Page 14 of Bride Takes a Laird (Highland Vows & Vengeance #2)

O n the journey to Fassiefern, Magnus somehow contained his fury. They didn’t leave the holding until well past midday. He’d wanted to leave at first light but several of his soldiers hadn’t arrived at the gate as instructed. Others were sent to roust the men, and finally, when all assembled, he led the group onward. When they reached the thickly pine-covered land on the lane toward the village, he slowed his pace.

Two men lagged behind and retched in a thicket of yews. Served them right for imbibing too much the night before. Magnus grunted and hoped they had headaches and sore stomachs, for it was well-deserved. He considered leaving them behind and selecting others to take their place, but they eventually showed themselves.

“What has ye so agitated, Laird?” Hayden asked. “Are ye thinking about how we will confront this Aldo fellow?”

“Nay, I am piss-arsed that none of ye listened. I bade that all be at the gate early because I wanted to confront Aldo in the early morn. Now, we will arrive later than I had hoped.”

Hayden lowered his head. “I should have ensured the men followed your orders, Laird.”

“It matters not now. We will adjust our plan and will confront him in the dark of night instead.” Magnus nudged his horse to canter ahead of the men. As they rode toward the village, he considered what he’d do. It would be best to meet Aldo when he least expected it and he might as well disturb his trade whilst he was at it.

On the outskirts of Fassiefern, he stopped in a well-shielded area. The thick woodland was abutted with crags that would hide them until he was ready to make his presence known.

“Take rest and make camp.” Magnus settled his horse by running his hands over the muscular beast. Not only did it benefit his steed, but the motion also calmed him. He was deep in thought as he considered his plan when Osmond approached.

“Laird, what says ye? What is your plan? Will ye be telling us or will we just be left in the dark?” Osmond stood near him with a scowl on his face.

Magnus wasn’t about to allow his follower’s blatant provocation. He grabbed his burly soldier by the fabric of his tunic and held fast. “When I want ye to know my plan, I will tell ye.” He tossed him back. Osmond lost his footing and fell back on his arse.

His brother Jake offered a hand to the fallen soldier and gave him a reproachful look. Magnus growled low in his throat. Ordinarily, he would not accept a show of disrespect from any of his soldiers but Jake was his brother and he shook his head, keeping his rebuke silent.

All his men kept their distance after Osmond’s humiliation. Magnus paced between two trees and tried to settle his ire. While they waited, some rested, some sharpened their swords, and some ate. Without speaking to him, Hayden hesitantly approached and held out a large helping of bread and a flask of ale. Magnus took it and sat next to a tree. The rest of the day passed in agonized slowness. He was anxious to get going and when the sun set and the land dimmed, Magnus called his men to make ready.

“We will go to where they wager, a ramshackle of a barn at the far end of the village. Aldo is likely to be there this time of day in his den of debauchery.”

As he rode toward Fassiefern, Magnus blocked out his thoughts and concentrated on the mission at hand.

The lane through the village was empty, save for a few people who walked along. When he reached the old barn, he slid from his horse’s back and marched to the old worn door. His men followed closely behind. To catch the men inside unawares, he yanked the door open and they rushed inside. Magnus shot his gaze from man to man until he found Aldo.

Aldo stood at the back end of the barn with a handful of players who knelt on the ground, peering at the dice someone had just thrown. The Cameron soldiers aided his progress and kept anyone from hampering his approach.

Magnus reached Aldo and pulled his sword free. He’d let his weapon do the talking for him. “Tell me about Ned Cameron. I want to know exactly how he came here and all that ye know.”

Aldo backed up with his hands held out and fear widening his eyes, retreating to stand near some wooden crates. “I…I do not know any such man.”

“Ye speak falsely. Your friend there”—he pointed at the man who he’d spoken to on his previous visit—“told me that my brother was here and that he lost a good deal of coin to ye. That ye were supposed to meet so that ye could collect your take. Now tell me what I want to know.”

Aldo pressed his beard with his hand. His black hair lay in straggled strands on his shoulders. His appearance was bedraggled and the stench from him gave a warning that the man hadn’t bathed for some time. “He came and wagered from time to time. Ned tried to recoup his losings… och , he only lost more.”

“Is that because ye tricked him, aye, cheating your way to winning a man’s coin?” Magnus grunted at his assertion.

“Nay, nay, I am not a cheater. I swear, by God, I do not commit such a sin. I run an honest business here. Your brother told me to meet him at The Tavern two days hence after he lost, and that he would pay me. I trusted him but he never showed.”

“Who did he befriend here in Fassiefern? Was he comrades with the other wagering fools?” Magnus clipped his words and ire filled him because still, he was getting nowhere in his attempt to achieve his vengeance.

“Ned wasn’t comrades with any of these men but he oft sought the night with a woman of ill repute. I do not know her name but she’s one of Mary’s lassies. Mistress Mary allows men to visit her home to be with the lassies there.”

“Where can I find this Mary?”

“Her manor is to the east, located about two leagues or so from the village.” Aldo backed up another step. Magnus grabbed hold of him so that he couldn’t gain his release.

“If ye speak falsely, I will come for ye.”

The man was about to bawl. “I swear to ye, I speak the truth. Ned was my comrade and I wouldn’t have killed him over coins. I thought he was good for it.”

“How much did he lose to ye?”

Aldo wheezed and gasped when Magnus clutched him with more force. He tried to escape by forcing Magnus’s hands away but it was futile. “Three marks. He owed me three marks.”

“Damnation, Ned owed ye over four hundred pence and ye had no care? I disbelieve ye.”

Aldo gripped his wrists to get him to release him. “I did care, och what was I to do when I heard he was dead? There is no begetting repayment from a dead man.”

Magnus shoved him back, then grunted and sheathed his sword. “Do not leave Fassiefern. If ye do, my men will find ye and ye will end the same as Ned with a dagger to your heart.” He turned and marched out with his brethren following after they made threatening glares at the men inside the falling-down barn.

Outside, he whistled for his horse. Once he and his men were ready, they headed in the direction of the woman’s manor. Magnus hoped to get answers there. Perhaps the woman Ned met knew of what happened to him. At best, he might figure out why Ned was willing to lose such a good deal of their clan’s coin.

By the time they reached the distance they’d been told, a narrow lane afforded them a trail to a large manor home. The windows mostly were darkened except for a few on the lower floor. Smoke wafted from the chimney. The night air swathed the land with a frigidness and their breaths formed clouds of mist. Covered with thick woven tartans, he and his men paid little attention to the cold that settled around them.

Magnus stepped lightly toward the building and when he reached the threshold, he thrust the door open and stepped inside. The dozen men who rode with him wore grins when they were met by the scantily clad women inside. Women of every size and shape were strewn about the room, garbed in see-through garments, chemises, and some in plain braises. None of the women hid their bodies when they entered. Magnus slid his eyes around the abode and searched for someone in charge.

“I deem ye had more than enough revelry last eve,” he said to his men. “None of ye will approach these women. Do I make myself clear?” Magnus gave his men the order and waited for the woman supposedly in charge, Mary perhaps, to approach.

His men nodded but continued to ogle the women.

A huge bald man thumped forward with heavy steps. “What do ye want here? The cost for an hour with a lass is a groat for each of ye.”

“We are not here to partake of the women’s services. I was told my brother Ned Cameron came here and had a woman that he frequented. Know ye of her?”

The man shook his head. “I know not who ye speak of. Many men visit Mary’s Manor.” He tilted his head at his men and nodded. “Aye, for I see some faces I recognize. ”

Magnus glared at his brethren, not because they visited a house of ill repute, but because no one told him they had been there before. “Is the Mistress about? I wish to speak to her.”

“Mary is busy.”

“Make her unbusy. I don’t want to cause trouble, sirrah, but if ye don’t get Mary right now, you’ll have more trouble than ye can handle.” Magnus set his hand on the hilt of his sword, blatantly making the threat. “I do not want to draw my sword, but shall if ye need a wee bit of encouragement.”

“We want no trouble with the likes of ye. I will ask if she will see ye.” The man marched off, thumping over the floorboards, and disappeared from his view.

Magnus kept his hand on his sword and peered about. The men who visited the manor were mostly tradesmen, none to give him concern. Still, he wasn’t about to let his guard down.

“Laird,” Jake said and stepped next to him. “Allow me to question the woman. I’ll get answers from her.”

His men guffawed and Osmond chuckled and said, “Aye, Jake, ye be a wee bit green and are wanting more from her than answers.”

“He wants a wee roll in the haystack,” Hayden said and bellowed a laugh.

“Ye will all remain here. I will question the woman myself,” Magnus said sternly.

A short moment later, the man returned. “She’ll see ye. Follow me.”

Magnus was about to trail the man but turned to his men. “Stay by the door. If I do not return shortly, find me.” He turned back and strode toward the back of the manor. The man opened a door and waved him forward.

He entered the chamber and found a woman who was draped with a piece of red silk fabric. She lay upon a long chair and held a goblet in her hand. An unclothed man stood by the window awaiting the woman’s direction.

“Stay there until I finish with this man,” she said with authority, and to him, “My man tells me that you refused to leave until you spoke to me.” She patted the strange furniture she lay upon. “Come, I don’t bite unless you want me to.” She practically purred her command.

Magnus didn’t want to scare the woman, so he trudged forward and sat next to her. “I need to know about my brother, Ned Cameron. I was told he visited here.”

“Oh, Neddie. Of course, I know him. Aye, he oft came here. Sometimes, he spent time with Nicola but mostly spent his time with me. You are his brother? Which one?”

“Magnus,” he said and watched the woman’s face to assess her honesty. If she lied, he would know. He’d always had a sense when someone was lying but given her profession, he wasn’t surprised that the woman was crafty.

“Oh, you’re that brother. You don’t much resemble Neddie.” She kept her eyes on him and tisked when the man by the window moved. “Remain still,” she commanded and the man braced his legs.

Magnus shook his head at the absurdity of the man by the window but he wasn’t there to condemn anyone, only to find answers. It was true he and Ned had dissimilar looks because his brother was fair-haired and blue-eyed while he was dark. “We found him murdered near the old crag of Lochaber.”

“We heard about Neddie’s death. I’m sorry for your loss but if you deem we had something to do with it then you are—”

“Nay, I just want to know who he might have interacted with. Know ye that he wagered with a man named Aldo in Fassiefern?” Magnus hoped she’d be forthright and give him information about his brother’s activities.

“On his last visit, Neddie was riled and rough. I eased him as best I could. He spoke about a debt that he owed to Aldo but that wasn’t what concerned him.” Mary set a hand on his arm and sensually stroked him.

Magnus was about to stand, but she clasped his arm and continued, “He said that two of his clansmen were trying to wrest coins from him because they found out that he was wagering in Fassiefern. He worried about it and it took me most of the night to relieve him. When he left, he said he was going to meet his clansmen and deal with the problem. We heard that he was murdered a sennight later. If you are seeking who would do Neddie harm, look to your own clan.”

This was disconcerting and hard to believe. Still, he had no other information regarding Ned. Was it possible she was telling the truth? “He did not say who these men were or name them?”

Mary shook her head. “Nay, but he was put out by it and uneasy. He mentioned that he was taken aback that his brethren wouldst extort coin from him.”

Magnus frowned deeply at what she’d told him. Who within his clan would do such a thing? The mystery of what happened to Ned further confounded him. He had to find out who tried to extort the coins from him and about Ned’s underhanded dealings. Who within his clan had the bollocks to threaten his brother? He was about to make his exit when the woman leaned toward him.

“There’s no need to rush off. You are quite handsome, Laird Cameron. Perhaps you would like to join me this night. Free of charge, of course. I can have Odran sent away and we can be alone. Unless you wish to join us.” With the back of her hand, she flapped it at the man, who had continued to focus on the window.

“Stay where ye are, Odran. I am afraid, Mistress Mary, that I have no time to take ye up on your generous offer. My thanks for the information.” Magnus pulled a small sack of coins from within his tunic and set them on the table by the door on his way out.

He reached his brethren and they fled the manor. Outside, he called to his horse, mounted, and cantered away from the sordid place. As he rode for home, Magnus was weary at the prospect of finding out who wanted to coerce coins from Ned. He believed the mistress because Aldo certainly didn’t have the bollocks to murder anyone even if he was owed coins.

Hayden sidled next to him. “What happened? Did ye find out what happened to Ned?”

“Not yet. Soon.”

Jake flanked the other side of him. “What did the mistress say? Was Ned there? Was he with anyone else?”

“She said he was there but did not say if anyone was with him. The woman gave little detail.” That was all he was about to say on the matter. He’d kept what Mistress Mary had told him to himself. Magnus would speak to Wyren about it, but other than that, he trusted no one. Someone within his clan murdered his brother and he was filled with rage. How dare they try to extort coins from a Cameron? That they murdered Ned over riches infuriated him, but what was worse was that it was done by his clansmen.

The closer he got to home, the more enraged Magnus became. His breath increased and his fingers gripped the reins of his horse with absolute determination. He wanted retribution and his vow to seek vengeance purged through him, heating his blood.

Before they reached the woodland that sprawled over the hills near his fief, he heard the sound of riders a short distance away. Magnus motioned to his men to take cover in case it was a rival clan that rode through. He thought it might be the Cameron sentry doing their nightly duty, but when he took in the form of the lead rider, he discerned that he wasn’t from his clan. Was he a Chattan soldier? Magnus was unsure but who else would trespass on their land but the Chattans?

Magnus shouted his clan’s war cry, “Sons of the Hounds, Come Hither And Get Flesh!”

The ting of swords being pulled from his soldiers’ scabbards rang in the air. Magnus wasn’t about to let the Chattans get away with trespassing on his land, and this day, he would prove it.