Never Seduce a Scot (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #1)(43)

Where before the hall had been mostly empty save for a few women going back and forth from the kitchen, Eveline came face-to-face with a veritable crowd, or at least it seemed so with so many blocking her pathway to the courtyard.

At the forefront of the group of women—five women Eveline counted—was Kierstan, whose surly expression could only mean that this wasn’t going to be a friendly encounter.

Kierstan’s lip curled. “Whore.”

Eveline blinked in surprise. For one, it wasn’t her usual method of insult. Eveline had truly thought the lass limited in her vocabulary to a single insult.

The other women nodded, their expressions as fierce as Kierstan’s own.

“You’ll not take our laird in with your seductive wiles,” Kierstan continued. “He’s a man, and men can be swayed by a pretty face and a willing body. But you won’t be fooling us. We won’t let him forget who and what you are. You will never be welcome here, Armstrong bitch.”

Fury nearly blinded Eveline. The other women were chiming in with insults no doubt. All agreeing with Kierstan and supporting her statements. But Eveline couldn’t keep up with their mouths. The assembled women blurred in her vision as she was gripped by rage.

Eveline turned to the huge fireplace in the center of the hall. A fireplace where two swords hung over the mantle. They were within reach and she doubted they were battle worthy. They looked to be more ornamental. But at the moment she cared not. One would certainly aid in her cause.

If they wanted madness, she’d give it to them.

She rushed to the fireplace, rose up on tiptoe, and yanked at the sword, praying it would come free and then praying that it didn’t weigh so much that she couldn’t even lift it.

The grip was old and worn and the blade not as thick or as large as the ones her kin carried or even those she’d seen the Montgomery warriors carry.

The sword came away without protest, and anger fueled her strength as she wobbled under the weight. She turned back to the women who now stared at her with unease.

She charged forward, holding the blade high, and bellowed, without worry over how loudly her words came forth. She cared not if the rafters rang with it. The word—the one word—that she was able to articulate billowed from her chest and squeezed out her throat with all the force she could muster.

“O-O-OUT!!”

CHAPTER 20

“Laird, come quickly! She’s gone completely mad! You must stop her before she kills someone!”

Sparring ceased all over the courtyard as the woman ran shrieking toward Graeme. Bowen stood down and Graeme lowered his sword. He held his hand out to stop the panicked babbling so he could understand what on God’s earth she was hollering about.

Murmurs rose from the warriors as in the background, emanating from the keep came an unholy sounding, “OOOUUUTTT!” More shrieks ensued and the woman in front of Graeme started her shrill exclamations all over again.

“Silence!” Graeme roared. “I cannot hear what is about!”

He advanced on the woman before him—Mary?—and tried to keep his voice calm and measured.

“What is amiss? Who are you talking about going mad and killing someone?”

“ ’Tis your wife, Laird! She’s taken a sword to the other women in the hall. You have to come quickly!”

Graeme dropped his sword and ran.

As he rounded the corner, the scene before him made him stop in his tracks.

“Jesu,” Bowen breathed out. “ ’Tis true. She has gone mad!”

Graeme turned briefly to see that his brothers and most of the men who’d been assembled in the courtyard had followed. Then he jerked his attention back to Eveline who stood in the doorway to the keep, sword outstretched toward the women she was holding at bay, and a scowl etched on her lovely face.

In front of her, a group of women were steadily backing away from the door. Only one seemed to challenge Eveline. Kierstan, the same lass who’d dropped the ale on Eveline the night before.

Graeme could hear her shouting insults to Eveline, and Eveline bellowed loud enough for the entire keep to hear.

“OUT!”

God’s teeth, it had been she he’d heard. She’d spoken!

He ran the last of the way and pushed in front of Kierstan, inserting himself between her and Eveline. Kierstan immediately dissolved into tears and threw herself at Graeme.

“Oh thank God you’re here, Laird. ’Tis horrible. She’s threatened to kill us all. She’s mad, I tell you. She chased us from the hall. I don’t know what happened. She just yanked the sword from above the fireplace and came after us.”

Graeme glanced up at Eveline and at first, all he saw was the fury on her face and the tight scowl she wore. But then he saw into her eyes and saw fear and clear distress. As he studied her closer, he saw that her hands shook and she was doing all she could just to hold on to the sword.

“Eveline, put down the sword,” he said in a calm voice.

She shook her head, her chin coming up a notch. Then she pointed to the group of women and bellowed again.

“Out!”

Rorie pushed to the front of the ever-growing crowd. She gave Kierstan a look of pure disgust and then turned on Graeme.

“ ’Tis not her fault, Graeme. They’ve been horrible to her at every turn. They’ve hurled insult after insult and missed no opportunity to mock or demean her.”