"So ye've won," Finlay Gunn said, cup in hand.
Lion blinked. "I—I thought you'd returned to Hillbrae."
"Nay. Rowena insisted we wait till ye came back."
"Then where is she?" Lion turned, rising up on his toes as he tried to see over the heads of the cavorting Sutherlands.
"Gone for a ride." It was Kier, his expression sour as ever.
"Alone?" Lion exclaimed.
"Nay. Dun went with her. I can show ye where they went."
"Just tell me. I know the land hereabouts right well."
"I'd rather show ye," Kier muttered.
The hair at Lion's nape prickled. "What is going on?" he demanded, oblivious to the celebrating around him.
"Naught."
"Liar." Lion caught Kier by the front of his tunic and shook him. "Tell me what you and your brother are up to. Where has he taken Rowena?"
"Easy," Finlay, said, laying a restraining hand on Lion's arm. "I am sure she is fine."
Lion shook Finlay off. "Well, I am not. Someone has thrice tried to kill me…once when Rowena was with me. I suspected it was Gunns, but now—"
Something tugged at the bottom of Lion's kilt.
Swearing under his breath, he looked down—into Paddy's pale face and round, frightened eyes. "Paddy, what—"
"Are you my da?" the lad asked softly.
"Paddy." At a loss for words, Lion let go of Kier and knelt before his son. "Where did you get such a notion?"
"From Dun. I heard him and Mama talking. He—he said 'twas so." Paddy's chin was thrust out, but his lip trembled. "Is it?"
Not now. Not like this. Lion looked up at Finlay for guidance, for inspiration.
"It isn't true," Kier snarled. "It's a lie. A damned, filthy lie, for which ye'll pay, Lion Sutherland."
"Look out! He's got a knife," someone shouted.
Kier's blade flashed in the crowded, sunlight hall, arching toward Lion's neck.
Lion leaned away from the slashing blow and saw Kier whip the weapon around for a hacking backstroke. There wasn't room for Lion to draw his sword, nor time to get the knife from his belt. He lashed out with his foot, catching his opponent in the leg.
"Bloody hell!" Kier's knee buckled. He fell sideways, right into Lion's sweeping uppercut. Bone crunched, blood spurted. Kier groaned and collapsed in a heap on the floor, his dirk spinning from his hand as he passed out.
"Lion!" Heckie charged through the crowd, his knife drawn. "What happened? Are you all right?"
"Aye." Lion stood, his legs shaky.
"Seize them! Get the Gunns," someone cried.
"Nay." Lion held up a hand to forestall his clansmen. "Disarm them, nothing more," he said to Heckie. "They are our guests till we determine otherwise."
"L-Lion?" A small hand tugged at his. "Why did Kier try to hurt you?"
He reached down to pat Paddy's shoulder. "It is all right, lad. Just a—a misunderstanding." He fixed Finlay with a hard stare. "One we are going to get to the bottom of right now."
"Did Mama and Dun have a mis-misstanding, too? Is that why they were arguing about going home to Hillbrae?" Paddy asked.
Dread chilled Lion's blood. Kneeling, he placed his hands on Paddy's shoulders. "Where did your mama and Dun go?"
"To the loch." Tears filled his eyes. "Is she all right?"
"Aye," Lion said with a conviction he didn't feel. "I'm going out to get her, right now."
"Can I come, too?"
"Not this time, lad."
"But you will bring her back safe, just like last time."
Lion nodded, incapable of speaking. He left the hall in a rush, barely conscious of being followed till he reached the stables and found himself surrounded by Sutherlands.
"Dinna be thinking to leave us behind," Heckie said.
"All right, but you'd best keep up, for I'm not waiting." A few frantic minutes later, Lion galloped out of Glenshee with thirty men scrambling to keep up.
Bypassing the road, they cut across the high moor and came upon the loch from the rocky hills to the east. Rather than ride straight down to the water, Lion dismounted and snaked up the rise on his belly. His nerves sizzling with apprehension, he scanned the shoreline for some sign of Rowena and Dun.
"It's possible he means her no harm," Heckie whispered. "We should have waited for Kier to come around, and questioned him."
"Nay, if she is in danger, every second is precious. Look there!" He nodded toward the solitary figure sitting on a rock at the water's edge. "There's Dun."
Heckie shielded his eyes. "I do not see yer lady."
"Nor do I, but do you see something in that fisherman's boat? The one nearest to Dun?"
"A bundle of cloth in the bottom."
"Cloth? Or my lass?"
"Mmm. Could be Dun is waiting for Kier to show up with ye, then the bastards think to pitch ye both in the water."
"Aye." Lion studied the scene and the problem for a moment. "Heckie, I want you to take half of the lads, go around and come down the road, slowly like, as though nothing was amiss. The rest of us will work our way to the shore."
Crawling from rock to rock, Lion and his band reached the water's edge without arousing Dun's suspicions. His attention was focused on the road, though from time to time he walked over and glanced into the boat. Knowing Rowena must be in it made waiting hell for Lion. Every nerve in his body vibrated with the urge to run and snatch her from harm's way.
"She must still be alive," Naill whispered. "Else he'd not keep checking on her."
Lion nodded. It was small consolation.
"Here they come."
Lion's gut tightened as he watched Heckie and the troop meander toward the loch.
Dun stood, shielding his eyes from the sun. Something must have alarmed him, for he suddenly spun, grabbed the prow of the boat and shoved it into the water.
"Nay!" Lion jumped up and ran toward the launch site, but it was too late. Dun had the boat in the water and was pulling on the oars for all he was worth. What Dun lacked in experience he made up for in strength, sending the boat spurting out into the loch. "Come back." Lion waded in.
"Wait!" Naill tugged him back. "Ye'll drown with all that mail on," he reminded Lion.
Lion ran for one of the other boats, but all four had gaping holes in them. He cursed and threw his helmet onto the rocks. "Bloody hell!" He ground his teeth in impotent fury as he watched Dun's boat draw farther and farther out of reach.
By the time Heckie and the other lads thundered up, the boat was near the center of the loch. "What now?" Heckie asked, dismounting.
Lion's eyes narrowed as he gauged the distance to the boat. "If you kept him busy, I could swim out and take him unawares."
"Ye'd freeze yer arse off," Heckie grumbled. "Let us put a ring of men around the loch and wait for him to come in."
"What if he throws Rowena in the water first?" Lion shook his head. "Go ahead and string yourselves out around the loch," he said. "Make a show of it. Talk to him. If he asks where I am, say I've gone back for more men."
Lion stalked off over the hill from whence he'd come and stripped down to bare skin. Using a small ravine to shield his movements, he sneaked back to the shore. Along the way, he spotted a large log and dragged it with him. When he entered the water, he kept the log between himself and the boat.
The threats Dun shouted across the water at Heckie were nearly as chilling as the water Lion surreptitiously lowered himself into. Nearly. After only a few moments, his arms and legs were numb from the cold. Still he persevered, clinging to the log with one hand as he propelled himself slowly toward the center of the loch.
Dun's voice grew louder. "If Lion Sutherland does not show himself, I'll cast his whore into the loch."
"He's gone back to Glenshee, I tell ye," Heckie shouted. "He said I was to inform ye that if ye brought the boat in with his lady unharmed, he'd spare yer life."
"Ha! As if I believe that." Dun was silent a moment, and Lion paddled closer, hoping against
hope that Rowena was all right. "I'll never get him now," Dun said, his voice lower. "I don't suppose it matters. With her dead, we'll take Paddy home."
"I doubt Lion'll let his son leave," Heckie retorted.
"What? How—how do ye know that?"
"Kier blurted it out in the hall before he attacked Lion."
"Attacked? But he was supposed to lure him here."
"Lion was too smart for him. He knew something evil was afoot, and he—"
"What of Kier? Is my brother dead?"
"Nay, but the both of ye will hang if any harm comes to Lion's lady," Heckie warned.
Lion peered around the edge of the log. He was still a good distance from the boat, but he didn't dare risk taking it closer for fear Dun, who presently sat facing the far shore, would turn around and guess what was up. Drawing a deep breath, Lion ducked under the icy water and stroked toward the boat.
The water was clear, but his arms and legs were so numb they barely obeyed his commands. He moved sluggishly, slowly. Fear that he'd drown ere he reached them sent a burst of strength through his flagging muscles. At last he arrived at the boat. Keeping close to the far side, he poked his head up and soundlessly drew in much-needed air. The moment he tried to enter the bark, Dun would attack so he must move quickly.
Rising out of the water, Lion grabbed hold of the edge of the boat and leaned his weight on it. The craft tipped toward him and he spied Rowena slumped in the bottom. Her eyes were closed. A bloody gash marred her forehead.
"What the hell?" Dun turned. "Glenshee!" He stood, drawing the sword from its sheath. The sudden movement sent the boat bobbing like a leaf in a tempest. Dun cursed, stumbling over a seat as he lunged forward, murder in his eyes.
Lion heaved on the side of the boat again. Water poured in over the edge. The boat shuddered, then flopped over, dumping Dun and Rowena into the icy water with Lion.
As her limp body floated by, Lion snagged Rowena around the waist, kicked out with his legs and cut away from the boat toward the shore. Dun thrashed around beside the capsized hull, cursing and calling for help.
Lion had his hands full trying to keep her face above water. "Rowena! Ro!" Treading water, he shook her a little.
Blessedly, she coughed, then opened her eyes. "Lion?"
"Easy, love, I've got you." He put his arm around her and began to tow her again toward shore.
"Dun?" she gasped, arms flailing a bit.
"Do not worry about him. Let me get you to safety. Relax, love. Let me do the work."
Naill and a dozen men, none of whom could swim, waded out to help haul them from the water. Warm, rough blankets were wrapped around them, and someone pressed a flask of whiskey to Lion's lips. He drank deep, letting the fiery liquid burn away the cold. Then he passed it to Rowena, still held secure in his arms. She took a sip, coughed and lay trembling against him.
"Dun?" he asked when he'd gotten his breath back.
Heckie shook his head. "Could be the weight of his armor dragged him down. We none of us can swim a stroke, so…"
"He tried to kill me," Rowena whispered. "All this time he pretended to be my protector, and he wished me dead."
"Shh. It's over now," Lion said.
But when the little cavalcade returned to Glenshee, they were greeted by a somber-faced Finlay Gunn.
"Rowena?" he asked anxiously.
"I—I am fine," she replied, teeth chattering. Lion had carried her into the hall, but still held her in his arms, as though he'd never let her go. Nor did she want him to. "Finlay, I do not know why Dun would try to kill me."
"I do." The old man sighed heavily and sat back down in the chair before the fire roaring in the hearth. "It pains me to say this, Lion, but my cousin did take extraordinary measures to ensure he had an heir."
Lion sat, too, his arms tightening around Rowena. "Go on."
"While Ailsa was bandaging Kier's side, he confessed the whole sorry tale. Six years ago, Dun accompanied Padruig when he went to fetch his horses from yer brother, Johnny," Finlay said to Rowena. "Padruig immediately suspected ye were breeding, and set Dun to follow you when ye went off to meet young Lion."
Despite her recent dunking in the loch, Rowena's face heated. Drat, what must he have seen? "He spied on us?"
"That I dinna know. When Padruig realized 'twas Lion's child ye carried, he became obsessed with having it. He learned a bit about the Sutherlands' feud with the Munros—"
"And sent his men to ambush me, dressed in Monroe plaids," Lion said grimly.
Finlay nodded. "Aye."
"That—that bastard. He acted so noble, offering me a marriage to save my honor and give my son a name, and the truth was he had tried to have Lion killed."
"Aye." Finlay looked at his hands.
"Was…was my brother involved?" Rowena asked.
Once again, Finlay nodded. "Padruig threatened him with ruin if he did not guide Dun to the ambush spot. I gather he did not take part in the attack, but ye can question Kier further. There is more," Finlay added. "When Padruig learned Lion had not died in that attack, he feared someday ye and Lion might meet again. So he pressed upon ye that oath to tie ye to Hillbrae."
Rowena was so angry she couldn't speak.
"But Dun and Kier thought the oath might not be enough to keep us apart, so they tried to kill me," Lion muttered.
"Dun felt he had a sacred duty to see his laird's wishes carried out…no matter what," Finlay said.
Lion cursed again. "What of Harry?"
"Oh, he was not involved," Finlay said quickly. "Harry's a good lad, the son of another of my cousins." His frown deepened. "I suppose it's too much to ask that ye spare Kier's life."
"I might," Lion said, heartily sick of killing. "On condition he leave Glenshee and never bother us again." He drew Rowena a bit closer. "Rowena and Paddy will be staying here."
"I know how ye must feel, but what of the oath?" Finlay asked. "She did swear it on holy relics."
"Well, I do not see why I should be bound by a vow to a—a murderer," Rowena exclaimed.
Lion squeezed her hand. "We will try to absolve you of the oath. I'll set Father Simon to work on it."
"I will stay with you no matter what," Rowena said, but her eyes were dark with the same fear that clouded Lion's happiness. They had thwarted Alexander and overcome the tragedies that had tainted their past, but could they imperil their son's immortal soul in order to remain together?
Epilogue
Hillbrae, November, 1390
"He still has not returned?" Rowena glanced at the messenger she'd dispatched to Glenshee a week ago.
Rob Gunn, the young clansman she'd entrusted with the errand, sighed and shook his head. "Nay, the guards said they've had no word from Lord Lion since he departed for Italy."
"But that was nearly five months ago." Rowena knees went weak, and she sank back into her chair at the high table, conscious of the whispering among the Gunns assembled for the evening meal. Lion was gone, just when she needed him most History came so close to repeating itself that she might have laughed…if she hadn't felt so like crying. Or throwing up. She'd been doing a lot of both recently. "How long can it take to sail to Italy and return?"
Finlay reached over and patted her hand. "It is no easy thing to arrange an interview with the pope."
"Why did he have to go in person? He could have sent a letter along with my petition," she muttered.
" 'Twould not have the same impact as pleading your case himself," Harry reminded her. "Lion must make the pope see how vital it is that you be freed from that damned oath."
Harry now sat in Padruig's chair, having won the right to be chief three months ago by besting Padruig's other blood cousins in a test of battle skills. Still, Harry's hold on the clan was by no means assured. Many questioned whether Rowena's oath to Padruig was binding on the Gunns, as well. Did they imperil Paddy's soul if they accepted another as chief?
"I know why he went, I just did not think it would take so long," Rowena snapped.
In mid-July, she and Lion had reluctantly concluded that until they could settle the matter of the oath, she and Paddy had best return to Hillbrae. Lion had escorted them here, then set off for Italy, vowing he'd not rest till he'd obtained a dispensation for her. It was not until a month later that she'd realized they had another problem.
She was pregnant with Lion's babe. Again.
"Is Papa coming to get us?" Paddy asked from her other side. His face was alight with joy for the first time since he'd been forced to part from his adored father.
"Not yet, dearling."
"Oh." Paddy's smile faded, replaced by the lost look he'd worn ever since their return to Hillbrae. "Did he die like my other papa?" he asked in a small voice.
"Nay." Rowena cuddled her son close. "He is not dead." Fate would not be so cruel. "He'll come home to us."
Finlay glanced at her burgeoning belly and sighed. "Robert the Bruce waited a long while for his dispensation from Rome."
"Years," Harry added glumly.
Rowena's stomach rolled. She might well have two bastard children by the time the pope acted.
Finlay whispered, "My offer to wed ye still holds, lass."
Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. "Nay, I've traveled that road before. I will wait."
A Gunn clansmen streaked into the hall. "Visitors, my lord," he said to Harry, but his eyes strayed to Rowena.
She straightened. "Lion? Could you tell if it was Lion?"
"Nay, 'tis a lady…a very grand lady."
Indeed, the woman was just entering the hall. Her riding cloak flung back to reveal a peacock blue gown, her carriage proud as a queen's, she advanced on the high table. Eyes a startling shade of violet latched onto Rowena's. "You must be Lady Rowena. I am Elspeth Sutherland."
"Oh," Rowena said faintly. Lady Elspeth looked as polished and intimidating as she'd feared.
Finlay rose. "Will ye sit and refresh yerself?"
"In a moment." Elspeth smiled, deepening the wrinkles around her mouth and eyes, the only signs she was no longer young. "First I'd like a private word with Rowena. If I may."
"Of course." Rowena stood, her knees going weaker when the lady's eyes strayed to her mountainous belly. Grimly, Rowena led the way to a small window alcove and sank onto the stone seat.
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