“Wait.” Petro gripped his shoulder.
“What?”
“You are losing control, Jamie.”
In denial, Jamie shook Petro off. “There’s nothing to lose control over. I’ve been asked to protect Lady Helen. That includes her honor. Duncan has insulted her, falsely accused her of lying in public. He must be dealt with severely—given a reason to think twice before he attempts to ruin her reputation again.”
“You’ve proven my point, Master Jamie. It did not take me long to see the attraction between the two of you.”
“Ye’ve been locked up too long in that solar. A breath of air should clear yer muddled, Italian mind.”
Petro grinned. “The one thing that never gets muddled is my mind. Everyone can see it, Jamie. Alex, too.”
“Then why would he trust me to guard her?”
“Because you would give your life to protect anyone under your care. Even a beautiful woman you want to bed.”
Without thought, Jamie gabbed a fistful of the scholar’s cloak, giving him a shake. “If I could, I’d put ye on one of my cousin’s ships and send ye back to Rome where ye belong. Wouldna ye be more comfortable walking in yer gardens? Pressing grapes with yer bare feet—drinking sweet wine?”
Petro chuckled. “The peasants press the wine. I am a learned man, though a walk in the warm sunshine would be nice in the middle of winter.”
“I am sorry.” Jamie released him. “I canna deny what ye say—perhaps ye have expressed it too clearly for my liking.”
“Lady Helen is a remarkable woman.”
“Aye. Enough to make me rethink everything.”
“You must hide your feelings for now. She has enough danger looming about her. And if I know anything, Earl Sutherland will send for her—she is too much of a valuable bargaining piece to forget. Though the Highland lairds prefer sons, it’s through their daughters that they gain the most power by way of their tochars.”
Jamie marveled at Petro’s understanding of his people. “Alex is fortunate to have ye at his side.”
Petro bowed. “I am at your service, too, Master Jamie. You are his right hand, never forget that.”
Jamie nodded and walked the rest of the way to the keep with Petro. Helen and Miran had gone ahead. As soon as he entered the great hall, he saw Alex and the council seated at the high table.
“What is this about?”
“I have delivered the news to Laird Alex already,” Petro said. “Now he awaits your opinion on what to do with the lady and Duncan Munroe.”
Jamie gripped the scholar’s forearm in thanks, then turned his attention to Alex.
“What kept ye?” Alex asked as Jamie claimed the seat next to his cousin.
“Lady Helen was enjoying her walk.”
“She is comfortable here?”
“Aye,” Jamie assured him. “Afraid of the unknown, as any woman should be. Her father is unpredictable and likely to start trouble with us.”
“Trouble we doona need or deserve,” Mathe complained.
Jamie rolled his eyes at the eldest member of the council. Though he respected the man greatly, for he’d proven his value with sound advice and could swing his sword better than most men half his age, Mathe grumbled endlessly like an old woman if he dinna like something.
“Would ye send Lady Helen back to her father, then?” Jamie demanded.
“I would act in the best interest of this clan.”
“At the cost of making us look like cowards?” Jamie bit his tongue, realizing he’d spoken to harshly, too accusingly.
“We are nay match for the Sutherlands.” Mathe crossed his arms and glowered at Jamie.
“Yer doubt leaves me wondering if ye support this clan wholeheartedly, Mathe. As for ye, Jamie, the word coward shouldna be in yer heart or mind. We doona match them in number,” Alex said. “But we are resourceful, willing to take more risks than the sated earl. He has grown lazy, letting other men speak for him while he gorges himself with meat and wine.”
“And ye will do the same in yer old age,” Mathe added. “Ye fight now for our future, but once ye accomplish everything ye set out to do…”
Alex interrupted his advisor with deep-bellied laughter. “Ye have an overactive imagination, old friend. I will never neglect my clan or place the burden of my duties on another man’s shoulders.”
“Aye,” the other council members said in unison.
“The day will come,” Mathe held strong to his opinion.
“God has blessed me with a healthy son. The day I grow too weak to represent this clan, is the day I will place John on this chair.”
“Why are we arguing about this,” Jamie asked. “Havena we gathered to discuss the fate of Lady Helen Sutherland?”
“Aye,” Alex said. “What say ye, Jamie?”
“After spending time with her, and once Petro confirmed that she dinna sign the tochar her sire forced her into, I believe she fears for her life if married to Laird Munroe. The rumors concerning the demise of his former wives, all young and strong, concerns me. I humbly ask this council to rule in favor of granting Lady Helen sanctuary for as long as she wishes to stay.” Jamie leaned back in his chair, stretched his legs out, and waited to see what his fellow members would say.
Though Helen had escaped on her own, the earl of Sutherland could still accuse the MacKays of kidnapping—possibly finding favor with the crown and causing formal charges to be raised against Laird Alex.
If only Helen Sutherland was Helen of the Highlands, the woman Jamie wanted to kiss—to get to know.
“I understand the obligation ye feel to the lady,” Keith MacKay said sympathetically to Alex. “Lady Keely fled our keep and sought refuge with the Sutherlands seven years ago. From what I’ve been told, twas Helen who convinced her father to be charitable to yer wife.”
“Aye,” Alex said.
“And what kind of men would we be if we turned the helpless woman away in her time of need?” Keith asked, gazing at each of the council members. “However, let us not repeat history—the kind of history that hurt our clan. A missive must be sent to the earl.”
“For what purpose?” Jamie asked.
Keith’s bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Of all the men sitting at this table, I am surprised I need to remind ye, Jamie.”
“Laird Oliphant,” Jamie said, releasing a frustrated breath.
“Aye. For five long years the man agonized over Lady Keely—unsure if she was alive or dead. Nay matter what kind of man the earl is, he’s still her sire. Tis our responsibility to inform him of her safety.”
“Throw open the gates and invite the earl’s bloody soldiers in,” Mathe blurted. “That’s what will happen if ye send that missive.”
“Ye are overly critical of anything we discuss, Mathe,” Jamie said.
“If we doona learn anything from the past, we doona deserve to live.”
“Ye can live on yer knees then.” Jamie shot up from his chair and shoved the heavy table away. “I will take the lady into my own home.”
“Live on my knees?” Mathe stood up. “I was fighting for this clan while ye were still suckling yer ma’s breast.”
“Jamie! Mathe!” Alex warned.
Jamie ignored his cousin. “Admit ye’re afraid of retaliation from the earl if we keep his daughter here.”
“Nay,” Mathe seethed. “I’m nay afraid of anyone or anything. What I worry about is the future of this clan, our bairns and women. How many died two years ago in the attacks on the west village? Remember? Laird John? Yer kinsman?”
“I remember.” Jamie scrubbed his face. “All the more reason to help Lady Helen. Doona cast yer pearls before swine.” He stepped down from the dais and poured himself a cup of ale from a pitcher on one of the lower tables. After taking a deep drink, he wiped his mouth dry with the back of his hand. “Since when does a Highlander struggle with what is morally right?” He stared long and hard at Mathe.
“Morally right,” Mathe seemed to agree, “but s
trategically irresponsible.”
Jamie dinna understand Mathe’s hesitation about helping Helen. His cowardice angered Jamie. The word Alex wanted stricken from his mind and heart, a word he had only today associated with Mathe. “Guma h-olc dhut!”
Instead of reacting hotly to Jamie’s curse, Mathe grinned like a wild dog. “Ye wish evil to befall me? Appears to me that a devil in a gown has already darkened yer conscience, Jamie MacKay.” With that, Mathe excused himself from the great hall.
Chapter Eight
“What did ye overhear in the great hall, Miran?” Helen asked her maid upon her return to the bedchamber they shared.
Miran set the tray of food and wine on the nearest table. “Doona make me say, Lady Helen. Some things are better left unsaid.”
If Miran thought she was helping by speaking such words… “How often does the council meet?”
“Once a week,” Miran said. “And whenever there is important matters to discuss about the clan.”
Helen nodded; she understood. “I am the reason for this meeting?”
“Aye.”
“And several of the men want me to leave?”
“Nay!” Miran rushed over and placed her hands over Helen’s. “Never doubt my laird’s affection and appreciation for ye. All of the women agree—ye are welcome here. Ye helped our mistress, and for that, we are ever grateful.”
Helen smiled warmly. “I look forward to seeing Keely.” It had been too long. And there was so much to say, so many questions to ask. “Tell me about the bairns again.” She sat in one of the high-backed chairs in front of the hearth, glad for the roaring fire. It helped chase the frigid fear from her mind and body, the fear that had gripped her since she snuck out of her sire’s castle and mounted her horse to ride away forever.
“I love to talk about the wee babes,” Miran said.
“Good. Then join me. Bring us each a cup of wine.” Helen patted the empty chair across from her.
“Milady?” Miran dinna understand.
“Sit with me.”
“Nay. I couldna.”
“Tis a direct order.”
She reluctantly poured two cups of wine, offered one to Helen, then sat in the chair, holding her cup between her knees.
“Have ye never sat with yer mistress on a lonely, cold day?”
“Nay.”
“Let it be our secret, then.”
“If ye wish, Lady Helen.”
“I do wish. Now, about Master John and Mistress Rebecca?”
Miran took a tentative sip of wine. “Both have thick black hair and blue eyes.”
“Doona all babes have blue eyes?”
“Aye,” the maid confirmed. “But we are counting on the color not to change.”
“I believe ye told me John has unusually thick hands for a bairn.”
“Indeed, he does. He will grow strong like his da and wield a sword as easily to protect our clan.”
“And what if the young MacKay heir was born to be a priest or scholarly sort?”
Miran took another drink of the sweet wine. “Laird Alex doesna need a priest, he needs a fighter, an heir to take his place.”
Helen smiled sweetly. “I am sure Lady Keely has honored Laird Alex with a virile son.”
“And a perfect daughter.”
“Do ye think there will be more children?”
“Aye. The way Laird Alex loves my mistress… I’ve heard him say if a man keeps away from his lady’s chamber for too long, the devil is after him.”
Helen sighed.
“What troubles ye, Lady Helen?”
“I am overjoyed for my friend, she has found happiness at last. But I… Tis nothing worth discussing.”
Miran shook her head. “Ye are the earl’s daughter—a powerful lady in yer own right. Should ye not have what Lady Keely has?”
“If I had a sire who cared anything about matters of the heart. Or at least was willing to make a match where love might be possible over time.”
“Laird Munroe is a murderer of women,” Miran whispered. “Did ye know one of the girls he bought for marriage jumped off a cliff a week before her wedding day?”
A violent shiver went up Helen’s spine. She hadna heard that before. But rumors dinna mean truth. “Nay? Who was the poor soul?”
“A commoner from the border lands. A pretty lass with a mother who birthed twelve sons. Twas the sole reason Laird Munroe sought the girl to wife. He was willing to forgo a dowry in order to guarantee himself an heir.”
“And to this day, Duncan Munroe, his only nephew, remains his heir.”
“Aye. Unless ye produce a son.”
The thought of climbing into bed with such a cruel beast made Helen’s heart turn to ice. She’d rather burn in the fires of Hades than risk marrying Baran Munroe. “Now do ye understand why I must know what the men were discussing belowstairs? If it was about me…”
“Only one man spoke against ye.”
Helen swallowed, trying to guess. Surely not Jamie, for she couldna deny the way he stared at her—the way he licked his lips in anticipation whenever there was a chance for them to kiss. And how she wanted it—for the brawn warrior to risk one kiss with her, to give her a happy memory for the trouble of running away from Dunrobin. If she was forced into marriage with the Munroe, the kiss with Jamie would give her something to hold on to, something to fantasize about while Laird Munroe had his way with her.
He might be able to rule her body, but her private thoughts were her own.
“Jamie?” she whispered.
“Master Jamie?” Miran clicked her tongue. “Twould be easier to bleed a rock than get that man to speak ill of ye.”
“What do ye mean?” Helen snapped her head up, staring at the maid in shock.
“Lady Helen,” Miran said. “I overheard yer words with him at the loch.”
Helen’s shoulders sagged as she couldna deny her guilt at speaking so boldly with a man she hardly knew. “I am sorry for it.”
“Doona be. Ye have attracted the best protector on MacKay lands, with the exception of our laird, of course. Master Jamie doesna warm easily to women.”
“Nay?” Curiosity wracked her mind, perhaps even a hint of jealousy. What kind of woman did Jamie like? She’d be fearless and beautiful, of course, everything Helen wasn’t—everything she wished she could be.
“Many have tried to win his heart, none have succeeded.”
“Did ye?”
“Nay, mistress!”
“And why not? Ye are a pretty girl—smart.”
Miran held her head high. “Thank ye, but I will save myself for the right man. A promise I made to my mam and da a long time ago.”
Helen reached across the space between them and patted the maid’s hand. “Ye are a dutiful woman, Miran. I will make sure Laird Alex knows what a faithful servant he has in ye.”
“Thank ye, Lady Helen.”
A knock on the door ended their conversation, and Miran jumped up. “Shall I answer?”
“Aye.”
But the door opened before Miran reached it, and Keely stepped inside the chamber.
Helen squealed delightedly and stood up. “Sweetest Keely, why are ye out of bed?”
Keely closed the door, then smiled at her friend. “I dinna break my bones, Helen—I gave birth. The midwife recommended a short walk, so I chose to visit ye.”
Helen rushed into her arms, holding on tight. “Ye have grown more beautiful, more feminine than ever I remember.”
Keely clung to her friend, too. “I missed ye so much.”
“And I, ye.” Helen pulled back, keeping Keely at arm’s length so she could see her clearly. “Twins?” Helen gently patted Keely’s stomach.
“Aye. Both are sleeping soundly. John and Rebecca.”
“Please.” Helen took Keely by the hand and led her to one of the chairs by the fire. “Sit with me. Miran, a glass of wine for Lady Keely.”
Once Keely was comfortable, Helen sat down. “Laird Alex is a handsome
man. Ye are blessed above many women to have made such a match.”
“God gave us both a second chance. And our babes…” Tears wet the corners of her eyes. “We both hated each other at first, I think. So much left unsettled between us. And when Alex and my family found out where I had been…”
“Aye. My father is no friend to many of the clans in the Highlands. They fear him instead of respecting him.”
“Then nothing has changed at Dunrobin Castle?”
Helen shook her head. “If anything, he has grown more stubborn, more selfish.”
“But he loves ye dearly.”
“As long as I obey without question.”
“Ye always have.”
“Until a sennight ago,” Helen confessed. “Even I, the biddable, quiet daughter, have a breaking point.”
“Ye are safe here.”
“Perhaps not. One of the men on the council doesna wish me to stay.”
“Who?” Keely asked.
“I doona know his name.”
“How did ye hear of this?”
Helen shrugged. “Rumors.”
Keely drained her cup of wine and stood. “We must go and find out.”
“What?” Helen said, horrified by the prospect of interfering with men’s business.
“Doona faint, Helen,” Keely chastised her softly. “Things are done differently with Clan MacKay. I, too, have a voice in affairs so closely linked to my heart.”
“But…”
Keely grabbed her friend’s hand and dragged her from the chamber and down the stone stairs. “Be brave, lass.”
If Helen wanted to faint, it would be now, the moment she and Keely burst into the great hall where she could hear the men talking heatedly. As soon as Laird Alex saw his wife, he stood up, as did the other men.
“Keely? What are ye doing out of bed?”
“Laird Alex.” Keely curtsied. “It has come to my attention that the council may deny sanctuary to my friend and sister.”
“Nay.” Alex rounded the high table and stepped off the dais. “Who said such a thing?”
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