The Pirate Laird's Hostage (The Highland Warlord Series Book 3)

by Tessa Murran

  ‘No,’ she said.

  ‘And why is that, he would seem eminently suitable as a husband?’ said Will bitterly.

  ‘I would have said no because I do not love him.’

  ‘And who do you love, of all these men so eager to claim your heart?’

  ‘I don’t love anyone,’ she said, brown eyes locking with blue.

  Her words were firm, but her eyes were swimming with tears. Will had spent all his life learning how to lie, and he was good at it. Morna was not. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes, he saw the lie.

  If she had given another answer, told him she was in love with Sutherland, he would have relented and let her ride away with her brother, but she had not. If he was sure of anything, it was that she did not really hate him and her body’s response to his touch told him she wanted him as he wanted her. So Will took hold of her and brought his lips to within a breath of hers, longing to kiss her, to put his mark on her, to take her with a fierce possessiveness, bind her to him forever. Hope, tremulous and frail, sparked in Will’s heart, but he hid it with his usual terseness.

  ‘Well, Morna Buchanan, you’d best find a way to change your brother’s mind about letting you bide here with me, else we’ll all be going to the Devil, for I back down for no man.’

  He turned and left her with a thud of the door and the turn of the key in the lock.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Morna spent a sleepless night wracked with guilt and indecision. She could not let her brother or his men die for her, nor did she want Will to die. It was a shameful fact to acknowledge, but in some dark part of her soul, she wanted him. Beyond that, Morna had seen glimpses of the pain which lay behind his hard demeanour, she had seen the wounded man beneath. Worst of all, she realised that when she had seen Cormac on that hill in the rain, her heart had risen, and then fallen, at the thought of leaving Fitheach and never seeing Will again. Of course, she could not say any of this aloud to a man who clearly saw her as a distraction, a warm body to cushion him in bed, or, worse still, an obligation, because of her helping him in the past.

  When the key turned in the lock, Braya stood before her with a sheepish look on her face and a tray of food in her hand.

  ‘The master says you are to remain in here, safe, so I have brought you breakfast.’

  ‘I don’t want it. I want to see Will, now.’

  ‘He won’t like it if I defy his orders.’

  ‘He won’t like it if half his clansmen die when my brother attacks this castle. Take me to him and we can avoid all that bloodshed, I swear. Please, Braya.’

  ***

  Morna sat astride the horse before the gates of Fitheach, trying to compose herself. Her horse was tethered to Will’s.

  ‘I will not tie your hands, for Cormac’s rage is huge enough as it is, but do not be foolish and try to bolt,’ said Will with a scowl.

  ‘I give you my word, I will not. I need to talk to him, that is all. I swear I will return with you to Fitheach, if only you would grant me this one chance to see him.’

  ‘You are up to something, Morna.’

  ‘Aye, saving your life.’

  ‘Very well, I will take this path and see where it leads, but I suspect nowhere good.’ Will turned to Waldrick, who was shaking his head and tutting at this side.

  ‘This is madness, my friend. Give him a chance and Buchanan will cut you down and take the girl.’

  ‘Put the best archers on the walls. We’ll bring him in close enough to see the whites of his eyes. So if you try anything, Morna,’ Will said, turning back to her, ‘it will be on you what happens afterwards. Agreed?’

  She nodded, and the gates creaked open. A messenger sped out to tell Cormac to come to the castle alone. Morna had insisted on it, for she did not want Owen to accompany him. She wanted to spare him the humiliation of what she was about to do, for she owed Owen that much. Her brother’s humiliation she would have to live with.

  In a matter of minutes, she saw Cormac gallop over the hill and thunder towards the castle. He pulled his horse up hard, right in front of them. When her brother’s anguished eyes met hers, Morna’s resolve almost broke, and she wanted to rush into his arms, so great was her longing to feel safe and cherished.

  ‘Say your words, and make it quick,’ snarled Will.

  ‘Drostan told you what happened to me?’ said Morna with a small smile at her brother.

  ‘Aye, and those responsible will pay. Anyone who hurts me or mine shall pay,’ he said, glowering at Will.

  ‘And Lyall?’ asked Morna.

  ‘Back at Corryvreckan with Giselle. He is overseeing my interests in my absence.’

  ‘Have the Gowans attacked?’

  ‘Not yet. Perhaps they think their treachery has gone undiscovered, though we are prepared for them now. If what this cur here says is true, Ramsay is dead.’

  Morna looked fearfully at Will whose face was impassive. She felt as though she were between two great war-hammers crashing together.

  ‘Aye, Ranulph Gowan sent men to kill him, Cormac. He is gone.’

  ‘And unlamented by the both of us. If Drostan had not come, I would still be searching for you, as I have done since the morning you disappeared. You have no idea of the devastation caused by Ramsay’s treachery and your loss. Ravenna and Lyall have been distraught and Owen, heartbroken. He loves you, Morna. Will you not speak to him?’ Cormac shot a glare at Will.

  ‘She will not,’ growled Will.

  Morna shook her head. ‘Please, Cormac, I cannot.’

  ‘Why, because this one threatens you, because he tethers you to him, like an animal?’ Cormac glared at Will. His face was all fury and murderous intent. Morna knew full well they were on a knife-edge and that violence could break out any minute.

  ‘I am not threatening, I am negotiating,’ snapped Will.

  ‘Nothing to negotiate. You have my sister. I want her back. Refuse, and I will kill you, Bain. If not here and now, then sometime soon, and if you have touched her, I will do it slowly.’

  ‘I’ve not hurt her.’

  ‘Cormac fixed his gaze back onto her. ‘Has he…have you been…?’

  ‘I’ve not done that either,’ snarled Will.

  ‘Shut your mouth, Bain,’ said Cormac through gritted teeth. ‘My sister can speak for herself.’

  Morna’s face burned with shame and the lie. ‘I have not been molested, Cormac, indeed Will saved me from such a fate. He has been kind and respectful. I owe him a debt of gratitude.’

  ‘Are you saying Drostan was lying?’

  ‘Aye, he was, for I am no prisoner. He is twisted with bitterness due to his frailty. He does not see that Will has only tried to protect him all his life. You misjudge Will, truly you do.’

  ‘If that is so, then why is he defying me?’

  Will brought his horse in closer to hers. ‘Because I don’t dance to your tune, Buchanan, and you don’t come to my keep and give orders.’

  ‘I do where my sister is concerned, my own flesh and blood. We can settle this like men, without unnecessary bloodshed. Face me alone, man to man, before your men and mine. Winner takes all.’

  ‘Agreed,’ said Will.

  ‘No,’ shouted Morna.

  ‘Fool,’ said Cormac to Will. ‘I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back, and at least I have two of them, for half of one of yours seems to be missing. Can you even hold a sword in it?’

  ‘Lucky for me ‘tis not my sword hand, and you misjudge me if you think I am unable to defeat you, Buchanan.’

  ‘However you lost your fingers, I am sure it was richly deserved.’

  ‘You know nothing of me, and you misjudge my resolve now, just as you did at Bannockburn.’

  ‘I know enough of you to want you a thousand miles from my sister.’

  ‘Enough, there will be no fighting,’ shouted Morna. ‘Cormac, the English, are they to re-take Berwick?’ she said, desperate to prevent Will and Cormac from coming to blows. ‘If so the King will need you there, no
t throwing your life away needlessly.’

  ‘The English could be marching even as we speak. There is no time to lose. We must be away from here and back at Beharra to prepare for war. Tell this villain you are coming home with me.’

  ‘Cormac, forgive me, but I cannot.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because I love him,’ she said, with all the conviction she could muster.

  Will’s head jerked sideways, his gaze like a thousand arrows piercing her skin.

  ‘Sister, whatever you imagine you feel for this cur, it is but a childish infatuation. It will pass, and you will soon forget him once you are back with us.’

  ‘It is more than that, Cormac - it is love, and I am staying here, no matter what you say.’

  Cormac’s face was a mask of black rage. ‘Gowan sought to get to me through you and, if you stay here, he will have succeeded, Morna. Do you want to gratify our enemies?’

  ‘Forgive me, brother. I must follow my heart.’

  ‘You are betrothed to a fine man back there who would take you as his wife, who has courted you with my consent. Owen has been respectful. He would make you Lady of his keep. You can have a good life with him.’

  ‘He is yours and Lyall’s choice, not mine. I am not betrothed to Owen for I gave him no answer and, if I had, it would have been no.’

  ‘What are you saying to me, Morna, that I have dragged these men here for nothing? That you would choose this man, an outlaw, a pirate, with no real name or decent reputation, over a man who has had your brother’s back countless times?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Morna, but her voice sounded small in the face of Cormac’s rage and disappointment. ‘Tell Owen that I am sorry for any hurt I have caused him. It was unconsciously done.’

  Cormac looked down at the reins in his hand. He would not meet her eye, but his disappointment was obvious. ‘Such trouble you have caused, Morna,’ he said quietly.

  Morna’s resolve almost crumbled at that point, but she had to protect Cormac at all costs, even if that meant he hated her. ‘Forgive me, brother. Try not to think ill of me.’

  ‘Ravenna will be heartbroken if I do not return with you,’ he said desolately. She thought there were tears in his eyes.

  ‘Tell her I am happy, with a man I love, and she will not miss me for long. She will be happy for me in the end. You always said I could marry for love, well I have found it here, at Fitheach, with Will.’

  Morna reached out and grabbed Will’s hand. He squeezed it tight, and Cormac’s mood tipped into bitterness.

  ‘I hoped you would find a good man, a decent man, not this! Morna, have you taken leave of your senses? This disreputable cur had no name to respect, no allegiance to anyone or anything. He is not, and never will be our ally.’

  ‘I’m still here, Buchanan,’ snarled Will.

  ‘Perhaps that is what I like about him, Cormac. I will not have to think of him cleaved open on some battlefield. He will not go off to war and die for a cause.’

  ‘As I do, as Lyall does, you mean.’

  ‘Do you have any idea how unbearable it is when you leave, and I don’t know if I will ever see you again?’

  ‘Scotland is fighting for survival Morna, and Lyall and I are reconciled to a battlefield death if that is God’s will.’

  ‘Or the King’s will?’

  ‘Aye, Robert is a hard master, I’ll own it, but he is the master our country needs, and I would follow him into hell if I have to for I will protect what is mine and what I love at all costs. That is the difference between this Bain and I. He does not love anything enough to die for it.’

  ‘Then he is no fool. Please Cormac, let us not quarrel. Who knows when we will see each other again?’

  ‘When this latest action is over, I will return, Morna.’ Cormac turned to Will. ‘You have poisoned my sister’s mind against her own family. I should have let them take your head at Bannockburn for a traitor.’

  ‘Cormac, stop this,’ said Morna, but to no avail.

  ‘If you’d done that, Morna would be dead or worse, whored to Wymon Cranstoun. I saved her from that fate Buchanan, whether you want to believe it or not,’ snarled Will.

  ‘Aye, and that is the only thing which is stopping me from gutting you right now.’

  ‘That and the bows trained on your heart from my walls,’ said Will. ‘Kill me and you die too, Cormac. Where will Morna be then?’

  ‘What do you want from her Bain? Are you to wed my sister or are you content to make a whore of her?’

  Morna looked at Will. A muscle was going in his cheek, and his grip on her hand tightened like a vice.

  ‘She is to be my bride.’

  ‘Then dredge up a priest and get it done. I shall know if it is not.’

  Cormac rode over to her and leaned in close, out of earshot of Will. ‘I would not part on bad terms, though this is not the outcome I hoped for. I cannot believe I am to ride away without you. When this action is over, I will come back with Lyall. In the meantime, tell Bain that he had better take care of you, for you are my beloved sister and more precious to Lyall and me than anything. Listen to me, Morna. This man will not make you happy. When this union dies a natural death, as it surely will, remember you always have a home at Beharra.’

  With that, he jerked his horse’s head around and galloped away without a backward glance. The tears came then, a flood which would not stop. Morna pulled her hand free of Will’s as they dripped down her face and landed in her lap.

  He looked at her with a face like thunder. ‘Go inside, now,’ he said and galloped off after Cormac.

  ***

  Will caught up with Cormac just as he crested the hill.

  ‘What do you want? Have you come to gloat?’ said Cormac.

  ‘No.’

  ‘My sister does not know her own heart. When she does, she will despise you for leading her astray.’

  ‘I can make her happy, I know it.’

  Cormac laughed. ‘You will be the ruin of her.’

  ‘I don’t have to be. I know I am not what you would have chosen for Morna, but it was never your choice to make. She has an independent spirit. You cannot rule her any more than I.

  ‘What do you want Bain?’

  ‘You say I have no allegiance, that I hide on this island in the middle of the ocean. I am coming to realise that is not the best course of action if I am to keep my clan safe. If Robert prevails in this war, then he will turn his eyes to the Western Isles with retribution in his heart. But if I ally myself with him now, at the turn of the tide, then I will have the ear of the King of Scotland, will I not?’

  ‘He does not need your help to crush the English, and nor do I.’

  ‘How many ships does Robert have at his disposal? I would wager not as many as the English. How will he transport men and horses to battle? How will he protect these shores from the English armies coming up the coast and raiding inland? I have allies hereabouts that I can call upon.’

  ‘If I haven’t needed you before, why should I need you now?’

  ‘You have been lucky, Cormac, but luck always runs out, and if you fall in battle and that fool Owen Sutherland and your brother with you, Morna will be in danger without me to protect her, cowering here on my little island. If Robert takes against me, as my wife, she will also be in danger. We both know what happens when you get on Robert’s bad side.’

  ‘I don’t trust you with my sister’s welfare.’

  ‘That is a burden indeed and one you must bear, not I.’

  ‘As to this offer of allegiance, you hate Robert.’

  ‘Aye, with good cause. Look, you don’t have to like me any more than I like Robert. We often have to get into bed with people we don’t especially like, though I do not count your sister in that number.’

  ‘Do not test me Bain.’

  ‘But we grit our teeth and get it done, take what we want out of it. So, if your Buchanan pride will allow it, send word to me of how events unfold and, if I feel like it, I will com
e to your aid.’

  Cormac said nothing, he merely whirled around and rode away. Will was left to ponder this latest change in his life and to wrestle with the strange twist of elation and anger taking hold at the thought of having Morna Buchanan as his bride.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Will waited to calm the turmoil inside him before he went in search of Morna. He found her on the battlements, staring out at a surging ocean and a steely sky, full of ragged clouds. Morna did not turn when he called out to her, but he saw her draw a hand across her eyes.

  ‘So your brother has come and gone,’ he said, keeping his voice even.

  ‘Are you going to let him leave in safety?’ she said with a sob in her voice.

  ‘Aye, for the bargain is struck, and we are to wed. You might have asked me first, Morna. I don’t like being backed into a corner, and your proposal was a little surprising, though I will put my head into the marital noose if it buys peace.’

  Silence.

  ‘I know you are distressed at upsetting Cormac, but he will resign himself to this marriage, in time, and this wound will heal. It is so strange how the world turns. I had no idea I would start this day preparing for a fight and then end it in my marriage bed.’

  Will went up to Morna and gently turned her around. Her beautiful, brown eyes were raw from crying, hands icy and shaking when he took them in his.

  ‘Come inside where it is warmer. I have sent word for the priest to be found and we will do this thing tonight. I want no delay, in case you change your mind.’ He smiled down at her, wanting to hold her tight and take away the pain. ‘Come, be of good cheer. You are to be a bride before the day is out, for it would seem that, despite your protestations to the contrary, you are madly in love with me, enough to defy your fierce brother at least.’