Never Seduce a Scot (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #1)(92)

“I cannot ride with the whole of my army,” Graeme ground out. “It will be seen as an act of war. I can only hope I’m granted enough time to explain. Alert the others. Have them standing by to defend the keep. Let’s hope that Armstrong is a reasonable man and will listen to all we have to say.”

CHAPTER 43

Graeme rode out of the courtyard with his brothers at his sides and as directed, the gate was shut behind them while Silas rallied the men inside the keep. Tension was thick, and there was a sense of expectancy that permeated the air.

Everyone expected war. Most even wanted it. It was the chance to avenge the Montgomery losses to the Armstrong clan.

Graeme knew that if the slightest thing went wrong, his clan would swarm in like avenging angels and the entire valley would drip with blood.

He rode slightly ahead of his brothers, carrying a wide, white bedsheet as a sign of truce and that he planned no attack on the approaching army.

They swooped over the hill and down the other side to meet the Armstrong laird at the bottom.

Looking ahead, Graeme saw Tavis pause, then hold up his arm to halt the mass of soldiers behind him. ’Twas an impressive sight that forced Graeme to respect the might of the Armstrong fighting force.

Helmets and armor glistened in the sun. Shields reflected the light, sending blinding reflections from the well-honed metal. Crossbows and swords were held at the ready. It was an army that had come prepared to fight.

Tavis rode slightly ahead of his troops with his two sons at his sides. As he neared where Graeme and his brothers had stopped, he pulled away his helmet and pierced Graeme with the full weight of his stare.

“Where is my daughter?” he demanded.

“Ian McHugh has her,” Graeme returned.

Tavis reared back in surprise and then frowned. Brodie and Aiden scowled, and then Brodie spit out, “Liar.”

Graeme forced himself to keep his temper in check. It would be so easy to give the order to fight. His men were ready. They were itching to shed Armstrong blood. Everything Graeme had dreamed about was here, right in front of him. The chance to avenge his father’s death and end the decades of strife caused by the blood feud between the two clans.

But Eveline was more important. For Eveline, he’d do whatever was necessary, even if meant crawling to her father on his hands and knees and humbling himself before the other chieftain.

“Why say you something so outlandish?” Tavis barked.

“We do not have time to stand here arguing,” Graeme said in an even voice. “Eveline is what’s important. If you love your daughter, have your men stand down so that we can talk over this matter between us and then form a plan to bring her back safely.”

Tavis’s eyes glittered with rage. “You dare question my affection for my daughter?”

“You’re wasting time,” Graeme pointed out. “Look at me, Armstrong. No army behind me. I rode here in good faith with only my brothers at my side. You could kill me now. I’ve raised no arms to you. I want my wife back and I’ll have her if it’s the last thing I do.”

Tavis stared at Graeme for a long time, his brow furrowed in deep thought. “Speak your piece, Montgomery. I’ll hear what you have to say and then render judgment on the matter.”

“The man thinks he’s God,” Bowen muttered.

Graeme held up a hand to silence his brother.

“Did you know that Eveline is not daft at all? That she’s a highly intelligent, cunning lass with a quick wit and a heart as big as the highlands?”

Tavis’s jaw went slack, as though it were the very last thing he’d expected to hear Graeme say.

“She’s deaf, Armstrong. Not simple. Not touched. Not mad. She merely cannot hear and yet she can read the lips of others and can understand what it is they say.”

“How do you know all of this?” Armstrong asked hoarsely.

“She told me.”

“You lie!” Aiden roared. “She cannot speak. She has not spoken since her accident.”

Teague drew his sword in a flash. “You’ll cease calling into question the honor of my brother. He speaks the truth. I’ve heard her myself.”

Tavis bit out a rebuke to Aiden and ordered him to be silent. Then he turned back to Graeme. “She spoke to you? Is it true she cannot hear?”

Graeme nodded.

“Then why?”

The older man’s hands shook and bewilderment was heavy in his eyes. He looked suddenly much older than his years. It was obvious what Graeme had said hurt him.

“Why would she perpetuate such a deception?” Tavis asked hoarsely.

“Because she feared she would be forced into marriage to Ian McHugh,” Graeme said quietly. “She saw an opportunity to be able to cry off the marriage and so she allowed you and the rest of her clan to believe she was daft because it saved her from the one thing she feared the most. Ian terrorized her from the moment talks began of marriage. He spelled out in precise detail exactly how she’d suffer at his hands. She saw a way to escape and she seized it. Before long the lie took on a life of its own and she saw no way out.”

Tavis whitened and then put a hand to his nape as he stared aghast at Graeme. “She told me … Sweet mother Mary, she came to me. She said … Oh God, I didn’t believe her. I thought she was expressing normal maidenly fears. I had no idea.…”