Highland Devotion (The Band of Cousins Book 7)

by Keira Montclair

  “Linet, did Mal…do you mean he was…he…?” The man fell into a chair by the hearth, his face stark white. “Nay, I don’t believe it. I cannot believe it. He was a good lad…”

  “A good lad who was in charge of the Channel of Dubh in Edinburgh?” Gregor asked.

  “In charge? But you said he was involved.”

  “Linet was being kind. He was in charge of that portion of the Channel. He had Linet kidnapped and nearly forced her to work as a whore.”

  Wallace Baird’s eyes widened, and her mother’s sobs continued. He looked to Linet again, his expression turning furious.

  “He used you, Linet? My daughter? His own sister?” He stared up at the ceiling before whispering, “I’ll kill him myself.”

  “There’s no need,” Gregor said softly. “He’s gone, and he’ll not harm your daughter or any other lass again.”

  Her mother looked at her and uttered one word, a linen square crushed in her hand. “Struan?”

  “Nay, Mama.” She reached for her mother’s hand and squeezed it. “Struan never hurt me, and he knew naught of what happened.”

  “Merewen?” her mother whispered.

  “Nay, he did not touch her.”

  Her mother reached for her and wrapped her arms around her, sobbing into her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Linet.”

  She allowed her mother to cry for a few minutes, but then decided it was time to put an end to her parents’ torture. “Mama, I have good news.”

  Her mother mopped at her tears and sat up straight. “Please do tell.”

  “Gregor and I are married.” She glanced over at her husband, so proud and pleased that she was overwhelmed. Whether handfasted or married didn’t matter to her.

  Gregor said, “I asked Linet to marry me and she agreed. We are husband and wife.”

  Her mother jumped to her feet and hugged her. “Praise the Lord for this blessing. You and Merewen will both be staying here. I’m so glad to have you home, lass.”

  Her father congratulated both of them, his face beaming, and though the pain had not left his gaze completely, she thought they would both heal.

  Gregor placed his hand on the small of her back and said, “We must go speak with my parents, so we’ll take our leave.”

  They said little on the walk to the keep, but Gregor wrapped his arm around her for support.

  “Gregor, you must go back and help your cousins. You need not stay with me. Once we’ve seen your parents and you’ve checked on the guards, you should head back to South Berwick.” She gave him a kiss on the lips, a sultry, provocative one, but then said, “They need you. I do, too, but I can wait.”

  Her nerves were getting the best of her as they waited in the hall for Gregor’s parents to come down. They’d arrived early, before Brenna and Quade had risen. Lily had greeted them with the twins and the two lassies had showered them with their love. Torrian came down next, pleased to see that Linet had been returned safely. Once he heard of the upcoming battle in South Berwick, he left to speak with Kyle about sending more guards with Gregor.

  The door opened at the end of the hall and Gregor’s parents entered, Quade using his wooden cane for support. Brenna hastened toward them, her face lit with a bright smile. “You’ve married, Gregor? Is that what I have heard?”

  Linet blushed so deeply she feared her face would stay that dark red forever, but fortunately, she was wrong. Gregor kissed his mother’s cheek and clasped his sire’s shoulder, making sure he didn’t topple the man.

  “Mama, Papa, Linet and I agreed to handfast. Due to the circumstances, we felt that was best. We weren’t quite ready for marriage, and there were no priests around, so ’tis what we decided. I love Linet with all my heart, and I’m proud to bring her to you as my wife—in my eyes.”

  Mistress Brenna clasped Linet’s cheeks and then hugged her, her enthusiasm convincing Linet that she truly was happy with the match.

  Quade said, “We welcome you to the family, Linet. Handfasting is akin to marriage in my eyes, so we consider you to be our son’s wife. You are one of our clan. We could not be more pleased to accept you as our daughter. Come,” he said, gesturing toward the hearth, “let’s sit and talk.”

  They made their way to the hearth, where Gregor positioned his chair next to Linet’s and reached for her hand.

  Even that wee bit of consideration made Linet sigh. She had chosen a most thoughtful man.

  Once they were all settled, Quade glanced at his wife. “I hear Linet was put to work as the healer in the Channel. Mayhap this will fit nicely with what we’ve discussed of late.”

  Mistress Brenna stared at her wide-eyed. “You still have an interest in healing, my dear?”

  “Aye, ’tis one of the reasons I wished to stay. I enjoyed it and I was needed.”

  “And the other reason?” Quade asked.

  “Papa,” Gregor interrupted. “We’ll leave that part for another time. She enjoyed teaching the other lasses to read and healing their injuries.”

  Mistress Brenna’s eyes lit up and her smile widened. “How intuitive of you, Quade. She is exactly what we need.”

  Gregor looked as confused as Linet felt. What could she mean? “Mama?” he whispered.

  “Oh, ’tis naught,” she said. “I’m perfectly well, only I’ve been wanting to slow down…”

  “Ahem…”

  Mistress Brenna smiled at her husband. “Your sire, Gregor, has been after me to slow down. I’ve been having a few more pains in my back, but we don’t have another well-trained healer. I’ve been trying to decide who we could use, someone young yet not completely inexperienced. I don’t know that I will ever be able to completely walk away from my life’s purpose, but the time has come to share my knowledge with another.”

  Gregor asked the same question Linet had been thinking. “Not Jennet?”

  Brenna chewed on her lower lip and tipped her head back and forth. “Jennet, well…she’s not ready yet. She has the knowledge, and she’ll be a wonderful resource for you, if you decide to accept our offer, Linet, but she doesn’t have the compassion or the maturity necessary to take over my duties as of yet.”

  “Offer?” That was the only word Linet could get out because the thought of working next to Mistress Brenna was so exciting that she had to fight the urge to run about the keep and shout her happiness for all to hear.

  “’Tis most perfect. Since you’ve married Gregor, you’ll of course be living at the keep with him. We’ll find you a larger chamber than the one he sleeps in at present. The clan will readily accept you since they all already know you. ’Tis most perfect.”

  “Mama?” Gregor nudged.

  “Of course, I’m rambling with excitement. Linet, would you like to train with me to become one of our clan’s healers?”

  Speechless, she glanced at Gregor, who gave her a brief nod. The look in his eyes told her he would support whatever she chose. Of course he would. She’d chosen a rare man. “I don’t know…I…of course…I mean to say that naught would please me more. I’d be honored to assist you and learn your skills.”

  The door banged open and Logan Ramsay strode into the hall, followed by Gavin and Merewen and Nari, who raced straight for Gregor.

  “What is it, Nari?”

  “We have not found Connor and Thorn yet!” he cried out. “Do you think something happened?”

  “Do not worry, lad,” Gregor said. “We’ll find them.” He ruffled the lad’s hair, but Nari clung to him a bit harder, grabbing hold of his tunic sleeve.

  “I miss Thorn already. Where could they be? Will you not help us?”

  Gregor knelt down to look the lad in the face. “Aye, I will help you. Connor and Thorn are verra resourceful. Don’t forget Braden and Roddy are with them, too, so I’m not worried. We’ll find them for certes. And we’ll stop the bad men for good.” He stood up to glance at his parents and Linet. “I better be leaving shortly. This young lad is Nari and he helped me find Linet in Edinburgh. I think we must hurry. As soon
as I fill my belly, we’ll be leaving.” He nodded a greeting to Gavin and Merewen.

  Brenna left for the kitchens, presumably to get food.

  “Quade,” Logan said, “we had a couple of traitors on our hands Earc and Mal, and now those bastards have more men than we do. I’ve already sent a messenger to the Grants for assistance. I know not how many extra warriors we need, but we have to start calling on our allies. If we manage to stop that last shipment from going out, we might put a stop to this travesty. The two men in charge of the Channel are reportedly in South Berwick. I want those bastards.”

  Linet asked, “Merewen, are you going with them?”

  “Aye,” Merewen said. “They have need of archers. Will you be all right if I leave you here?”

  “Aye,” she said, grasping her sister’s hand in hers. “You do what you must do. Gregor and I handfasted, so I’ll be staying here in the keep. Mistress Brenna has asked me to train with her, learn more about healing, and I’ve accepted. Do me a favor, please. There was a lass named Alys who was verra nice to me. I don’t know what happened to her.” She described her to Merewen as best she could, hoping the lass could be located and helped.

  Merewen’s face lit up and she leaned in to hug Linet. “I’ll do my best to find her. I’m so happy for you. Are you sure you’ll be okay if we go?”

  “Aye,” she said, choking up at the memories that popped into her mind. “I was there, so I know how important ’tis to stop them.”

  The hall quieted around her, all eyes now on her.

  She couldn’t stop the quivering of her chin, but she spoke anyway. “I was with five of the kidnapped bairns. They are starving them. I tried to feed them broth and they could barely take it. I was quite sure at least one of them would die. You must hurry. There’s a larger group of bairns they’re keeping closer to the docks.”

  “You’ve met the men in charge of this operation?” Uncle Logan asked.

  “Aye, they are cold and ruthless. They are both English, but ’tis all I can tell you. They were there for a short time, but they returned to the location near the docks. One is known as Dee and the other is Guy, though those are not their real names. Matilda said she’d been hired just to watch bairns for seven days. I think there are many, many more. So many that I know not how you’ll handle them all once you locate them.”

  “Can you think of anything else you learned?” Logan asked, his piercing green eyes boring through her.

  “They left before Gregor and Gavin arrived, headed to the Channel’s larger establishment near the port, because they were advised of trouble there. They’ve more bairns there.”

  “Connor, mayhap?” Gavin’s eyes lit up with an expression she could only describe as hope.

  “Possibly. They never said. Mal said they were hiring three ships to take the cargo. There are so many lasses and lads coming in over the next few days, even he did not know the number. But I know you must not tarry. If you do, my guess is that hundreds of them will be sent across the waters.”

  ***

  Guy and Dee stood inside a small room arguing.

  “I can’t believe the bastards took out more of our men and got the bairns,” Guy ground out, clenching his teeth as he finished.

  Dee cast an expression of derision at him. “Our sickest bairns. They probably would not have survived the boat.”

  “But they killed another dozen of our men.”

  Dee waved off his concerns. “So we lost a dozen? We have nearly two hundred men at this point, fifty with us and one hundred and fifty English knights to arrive when we signal our need. And the bairns were a small fraction of our shipment. The older ones are much heartier. Do not worry. The knights will be on the front line, and those wild savages will not be able to take down our chain-mailed warriors. They are the best in all of England.”

  “If we can keep our true cargo hidden. If the knights find out what they fight for, half of them could desert us. Curse them, we don’t need those savage Highlanders interfering at this point.”

  Dee was not to be swayed. “Those knights care little as long as they get their coin. Cease your worry. Once we’ve moved all of this shipment out, I’m taking a group out after that Band. We’ll get rid of the lot of them.”

  Guy smirked. “Why stop with the cousins? I say go after all the Ramsays and the Camerons. Then we can liberate the coffers of Lochluin Abbey.”

  Dee thought for a moment before he nodded. “You may have a point. The Band, then the Ramsays.” His eyes narrowed. “But I want that bitch, Maggie Ramsay. I’ll enjoy killing her.”

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Gregor’s story. The reason it is shorter than usual is because it is actually taking place in the same time frame as some of Connor’s novel. It became difficult for me to separate the two.

  Connor’s novel has been percolating in my head ever since Gavin’s story. Once his story solidified in my mind, it was all I could do to finish Gavin and Gregor’s stories first. Connor’s story will be everything you’d hoped for and more.

  Happy reading!

  Keira Montclair

  NOVELS BY KEIRA MONTCLAIR

  THE BAND OF COUSINS

  HIGHLAND VENGEANCE

  HIGHLAND ABDUCTION

  HIGHLAND RETRIBUTION

  HIGHLAND LIES

  HIGHLAND FORTITUDE

  HIGHLAND RESILIENCE

  HIGHLAND DEVOTION

  HIGHLAND BRAWN-COMING SOON

  THE CLAN GRANT SERIES

  #1-RESCUED BY A HIGHLANDER-Alex and Maddie

  #2-HEALING A HIGHLANDER’S HEART-Brenna and Quade

  #3-LOVE LETTERS FROM LARGS-Brodie and Celestina

  #4-JOURNEY TO THE HIGHLANDS-Robbie and Caralyn

  #5-HIGHLAND SPARKS-Logan and Gwyneth

  #6-MY DESPERATE HIGHLANDER-Micheil and Diana

  #7-THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE HIGHLANDS-Jennie and Aedan

  #8- HIGHLAND HARMONY-Avelina and Drew

  THE HIGHLAND CLAN

  LOKI-Book One

  TORRIAN-Book Two

  LILY-Book Three

  JAKE-Book Four

  ASHLYN-Book Five

  MOLLY-Book Six

  JAMIE AND GRACIE- Book Seven

  SORCHA-Book Eight

  KYLA-Book Nine

  BETHIA-Book Ten

  LOKI’S CHRISTMAS STORY-Book Eleven

  THE SOULMATE CHRONICLES

  #1-TRUSTING A HIGHLANDER

  THE SUMMERHILL SERIES- CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

  #1-ONE SUMMERHILL DAY

  #2-A FRESH START FOR TWO

  #3-THREE REASONS TO LOVE

  STAND-ALONE NOVEL

  FALLING FOR THE CHIEFTAIN-Book Three in Enchanted Falls Trilogy

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Keira Montclair is the pen name of an author who lives in Florida with her husband. She loves to write fast-paced, emotional romance, especially with children as secondary characters in her stories.

  She has worked as a registered nurse in pediatrics and recovery room nursing. Teaching is another of her loves, and she has taught both high school mathematics and practical nursing.

  Now she loves to spend her time writing, but there isn’t enough time to write everything she wants! Her Highlander Clan Grant series, comprising of eight standalone novels, is a reader favorite. Her third series, The Highland Clan, set twenty years after the Clan Grant series, focuses on the Grant/Ramsay descendants. She also has a contemporary series set in The Finger Lakes of Western New York and a paranormal historical series, The Soulmate Chronicles.

  Her latest series, The Band of Cousins, stems from The Highland Clan but is a stand-alone series.

  Contact her through her website, www.keiramontclair.com.

  Highland DEVOTION

  The Band of Cousins, Book 7

  Copyright © 2019 by Keira Montclair

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or oth
er means, now known or hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Printed in the USA.

  Cover Design and Interior Format The Killion Group, Inc.