Such a fool she had been to think, even for a brief moment, that she could live here, among the people of clan Graham. She had begun to care a great deal about Rowan, Lily and even his men. She had hoped that his people would welcome her, if not with open arms then with the possibility of forging friendships.
Her mind began to wander to something else Beatrice had said. Rowan had taken three women to his bed last night. Three! The thought made her cheeks burn red and her anger bubble up again. She could barely imagine what it would be like to be with one man. She couldn’t imagine what such an intimate act would be like with two additional women. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine.
Mayhap Rowan Graham wasn’t the honorable kind man she believed him to be. Mayhap he was just as morally bankrupt as her own father. It was that bright smile of his, that more than beautiful face and those dark brown eyes. He hid behind a façade of beauty, but deep down, underneath it all, he was just as depraved and ruthless as most other men she had known.
“I be an utter fool,” she mumbled aloud as she began to pace around the cramped room. “A complete and utter eejit!”
Rowan was worried when Arline had not appeared in the gathering room that morning. Believing she was still mending from her injuries and far too tired to make it down the stairs, he went about his normal daily routine.
He and his men took to the training fields for a few hours. They had to maintain a level of preparedness in case Garrick Blackthorn decided to reclaim some of the dignity he lost when Rowan was able to gain entry into his keep and retrieve his daughter. Knowing Garrick Blackthorn as he did, Rowan wouldn’t put anything past the man. Garrick was a full-grown man, but still acted more like a spoiled child. There was seldom any sense to be found in anything the idiot did.
Part of Rowan wished that the fool would attack, just for the opportunity to kill the bastard. He relished the thought of cutting his throat or running his broadsword through his gut.
But the more sensible part of him knew that the clan might not be able to withstand such an attack. The number of fighting men was nowhere near what it had been before the Black Death. He had been slowly rebuilding the numbers, offering home and hearth and the promise of a future to men who had also lost much four years ago. It was a slow process.
The men he did have were well trained and loyal and he knew he could count on each and every one of them. But they did not have the numbers to equal Garrick Blackthorn’s.
Rowan was not completely without hope. If Blackthorn trained his men in the same manner he treated people, with no respect or dignity, then he probably had a group of lazy warriors whose fealty was to their own necks.
He had spent a good portion of the afternoon in his library with Lily asking one question after another. Very few of them could he answer. Most of them were in regard to Lady Arline.
“But when will she get better? And when can I see her?” Lily asked as she sat on the edge of his desk playing with the doll that Arline had made for her.
“I do no’ ken, lass. But she has been through much and needs her rest.”
Lily didn’t care for his answer. “I was through much too! And look! I’m all better!”
He could not argue with her reasoning. But he knew that children tended to be far more resilient than adults.
“Aye, and I be verra glad ye are all better,” he told her as he added numbers in his ledger.
“So why isn’t Lady Arline better? I miss her. Lady Beatrice won’t let me go see her. Why can’t I?”
Rowan let out a frustrated sigh, set down his feather and looked at his daughter. “Lily, ye must understand that Lady Arline was seriously injured and it will take a few days to recover.”
“Have ye seen her?”
“Nay, I have not.” And it wasn’t for lack of wanting to. He was simply giving the lass time to rest. But still, he was growing concerned as the hours passed by without seeing her.
“I miss her, da.” Lily said, pulling her lips into a pout. “She took good care of me.”
Rowan knew his daughter was genuinely concerned for Arline, for he had similar concerns.
“I tell ye what, lass,” Rowan said as he scooped Lily up and into his arms. “We will give Lady Arline another day to rest and if she is still not well, we shall go and see her.”
“Do ye promise?” Lily asked as she rested her head against his chest.
“I do so promise,” Rowan whispered. “She’ll be better soon, so ye needn’t worry. ’Tis nothin’ some good sleep won’t cure.”
He prayed that he was right.
Later that afternoon, Rowan called for Frederick, Daniel and Thomas for a meeting in his library. They had much business to discuss, the primary concern being who had tainted the ale with the sleeping draught.
Rowan sat behind his desk as the three men stood before him. “Have ye learned anything since our return?”
“Nay, Rowan, we have not,” Thomas answered. “I’ve been askin’ the women folk and so far, nothin’. Mrs. McGregor seems to be as puzzled as the rest of us as to who might have done this. But, it would be quite easy to slip into the cellar and taint the ale. ’Tisn’t like we keep it guarded.”
There had never been a need to keep the ale under guard. No one, least of all Rowan, would ever think such it necessary. His clansmen were good, honest people. Many were related by blood, but others had come from nearby clans that had been decimated by the Black Death. There were even a few from as far away as Inverness.
Concern was etched in the lines of his face. Had he unwittingly opened his home to a traitor? Or worse yet, traitors? Why would anyone do such a thing? Had he not offered them a safe home? Did he not treat each among them with respect and dignity?
“Have any of ye any suspicions?” Rowan asked.
The men cast furtive glances at each other. Rowan sensed they were afraid to speak their minds, which he found rather odd. Each of them looked very uncomfortable.
“I get the feelin’ ye be afraid to speak yer minds, lads.”
Frederick cleared his throat and shifted from one foot to the next. “None of us want to suspect our own, Rowan.”
“Neither do I, Frederick. But someone within these castle walls tainted the ale and kidnapped me daughter. We need to find out who it was. Who is to say that they might not make an attempt again?”
“Do ye really think it be one of our own, Rowan?” Thomas asked.
While he did not like the thought, it was a possibility. “I dunna what to believe at this point, Thomas. I dunna want to think it be one of our own.”
Daniel finally spoke. “Do ye think it be one of those that ye opened yer home to? Someone not born within the clan?”
Frederick turned and looked at Daniel, visibly angered by his question. “I was no’ born within this clan, and neither was me brother Ian. Do ye accuse us?”
“Nay, I do no’!” Daniel snapped. “But at this point, no one is above suspicion. Do I think ye or yer brother involved? Nay, I do no’. But someone did betray us, all of us.”
Frederick looked as though he were ready to snap Daniel’s neck. Frederick had come to live among the clan when Rowan and Kate first married.
“If I thought, even for the briefest moment, that any of ye were involved, ye would no’ be standin’ here before me,” Rowan said as he looked Frederick in the eye. “I trust ye with me own life and the life of me child.” He paused a moment to allow his words to settle in. “But Daniel is still correct. Someone here did betray us and we need to find out who. We can worry about the why of it later.”
Thomas offered his own opinion on the matter. “Aye,” he said as he patted Frederick on the shoulder. “I feel the same as Rowan. I trust ye and Daniel, without question. But the fact remains we have to find out who did this.”
“Keep doin’ what yer doin’,” Rowan told them. “Keep yer eyes and ears open. I’d concentrate first on those who are newest here. They verra well could have been sent by Blackthorn to do this. As of this moment,
no one is above suspicion save the four of us in this room.”
“Does that include the ladies Arline and Beatrice?” Thomas asked as he folded his arms over his chest.
Rowan’s stomach tightened at the notion. “Need I remind ye that Lady Arline was no’ here?”
“Nay, I ken that. But, how do we ken that she wasn’t sent to finish what was started?”
Rowan cast him a look of derision. “At the point we met Lady Arline, she was plannin’ on stealin’ Lily away, to protect her from Garrick. The man didna ken we were comin’ fer me daughter, so how could they have planned such a thing?”
“We dunna ken any such thing, Rowan,” Thomas replied sternly. “I keep askin’ meself how it was that ye were able to get into his keep so easily? ’Twas almost as if he was expectin’ ye.” Rowan had thought they had settled this matter days ago. “Lady Arline is above reproach. Need I remind ye that she helped save Angus McKenna’s and Duncan McEwan’s necks seven years ago?”
In Rowan’s mind that was enough to disqualify her as spy and traitor. Thomas however was not so inclined to remove Lady Arline form the list of suspects.
“I ken what she did fer Angus and Duncan. But much can happen in seven years, Rowan.”
Rowan was growing impatient with Thomas’ theory. “So ye believe do ye, that Garrick Blackthorn, known whoreson and spoiled bastard, allowed us into his keep so we could take Lily back? And ye believe that Lady Arline allowed him to beat the bloody hell out of her just so she can gain entry into our keep? For what purpose, Thomas? To steal Mrs. McGregor’s recipe for meat pies?”
Thomas rolled his eyes. “Nay, no’ to steal Mrs. McGregor’s recipes.”
“What then?” Rowan asked, holding his palms upward. “It makes no sense, Thomas.”
“None of this makes much sense, Rowan,” Daniel said. “I believe Garrick Blackthorn was no’ hurtin’ fer money, or anythin’ else fer that matter. He outnumbers us two to one. His clan was no’ hurt nearly as bad as ours and many others. If its yer coin he wants, why no’ just attack and take it? Why kidnap Lily fer ransom?”
Rowan thought that to be a very good question. He pondered it for several long moments. “Let’s look at what we do ken,” he said as he stood and went to the fireplace. “We ken that Garrick is a spoiled man. A boy trapped in a man’s body. We ken that he has plenty of fightin’ men, more men than we. We ken that someone here aided in the kidnappin’ of me daughter,” he paused and clasped his hands behind his back and thought.
“We also ken that he annulled his marriage to Lady Arline,” Daniel offered. “But why? They were married for over a year.”
“What has that got to do with anythin’?” Rowan asked, growing perturbed with how they kept coming back to Lady Arline.
“I find it curious is all,” Daniel said.
“She’s barren,” Frederick said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Garrick was no’ her first husband. She was married to Carlich for three years and no children came of that marriage. ’Tis the only thing that makes sense. He annulled the marriage because she could no’ give him an heir.”
Rowan was growing more and more frustrated with the topic. In his heart, he knew Lady Arline had nothing to do with the kidnapping. “Again, I ask ye why that be important.”
“It may no’ be important as it pertains to the kidnappin’. But it may be important fer ye to ken that.” Thomas replied.
“Me? Why would I care if she be barren or no’?” Rowan unclasped his hands and rested them on his hips.
“Och! Rowan, we all saw how ye were lookin’ at the lass on our journey home,” Thomas said with more than a hint of frustration to his tone.
“Yer daft. I have no idea what yer referrin’ to, Thomas,” Rowan snapped at him. Aye, he had fond feelings toward the woman. But he was not yet ready to admit to anyone that there might be more to his feelings than just a fond admiration or gratitude for what she had done for Lily.
Thomas harrumphed. “And yer daft if ye think no one could see how yer eyes lit up whenever ye saw her. I only say this fer yer own good. Ye could never marry that woman.”
Rowan’s fury erupted. “Marry her? Who said anythin’ about me marryin’ anyone? We’re talking about who betrayed us and helped kidnap me daughter!”
Thomas let out a sigh. “I was merely pointin’ out the obvious. Lady Arline be barren and ye be lookin’ at her all calf-eyed. I feel it me duty to point out that ye canna marry a woman known to be barren.”
In two strides, Rowan was standing eye to eye with Thomas. “It is none of yer business how I feel about Lady Arline, or any other woman fer that matter,” he said through gritted teeth. “And if I were inclined to ever marry again, it will be a woman of me own choosin’, barren or no’.”
Thomas would not back down. “Am I or am I no’ one of yer advisors? Have ye no’ always relied on me opinion? I merely be pointin’ out facts, Rowan. Facts ye might no’ be able to see because yer smitten with the lass.” Thomas reached out and placed a hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “Ye canna deny that ye are, no matter how loudly you voice it otherwise. I be simply tryin’ to help ye see things from all angles. Ye need a son and she canna give ye one.”
As much as he hated to admit to it, there was truth in Thomas’ statements. Aye, he had grown quite fond of Lady Arline. And if she were barren? As much as he wanted to deny it, it mattered more than he cared to admit.
He could not deny wanting more children. When he and Kate had first married, before they realized the trouble she would have getting with child and carrying one to full term, they had both wanted a very large family. Kate thought six of each would be a perfect number and Rowan agreed.
Still, it was far too soon to think of such things. He had a strong desire to get to know Lady Arline. She was a fine woman of good character, still, there was much he did not know of her.
Mayhap, he told himself, in the end, they were destined to be nothing more than good friends. That in and of itself would not be a bad thing, to have her as a close personal friend.
His heart, however, didn’t believe a word his mind was telling him.
When Arline did not appear in the gathering room for the evening meal, his worry intensified. He grabbed Frederick from the crowd and pulled him into the hallway where they could have a more private conversation.
“Frederick, have ye seen Lady Arline this day?”
“Nay, I haven’t, Rowan,” Frederick said as he studied Rowan closely. “Do ye wish me to go and find her?”
“Aye, I do. I’d like to ken how she fares. I’m told she is not feeling well. And see if ye can find the healer.”
Frederick gave a nod and left Rowan standing alone in the hallway. He had sent for the healer three times and each time a message was brought back that she was busy tending to other clansmen and would come to Rowan as soon as she was able.
If the lass was still ill on the morrow, he would go to her then. He’d quit fooling around with messages and messengers. With that decision made he returned to the gathering room.
Beatrice sat at the high table again, occupying the same seat as last night. Time had slipped away from him today, what with training, his meeting with Thomas, Fredrick and Daniel and his other duties. He had forgotten all about speaking with Beatrice.
Lily wriggled her way through the crowd and took Rowan’s hand. The little doll that Lady Arline had made for her was tucked into the crook of her arm. Lily hadn’t been without the doll since the night he took her back from Garrick.
Lily looked very excited about something. “Da!” she said gleefully. “Red John’s dog had puppies! He let me see them today!”
Rowan smiled as he scooped Lily into his arms. “That is excitin’ news!”
Lily nodded her head vigorously, her little ringlets bouncing. “He says I can have one if I want!”
Rowan stopped dead in his tracks. He would strangle Red John for making such an offer without speaking to him first. “He did, did he?”
Lily nodd
ed her head again. “Aye! He said I can pick whichever one I want, as soon as they’re weaned!”
Rowan made a mental note to visit his stable master first thing tomorrow morning. He didn’t feel that Lily was old enough yet for the responsibility that a puppy would require. Not ready yet to have this battle with his daughter, he chose to change the subject. He walked down the pathway toward the high table. “What else did ye do this afternoon?”
She paused, tilted her head and thought hard for a few moments. “I played with the puppies. Jinny and Robert played with them too. One of the puppies peed on Robert’s hand!”
Rowan smiled as he set his daughter on the bench before taking his own seat. “And what did Robert think of that?”
“He wasna happy, but Jinny and I laughed. Red John told us that it wasna polite to laugh at someone in distress.” Lily smoothed out the skirt of her blue dress and set her doll on the table beside her trencher.
“Red John is right, Lily. ’Tisn’t polite nor honorable to laugh at someone in distress.”
Having had enough of being ignored, Beatrice cleared her throat. “Good evening, Rowan. Lily.”
Rowan turned and gave Beatrice a slight nod. “Lady Beatrice.”
“I think ye’ll like tonight’s dinner. I had cook make all of yer favorite dishes.” Beatrice smiled warmly and rested her hand on Rowan’s arm. “I hope that meets with yer approval, Rowan.”
Beatrice would not be the first woman who tried to bribe her way into a man’s heart with food. “Thank ye,” he said curtly, not impressed with her charm.
Rowan's Lady Page 18
