Highland Wolf (Highland Brides, #10)(79)
Claray had reluctantly given up the fawn to Allistair to tend, so that she could help Conall go through the provisions his uncle had brought back and decide where they needed to go. Now that was all done, Lady MacKay and Kenna had been fetched from where they were working. Ross MacKay had herded them all to the tables and had insisted they sit before making his announcement.
“Really?” Lady MacKay said finally when no one else spoke.
“Aye.” Payton grinned and then his gaze moved to Claray and he explained gently, “He went after yer sister Allissaid.”
Claray’s eyes widened with alarm. “Is she all right?”
“Aye,” he assured her. “Apparently, he dragged her back to Fraoch Eilean and forced her to marry him, but she escaped. Jumped out the window o’ the tower, right into Loch Awe. MacNaughton’s men searched the shore and pounded the bushes all around, but did no’ find her. She stayed in the water and swam all the way to Kilcairn.” He shook his head. “I can hardly fathom how she managed it.”
“Allissaid was always a good swimmer,” Claray said softly.
“She must be,” Payton said solemnly.
It was Ross MacKay who finished the tale. “The Campbell gave yer sister shelter when she reached Kilcairn. But somehow, the MacNaughton got wind she was there. He tried to steal her back, and the Campbell took exception. He killed him for his trouble. MacNaughton’ll trouble ye no more.”
Claray swallowed and managed a smile at this news. But her new uncle wasn’t done.
“The Campbell sent news that he’d learned that before Allissaid escaped, MacNaughton had sent men both to MacFarlane and here, to kill Claray and her brother and sisters as they could.”
Claray stiffened again, and felt Conall cover her hands where they rested in her lap.
“’Tis fine though,” Payton added quickly. “Yer da has men searching the woods surrounding MacFarlane, looking fer the ones sent there, and,” he added with a smile, “the Sutherland already took care o’ the men sent here.”
“The Sutherland?” Conall asked with surprise.
“Aye. They must ha’e camped just across yer southern border on Sutherland land to avoid detection. But they ran afoul o’ a patrol o’ Sutherland soldiers and were killed in the ensuing battle,” Laird MacKay informed them. “The Sutherland himself told us the tale when we stopped there fer the night on our way back here.”
“Aye.” Payton grinned. “So, ye’ll ha’e no more arrows flyin’ at ye now and can let go that worry, give up yer guards and concentrate on the future.”
“What about the old trouble?” Roderick asked, and there was a moment of silence.
“I’m hopin’ it’s been so long that whoever was behind that attack is long dead. But we can no’ be sure,” Ross MacKay said slowly, and then frowned and shook his head and told Conall, “It might be good to keep a couple o’ guards on ye, nephew. At least fer a little bit longer. Just to be sure all is well.”
Conall nodded solemnly.
Claray finished the mat she was working on, and set it on the small pile growing next to her on the great hall floor. Glancing around at the other women working with her, she noted that they were all making quick work of the task. Soon they could start sewing the mats together to make larger ones to carpet the stone floor. They’d need several to cover the great hall alone, and then they planned to make them for the bedchambers and barracks as well.
Pushing aside the thought of the amount of work yet ahead of them, Claray turned her attention to gathering more rushes. As she began braiding another three-foot-wide and six-foot-long mat, her mind turned to Conall and all that they’d already accomplished. They’d got a lot done with the help of his family. The keep walls were whitewashed, the kitchen organized, the gardens planted and already sprouting. There were now several pens and small buildings for the new animals, the curtain wall was nearly completely repaired and the soldiers had even cleared the area around the castle. Now, while fifty men still worked on the curtain wall, Conall had set a hundred men to clear and plow the old fields where he thought they’d been, so they could start planting.
Claray truly hadn’t thought they could get so much done so quickly, and they couldn’t have done it all without the help of the MacKays and their soldiers. She smiled faintly as she thought of Conall’s aunt and uncle and Kenna. Promising to visit often, the family had left that morning to head back to MacKay. All but Payton. She suspected he and Roderick would remain at Deagh Fhortan until they were sure that Conall’s parents’ murderer wasn’t still around to cause trouble.
“M’lady, I thought ye might like something to drink while yer weavin’ the mats.”
Claray glanced up from her braiding with surprise, a smile lifting her lips when she saw Mhairi approaching with a mug in hand.
“Thank ye, Mhairi. That would be lovely. I—Ah!” she cried out with surprise as the maid tripped and fell forward, nearly landing in her lap. The woman managed to save herself by grabbing the arm of the chair next to where Claray knelt, but had to drop the drink to do it.
Claray stared down blankly at the cold liquid dripping down her face and chest, soaking into her gown.
“Oh, heavens! Oh, dear Lord, m’lady, I’m ever so sorry,” Mhairi moaned, snatching the mug out of her lap and kneeling next to her to try to sop up the mess with her own skirts.