by Terry Spear
"She wed Dougald MacNeill, owing to the circumstances and because—"
MacDonald rose from his chair so suddenly, he knocked it on its back.
His men abruptly stood, Hoel finally coming to his feet as if he was so in shock to hear the news that he no longer had a bride-to-be, he couldn't fathom it and was struck dumb.
"You have married her off to one of the MacNeill's kin?" MacDonald roared, his face red with rage.
Cameron and Dougald remained seated, but the rest of the men—Cameron, MacNeill, and MacDonald men were standing, ready to do battle.
"You have gone back on your word," MacDonald said, his voice hard with condemnation.
"Lady Alana was with the MacNeill men for two days without a chaperone. Though Dougald was a gentleman when it came to the lady, he and his brother felt they must do right by her. They couldna have returned her home without the same difficulty. 'Tis best for all concerned. I will still concede paying what I promised as a bride price, but without the bride. Dougald has said he only wishes the bride."
"He does, does he?" MacDonald eyed Dougald, who was eating a chunk of cheese. "Is this the man?"
"Aye," Dougald said. "'Twas the only decent thing to be done under the circumstances."
"He canna have her," Hoel said. "You said she would be mine! He canna have her."
MacDonald ground his teeth. "Have you lain with her?" he asked Dougald.
"The marriage has been consummated, though as you well know 'twas no' necessary to make the marriage official in the Highlands," Dougald offered.
"We will give up the bride price in order to have the bride," MacDonald said, looking as though it killed him to concede the payment. Particularly when he thought he could coerce Cameron into paying him even more.
Why did he want Alana so badly? So his son, Hoel, could someday rule the Cameron clan if they should vote him in as their laird? But how could he even consider such when Dougald had wed the lass?
Cameron cocked a brow at MacDonald. "From the way you spoke before, you were conceding overmuch by allowing your middle son to wed Lady Alana in the first place. Then you stated you wished even more in payment for her having been without chaperone."
"'Tis a prudent man who bargains well. Hoel had his heart set on wedding the lass." MacDonald's jaw tightened. "Who perpetrated this charade to draw the lady away from your lands and onto the MacNeills? Are you led to believe that the MacNeills had not planned this all along? Had they word of the lady's marriage to my son and sought to stop it at all costs? Even going as far as having one of James's brothers wed her?"
"'Tis done," Cameron said wearily. "It canna be undone. You will keep your bride price. Sit and enjoy the meal with us if you wish."
Dougald expected MacDonald and his men to stalk out of the place in anger. They were vastly outnumbered if they thought to fight the combined forces of the Cameron and Dougald's men so Dougald did not believe MacDonald would start a fight.
To Dougald's surprise, MacDonald resumed his seat, and then he motioned to the rest of his men to take theirs again. Cameron did likewise with his own men as Dougald bowed his head to his kinsmen.
Gunnolf stayed near Dougald, eating, but ever watchful in the event MacDonald or his men decided to do away with the troublesome MacNeill.
***
Alana tried to concentrate on eating after she had bathed and hoped that she would not hear fighting break out down below. Twice she'd peeked out her chamber door and saw Niall and the two lads and her uncle's men all looking at her to see what she wanted. She wanted nothing but peace of mind where Dougald was concerned.
Niall smiled at her. "Tavis checked a while ago, Lady Alana. Everyone is eating the meal, though he said when Cameron told MacDonald that you were wed to Dougald, MacDonald was angry. Then he settled back down to eat."
She took a breath, glad to hear they were not fighting.
"Think you he has accepted my marriage to Dougald?" Alana asked, hopeful, though she could not imagine that they would like that this had changed their plans.
"He has no choice. For now, he seems to have accepted it. Your uncle said he would still pay the bride price to MacDonald as Dougald said he doesna need it."
"Dougald said that?" She shouldn't have been so surprised since her uncle had not made arrangements for her to marry Dougald. But still, it did sweeten the pot, and she couldn't believe he'd want her just for herself especially since he hadn't planned any of this.
"Aye. Dougald said he wanted only you." Niall smiled. "I would say you have bewitched the poor mon. So then MacDonald said he would forgo the bride price to have you wed to his son anyway."
She snapped her gaping mouth shut and glanced at the others in the corridor guarding her. They all smiled at her as if she was a treasure anyone would want who had his wits about him.
She again looked at Niall. "But I am already wed to Dougald."
"Aye. But MacDonald still wants you for his son."
Tavis spoke up, "He asked if you had…" His ears turned red as if he realized his mistake in bringing the matter up to the lady. "Uhm, you know. And Dougald said aye, and MacDonald said he still wanted you for Hoel."
Alana felt her face heat with mortification. She knew in noble English manors the whole household would be made aware of when the husband and wife consummated their marriage. But in a Highland marriage, they didn't even have to have anyone perform a ceremony. Just declaring they wished to wed each other was enough. Even if the marriage wasn't consummated, they were still married to one another. They didn't even require witnesses.
But she and Dougald were married and had consummated the marriage. Still, she hadn't wanted all of her kin and neighboring clans to know about it at a meal. She knew they'd realize it when Dougald joined her tonight. It was just something she hadn't expected anyone to speak about out loud to her assembled clansmen. At least she had not been at the meal when the discussion was going on.
Niall cleared his throat and tilted his chin down as he gave Tavis a vexed kind of look, saying to mind what he said in front of the lady.
Tavis's ears turned a bit red.
"It seems odd to me that he would still want me," Alana finally managed to say, pondering the matter. "Even though Dougald and the rest of you were perfectly honorable, and I had enough witnesses to say so while we journeyed to Craigly Castle, I doubt MacDonald would have been so enlightened to feel that everything would have been fine in his estimation had I not married Dougald and still been betrothed to Hoel."
To her consternation, she saw Seana and Connell coming toward her, both highly agitated with each other. Connell was looking down at Seana and saying, "You didna have to practically sit in his lap."
"I had to get close enough to hear what he had to say," she snapped back.
"You were practically falling out of your léine, you were leaning in so close to him."
She stopped in her footsteps, placed her fisted hands on her hips and scowled up at Connell. "Who was to see? Huh? Any of the men?"
Alana couldn't believe it when her brother's face actually flushed crimson. He folded his arms across his broad chest. "Me."
Seana's mouth gaped, then she copied his stance and defensively crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "Well, then you are no' a gentleman if you were looking, though I should have known this already."
"And you are no' a lady if you show off your womanly endowments the way you do," he said, motioning to her breasts.
This time Seana's face was filled with color. She stomped off and walked straight through the wall into Alana's chamber although the door was still open. Connell followed right after her.
Alana closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and said to Niall and the others, "Excuse me."
"I bid you good eve, my lady," Niall said.
"And you," she said as the others wished her good night. She retired to her chamber, and Niall closed her door for her.
It was getting late and Alana was tired. The maids had already retired
to pallets in the adjoining chamber, and she shut the door to their room. She couldn't sleep though, what with worrying about what was being said in the great hall. And now with her brother and Dougald's sister standing in the middle of her chamber scowling at each other, that didn't help matters. Either they didn't realize they had an audience, or didn't care as she entered the chamber.
"Go away, Connell," Seana said, "or I will be forced to throw another pot at you."
"And miss like you did the last time?" Connell turned to look at Alana. "See what I have to put up with?"
"You dinna need to follow her around, Connell." Alana sat down on a bench where she began to unplait her hair, feeling as though she was the mother of two unruly bairns, ghostly kind.
"I dinna always follow her around. She trails behind me!" Connell said.
Alana raised her brows at her brother. He was older than she was by several summers and yet he sounded like a petulant child.
He gave her the same raised brow look. "She does. I was coming to tell you what I heard at the trestle tables in the great hall, and she had to leave at the same time as me."
"Everyone was leaving!" Seana gave Connell a look of annoyance, her mouth pursed, brows knit tight in an annoyed frown. "Besides, how can it be that I trailed you, down to the great hall when I arrived first?" She sighed. "'Tis time for bed. And you dinna belong in here. This is the ladies' chambers. So be off with you!"
It wasn't the ladies' chamber either, Alana wanted to say. It was hers and she would be sharing it with her husband for the first time. That gave her a little thrill of expectation, but at the same time she felt odd that she would be sleeping with her husband in this room when she'd really never envisioned it. The adjoining room was the ladies' chamber, and she hoped the walls and doors solid enough that what went on in here between husband and wife remained a secret.
"You canna stay here either as my sister will have her husband in bed with her before long." Connell didn't budge.
Alana felt her own cheeks warm with embarrassment. Did her own brother have to speak of this?
"Besides, you didna have to listen to the men at the same tables where I was trying to listen," Seana continued, in a fine snit, ignoring the part about having to leave because Dougald would be joining Alana in bed.
"I had to go where only the MacDonald men were seated, same as you. Wherever your kin or mine sat with the MacDonalds, the MacDonalds said nary a word. Only scowled furiously," Connell argued.
Like Seana and Alana's brother were doing with each other right now.
"You could have gone to any number of other tables where only the MacDonalds huddled together in conspiratorial talks," Seana insisted.
Alana finished unplaiting her hair, suspecting they would bicker all night in her chamber if she didn't put a stop to it. "Enough! If I didna know better, I would think the two of you were an old married couple."
That shut them up. Seana's skin blushed beautifully. Connell glanced at Seana to see her reaction and smiled.
Alana fluffed out her hair. "So what was being said at the tables where only the MacDonald men sat?"
Seana seemed so flustered by Alana's marriage comment, she remained silent—first time ever. Connell watched Seana as if he was waiting for her to speak first. Alana looked from one to the other. She couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. Connell must have been too busy watching Seana and the way she had leaned over—exposing her "endowments" to the men when no one could have seen them but Connor—to have heard what the men said!
"Seana?" Alana prompted.
Seana cleared her throat. "They didna like it that Dougald married you."
"But will they try to do anything about it?" That's what had worried Alana.
"I dinna know for certain. There was speculation, to be sure. None of the men seated at the lower tables would know what their laird would do. And no one at the high table would speak of it for fear the Cameron or my brother might overhear."
"And the speculation?" Alana asked.
"That the MacDonald wouldna let the insult go."
That's what Alana was afraid of.
"There is one another thing," Connell said, straightening, his eyes narrowed at Seana as if he was expecting her to object.
Which she did. "You are wrong, Connell. Dinna mention it."
He turned his attention to Alana. "Hoel MacDonald was watching Seana's endowments as well."
Chapter 23
Cameron had suggested the men stay for a hunt the next day, which had surprised Dougald. He thought it best if the MacDonald men left Braniff as soon as possible. He couldn't help worrying that the men might decide to steal Alana away if they had a chance.
If they got her to their castle, it could take weeks or longer to lay siege to get her back. He still couldn't understand why they would want her after he had married her and consummated the marriage. Wouldn't they be concerned that a child of hers would be a MacNeill and not a MacDonald?
Other than that, Dougald had suspected that MacDonald wanted his son to take over Braniff Castle and lead the Cameron clan someday. And that was why he wanted the marriage to go through, not to mention they would be allied with the Cameron rather than the MacNeill having ties to the Cameron. Then again, if they thought to steal her away, how could they and still be on good terms with the Cameron? Dougald didn't believe Cameron would forgive them that easily.
Unless Cameron's people were more interested in an alliance with the MacDonald clan than the MacNeill.
After the MacDonald men and the laird and his sons retired in the barracks for the night, Cameron invited Dougald into his solar. With full tankards of ale in hand as they sat on cushioned benches next to the fire, Cameron said, "I know your concern, Dougald."
Dougald bowed his head slightly to the laird. He was anxious to see Alana, but it was important to learn what Cameron had in mind when he decided to invite the MacDonalds to hunt.
"Here is my thinking on the matter. What if some of my people were in collusion to send Alana away? If 'tis true that they attempted to get word to you to come to our border to investigate the claim that my men had crossed to raid your farms just so you would find Alana and keep her safe, then had it to do with not wanting her married to Hoel MacDonald? If so, mayhap if the MacDonalds stayed here a wee bit longer, we could determine who had tried to protect her and why."
"I worry that she will be at risk while the MacDonalds are within your castle walls."
"Aye, I understand and your men and mine will safeguard her at all times."
"Who do you suspect might have had the lass sent from here? And why the delay of three days?"
Cameron took a swig of his ale and wiped his mouth off with his tunic sleeve. "I have been giving the matter great thought. What if whoever set the plan in motion left Braniff before the word was given so that he wouldna be implicated? When he returned three days later, expecting his word to have been carried out three days earlier, he discovers it hasna. Which means he must attempt the ruse again."
"Yet this time he didna send anyone to warn us that your men were crossing the border. What if we hadna found the lass before she got herself into trouble?" Dougald asked, frowning.
"I have wondered that as well. If the person was concerned for her safety, it would seem that would be a risky thing to do. But what if whoever planned this whole thing had her watched? Made sure no harm came to her?"
Dougald stared into the fire, thinking back to when he spied the lass sitting atop the hill. "Mayhap. Though I never saw anyone watching us. And why someone of your clan thought the lass would be safe with me and mine…"
Cameron nodded. "I have pondered that as well. Think you that it was someone who knew you?"
"I didna know this Pelly woman who works in your kitchen, nor Odara, the shepherdess."
"Nor Rob MacNeill?" Cameron raised a brow.
Getting the distinct impression that Cameron might be thinking Dougald had everything to do with the lass's leaving her lands
and crossing the stream, Dougald frowned at him. Or mayhap Cameron thought that James might have planned it, considering that if they didn't grab the lass, she'd be wed to an enemy clan.
"Nay. We have a handful of Rob MacNeills who raise sheep. I dinna know each one personally. He may be a distant cousin or someone who had sworn loyalty to James and has taken the MacNeill name. Have you had someone speak with this Pelly who works in the kitchen?"
"She has disappeared just like the shepherdess."
Dougald should have figured that would be the case. "Do you know who left the castle for three days, then returned and could have learned that his plan to have Alana leave had not been carried out?"
"I am having my advisor make enquiries. You know how it is. So many come and go on a daily basis with tasks to perform outside the curtain walls. Beyond that, the time that has passed has been near nine days, learning the truth may be difficult. But I am thinking, what if you, or mayhap James, had this Rob MacNeill seduce the shepherdess. He had Odara bribe Cook's assistant, Pelly, and the word was given to Alana that Odara was sick."
Not about to become angry that Cameron was still thinking this whole situation might have been because James or any of their kin had planned it as Dougald wished to treat his uncle by marriage with all due respect, Dougald looked back at the fire and tried not to frown too deeply. "Alana said that the shepherdess lives so far out that she wouldna have had the opportunity to meet with Cook's assistant."
"Guards!" Cameron bellowed.
Dougald sliced Cameron a look, wondering what was going on, thinking that someone had slipped into the solar, someone like a MacDonald and intended to harm either Cameron or himself. Five of Cameron's men with swords drawn rushed into the solar. Thinking now he had the whole scenario wrong when the men came for him, Dougald jumped up from the bench. One of the men grabbed for him and Dougald tossed the remainder of his ale in the man's face. He had halfway drawn his sword to fight off another, but two of the men grabbed his sword arm and he was quickly disarmed. Sorely outnumbered, he couldn't do anything as they wrenched his arms behind his back and held him tight.
