The healer sighed. “I feared as much. Aye, it would be good to know who the father of the child might be. Some of the womenfolk here would not take too kindly on their men for breaking their marriage vows.”
“‘Twas not a woman who attacked me,” Grace announced.
Lorna’s eyes widened. “Ye remember something?”
Did she? The certainty had come to her in a blinding flash of realization, but there was nothing else. No mental images or memories. “I doonae know,” she admitted. “I just know that it was a man.”
“The Highland men are a fearsome bunch, but the Highland women are their one true fear,” Edina said as she nodded. “Come, ‘tis been many years since I’ve been to the tavern.”
“Ye went to the tavern?” Lorna asked.
The woman smiled mischievously. “I could tell ye some tales, grandchild of mine. We will talk while we walk.”
14
By the time Hamish joined up with the men, they were already arguing over the best way to go about investigating Maggie’s death. Hamish noticed that the MacKay men were the only ones actually trying to discuss the investigation, while the MacSeavers and Armstrongs were arguing over leadership. He wished he’d allowed Connor to leave some men when Connor had offered, but with their proximity to Sinclair lands, it would be too easy for one of them to send word that it seemed like something wasn’t quite right with Grace and Hamish’s engagement.
The last thing he needed was Connor to ride back with an army to rescue his sister.
Quietly, Hamish stood back and listened. Reed and Tavin were hanging back and listening to them argue as well. Reed was more diplomatic and Tavin more hotheaded. Hamish needed someone to keep an eye on Grace, and Tavin might not like getting pulled aside as a personal guard for Grace. He liked Maggie and was eager to help find her killer.
They weren’t the only ones listening to the men squabble. Theo was as well. Although he wasn’t a Hamilton, he was a laird, and the men should have been asking him for guidance, but Theo didn’t intervene or demand anything of them.
“As a ranking member of the largest army here, I will lead the investigation,” Malcolm Armstrong announced.
Baden MacSeaver snorted. “Ye are fooling yerself if ye think that counts for anything. ’Tis Hamilton’s land and he willnae allow one of us to take lead.”
“He is too busy watching after his hellion brat of a lass,” Malcolm shot back.
Reed and Tavin both put their hands on their swords. Theo reached for his as well. “I suggest ye have more respect for Lady Sinclair, who will soon be the mistress of the Hamilton clan,” Theo said in a dangerously low voice as he pulled his sword halfway out. It was a warning. If the sword left the sheath, there would be blood spilled.
“Aye, and ye owe the room an apology,” Hamish said lightly from his spot while he tried not to let his anger show. Heads immediately swiveled, and there was a flash of fear in Malcolm’s eye. The man was all hot air, happy to puff out his chest when he thought there was no real power to engage with, but the minute he realized he’d overstepped the boundaries, he looked ready to run.
“My apologies, Laird Hamilton,” Malcolm said stiffly.
“I am not to hear the word ‘hellion’ from anyone’s mouths, for Grace Sinclair is to be my wife, and I will have her respected. As to the investigation into Maggie’s death, Reed will take point and report directly to me. Ye will respect their wishes and take their direction while ye are here. If ye arenae willing to do that, ye may leave.”
Malcolm and Cameron Armstrong both exchanged glances as well as the two MacSeaver guards, Kendrew and Brodie, but they all nodded.
“Excellent. Tavin, I would like a word with ye, and then Theo, ye and I may meet and discuss yer expectations for the next coming days.”
Nobody said a word as Tavin followed Hamish out of the room, and Hamish waited until the door was closed before he spoke. “I am sure ye are aware of Grace’s penchant for mischief,” he began. “I need someone to keep an eye on her.”
Tavin frowned, but he didn’t dare question his assignment. Hamish knew what he was thinking. He was second only to Hamish, and it was not his job to chase a woman around.
“I amnae demoting ye,” Hamish told him. “This is important to me. I am about to share something that I want ye to share only with Reed. None of the others must know, and that includes our own people.”
“Ye have my silence,” Tavin swore.
“Aye.” Hamish smiled briefly. When he first came to Hamilton lands, it was Tavin and Reed who recognized his leadership qualities and defended him when the others wanted him thrown out because he was not Hamilton blood. The more he proved himself, the less the defense was needed, and they became friends. “I know. There was a witness to Maggie’s murder. Grace.”
Tavin’s eyes widened. “And she hasnae said who the killer is?”
“She doesnae remember. She was attacked and suffered a head injury. Believe me, she wishes to bring the killer to justice just as we do.”
“Ye are afraid the killer will try again.”
“Aye.” Hamish hesitated. “Fortunately, Grace was disguised as a stable boy at the time, so I am hoping so long as we keep her occupied and out of harm’s way, she will never become a target again. I am counting on ye to keep her safe when I amnae around.”
Tavin bowed his head. “It will be my honor to protect the woman who will be my mistress.” Hamish sent him up to Grace’s chambers to watch her for the day. In the meantime, he intended to move Grace to the room next to his so he could help keep an eye on her at night.
No doubt Grace would fight him on the move, but he would just remind her that they were keeping up appearances, after all.
After Tavin was gone, he started to open the door only to realize that Theo was already striding toward him. Knowing that he owed the man his thanks, Hamish gritted his teeth. “I appreciate ye defending Grace’s honor,” he said stiffly. He wondered if Theo’s quick defense was because he had feelings for Grace. That didn’t sit well with him, although marrying the woman Theo loved did have merit when it came to revenge.
“She is a good woman despite her reputation.” Theo hesitated. “I do know the stories that accompany her from Sinclair lands. I also couldn’t help but notice that she has been injured lately.”
Panic struck him, but Hamish swallowed it down. “I was told that she fell from a horse while she was out with her sisters-in-law,” he said almost dismissively hoping that Theo would think his casual tone was because he didn’t care. “Lorna has seen to her.”
Theo still looked troubled but nodded. “I appreciate ye taking time for me despite everything that is happening. Loch Moran is important to me, and since we will be neighbors, our relationship is important to me.”
“We signed a peace agreement,” Hamilton pointed out. “Or are ye hoping to find ways to buy out some of my land as well?”
A dull flush appeared on Theo as he scowled. “I didnae go in search of purchasing the land,” he growled. “The people of Loch Moran came to me for protection, one that I couldnae give without giving them the protection of my name.”
“Is that the story that yer father is telling people?”
“My father didnae make the decision. He knew nothing about it ‘til it was done.”
Hamish stilled. There was no way the king would allow Theo to make that decision unless he was certain that the elder MacDougal would never take power again. “So yer father is on his deathbed?” Hamish said without any sympathy. He wanted the man dead, but not before the man knew what Hamish had done with his life, and not before Hamish could have his revenge.
“There has been no mention of that,” Theo said mildly and he was once again relaxed. “Ye are a suspicious man, Hamish. I am only here to share ideas and extend a hand of neighborly friendship. Simply because Loch Moran is mine doesnae mean that it willnae continue to be attacked by smugglers and looters. I only mean to ask yer opinion of how to strengthen the area.”
His voice was smooth and calming, but Hamish wasn’t fooled. A man like Theo probably had years of experience manipulating people, and Hamish was not going to be one of them. He wasn’t going to let his guard down until he knew just what his half-brother was doing here.
“I am happy to talk.” Before he could go much further, he saw Tyree striding down the hall with a stormy expression on his face. “But not at the moment. It looks I am about to be called away.”
Theo looked over his shoulder and nodded. “Aye, I can see that. ‘Tis been an eventful morn. We will talk tomorrow, then. I am going back in to see what I can do to help.”
“If ye wish to investigate, ye will remember that my men are in charge.”
“Naturally,” Theo said calmly and left just as Tyree reached them.
“Edina?” Tyree roared. “Ye are putting Edina in charge of chaperoning yer bride-to-be? Have ye lost yer senses?”
Hamish blinked. He had no idea what had put Tyree in such a foul mood or why he was so upset about his voice of chaperones. “I have not,” he said cautiously. “Edina is a kind woman with an intelligent head on her shoulders. I realize that she can be a little unconventional, but I need someone that Grace isn’t going to pull one of her tricks on and abandon to go hunting killers in the middle of the night.”
“Ye can be certain that won’t happen,” Tyree said grimly, “because Edina will be the one to put that in her head. Edina might be a sweet old woman to ye, but doonae be fooled. If there was ever a Hamilton hellion, she is it.”
Sweet and kind Edina? “What are ye talking about?”
“Oh, she will be more than happy to solve the murder of yer tavern wench because she was one!” the older man hissed. “She was the tavern wench.”
“What does that mean?”
“Ye know the Lassie’s Sweet Call on the road to MacDougal’s land?”
Hamish nodded. “Aye. ‘Tis a busy place for travelers.”
“Aye. It was started decades ago by none other than Edina Hamilton.”
Hamish would have laughed if it hadn’t felt like such a disaster. “Who would have allowed that to happen?”
“My father, that’s who. When he was laird, he had a sweet spot for Edina’s aunt, and when she passed away, he doted on Edina and gave her whatever she wanted. So when she decided that she wanted to own a business, he gave her everything she needed. She ran that tavern up until about ten years ago when she sold it.”
“Hamish!” Tavin’s bellow bounced off the walls as he hurried toward them.
“What is it?” Hamish demanded. Will nothing go right today?
“‘Tis the ladies, sir. They arenae in Grace’s room.”
“Told ye,” Tyree said grimly. “I bet I can tell ye where ye can find them.”
Hamish knew exactly what Tyree was thinking. They’d gone back to the tavern. He could only hope that Grace wasn’t dressed in pants.
15
The sun was still setting as Grace, Lorna, and Edina walked at a brisk pace to the tavern. Sandwiched between them, she didn’t garner much attention from the clan members as they passed, most of them mumbling a “Hello Edina,” and averting their eyes with Lorna. Grace was starting to get the feeling that Lorna was not well-loved in the clan, but she was too swept away by Edina’s story to ask Lorna why people were refusing to make eye contact with her.
“And the laird just let ye own a tavern?” Grace asked in amazement. If she had asked her father or brothers to run a tavern, they would have locked her in the room for a month just to ensure that she didn’t try to do it anyway.
“Aye,” Edina chuckled at the memory. “At the time, I was young and reckless. A few years younger than ye are right now, Grace, and I was pushing the boundaries of my freedom, but I also wanted some independence. It never occurred to me that he would say yes, but it was the best decision that I ever made. Oh, the times I had in that place.”
“And Grandfather?” Lorna asked with some trepidation.
“Yer grandfather was a wonderful man. He claimed he fell in love with me the first time he laid eyes on me, but I was too stubborn to give in at first. As much as the laird doted on me, if I married, I would have lost my freedom with the tavern, and I needed to know without a shadow of a doubt that he loved me for me and not because of my success. When I could deny my heart no longer, we married and had many wonderful years together. He let me run the tavern as I saw fit, and he tended to the plot of land his family had worked for generations.”
“Why did ye sell?” Grace asked. They were nearing the tavern now, and she simply couldn’t understand why Edina would give her own business up. It was unheard of for a woman to have something so precious, and Edina was clearly in good health and could have kept going.
“I felt lost when my husband died,” Edina admitted. “I needed something new. I kept on for nearly two years after his passing, but I had lost my love for it, so I sold it. I’ve dabbled in a number of things since then, and now I have ye. It sounds like ye might be just what I need.”
Lorna reached out and squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “I thought ye might like an adventure,” she chuckled.
“Indeed, I do. Some of the girls who work here are from families who used to work for me. Mothers who served and fathers who tended bar. They ran around as kids in my tavern, so they should open up to me.”
“But we need to keep it casual,” Grace warned. “As much as I would like to charge in and demand answers, Hamish wields a great deal of power over me. If I upset him overmuch, he’s liable to send me back home.”
“Ye doonae think he’s going to realize ye are already disobeying him?” Lorna asked dryly. “He did order ye to stay put.”
“Aye, but we willnae be long, and he is busy with Laird MacDougal. I imagine we will ask our question and be back before he even realizes that I am gone. I trust that neither of ye will tell on me?” The very thought of her two newest friends ratting her out made her grim. After all, they were all in this together.
“And get in trouble ourselves? I think not,” Lorna muttered.
Before they could reach the door, their path was blocked by a pretty woman in a lovely blue dress with a dark braid coiled about her hair. She had adorned it with flowers and clutched even more colorful foliage in her hands. It didn’t quite match the fierce look on her face.
“Mary,” Lorna greeted, “are ye on yer way to the tavern? ’Tis a strange place for ye.”
“No, I amnae!” Mary spat. “Ladies doonae go to taverns.”
Instead of stepping aside, Lorna just straightened and smiled. “We are going to the tavern.”
“I believe ye just made my point for me,” Mary said sweetly before she narrowed her gaze to Grace. “I know who ye are,” she hissed.
Grace was taken aback. She hadn’t even met the woman who seemed to fiercely loathe her. “I am happy to hear that,” Grace said slowly. It was only a matter of time before the whole clan learned of her claim to soon wed Hamish. “I havenae had the pleasure of meeting ye yet.”
“I am more than happy to tell ye who I am.” She held out her dainty hand. Grace couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t have a speck of dirt beneath her nails. How was that even possible? “My name is Mary, and I am to be Hamish’s wife.”
Jealousy unlike anything she’d ever known shot through her. On either side of her, Edina and Lorna laughed. “I believe ye must be mistaken,” Grace said coolly even as guilt formed in her belly. Was there something between Hamish and Mary? He would have said so, wouldn’t he?
“I amnae. He was all set to marry me before ye came. And now ye are going to a tavern to drink with the likes of her,” Mary said snidely as she gestured to Lorna. “Shows just what kind of woman ye are, and ’tis certainly not the kind of woman Hamish wants by his side.”
“I assure ye it is, or he would not have asked for my hand.” Grace didn’t mind laying it on a little thick. If Hamish was set to marry this woman, he was a bigger idiot than she thought.
It would be a cold day in hell before Grace let Hamish in another woman’s bed while she was here.
Not because she cared. Simply because they had an image to maintain.
The woman stalked off, and Grace stared after her. “She doesnae like ye vera much,” Grace commented to Lorna.
Lorna and Edina laughed. “And she loves ye,” Lorna chuckled. “’Tis no secret that Mary had hoped to marry Hamish, but then so did many of the lasses here.”
“So I should expect this kind of thing often?”
“Nay,” Edina assured her. “Most of us simply want to see Hamish married with an heir.”
Her words hung in the air, and Grace cleared her throat and gestured to the tavern. “Shall we?”
It was still early, so the tavern only had a few patrons inside. The workers were mostly cloistered in a corner whispering to themselves. A death of one of their own would cause a fuss and hopefully make them more cautious.
“Edina!” one of the women gasped and hurried over before giving her a hug. “I havenae seen ye in ages. Eloise and I were just saying the other day that we needed to visit with ye.”
“Bethany, ye are looking lovelier by the day,” the older woman said with genuine fondness in her voice. “How is that new husband treating ye?”
The waitress immediately blushed, intriguing Grace. Clearly the woman’s thoughts were cast toward the bedroom, a subject that was interesting Grace more and more since her unexpected witness to the tryst the other night.
Highlands’ Forbidden Deeds Page 46
