“I have a wish to see Lorna and Edina,” she told him. “I have some female troubles that I need addressed.”
He both paled but shook his head. “I am happy to send someone to get the healer for ye.”
Annoyed, she nodded. At least that would take care of one guard, and it meant that she could still wear Reed down. After what looked suspiciously like a quiet but heated debate among the men, one left, and Reed resumed his post at the table. “Ye are a priority, so Lorna should be here shortly,” he assured her.
“Reed,” Grace said mildly, “did the guard who left just agree to take over yer night duties for the next week in order to leave my side for a few minutes?”
His face reddened. “Of course not, ma’am. ‘Tis an honor to guard ye.”
“Right.” She polished off her breakfast and stood. “I suppose ye will have to confess yer lie to the priest when I go to confess my sins.”
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and he looked around frantically. They both knew that a confession could only be done on sacred ground. “Surely, ye can wait to do that.”
“I cannae. Father James willnae marry us until I have confessed my sins, and I need to do so right now. Right now, Reed! I havenae seen a priest since I left Sinclair lands, and I wouldnae want to spend another minute with burdens on my soul. I am certain ye know what burdens those might be.”
Reed stared at the floor. “No ma’am.”
“Hamish and I have been getting to know each,” she said slowly and deliberately. “I fear that some of the things we have done...such as—”
“Save it for the priest,” Reed interrupted, his eyes pleading with her. Clearly it hadn’t taken long at all to wear him down. “We shall go right now.”
“Wonderful!”
“There are more guards waiting outside in case ye needed to leave, so ye will still be well-protected,” he assured her.
Drat. More guards? At this rate, Grace couldn’t help but wonder if there was anyone left patrolling the borders.
Hamish’s words still haunted her, and she thought of Tavin. She wanted fewer people to have to worry about and not more. She had a suspicion that she knew who murdered Maggie, but she didn’t dare say anything until she had proof. Bringing up charges on someone so powerful would mean war, and because of her connection, she would be bringing war on three clans.
No, she needed to see for herself, but she wouldn’t put anyone else in danger.
There were two blades strapped to her thigh, one that was longer should she find herself facing a sword. There was nothing she could do to deflect an arrow except stay in her chambers, and she would not hide. For Maggie and Tavin’s sake, she needed to end this.
Surely no one would attack between here and the church, which was populated with people. She would just go to the church, sneak out to have a quick word with Heather, and then return before the guards could raise the alarm. Failing that, she would send Lorna out to ask her question.
There were no less than another dozen soldiers lined up and at the ready. Grace halted and stared at them. Unease began to creep inside her. “Surely Hamish doesnae think that all of ye are necessary?”
Reed nodded. “Aye, ma’am. He loves ye and wants to keep ye safe.”
He loves me? Grace snorted with derision. “A man who loves a woman wouldnae force her to wed him,” she muttered under breath.
They all leaned in a little closer. “What was that, miss?” a guard asked.
With a sigh, she smiled brightly. “Just speaking of how wonderful yer laird is. Come now. We better make haste. I have much to confess.”
Once again, Reed turned bright red, and Grace chuckled to herself all the way to the church. It was the only way that she could stand being escorted by a dozen armed guards. If the Hamilton clan didn’t think her weak before, they certainly would now.
Apparently Reed had somehow managed to send someone in front of them to let Father James know they were coming, for the elder priest had the church door open and was waiting for them.
“Lady Grace. I am pleased to hear that ye are ready to confess yer sins. Should I prepare for a marriage ceremony right after?” He peered over her shoulder. “Is Laird Hamish here as well to confess his?”
“Nay, Father, and I do believe it will probably take ye the better part of a month to hear his sins. Reed, ye, and the others will of course wait out here. This is a private matter.”
They nodded respectfully, and the priest shut the door behind her. Grace was impressed with the size of the church. The one on Sinclair lands was much smaller for a much larger clan. “Is the Hamilton clan devout?”
James laughed dryly. “Nay, most Sundays there are only women and children in my church. Several generations ago, the laird feared heavenly reprisal for his many sins and ordered a larger church built to appease God. Having heard the tales, I doonae think it would have mattered much.”
“Aye, but one only has to believe to be saved.”
James fixed her with a cold look. “Is that what ye believe will save yer soul, child? I doonae think God will look favorably on yer many exploits. Running around as though a man and training like one. As mistress here, I hope that ye will know yer place and yer role. Ye are to be a good mother. This confession will allow me to gather whether I believe ye will be fit to give birth to the future laird.”
It was all Grace could do not to fall into a fit of giggles. As if this man had any say in whether Hamish married her or not. If she thought it would help, she would tell him stories that would send the priest into apoplexy, and when this was all over, she just might. It would serve him well after trying to twist the meaning of the confessional and dare to judge what God might think of her.
“Father, ye are right, and I have much to tell ye, but right now, I am feeling a bit faint.”
James nodded wisely. “Aye, ‘tis the Holy Spirit filling ye.”
“Aye, but I need to get some fresh air to gather my thoughts. Might I step out the back for a moment? I doonae wish the guards to look upon me right now, and I need to clear my head so I leave nothing out.”
If God were going to strike her dead for lying to a priest, then he probably would have done it already for she often led the Sinclair priest around on a merry chase, and he was a good man.
Fortunately for her, Father James seemed as dense in the head as he was stubborn in his ideology, for he nodded and pointed to the door. Hoping the guards hadn’t spread out to surround the church, she opened the door and held her breath.
The coast was clear.
Stepping outside, she quietly closed the door and took a deep breath. There were no windows on this side, so the priest wouldn’t be able to see if she was meditating on her sins or making a break for it. Picking up her skirts, she tiptoed to the corner.
And ran smack into a hard body.
“Lady Grace,” Theo said in an amused voice as he reached out to steady her. “Fancy seeing ye out here. I was just speaking to Reed, and he’d mention that ye were inside confessing yer sins before taking yer wedding vows.”
“Aye,” she said nervously. As they were completely alone, she wondered if she’d made a grave mistake. The guards would hear her scream, but might not get to her in time.
Theo made a show of looking around. “Strange, I doonae see the good father.”
“I was just coming out to collect my thoughts. He is expecting me any minute.” Her fingers were creeping toward her blades.
Theo noticed the move and frowned. “I am happy to call for Reed if ye wish for some extra protection while ye are...collecting yer thoughts, ye said?”
At the impish smile on his face, she relaxed. He was no threat to her, and he seemed to know exactly what she was doing here. “Vera well. I have decided not to make my confessions after all. Father James is an insufferable man. I cannae believe he will be the one to preside over my wedding. Perhaps I will write to Connor and have them send Father Marsden. He has known me since I was a babe.”
Theo held out his arm. “Allow me to escort ye back to the keep. ‘Tis not safe out here.”
“There are a dozen guards waiting for me.”
“Aye, but I have a feeling that ye might rabbit off in another direction if I turn my back on ye. I would hate to be the reason that some terrible fate befalls ye. After all, I am hoping that Hamish and I grow closer.” When she didn’t seem surprised, he relaxed. “So he told ye.”
“That ye are brothers? Aye, I have known for several days now. I hope that I can trust ye.”
“Let me escort ye back, and I am happy to answer any questions ye might have.”
Still, she hesitated. “I had hoped to stop by the seamstress and ask her a question. I don’t suppose ye will escort me there?”
“And give Hamish another reason to distrust me? I think not.”
Satisfied, she took his arm. If he was the one trying to kill her, she’d just given him ample opportunity, and he was instead walking her back with a dozen armed guards following her. She was probably the most protected woman in all of the highlands at the moment.
It was a little embarrassing.
“Hamish wishes vengeance on yer father,” Grace said softly, not wanting the guards to overhear. “I imagine he has a good reason, but I have seen firsthand what desire for vengeance can do to a person.”
“Aye, although I suppose he has the right of it. I doonae know what his mother told him, but my father was not a good man and not a good laird.”
“He isnae sick, is he?”
“Nay. When I had the support of the guards and of the people, I took my position to the king and was granted lairdship. ‘Tis permanent, but the king didnae want the lairds to start fearing their sons and heirs, so he ordered the rumor that my father fell ill. In truth, my father is a prisoner in his chambers.”
“Why is he not in yer dungeons?”
“He is still my father,” Theo said softly. “I suppose there is still some lingering hope that one day, he will see me as a good son, but I doonae think that day will come.”
“Have ye told Hamish the truth?”
“Nay, he has much work to do protecting ye, so I willnae burden him with the truth until things are settled. He deserves a face-to-face confrontation, and I will allow it. Under supervision, of course. I willnae allow my father’s murder to blacken his soul, no matter how much he deserves it.”
Grace was quiet as her heart ached for the two brothers, one who suffered direction under the father and the other who suffered under the father’s shadow. It was a wonder how such a cruel and vile man had sired two such heroes.
“I hope the two of ye will find common ground and become family. I believe Hamish wishes a family more than anything. He has been without one for so long.”
“I hope that as well, but I think it will take time to forge trust.” He glanced down at her. “I take it ye have decided to wed him.”
“Of course. ‘Tis why I am here.”
“Lass, I doonae know how the Hamiltons have missed it, but ‘tis clear what ye are really doing here. Ye must know that Hamish wishes to wed ye anyway.”
“Aye,” she muttered bitterly. “He has made his wishes known and plans to force me to wed. I have yet to find a way around it, but I will.”
“He loves ye.”
“Will everyone stop saying that!” Grace cried out in exasperation. “‘Tis not the truth.”
“Hmm. Ye love him.”
“So he thinks. I doonae wish to discuss this anymore.” It was just as well because they were nearing the keep, and Reed was returning with Lorna. “I need to speak to Lorna.”
“Vera well. When this is over, ye and I should speak again before I leave. I would like yer thoughts on how to bridge this gap with my brother, and I hope that one day soon, I will be able to call ye my sister.”
“I am happy to speak to ye,” Grace said softly. As to whether she wanted to be called his sister, she didn’t know.
What she did know was that if Hamish truly loved her, then he might actually be the one man she could find herself happily wedded to.
24
Once again, they’d come up with nothing. Alone in the meeting room after the guards left, Hamish roared and pounded his fist on the table. His frustrations echoed in the empty room.
“’Tis how I know ye arenae our father,” Theo said dryly from the doorway. “Ye take yer anger out on furniture instead of men.”
Next to him, Tyree jerked his head up in a start. “Ye are Patrick MacDougal’s son?” he said hoarsely.
Hamish waited for Tyree to realize what he’d done by making Hamish the laird, but instead of regret, the older man just nodded thoughtfully and entered the room. “I suppose ye thought that being a laird, ye would get yer revenge.”
“Something like that.” Hamish said blandly.
“I see. I knew Patrick MacDougal well. Knew his greed and his thirst for blood. Even though the Hamiltons were the scourge of the highlands, I felt like at least our people didnae have to suffer under the likes of someone like MacDougal. It doesnae change what I see when I look at ye, though, lad.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“Nay. I knew that ye would make a strong leader because ye had a strong will and an even stronger heart. Ye may have had revenge on yer mind then, but yer brother is here to forge a relationship, and ye havenae turned him away.” They sat down at the table with him and looked at the splinters that had sprouted from his fists.
“I take it the search didn’t go well?” Theo offered.
“Nay. How can one man continue to escape time and time again? And now wounded! It makes no sense! How can I protect her if I cannae find and eliminate the threat? How can I protect my people?”
“Are ye giving up?” Tyree asked mildly.
Furious, Hamish pounded his fist on the table again. “Nay, I amnae giving up!” he roared. “What kind of man do ye think I am?”
“The kind who will finish what someone else started,” Tyree said calmly, not even flinching. “Why are ye here alone when there is a lovely woman in yer bed?”
“She isnae…” Hamish bit his tongue. There was no point in lying to the man. “I am calming myself before I go up.”
“I imagine that she knows what will calm ye!” Theo grinned before he reached back to clap Tyree on the back. “But before ye go, I believe Tyree has something to ask of ye.”
When Tyree turned a little red, Hamish cocked his head and cooled off a bit. There had to be a story behind what was making Tyree blush so. “Aye?”
“Ye are my laird,” he muttered. “So I would have yer blessing.”
His blessing? There was only one thing Hamish blessed as a laird.
“And who do ye plan on wedding?” he asked curiously.
Tyree told him, and Hamish laughed until he felt immensely better. Then, without any hesitation, Hamish told his mentor that he had his full blessing and the hope that good luck was on Tyree’s side because he was going to need it.
And then they came up with a plan.
Grace wasn’t in the room when Hamish retired that night. Looking around the empty chamber, he frowned as panic grew.
Then he noticed the light under the door. Worried that she had decided she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, he knocked softly first. It didn’t take her long to open the door.
“Aye?” she asked as she blinked at him. There was ink on her arms, but she looked exhausted.
“Writing letters?” he asked her softly as he brushed a thumb along her cheekbone. She was so soft and fragile looking. If he didn’t know for certain that she was made of sterner stuff, he’d be tempted to never let her out of the house. Never before had a single person affected him so.
“Nay, I am just trying to collect my thoughts.” She frowned. “I need to know who killed Maggie, but when I sleep with ye, I doonae dream.”
Good. He wanted to drive the nightmares away. He didn’t want anything to scare her. “That is a problem?”
“Aye. I doona
e like the nightmares, but I think they are trying to tell me something.”
Sweet Grace. His fierce little warrior. Gathering her in his arms, he kissed the top of her head. “Grace, I know who killed Maggie. We will be taking care of the problem vera soon.”
“Ye do?” She looked up, startled. “Who, and how do ye know?”
“We have set a trap, and now we simply havetae to see if I am right. Come. We have some time before I suspect the trap will spring. I want ye in my arms.”
“A trap?” Confused, she went with him willingly until he had her over the threshold, and he gently shut the door behind them. “What trap?”
“All in good time, my love.” Pulling her close, he bent down and kissed her lips. Part of it was an effort to stop the constant turmoil she seemed to be in, but another was simply because he wanted to taste her.
“Hamish, we were having a conversation here.”
“Aye, and now I am kissing ye.” Breathing in her scent, he grinned. Would he ever get tired of her? “Tyree asked for my blessing to wed just now.”
Wrapping her arms around him like it was instinct, she widened her eyes in surprise. “Aye? And who does he plan to wed?”
“Who do ye think?”
“Edina!” Throwing her head back, she laughed. “Oh, I should have known! They fight all the time, but ’tis clear that there is something between them.”
“Oh, aye. From what I gather, they fell in love when they were younger, and shared a few passionate nights together, but when Edina decided she wanted to run a tavern, Tyree balked. He felt it was an insult, like he couldn’t provide for her, and he feared for her safety. He gave her an ultimatum: to choose the tavern or him. And she chose the tavern. He told me he’d regretted that moment ever since, and he’d lost her for decades.”
“Oh, Tyree. I had thought he was a smart man, but I suppose his wisdom has come with age. Has he already proposed to Edina?”
Highlands’ Forbidden Deeds Page 52