a heavy sigh, she stood. “Perhaps this willna mean much to ye, but I have seen the future, Ness, and it is a dark one fer ye if she isna by yer side. Doona listen to yer fears. Listen to yer heart, and trust it, or I fear we will all be doomed.”
Before Ness could contemplate what she meant, Alec burst through the door. “Ness,” he panted. “We just received word.”
His gut clenched. “Ava?”
“The King's guards were attacked. The dowry is gone.”
21
Two days later, the MacFarlanes gathered for a huge festival to celebrate the arrival of Quinn. Since the only people that Ava knew were the ones at the center of attention, she watched quietly from the sidelines. It was clear they were beloved by their people, and she couldn’t help but feel a little bit of jealousy. No matter where she went, she never quite felt like she belonged.
Elspeth and Isla sat with her during dinner. Sloane made an appearance, but Lachlan quickly hurried her back to bed so she could rest. He’d been hovering anxiously and protectively over mother and child and allowed Isla and Elspeth to step in and take over Sloane’s duties.
A husband who actually wanted his wife around.
Knowing that her own issues were bringing down the mood around her, Ava slipped out of the dinner and headed outside for a walk. Most of the festivities were inside since the night was damp and chilly. By now, she would have started searching the keep and the lands from top to bottom, but it was too depressing to think that this was going to be her new home.
This was her life. All the freedom that she wanted, away from
the man that she’d fallen desperately in love with.
Slowly, she wandered to the stables. Although it had hurt to leave her sweet old mare behind, she was trying to bond with Melli, but it turned out that Melli was slow to trust even after the long trip from the McClure lands. The mare was easy to ride, but there was no love between them.
Sort of like someone else that she knew.
“If I can’t get ye to bond with me, how am I supposed to get my husband to?” Ava asked as she opened the stall door and slipped inside. Melli lifted her head from the floor and flared her nostrils before she laid back down. “I can see ye are verra excited for my visit.” Sticking to the edge of the stall, she moved slowly toward Melli’s head before she sat down and stroked the horse behind her ears. For such a large beast, she was silky and soft.
“Is this my fate, Melli? Be stashed away in my chambers or shuffled around because I am not convenient?” Her ears flicked, and Ava sighed. She was talking to a horse. How had her life come to this?
It was probably no less than she deserved. After all, she ran instead of facing her problems, and now that she wanted to fight, she wasn’t allowed to.
Rising from her spot, she headed back to the stall door when she heard the murmur of low voices. Not wanting to be caught talking to a horse, she ducked back down. If she was going to be stuck here, the last thing she wanted to be known as was the lass who hid in the stables and asked for advice from her horse.
“If ye ask me, he deserves it,” a male voice said. “Ye know that he did nothing when Sloane’s father locked her in a private wing of the keep to grow up alone.”
Sloane’s father did that? Ava felt her stomach twist. She’d never been locked away. Just ignored and forgotten.
“They say that he’s nothing like Errol Fenton, though. I think we should tell Lachlan. He supports Ness.”
“I doona have proof. ’Twas just what I overheard when the guards dropped off the lass.”
Highlander's Untamed Lass (Highlander's Seductive Lasses Book 3) Page 13