Highlander Most Wanted (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #2)(21)

Bowen seated himself at the high table and placed Genevieve on his right, while Teague took the seat on his left. Aiden and Brodie sat across from each other, and Brodie positioned Taliesan next to Genevieve. Bowen nodded approvingly at Brodie for placing a friendly ally beside Genevieve.

The serving women began to bring out food, and Bowen frowned as he sampled the fare. It was cold. Not at all appetizing, and it tasted old. A glance around the room signaled that no one else seemed to have issue, but one look at his own table told a different story.

Teague nearly choked on the first bite of his food. Aiden didn’t even bother disguising his reaction, and promptly spat a mouthful onto the floor. Brodie swallowed with much difficulty, while Taliesan shoved the food around with her spoon.

Genevieve simply stared down at her plate, her face pale, her mouth set into firm lines. She reached for her goblet and took several swallows of the water she’d requested instead of ale.

She instantly choked and sputtered, water nearly spewing from her mouth. She bent her head and coughed harshly into her skirts. Her eyes watered and she couldn’t seem to gain her breath.

“Genevieve, is aught amiss?” Bowen demanded. “Is the water bad?”

“Just went down wrong,” she said, eyes still streaming. “ ’Tis nothing to concern yourself over.”

Suspicious, Bowen snatched the goblet before she could move it and took a cautious sip. He immediately grimaced, and he’d taken only the barest amount into his mouth. It was brine, so heavily salted that no one could possibly drink it.

His blood boiled at the insult leveled against Genevieve, and his fist pounded down on the table, causing several of the nearby serving women to jump and glance nervously his way.

“Bring me fresh water,” he roared.

A woman scurried to do his bidding, and he was careful to taste the water himself before handing it to Genevieve. She looked shocked, and slowly took it from his hand, raising it to her lips.

She gulped down several swallows and then eased the goblet down onto the table.

Salt was a precious and expensive commodity and that it would be wasted on a malicious prank when the clan had so little angered Bowen as much as the slight itself.

“Is the food always thus?” Bowen asked Genevieve and Taliesan.

Genevieve’s face flushed with color and she looked down, refusing to meet Bowen’s gaze.

“ ’Tis usual fare,” Taliesan said, seemingly confused by Bowen’s question.

But Bowen was focused more on Genevieve and her reaction.

“Genevieve? Do you not have an opinion on the matter?”

“I wouldn’t know, Laird,” she said quietly. “I was never allowed to eat in the hall. ’Tis the first time I’ve done so since my arrival here. I was always brought bread or cheese in my chamber. Sometimes gruel or an oatcake. The better fare was reserved for the clan.”

He was sorry he’d asked, because now he seethed with anger. Genevieve had been treated like an animal. A captive beast shown no regard or caring. It enraged him that any woman should be treated this way.

“Better fare?” Teague snorted. “ ’Tis more likely you had the better of it.”

Disdain was clear in his voice.

“I’ll be sure to bring staples,” Teague muttered. “Perhaps ’tis a good idea for you to lead a hunt while I’m gone. This meat tastes as though it was harvested months ago.”

Bowen nodded his agreement. One of his first priorities had to be stocking the larders.

“We had better,” Taliesan blurted.

Her face went dark red and she lowered her head.

“What mean you, lass?” Brodie asked in a gentle voice.

“ ’Tis disloyal of me to say,” she murmured.

“Speak freely. There’s no one to gainsay you here,” Bowen pointed out.

Still, she was reluctant as she raised her head. “The laird took most of the fresh stores, leaving the older meat behind. He packed two horses with meat from recent hunts. There was stag, boar, and lamb. He took it all.”

Teague scowled. “As soon as I’ve apprised Graeme of the situation, we lead a hunting party for Patrick McHugh. He has much to answer to.”

Again Bowen nodded. “ ’Tis true he is a priority, but our foremost concern is the care of the people of this clan. We cannot allow them to starve or be without adequate protection while we seek revenge on a coward who has fled.”

Aiden inclined his head. “ ’Tis true enough and you’ve the right of it, Bowen. ’Tis a good leader who thinks first of the clan.”

“I only do as I know Graeme would do if he were present,” Bowen said matter-of-factly.

He turned to Genevieve, who’d yet to touch her serving of food. She seemed afraid to try it after the water debacle. He couldn’t say he blamed her.

“What would you like, lass?” he asked in a low voice. “The fare they served the rest of us is not good. I can ask for bread and cheese if ’tis what you prefer.”

“I would like that,” she said quietly. “If ’tis not too much trouble. I do not want to cause strife.”

“And I care not,” Bowen said calmly. “They will obey without question or pay the consequences. They will offer you their respect and cease the childish jests against you. I will not be crossed in this manner.”