Mary Reed McCall (17 page)

“I’m here because you have a decision to make, Aileana. I’ve come to discuss it with you.”

“Discuss it…or direct me to your way of thinking?”

He felt her gaze shift to him, but he didn’t trust himself to look at her, to drink in the beauty of her eyes without losing his will to continue.

“Only you can choose the path we’ll both be taking.”

“Then I wish to be freed from this room.”

The anguish in her voice made his heart twist, but he forged ahead. “I’ll be releasing you when you give me the
Ealach
, and not before. It’s the whys and whens that I wish to discuss.”

“Ah, I see. Another attempt at blackmail.” A harsh sound caught in her throat. “My father imprisoned me in my chamber in order to protect the
Ealach
, and you lock me inside in order to make me surrender it; the irony of that is almost amusing, don’t you think?”

Duncan faced her, steeling himself against the hurt he saw in her face. “Aileana, we cannot go on as we have, that much is clear. Despite what you think, I don’t relish the thought of keeping you locked away.”

“Then why continue to do it?” Her eyes welled with tears, and Duncan’s hand shook as he struggled not to reach up and brush the sadness away. She wrapped her arms around her middle and whispered, “Keeping me in here…you’re killing me, Duncan, breath by breath.”

A stabbing pain pierced him, but he gritted his teeth against it. “Just give me the amulet, Aileana. Then I can release you to your kin and we can find a peace between us.”

“I cannot do that. No more than I could those months ago when you first attacked Dulhmeny.”

“Why not?” Irritation fueled him again. “Why are you sacrificing your freedom for the sake of something you were made to keep—something you didn’t even choose to protect?”

“My life and freedom were sacrificed to the
Ealach
long before I met you.” Her voice sounded hard, and his stomach lurched at the shadows in her eyes. “Besides, who are you to ask such a thing—a man whose sole purpose lies in stealing back an amulet you’ve lived without for thirteen years?”

“It is my birthright. The
Ealach
was my father’s and his father’s before him.”

“My father died trying to protect it.”

“It is not the same.” Duncan scowled. “Don’t try to compare your claim to mine. My entire clan was nearly destroyed and the woman I loved more than my life was slaughtered before my eyes.”

That statement pulled Aileana up short, and she felt the dagger-thrust of the reminder pierce her heart.
Mairi
. Of course. She stared at her hands, clasped tightly together on her lap. It was the memory of Mairi that drove Duncan. His murdered love, perfect and irreplaceable to him. Oh, she’d been a fool to think that any softness he’d shown her these past months meant anything to him. He belonged to his slain wife, body and soul.

That knowledge made the dagger press a little deeper, adding to the bite of guilt she couldn’t help feeling at his obvious pain. The realization of it startled her.
Why care that Duncan suffered?
After all, she’d had no part in Morgana’s attacks and the terrible things he’d endured after. He, on the other hand—he had locked her in this room, a fate almost worse than death after the weeks of freedom she’d been allowed.

Raising her gaze to Duncan again, she tightened her mouth, willing the sting of heat from her eyes. “I cannot keep silent, Duncan. The
Ealach
should be used for good. Your clan exploited its powers. It doesn’t belong with you.”

“Who told you that?”

“It is a well-known fact.”

“It’s a lie,” he muttered, “and one your sister used to muster your people against me.”

“Few in my clan condone the way Morgana took the amulet from you,” Aileana answered quietly, “but there was more reason for us keeping it after the raid than simple selfishness, as well you know.”

“What do I know? There was no other motive for your people to keep what wasn’t theirs.”

“You cannot possibly be claiming ignorance. The feud spans three centuries.”

“There’s no truth to it.” Duncan paced near the windows again.

“Aye, there’s truth!” Aileana retorted. “The
Ealach
belonged to a MacDonell before any MacRae ever laid hands upon it.”

“That is a myth.”

“It is a fact. My father gave his life for its sake. And Morgana believed, too, enough to risk all that she had to right the wrong.”

“Morgana wasn’t interested in
right
,” Duncan scoffed, twisting to look at her with dark sarcasm. “She wanted much, much more—and when she didn’t get it she happily sent me off into thirteen years of living hell.”

Aileana felt herself flush, but she didn’t have a chance to respond. All trace of softness had vanished from Duncan’s eyes.

“Enough. This bickering serves no purpose.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “What I came to tell you is this. Unless you give me the
Ealach
, in one week’s time I will be leading a raid against your people. It is as simple as that.”

Shock struck Aileana like a fist to the belly. She popped up from the bench, her hands suddenly icy. “But you can’t do that. We agreed that if I came with you as leman, you’d—”

“I agreed that if you came with me, I would spare your brother’s life. An even exchange. You for Gavin.” Duncan’s expression was grim, feral. “And I’m upholding my end of the bargain. I’ll not harm Gavin. But every other MacDonell is fair game.”

Aileana’s breath left her, and she sank back into her seat. Her gaze flew to Duncan, searching, her mind tripping over itself as she tried to reach through the fear to argue with reason. “But you’d be doing battle for naught! No one knows where I’ve hidden the amulet. Attacking them serves no purpose. No one else can give you the information you seek.”

“Exactly. A few months ago you were willing to sacrifice your honor to save one brother. It’s my guess that you’ll relinquish the
Ealach
now in order to save the lives of the rest of your clan.”

A hard knot formed in Aileana’s throat. He couldn’t be doing this. It was unjust. Cruel. She shook her head, trying to keep away the bloody images that rushed into her mind. “If you attack Dulhmeny, many innocent people will die.”

“Aye,” Duncan’s brow quirked up, “which is why you must—”

A scratching sounded at the door, interrupting him. An instant later Kinnon burst into the chamber. He
looked serious, and his stance was tense. He flicked an uneasy glance to Aileana.

“You’d better come down to the yard now, Duncan. A score of riders are approaching from the south—” He shifted his gaze from Duncan to Aileana and back again. “And they look to be a contingent of MacDonells.”

M
acDonells?
Aileana’s heart leaped into her throat, and everything slowed as if in a dream. She saw Duncan scowl, saw him lean in while he and Kinnon murmured, their golden-brown heads close together. Then, without a backward glance, Duncan turned and left the chamber. Kinnon started to follow him, but Aileana grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Wait. I must speak with you.”

Kinnon looked none too happy, and he shook his head, indicating his need for haste.

“It will only take a moment, I promise.” She clutched his sleeve. “Please.”

“All right, then. But you must hurry. I need to stand with Duncan.”

She nodded, releasing his arm. “You must help free me from this chamber, Kinnon. I—”

“Nay, lass. I cannot do that,” he interrupted.

“But more than anyone here, you know what such
confinement is to me. After all of those years at Dulhmeny…I—I cannot go on like this.” A hysterical edge had crept into her voice, but she couldn’t seem to quell it.

Kinnon shook his head, though his expression was sad. “I know your feelings, lady, and I sympathize with your plight. But I will not go against Duncan in this. It is his decision to make.” He grasped her arm, leading her to the bench and guiding her to sit. “Do you not see the trouble you created for yourself when you locked him in the storage room?”

Bewildered, Aileana shook her head. “Nay. It was unkind, I admit, but I regretted it almost as soon as it was done. I was planning to return and undo the harm when Duncan burst into the hall and dragged me away. He gave me no chance to explain.”

“No explanation would have sufficed.” Kinnon stared hard at her. “Do you not realize that when Duncan was captured and taken to the Tower, he was kept in the most vile, filthy dungeon that his captors could find for him? He endured thirteen years of cold, disease and abuse—all imprisoned in a tiny room without benefit of light. He was tortured almost daily, but in between they kept him locked in complete darkness.”

The shadow that passed over Kinnon’s face gave Aileana just a glimpse of the harrowing memories he described. “You sent Duncan back to that time and place in his mind when you threw the bar on the storage chamber. And you cannot imagine the hell that you forced him to relive.”

A sick feeling began to spread through Aileana’s body, lodging in the pit of her belly.

“Duncan needs the light,” Kinnon added. “He needs
fresh air and freedom. Have you not taken note of the many windows he ordered built into the castle? Did you not remark on his frequent bathing, or wonder at the many wall torches he commands be kept lit, morn, noon, and eve?” He frowned, his expression stern. “What you made him remember was beyond reasoning.”

Without waiting for a reply, Kinnon gave Aileana a curt nod. “Now I must go, lady. Fare you well. And when the burden of your confinement becomes too steep, remember what I’ve told you and be thankful it wasn’t the worse for you.”

He left, and the key turned to lock her in once more. Aileana sat, stunned, the realization of what she’d done sinking in now with a vengeance. It was awful. Even more terrible than she’d imagined. Duncan had suffered horribly at the hands of her sister and the English. Then she’d brought all of it back to him through her own ignorant act against him.

Be that as it may,
a voice inside asserted hotly,
he has no right to coerce you like this. It is evil to make you choose between the
Ealach
and the safety of your clan
.

Her hands clenched, and she felt the satisfying sting of her nails digging into her palms. Aye, it was true. Whether she’d hurt him or not, it was Duncan who was in the wrong now. Keeping her confined and threatening her…it wasn’t right. And she didn’t need to accept his treatment with submission.

She had to find a way to warn her clansmen about what he planned. If she knew her brothers at all, they’d not want her to give Duncan the
Ealach
, even if it meant a clan war to resist. But forewarned, their chances of withstanding a raid would be much better. Aileana scrambled to the bed and knelt, running her hands along
the cool, smooth wood of the bed frame. She grasped a strip of knotted fabric there and pulled. A thin rope, one that she’d been twining these past three days from strips of cloth from her bed coverings and underskirts, slipped to the floor with a thud.

She looped the cord around her arm, counting each length and estimating how much more would be needed to provide her means to scale the wall outside the chamber window. She’d have to work quickly if she wanted to get word to her kin before the group of them returned to Dulhmeny.

A noise at the casement made her jump. She shoved the rope back under the bed, stood and made her way to the wall. Cautiously, she peered out the clear, wavy panes, and what she saw made her almost faint dead away. A man was hanging alongside the window, swinging back and forth. For a moment, she thought he was dead. When he jerked, suddenly, her doubt resolved, but the sight of his face made her heart surge with both fear and relief.

Frantically, she worked the latch, tugging until she opened the window enough to allow him inside. With a few grunts and curses he dropped to the floor of her bedchamber, then straightened and pulled her into a hug that threatened to break her ribs.

“Little sister! It seems a lifetime since I looked upon your beautiful face!” He cupped her cheeks in his hands, pulling back to examine her. “How have you been faring these weeks? We’ve been nigh unto death with worry over you.” He scowled. “Has that bastard treated you well, or do I need to gullet him for his pains?”

“Gavin. Oh, Gavin, I’ve missed you!” Aileana’s breathless whisper escaped her in a rush, and she gazed
into sparkling, laughing brown eyes that were so much like her own. “I see your wounds have healed.” She ran her finger along the reddened creases above his brow and across his chin. “But how did you get here? And where is Robert? Is he well?”

Gavin chuckled, then put his finger to his lips to indicate that they should be quiet. “If we keep asking each other questions with neither answering, we’ll never hear what needs to be said.”

A noise sounded from below, and his gaze swept nervously around the room, pausing at the door as if he feared someone might open it and come upon them.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “The door is fastened from the outside. We’ll hear it being undone and hide you before anyone can enter.”

“The cur has locked you in?” Gavin looked indignant.

“Aye, but only for the last few days. It is a long tale, and of little matter.” She shrugged, trying to lighten his mood. “Besides, it’s not as if I’ve never been confined to a chamber before.”

“That is beside the point,” Gavin mumbled as he pulled her down to sit next to him on the bench.

“I’m fine, Gavin. Truly. But why didn’t you send one of the others to come to me here with news?” she scolded. “Why risk coming yourself, when you know how Duncan feels about you?”

“Ach, it’s no danger. The MacRae doesn’t know that I’m anywhere near Eilean Donan.” Gavin fixed his laughing eyes on her again. “I’ve sneaked past many a wall in my day, little sister, and this one was no harder than any of the others. Easier, actually, because of my purpose. I’m here to spring you to freedom, Aileana. Just like when you were a wee lass.”

Before she could respond, he continued proudly, “It was my idea alone. I let it be known that I’d be joining the group to come here, once we healed and gathered enough strength to ride out again. But I told Robert I’d wait behind in the woodland. He’ll be surprised to see you, I warrant, when he returns with news and our plan of attack!”

“Attack?”
Aileana choked. “You’re planning to attack Eilean Donan?”

“Aye, of course.” Gavin got up and began to pace. “But not until Robert decides our method. He and the men will be leaving the castle shortly, and we’ll discuss options in the glen after I’ve figured how to get you down the wall with me.” He stopped pacing, glancing at her with concern. “What is it, lass? You look a little green. Do you need some water?”

Shaking her head, Aileana pulled him to sit beside her again. “Nay—just tell me what foolishness you’re planning.”

Gavin frowned. “We won’t be attacking in the usual sense, if that’s what worries you. Robert didn’t want to risk harm to you, and there aren’t enough MacDonell men that’s fit to do it right now.” Gavin tapped his finger to his temple and winked. “But leave it to your brothers, lass. We’ve a few ideas yet. If he was going to be living long enough, the MacRae would curse the day he brought shame on you.”

Aileana felt as if she’d been kicked in the stomach. “Dragon’s breath, Gavin MacDonell, just what is it you’re planning to do?”

“Why, we’re going to kill the MacRae, lass,” he said slowly, as if she lacked the wit to follow what he’d said. “Honor demands it. From the moment he took you, Duncan MacRae was a marked man.”

She shook her head, too horror-stricken to utter a sound.

“What? Why are you looking like that?” Gavin tipped her chin to look at him. “The bastard ruined you, little sister, and I mean to make him pay for his crime.”

“But you cannot kill him. I—I won’t allow it.”

“Ach, feel no tenderness for the scoundrel! He’s not worth—” He stopped suddenly, and shook his head in denial. “Don’t tell me the bastard’s got his child growing in you, already?”

A strange pang shot through her. “Nay, I don’t carry Duncan’s babe.”

“Then why are you so hell bent on saving him?”

She looked away. “It is just…it’s just that I don’t think this plot against him is honorable. I made my bargain with him in good faith. I gave him my word.”

“A bargain in good faith! He made you his
leman
, lass. There’s nothing good nor faithful about that.”

She flushed and looked away. “Not in truth, he didn’t,” she murmured. “He only wants everyone to think it so.”

Gavin looked as though he’d swallowed a school of loch fish. “What exactly are you telling me?”

“Just what it sounds like,” she muttered. “In the time that I’ve been here, Duncan MacRae hasn’t touched me even once in that way. I’m as pure as the day I left Dulhmeny, so you cannot kill him for dishonoring me.”

Gavin remained quiet, his expression doubting.

Exasperated, Aileana said, “If an oath is necessary, then I swear it on our mother’s grave.”

Gavin’s eyes widened. His gaze traveled over her, and he shook his head. “By the Saints, Aileana…sure and that I’m thankful, but—” He looked askance at her.
“Doesn’t the man have eyes? He cannot have looked upon you lately, or else I’d have to be saying he’s gone daft as well as murderous.”

“He’s nothing of the sort, I assure you.” Aileana flushed again. “And he was honest enough not to kill you. Many a man in his place might have sought vengeance, even after taking me at my bargain. At least he’s living up to his side of the agreement.” Then she added more quietly, “Or at least he was until an hour ago.”

“Why? What the devil did he do now?”

Aileana felt ashamed she hadn’t told him sooner. “You must forget about everything else we’ve discussed and go home quickly, Gavin. Gather as many men as you can.” She squeezed her hands tight in her lap. “Less than an hour ago Duncan told me that he’s going to lead a raid on Dulhmeny by week’s end if I don’t give him the
Ealach
.”

“The bastard! I knew he couldn’t be trusted,” Gavin growled and sprang to his feet, his hands clenched to fists. “It’s all the more reason to let me kill him. If he’s dead, he cannot lead an attack against us.” He nodded to Aileana. “You’re coming with me. I want to get you out of harm’s way before the deed is done, so that none of his clan tries to retaliate against you when they find their chieftain dead.”

“Nay!” Aileana tried to control the fear that consumed her every time she considered the possibility of Duncan dying. She didn’t know why the thought of it wounded her so, especially considering how he’d behaved toward her these last days, but understandable or not, her feelings on the matter were definite. While she might not be able to stop the chance of its happening if a clan war broke out, she knew she’d be fit for the grave
herself if she didn’t prevent her brothers from outright murdering him.

“I won’t go with you, Gavin.” She stood. “Please, just do as I say. Go home without delay.”

He shook his head. “We’re leaving together, Aileana. We’ll settle the rest later.” He took hold of her arm and started to lead her to the window. “Come. I’ll not have you spending another minute with that lying churl. He’s not fit to be called a man.”

“Nay, I said!” Aileana shouted and yanked her arm from his grasp. “I will not be pushed and prodded like a sheep to the gate.”

Gavin stared at her, stunned. She shook her sleeve back into position. “I’ve made my decision, and you must abide by it.” She glanced to him, softening enough to add, “I’m no longer a child, Gavin. Father is dead. I’ll allow no one to take his role of power over me again.”

Her brother’s gaze hardened, and he gestured round the chamber that confined them. “The MacRae seems to be doing a fine job of it if you ask me.”

“Whether that is true or not is my concern,” Aileana answered, feeling her cheeks heat. “It shouldn’t influence you.”

“You’re my sister. Anything that happens to you influences me. Christ, you’re only in this predicament because of me.”

“Nay, I’m here because I chose to be. But if it pleases you to think yourself the cause of it, then you will also admit that I’ve given much for your sake already. Do this one thing for me now.” She took his hands in hers. “Do not kill the MacRae, Gavin. If there’s a way to keep him from raiding our clan, I’ll find it. I already have an idea. But I don’t want him killed.”

He looked exasperated, but she saw from his eyes that he was wavering.

“Please,” she murmured, pressing her point. “I’m asking you on the bond of blood between us.”

“Aye, lass,” he said finally. “A bond of blood I’d prefer we keep, without any of yours being spilled.”

“The best way to ensure that is to do as I say. Swear that you won’t harm Duncan.” She stared hard at him. “Swear it, Gavin.”