‘Well, lads, with William, Lundy and I now all flying the wedded banner, who’s next to fall?’ Lachlan said with a wink and a grin.
‘Marriage isn’t for the likes of me,’ Duff said.
‘Or me,’ Cal added solemnly.
‘Nor me,’ Dair said with a relieved smile.
‘Why? Many an unlucky lass would fight to marry one of you unsavoury wretches.’
‘And live without a name to give and knowing more about our wife’s origins than of our own?’ Duff said softly.
‘God Almighty. Then find out who you are,’ Lachlan said, his grin slipping.
‘We’ve searched the Borders without success,’ Cal said.
‘Aye, we’ve turned the Lowlands upside down and still know naught,’ Dair added, sounding more grim than Duff had ever heard him. Perhaps his mockery of marriage was less the jest and more for self-protection.
‘Then tomorrow, go and turn the Highlands on its arse and see if any of you were spawned there.’ A rare frown creased Lachlan’s brow. ‘Clan Elliot will manage well enough without you. You have a year. Go find who is responsible for your sorry hides, but if you discover nothing by next summer’s end, you must return here, marry, or not, and get on with your lives.’ Lachlan’s smile returned as he looked across the room at Kenzie, the woman he’d wed almost a year ago. ‘Right now I’m off to dance with my beautiful wife.’
Duff searched Dair and Cal’s expressions and found the same sense of surprise on their faces. Could they discover where they’d come from, who their families were and why they’d all been abandoned as lads? Could they finally share the happiness that William and Lachlan and Lundy had found since they’d wed?
‘What do you think, lads?’ Dair asked.
‘The Highlands are a big place,’ Cal said, with his usual hint of negativity.
Duff glanced at his friends and said, ‘There’s only one way to find out.’
‘Well then.’ Dair grinned and lifted his goblet. ‘A new wager, lads. To the first of us to find his name and take a wife.’
Duff smiled. ‘I’ll take that wager.’
Thanks for reading The Thief. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage www.allison-butler.com, follow me on twitter @AllisonButler17 or like my Facebook page Allison-Butler-Author.
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ISBN: 9780857992567
Title: The Thief
(first published in 2013 as The Border Laird’s Bride)
Revised edition copyright © 2015 by Allison Butler
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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