Never Love a Highlander (McCabe Trilogy #3)(36)

“Dear God, lass, what happened to you?”

“Hugh,” she whispered. She made a feeble attempt to hold the tattered tunic to her br**sts.

“Aye, lass, ’tis Hugh. Tell me what happened.”

She licked her lips and tasted blood. “Men.” Her voice was raspy, barely recognizable. Her throat was swollen from the attacker’s grip. “Came across the brook.”

“To arms!” Hugh roared.

Rionna pitched forward, the last of her strength gone as she listened to Hugh shout orders for the men to get to their horses.

“Rionna!”

Gentle hands touched her shoulders and carefully turned her. Then shoved the mass of hair from her swollen face.

“Oh, lass,” Sarah moaned. “What has happened to you?”

“C-Cold. Help me inside.”

“Nay, don’t move. I’ll have one of the men carry you. Does anything feel broken?”

For some reason Rionna found amusement in that. She grinned crookedly and promptly regretted moving any part of her mouth. “Just my face.”

“Mangan, come carry your mistress to her chamber,” Sarah ordered.

Rionna groaned when she was lifted by the burly warrior.

“ ’Tis sorry I am, lass,” Mangan said gruffly. “I don’t mean to hurt you.”

“I’m fine, Mangan. Just a little bruised.”

“ ’Tis disgraceful for a man to abuse a woman so,” he growled.

“Aye, ’tis,” she whispered. She shivered, remembering Caelen’s reaction to her father striking her. He would be furious when he learned of the attack.

Mangan bore her inside and up the stairs, with Sarah and several serving women following along the entire way.

“Put her on the bed. Careful now!” Sarah said briskly. “Neda, fetch me warm water and rags and have hot water brought up for the lass to have a bath. She’s going to catch a chill. Mangan, bring up wood for the fire. I need a brisk flame to warm her.”

Rionna sank onto the bed and moaned softly. Now that she was safe and inside the keep, the battle to remain conscious was lost. The room grew dimmer and dimmer, and despite Sarah’s attempt to keep her awake darkness crowded in and she let go with a weak sigh.

“ ’Tis a fine shot you made,” Caelen said to James as he stood over the fallen stag. “Your father is right. You’ve a steady aim with a bow.”

The younger man grinned in acknowledgment. “That makes two. Three, counting the stag we sent back to the keep. One more and ’twill be enough meat for many weeks to come.”

“Aye, perhaps on the morrow we’ll down another one. ’Tis getting dark. We should seek a place to camp for the night and start a fire.”

Little more than an hour later, the men sat in front of a warm fire with one leg of the stag roasting over the flames. Simon pulled a piece from the bone with his knife and tossed it toward Caelen.

Caelen took a bite and nodded in approval. “ ’Tis a fine piece of venison.”

Simon carved pieces for the rest of the men until the bone was picked clean. Gannon hunkered down next to Caelen and leaned back against the log.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a long hunt. All I’ve done of late is trail after difficult women.”

Caelen snorted and coughed as a piece of meat got stuck in his throat. Gannon pounded him on the back and both laughed.

“ ’Tis the truth I didn’t envy your duty,” Caelen said ruefully. “I took my turn at trailing after Mairin. ’Tis not something I want to do again. I oft wondered what bad thing you’d done to make my brothers choose you to look after their women.”

Gannon shook his head. “And I’ve oft wondered if Cormac got himself married just to avoid the duty.”

Caelen chuckled. “ ’Tis possible, I suppose. You have to admit Mairin ran him ragged.”

Simon took a seat on the other side of Caelen as the rest of the men settled around the fire. “Tell me something, Laird. Do we stand a chance against the might of Duncan Cameron’s army? Would we even be in his sights if we hadn’t allied ourselves with your kin?”

Caelen’s eyes narrowed at the innuendo. “Gregor approached us because he feared Cameron. This alliance was at his instigation.”

“But you benefit.”

“This is not intended as an insult, but the fact of the matter is, Gregor commanded a poor army. The benefit we see from this alliance is the joining of McCabe land on either side. McDonald land was all that separated Neamh Álainn from McCabe keep. But the main benefit is the other lairds who were willing to join with us once Gregor agreed to an alliance. Our strength is in our numbers and the McCabes’ superior fighting force.”

“You’re a cocky lot,” Simon said.

“There isn’t a force who can match our skill,” Caelen said bluntly.

“Then why do you wait to destroy Cameron?” James asked.

“Aye,” one of the other men said as he sat forward. “Why wait?”

The other McDonald men who’d accompanied them on the hunt also leaned forward, taking a keen interest in the turn of the conversation.

“Because patience is required when vanquishing one’s enemy,” Caelen said. “We’ve waited many years to rid the world of Duncan Cameron. He’s a dangerous, ambitious man who will stop at nothing to control all he sees. He’s set his sights on our land. All of our land. We believe he has struck a bargain with Malcolm. If Malcolm leads another rebellion against David and takes the throne, Scotland will once more be split in two. Cameron’s reward will be the highlands. He will in effect be king without the title while Malcolm will rule over Cumbria. No more will lairds rule over their own lands. Cameron’s power would be absolute. No distinction. No legacy to hold for our children and our children’s children. All would be controlled by him.”