The Highlander's Secret(63)

Eamon buried his face in his hands and sighed. “I might have known. The lad saw an opportunity and he took it.”

“That git!” Alan spat with fury.

“That means they had nothing to do with Keenan’s death,” she told him. “It’s unrelated. Mayhap we can use that to our advantage.”

“If we explain that to them fully, it could work…”

“But ye can try,” she insisted. “Ye could still promise them yer favor and protection.”

Eamon removed his gloves and set them on the table before taking a seat as well. “Will ye translate fer me as well?”

“Of course.”

“Ragnar, our clan has nae quarrel with ye. But before I let ye settle here, I need to understand what happened. Ye claim that none of yer men are responsible for my brother’s death, but did ye actually see it happen?”

Jain relayed that information to Ragnar and he nodded adamantly.

“Aye, he saw it with his own two eyes. He was as surprised as we are.”

“Can he give any other description of the man who killed him?”

After a brief exchange, Jain turned back to her father and said, “There isn’t a word for it in our language. The best I can use is… ‘pretty’. The man had an attractive face.”

“That would be Conrad,” Eamon confirmed. “Would he be willing to attest to that in public if it comes to that?”

Ragnar nodded.

“Yasss.”

“Very well. If ye can promise to stop raiding and live with us in peace, we would be happy to let ye build a settlement. We could trade goods and services.”

The Viking shook his head and spoke to Jain in their language. She smiled weakly and nodded. “He accepts yer terms, but suggests it may not be enough to ensure lasting peace.”

“What more can I offer him?”

“He wants a group of our people to live in the settlement among them, to ensure ye have a vested interest in their survival. In exchange he will send two families with ye to put roots down in Elign. Only then will our cultures understand each other.”

“But who would stay with them?”

Alan interjected in the conversation and said, “Ask them if they have a blacksmith.”

Eamon glanced up at him in shock after she relayed the information. “Alan, are ye sure about this?”

He sighed. “Of course not, but I’m willing to try. This is Jain’s kinsmen and they mean a lot to her. Ye said yerself that my skill is wasted in Elign. Bruce has taught me everything he knows. It would be an honor and a privilege to serve them.”

Jain pursed her lips and smiled. “He said there is nae person like that among their ranks. I’m sure a blacksmith would be very useful, especially while they’re getting started.”

“Then it’s agreed. Jain and I will relocate to this settlement on the coast and Ragnar will send some others to take our place.”

Ragnar and Eamon both nodded and shook one another’s hand.

“We’ll finish the rest of the details in the morning. I’m very tired. If we can just spend the night in peace it would be to the benefit of everyone.”





Three Months later…





Chapter Twenty-nine


Alan wrapped the fur-lined cloak around his shoulders to keep warm against the falling snow as he walked the road of the Viking settlement. His blond hair was now sheered along the sides and the rest of it was twisted into a braid in the Viking style.

As the days grew shorter in the winter months, the weather on the Scottish coast had become brutal. White flurries had begun to dust the rocky shore and an icy wind crept in along the paths of the newly established settlement.

They’d spent every minute reinforcing the cottages and making sure there was enough food to last the winter. Eamon had sent them a modest supply of food, for which Ragnar and his people were extremely grateful. It would be a long winter before they could till the ground and plant seed themselves, but spirits were high, and the people thrived. He glanced across the buildings now and a sense of pride rose up inside him. The settlement had come so far, and in such a remarkably short period of time. Bjorn and Helga nodded when he passed and gave a conciliatory nod. There were some people who still did not trust him, but that was to be expected. Alan was determined to make this work and that required time and patience – just like silver. He smiled back at them and ducked beneath the door frame into the main hall to warm himself.

When Alan came inside, Jain and Ragnar greeted him with a smile.

“Brother, I’m glad to see you have returned,” Ragnar greeted him with a clap on the back. “How are things on the west bank?”

The red-haired Earl looked exactly like his sister, Jain. They had the same green eyes and pale complexion that was common in Scandinavia.

“We finished securing two more horses, they should be sufficient to last the winter,” he responded in the Viking tongue.

Jain grinned up at him appreciatively and that made his smile widen. Her long red hair fell down across her shoulders and was adorned with colorful beads. She looked completely serene and in her element, being surrounded by her kinsmen. Ever since they moved to live in the settlement with her brother, they had been practicing how to speak. It was different than his native Gaelic and became frustrating at times, but the more he practiced the more the words began to flow. She taught him the language of her ancestors and about their history, making his lexicon grow larger every day.