by Terry Spear
She wanted to listen in on the conversation as if it pertained to her, which it most likely did. They stopped speaking and both looked at her, then Dougald nodded at the man, and he joined some others leading her escort.
When Dougald rejoined her, he didn't say a word. She could tell from the way he was looking straight ahead, brow furrowed, he was pondering the matter before he spoke, which again made her believe he was a cautious man, not one prone to saying whatever was on his mind before he had thought the matter through.
Well, she wasn't about to let him think about it any further without telling her what he'd learned. "Did they find Rob MacNill, or no'?" she asked, in a less than sweet and innocent way. But her sharp tone did get Dougald's attention.
A couple of the men in front glanced back to smile at her and to see Dougald's reaction.
She got practically everyone's attention, in fact, some looking a little surprised but then the smiles began to creep across their faces. All except for Dougald's. He probably wasn't used to a woman demanding that he tell her of some news, particularly when she was from the enemy clan.
"One Rob MacNeill they located was gray-bearded," Dougald finally said. "His wife said he would never think of straying. So they discounted him. Furthermore, he had no niece. He also had a lad of ten by the name of Rob."
"That was all? You said there were at least a handful. Or mayhap 'twas your cousin who had said so."
"None who live near the border, lass. There was another. He is three and thirty and has no kin. His wife and bairn died some years earlier. But my men couldna locate him. The other men are still searching for him."
That gave her hope that Odara had not lied to her. "He abandoned his sheep and his croft and went into hiding?"
"Nay, lass. 'Tis just that he wasna home. He may have been visiting a neighbor—"
"Like Odara?"
"'Tis possible." Dougald didn't say anything about the fact that Odara had been with Gilleasbuig, and Alana was grateful for that.
She glanced at Gunnolf. "You said you knew the man who was with Odara wasna Rob MacNeill. Yet you went to speak to the shepherdess to learn what he looked like. How do you know he wasna Rob MacNeill if you didna know what he looked like?"
"He said he was Gilleasbuig. I took the man at his word," Gunnolf said.
Frustrated that the Norseman hadn't known what either man looked like and couldn't be completely sure he was Gilleasbuig, Alana let out her breath and rode in silence for some time. Then she thought even if he did not know what Gilleasbuig looked like, she did. She turned sharply to speak with Gunnolf again. "What did the man look like?"
"He was a burly man, nearly as tall as me."
That could describe Gilleasbuig or any number of men. The Highlanders were tall men, and well built. "The color of his hair?" she asked.
"Dark brown, nearly black."
"Aye. And the color of his eyes?" She was losing hope it was someone named Rob MacNeill.
"Brown, pale, not as dark as Dougald's."
Alana opened her mouth to speak to Gunnolf but Connell appeared between her and Gunnolf. "Gilleasbuig has blue eyes," her brother said to her. As if she didn't know!
She wanted to tell her brother to move out of her way so she could continue to question Gunnolf. She sighed. Though she still couldn't see Gunnolf because of her pesky brother being in the way, she said to Gunnolf, trying to pretend her brother was not staring at her, waiting for her to speak as if she was talking to him, "He has blue eyes, no' brown."
"Are you certain?" Dougald asked, drawing her attention.
"Aye. Gray-blue, if you must know." She again turned to Gunnolf—or her brother as he was still between her and the Norseman. "Does he have a scar on his face?"
"No, but he does have a broken nose." Gunnolf sounded pleased with himself for having given the man the break in his nose.
Alana clamped her mouth shut. What if the man in bed with Odara had truly been her lover, Rob MacNeill? But had been afraid to reveal such? She tried to remember anything else about Gilleasbuig. "Was the man hairy?"
That got a couple of hearty chuckles from the men riding ahead of them. Dougald was staring at her as if he couldn't believe she'd know such a thing.
Her whole body heated. Dougald was probably wondering why she would know that Gilleasbuig was hairy. She would never have spoken of the matter if she hadn't thought revealing such a thing might give them a clearer picture as to who the man was.
"How would you know that?" her bother asked, glowering at her. Or maybe he was worried the man had tried to molest her or some such thing, and he meant to glower at Gilleasbuig if he had been here.
Without thinking, she snapped at her brother, "He was injured, for heaven's sakes!"
Chapter 13
Alana wondered what Gunnolf would think of her irritated reaction to her brother when it would appear she was reacting to Gunnolf. She couldn't see around her brother and had no idea what Gunnolf was doing right now. Looking straight ahead? Watching her? Smiling? Scowling?
Beyond her brother, she heard Gunnolf say, "He wasna…overly…hairy, to my way of thinking, my lady." His tone was decidedly amused, and she knew she should have let the matter rest.
A few chuckles erupted, and she was certain the men within hearing distance were highly entertained with the direction the inquisition had taken.
"So," Dougald said, proceeding with caution, "you know this Gilleasbuig well."
She looked at him then, wondering if he thought she had some romantic notions concerning the hairy beast! Mayhap that she was upset that Odara had been in bed with the man, and that the shepherdess had been trying to cover up the fact because Alana loved him and would be upset with the man?
God's teeth, what a horrid thought!
She frowned at Dougald. "I dinna know what you mean."
"You know him well enough that you would be able to identify him."
"Of course. Aye." Wasn't that what she'd been saying all along?
"Did he have a hairy back as well as a chest?"
Not wanting to say aloud all that she was thinking of the matter, she felt her whole face heat. He had a very small staff and a hairy arse also. She had seen this as the men had hastily stripped him of his blood-soaked clothes so they could turn him on his side, and she could proceed with stitching him up.
"Not all men do, lass," Dougald prompted.
She had not seen Dougald's back and now she wondered was he hairy or not? His chest was only lightly furred, trailing down to his staff that had grown as she'd watched, before she swung away and had headed back down the hill, intrigued and mortified at the same time.
Her face had to be flaming red now.
"This man's back was as smooth as a bairn's…," Gunnolf said, pausing to finish what he was going to say.
She knew what he was thinking of and had she been one of the men, he would have said it. "Cheek?" she asked.
Several more laughed under their breaths.
Gunnolf said, "Ja."
Her lips parted. It could not be the same man. "'Twas not Gilleasbuig. Unless someone shaved his back."
More chuckles.
"So you treated him for an injury?" Dougald asked.
"Aye. A sword wound. It had gone through his side. I treated him while he lay on his uninjured side."
"Which side was injured?" Dougald asked.
"The left."
Gunnolf shook his head. "The man with Odara had no sword wound on either side of his body."
"So both his chest and back were hairy?" Dougald asked.
"Aye. The man with Odara canna be Gilleasbuig," Alana said, not wishing to discuss how hairy the beast was any further. If her uncle had heard her speaking thus, she'd be locked in her chamber for days!
"I hope Gilleasbuig was unconscious when you saw to his wound, Lady Alana."
She wondered why Dougald seemed concerned. When she didn't say, he looked again at her and raised a brow.
"He was awake. Three men held him down. He didna
like that I sewed him up."
"But?"
"I saved his life. He thought I took pleasure in hurting him, which I wouldna have done. No' even with him."
"Does he ever show you disrespect?" Dougald's words were soft with threat.
"'Tis none of your concern, Dougald MacNeill. 'Tis only my uncle's."
Dougald seized her reins so suddenly, she gasped. He halted her horse. His eyes had grown nearly black. "Answer me, Alana."
She noticed everyone within hearing distance had stopped, waiting for her response and for Dougald and Alana to continue walking their horses.
"He is a brute. Mayhap he believes because I touched his skin and saw him naked, I wish more than that." She snapped her mouth shut. She had not meant to mention that she had seen him entirely naked, though Dougald may have very well assumed as much. She thought she would allow them to think Gilleasbuig was at least wearing his plaid, and only his tunic had been removed. Too late for amending her speech. "The man is a swine. But he would never be foolhardy enough to attempt to pursue anything with me or earn my uncle's full-fledged wrath. Truly, though, 'tis none of your concern."
Though she had to admit when she'd told her uncle of the things Gilleasbuig had said around her, her uncle had dismissed her concerns.
Still, she did feel better that Odara may have been seeing Rob MacNeill after all and not the odious Gilleasbuig. They just had to locate a Rob MacNeill who had a broken nose. Then again, if the man they were searching for now had no niece, that didn't bode well for Odara having told her the truth either.
Connell said, "You didna tell me about this. Did Gilleasbuig ever threaten you in any way?"
She closed her eyes, asking God why her brother was still here and had not gone on his way, when she felt herself lifted from her saddle. She gave a little scream, her eyes opening at once, her heart pounding as Dougald pulled her into his arms.
Dougald shook his head while Angus took her horse's reins. "You looked like you were ready to drop off to sleep."
"I wasna," she said indignantly. "I only closed my eyes for the span of a heartbeat. Let me ride my own horse."
He tightened his hold on her as she squirmed, then he rode off at a canter. "The day is still chilly, and you are ice cold. It will only get colder this eve."
She relaxed against him, and he seemed to revel in the feel of her in his arms. The rake that he was, she had to remind herself.
"Tell me the truth, has he ever made you feel unsafe in his presence?" he asked her quietly.
"Gilleasbuig?" she asked, surprised Dougald was still concerned about the man.
"Aye. Tavia, our healer, has seen to men's wounds a time or two who thought she was interested in having more to do with them because she had been so…for want of a better word, intimate with them. She didna, but that was the way the men would sometimes view her."
"Aye. He says vulgar things when I am near enough that I can hear him, and I feel he wants to observe my reaction."
"To see if you are interested in dallying with him?" Dougald's face was so tight with anger, she thought if Gilleasbuig had been nearby, Dougald would have taken him to task in not so gentle a manner.
She let out her breath. "I hadna considered that. I thought he only wished to know if I would be embarrassed and watch me blush." Alana didn't want to believe it was more than that.
***
Dougald couldn't bed the lass, mayhap that was why he wanted her so badly. Every time he had any physical contact with her, he wanted more. Every time he saw her, he wanted to touch her. He hadn't been certain why she'd closed her eyes, but he'd seized the opportunity to put her where he wanted her…in his lap—again.
This time, except for her squirming a bit, she did not protest like she did at the first. She quickly settled into his arms this time. She was chilled, he'd noted right away. The rains had cooled the air considerably, and he didn't wish her to become ill. The air would only grow colder tonight.
He thought again about this Rob MacNeill and Gilleasbuig and realized Gunnolf might very well have broken one of Dougald's kinsmen's noses. If it was a MacNeill, why had he lied to Gunnolf?
To save his skin probably. He must have thought the Norseman would kill him for rutting with the woman who was their enemy, so he pretended to be a Cameron instead. Odara probably had told him how Gilleasbuig was to wed her and the name came easily to mind when Gunnolf questioned him.
This business with Gilleasbuig bothered Dougald even more.
"You have spoken to your uncle concerning Gilleasbuig's actions?"
"Aye. Drop the subject, Dougald. I willna speak further on the matter," Alana said.
He frowned at her. "I believe Gunnolf may have broken my kinsman's nose," he said, to appease her somewhat. He usually just kissed a lass to do the job. He knew she was concerned about this business with Odara, just as he was, and he wished to set her mind at ease as much as possible.
She took a deep breath. "I feel badly for him, but I think you may be right." She turned to Gunnolf. "Did the man with Odara have a sword?"
Gunnolf grinned and Dougald knew what he would say before he said it. "He was naked, my lady."
Dougald smiled as he knew Alana would be blushing beautifully again. He still didn't like it that she had seen Gilleasbuig naked and if Dougald had been her husband she would never care for injured men like that again, who might take more of an interest in her than he would like.
She didn't say anything for a moment or two, then cleared her throat and managed to get out, "I mean, did he have a sword lying with his clothes on the floor of the croft?"
Gunnolf gave her a wry smile. "He had none. I made sure of it while they were so busy."
Dougald could envision Gunnolf leaning against a wall, arms crossed, enjoying the action in a wryly amused way.
"Gilleasbuig would have had a sword, and I imagine he would have come after you with it. I believe the man you hit was Rob MacNeill, a sheepherder."
***
Late that night, the whole of Craigly Castle was astir as everyone waited expectantly for Dougald to bring the Cameron lass home with him, knowing this bad weather had to have held them up. James was glad to see they had arrived trouble free and hadn't encountered problems with the Cameron.
It was a shame his own wife was indisposed due to the babe, as James greeted Lady Alana in his private solar. He was surprised and pleased to see their youngest brother, Angus, arrive to join him also.
"Welcome to Craigly Castle, Lady Alana," James said.
Despite the late hour, the clan had waited on their evening meal to welcome the lady. She looked as tired as the lad, Tavis, when he had arrived before daybreak the day before.
She curtseyed to James, but looked so unsteady on her feet that Dougald quickly took her arm. She glanced up at him, appearing grateful and when she seemed to have regained her balance, he inclined his head to her and stepped away.
"You have met my brothers, Dougald and Angus, and our cousin Niall. This is my senior advisor, Eanruig. My wife, Lady Eilis, my mother, Lady Akira, and my wife's cousin, Fia, will join us shortly. My wife has been unwell of late. But it comes and goes."
Alana's eyes widened, and she quickly said, "Can I aid her in some small way? I am a healer for my own people."
He gave her a half smile, believing his decision concerning the lass was a good one. "Our healer is with her, but I thank you for your kind offer. You will need food and rest. Cook is preparing the meal for everyone as we speak. A chamber has already been made ready for you."
"What do you intend to do with me?" she asked bluntly, and he noted then she'd clenched her hands together so tightly they were white.
He really had not wished to discuss the matter with her this eve. Best to allow her a hearty meal and a good night's rest.
Dougald was standing so close to her, he looked as though he would lunge for her again and rescue the lady if she needed his further assistance. James had never seen his brother take so much interest in a
woman, the way he was protective of her and considerate of how she was feeling. James knew he had made the right decision.
He motioned to a maid standing near the door. "Mara, will you take the lady to her chamber to wash up? Then have her escorted to the great hall for the meal? We will be down shortly to sit with Lady Alana."
The Cameron lass glanced at Dougald. James swore something passed between the lady and his brother. Then she nodded, curtseyed quickly, and left the solar with the maid.
Angus said, "I will see you at the meal, then."
He and Eanruig left the room.
Once a servant shut the door to his solar, James and Dougald were alone. James asked, "What do you think of the lass?"
Instantly narrowing his eyes and looking wary, Dougald asked, "What do you plan to do with her? You are certain she is the Cameron's niece?"
"Aye." James handed Dougald a mug of ale. "I met her once a year ago and thought how winsome she was but knew there could be no alliance between our clans through marriage."
"Why no'? Seems to me you are an earl and the laird of our clan, a decent man, provider, warrior, and an alliance between our clans a good one. What could be better than that?"
James studied his brother, drank deeply of his own mug of ale, then said, "He wanted a man who was not a clan chief. He needs a man to take over when he grows too old to manage."
"The clan shall choose their own chief when the time comes."
"Aye, and he wants someone married to his niece who will live among his people, show his strength, and what kind of man he truly is. If the clan feels that the laird has chosen right, his nephew by marriage will provide the leadership for the clan in the future."
"I understand. He is thinking of marrying her off to one of the MacDonald sons, aye?"
James shook his head. "If Cameron gains an alliance with the MacDonalds or one of the other clans through the marriage of his niece to one of their sons—"
Dougald frowned at him.
"Hear me out, brother. I hadna considered such an alliance before because for one, you were off with Malcolm searching for an English bride. Even when he found a Scottish lass to wed and you had found no one, I didna think you were ready to settle down with one woman." James straightened. "Bringing the Cameron lass here has changed everything. You will wed her. We will make arrangements with her uncle afterward."
