by Terry Spear
"Nay," Alana said, surprising Dougald. "They are here for my protection."
He wondered why she would not agree with Bran if one of the boys wished to do as Bran suggested. Mayhap they wished to take part in the hunt. She had plenty of men protecting her.
Tavis immediately said, "Lady Alana is right. I will stay with her." He patted his sword and smiled. The lad would have a big head when he returned to Craigly Castle. If he ever returned.
Callum said, "Aye, me, too." He patted his sword, mimicking Tavis. His friend grinned at him.
"Would anyone else prefer to hunt?" Bran asked, brows raised, looking hopeful.
A number of men either said no, though Dougald knew they'd love to. Others shook their heads in the negative. Their allegiance was to him and Lady Alana.
Bran studied Alana and her resolve, then nodded. "I will tell Laird Cameron what you are doing." Then he rode off.
"Hurry back to the castle," Alana whispered to Dougald.
He turned his horse and headed in that direction. "What is it, lass?"
"We return and question the staff."
"About?"
"Why Brighid went to see her sister before I was found and returned home. I have been giving it some thought and I dinna believe she would have done so."
"Brighid?"
"My maid. She said she was ill the morning I left to speak with Odara. I could see no symptoms of her being ill but had taken her word for it. I had no reason to doubt her at the time. But dinna you think it odd that Brighid couldna travel with me when I left the keep? Then we return home, both Pelly and Brighid are gone?"
He didn't see the significance. Brighid could have been ill, then recovered sufficiently to want to travel. "Did anyone say where Brighid had gone?"
"Aye, her father, Turi. My uncle's advisor. She was to have seen her sister. But the issue of Pelly bothers me as well. She was so nervous. I believed at the time that it was because she thought I would be upset that my uncle didna tell me that Odara was sick. Now I think she must have been concerned that I would catch her in a lie. No' that Odara wasna feeling poorly, but 'twas the man who had spoken with Odara who had passed along the word. And that no lad had told my uncle that Odara had been unwell."
Dougald turned to Gunnolf. "Have two men return to see Rob MacNeill and have him and Odara meet us at Braniff Castle. Rob can ask Laird Cameron's permission to move in with Odara at her shieling. Alana can learn if Odara recognizes the man who came to see her and would pay for her to convince Alana to cross into MacNeill lands. Ensure Odara knows she isna in trouble for any of what happened and neither is the man who wished Alana to leave."
"Aye, will do." Gunnolf rode back to speak with some of the men.
"Dougald, there is another odd matter," Alana said. "Apparently MacIverson didna wish to marry me, except to see a woman who promised herself to him if he agreed to wed me. But her husband learned of the affair and said he would kill both her and MacIverson if the two of them should meet. That was when MacIverson decided he didna want me. He couldna convince my da to end the marriage contract and so MacIverson had Da killed. But someone else wanted me that day. Someone who knew I had abilities and wished to wed me. The men that were searching for me said that they were to take me to him."
"Hoel MacDonald," Dougald guessed.
"I suspect so."
"Then were MacDonald's men also in on the killing?"
"Mayhap."
"Who was the woman who was seeing MacIverson?" Dougald asked.
"Landon wouldna say or he didna know. I couldna tell."
Dougald was quiet as they rode back to Braniff, then finally asked, "Was the woman with your clan?"
"I think so since MacIverson thought to see her further if he wed me. So it would be someone that would…" She paused, a cold sweat breaking out all over skin.
"Someone that was close to you. Who was intimate with you?" Dougald asked, his voice dark.
"My maids, but none were married."
"No' a maid then. Who else was close to you who might have used that as an excuse to visit you at MacIverson's castle when she truly wished to see MacIverson and no' you?"
"I hadna sisters, nor cousins." Alana frowned, then glanced back at Dougald. "I only had my aunt, who was Cameron’s wife. She died three years ago. But she is the only one who would have been close to me, the right age at the time, and married. She was ten years older than me. And I was nine."
"And your uncle is forty-nine now. So he would have been thirty years older than her. And MacIverson?"
Alana shook her head. "Younger. Mayhap ten years older than my aunt. That would have made MacIverson twenty-nine. Since I was so young at the time, my aunt would have looked a lot more appealing to him than I would." A cold chill spread through her. "I never knew. Never suspected."
She felt terrible for her uncle and glad he had tried to change her da's mind about a marriage to MacIverson. Had Alana wed MacIverson and he'd continued to see her aunt…
She shook her head, not even wanting to imagine such a horrible thing. She could envision her uncle flying into a rage and killing both her aunt and MacIverson. The thought of what he'd gone through if it were true, would most likely have made him unhappy about her brother, who had such a way with the lasses.
"But this is only conjecture. We canna know for certain unless my uncle tells us the truth," Alana said.
"Aye. 'Twould make sense though. He would tell James naught concerning his reasoning for no' wanting you married to MacIverson. Mayhap he hadna wished your da, his brother, to know the truth, either. A man learning of a wife's infidelity might cause him to feel inadequate, and he would hide the truth from others."
"If 'tis true, I am glad I knew naught about it growing up." Alana's mother had died when she was young, but Alana was six and ten when her aunt died. She had been much closer to her uncle than her aunt. She had always believed it was because her aunt had never had any children of her own and wasn't comfortable around children. Mayhap that wasn't the reason at all.
When they arrived at Braniff Castle, Alana had new concerns to deal with. Questioning the staff and learning who else might have seen or overheard something that would clue them in as to who had tried to protect her and from whom.
***
Dougald noted MacDonald's men milling around the inner bailey, talking with each other. Dougald's own men and Cameron's were actually speaking to one other as if they had decided the MacNeills were here to stay. At least Dougald was. But they were making some headway as far as getting along, and Dougald was pleased to see it.
The MacDonald men scowled at him, but Dougald's men and Cameron's greeted him with well wishes. Dougald explained to everyone that Laird Cameron and Laird MacDonald and the others were still on the hunt.
He didn't say anything more than that, expecting Laird Cameron to speak about what happened to Gilleasbuig with his own men. As soon as Dougald escorted Alana inside the keep, he asked, "Would you like to wash up a bit before you question the kitchen staff?"
"Nay. I wish to do this before my uncle returns. I dinna want him to stop me."
Gunnolf, Angus, and Niall stayed close, ever protective as the lads followed behind them.
When they reached the kitchen, they found Cook supervising the making of a mutton stew and baking loaves of bread. The aroma of the bannocks cakes made from barley and oat, and cullen, the tastiest smoked fish soup Cook created at Craigly Castle and he wondered how it would compare. It made Dougald's stomach growl, to his chagrin.
Alana startled Cook and her assistants when she hurried inside the kitchen and asked, "Where is Pelly?"
Cook was a stout woman who appeared to sample much of the food before it was served, her blue eyes huge as she stared at Alana. Then Cook's lips thinned.
"Aye, I know she was convinced to tell me to leave our lands and she thought it was for my own good. I wish to reward her, no' punish her." Alana took Dougald's hand. "I am grateful to her."
Cook wiped the fl
our off her hands onto a cloth, looking away from Alana's inquisitive gaze.
Dougald sorely wanted to shake the truth from the woman. Her four assistants were quietly watching. They were young, mayhap five and ten or so, learning the trade.
"When Odara arrives, she will be able to identify the man who wished her to convince me to cross the MacNeill lands. I will learn the truth. Might as well be now, rather than later," Alana said. She spoke softly, but with an edge to her words.
Dougald folded his arms and gave the woman an imperious look, letting her know that if she didn't answer Alana to his satisfaction, he would take Cook to task in his own way.
"I canna say, my lady," Cook said, trying to ignore Dougald, but she glanced his way a couple of times, and she was still wiping off her now clean hands.
Alana frowned at her. "She isna with Brighid at her sister's place, is she?"
This time Cook visibly paled. Aye, Alana had the truth of the matter now.
"All right." She turned to Dougald. "I wish to go to Brighid's sister's manor. 'Tis only a half-day's ride from here. We should arrive by nightfall and…"
"Nay, my lady," Cook said. "You guessed right. She is there."
Alana frowned at her. "Who put her up to it?"
"I canna say."
"You mean you willna say."
"Nay, I mean, I canna say. I wasna privy to any of it. All I know is Brighid came for her, said that her sister needed Pelly to aid her sister's cook for a time, and they left."
Alana folded her arms. "How did they act?"
"Pelly had been dropping things constantly. She broke so many eggs, I had to give her another task. I had never seen her so clumsy in the year she has been with us. And Brighid? She was wringing her hands, could barely stand still, looking like she wanted to grab Pelly and drag her out of the kitchen as quickly as she could. I was glad she took her, mind ye. The girl was causing too much havoc. I did think it odd that Brighid was leaving before she learned if ye were all right or got yer permission. But then her da came and had Duff take them to her sister's place, and that was that."
"When was this?"
"As…as soon as…" Cook glanced at Dougald, then said to Alana, "…as soon as Pelly had shared word with ye that Odara was sick."
"And who told Pelly to speak with me?" When Cook didn't say, Alana added, "The person should be rewarded, for heaven's sakes. Come, who told Pelly to give me the message that Odara was sick?"
Before Cook could answer her, Turi hurried into the kitchen, looking troubled, his brow deeply furrowed, "Dougald, your men and the MacDonald are fighting. I canna order them to stop. Will you?"
Dougald asked, "What about your men?"
"Bran is in charge of them. He is still on the hunt, I take it."
"All right. Angus, escort Alana up to her chamber and stay with her. Niall, you and Gunnolf, come with me." Dougald kissed Alana briefly, then hurried out of the kitchen, saying to the lads, Callum and Tavis, "Remain outside Alana's chamber until I come for her."
"Aye," they said, and hurried off with Angus and Alana to her chamber.
"Do we kill the MacDonalds?" Niall asked.
Chapter 29
As Dougald and the others headed for the door of the keep, he couldn't tell if his cousin sounded hopeful or not that they might have to fight the MacDonald clansmen to the death. "If they are trying to kill our men, what do you think, Niall? If they are just angry that Hoel MacDonald didna have Alana for his wife and are fighting without using their weapons, we will watch. 'Twill make our lads fight harder."
Though the MacDonald men should not have their weapons, and if they did, that was another matter altogether.
"The Cameron clansmen should be fighting alongside ours," Niall said, as they emerged from the keep.
"Och, we have been the Camerons' enemies for years," Dougald said. "That willna change overnight."
The Camerons were watching the melee as if observing a practice fight, their arms folded across their chests, only glancing in Dougald's direction as he, Gunnolf, and Niall approached. The MacNeills and the MacDonalds were fighting, using their fists. Dougald was relieved to see no one was wielding a weapon.
"Put your backs into it, lads," Dougald said to his men and several smiled as they fought even harder. "See, it helps to give a little encouragement." He turned to one of the Camerons and asked, "Who started it?"
"One of the MacDonalds said that one rake was easy to get rid of. The next would be a wee bit harder."
Which sounded a lot like the MacDonalds had something to do with Connell's death, or why else would one of the men have said such a thing?
Dougald narrowed his eyes. "Which man said it?"
"That one over there," the Cameron said, motioning to a red-haired and bearded man.
Dougald headed for the redhead, Gunnolf and Niall quickly joining him. When they reached him, Dougald grabbed hold of his arm, effectively allowing the MacNeill clansmen to slug the MacDonald in the jaw.
The MacDonald swore in Gaelic as Gunnolf and Niall grappled his arms as everyone else ceased fighting to see what was going on.
"Who killed Connell?" Dougald asked, grabbing the man by the throat, his dirk in his hand in an instant. Dougald was so angry, he had to fight injuring him before he learned the truth.
"Ward Cameron, as far as I know," the redhead said. "Husband of the woman Connell was tupping. Canna blame the mon for wanting Connell dead. If 'twas my woman, I would have felt the same. Any mon here would."
"Your name?"
"Gair."
"Well, Gair, who set Connell up to be murdered?"
"This has naught to do with us," Gair choked out.
"Niall, can you fetch Alana for me?" Dougald asked his cousin.
"Aye," Niall said, releasing hold on the man's arm, and stalking off to the keep.
Immediately, one of Cameron's men seized Gair's free arm. "My name is Kvist," the Cameron said, his blond hair and blue eyes reminding Dougald of Gunnolf. "If these men had anything to do with Connell's death, we want to know also. We thought 'twas strictly a case of a husband's revenge."
Dougald nodded to Kvist. Then he turned his attention to Gair. "Laird Cameron said that Ward and his wife ran off. Where did they go?"
"How would—"
Dougald poked the dirk at the man's chest. "'Twould be easy to make an example of you, and then take the next man to task."
"They were to meet a Cameron at a hovel south of here," one of the MacDonalds said, who was watching the affair.
Dougald glanced at the black-haired man. Both Dougald's men and the Cameron's had taken the MacDonalds in hand in case they thought to free Gair.
A Cameron's fist connected with the black-haired man's jaw. "Which one of us would have done such a thing? Speak, mon!"
The MacDonald spit out blood. "I dinna know!"
"How do you know the man was a Cameron then?" Dougald asked.
"A couple of us overheard someone—we didna recognize the voice—say that Connell Cameron was in the way and they knew how to get him out of the way."
"By setting him up with Ward's wife?" Dougald asked.
"Aye. 'Twould be easy to do since he was already seeing her," Gair said.
Which was what Dougald had suspected all along. "Did she take part willingly?"
"I dinna know."
Alana strode out of the keep, her cheeks flushed as Niall and Angus flanked her, the lads beside them.
"What has happened?" she asked, seeing the MacDonald men in custody and Dougald with his dirk in hand.
"These men know something about your brother's murder. They say a Cameron was involved."
"Who?" she asked.
Dougald took her aside and said for her hearing only, "He said a man was to meet them at a hovel south of here. I would need some of your men to search this place as they would most likely know of it and if Ward and his wife are holed up there, they will recognize them."
"I will go also," Alana said.
"Nay.
I wish you to stay here. I only wanted you to know I would be leaving and return as soon as I can. Angus and the lads will stay with you."
"What if my brother could help when you apprehend them?" she whispered.
Dougald frowned at her. "How?"
"Connell could tell me things that occurred when he was murdered. I could share what he says with Ward and Gwyn, mayhap frighten them into telling the truth."
"I dinna want you going." Dougald rubbed her arms in a soothing, but placating way.
"But you know I can help," she insisted.
Dougald took a deep breath. "If we find them there, we can bring them back for your questioning."
"It was a verra long time ago since they ran off. Are you certain they would still be there?" she asked.
"Mayhap not." Dougald spied Turi leaving the keep, his eyes wide as he saw the Cameron and MacNeill men had seized the MacDonalds.
Dougald said to the Cameron clansmen, "Lock the MacDonalds in the dungeon. All but this man, Gair. He will ride with us." Then he turned to Alana and took her hand and kissed it. "I still would prefer you stay here."
She whispered in Dougald's ear, "What if they are dead?"
Not having considered such a thing, he frowned. She had the right of it. If she saw them, mayhap she could extract whatever information she could from them.
She took a deep breath. "'Tis possible, you know."
"Aye. All right." That decided it for Dougald. If the couple were now ghosts, they might very well still be there. And it was true that Alana was the only one who could learn anything from them.
Turi was frowning at Dougald. "Laird Cameron may no' like that you have ordered the MacDonalds to be locked in the dungeon."
"A couple know something about Connell's death," Dougald said. "We ride to the hovel."
"Wait, you canna take Lady Alana," Turi said, his brow deeply furrowed.
"She will help me to question Ward and his wife."
"They are there?"
"As far as the MacDonald men say."
Several of the men who had taken the MacDonalds to the dungeon hurried back to join Dougald.
"We will go with you," a Cameron said.
