Page 28 of Bride takes a Scot

“I’ll find something better to wrap your leg. Stay still,” Anse instructed.

Declan peered up into the darkness of the trees. The sky lightened and the rain dissipated. This was the last thing he needed. He had no time to convalesce or be wounded. With that thought, he growled again in disgust at his inattention. He should have been ready to meet any threat, but instead, he had inadvertently turned his back and left himself open to attack.

Anse returned with a torn tunic. He wrapped the thinner material around his leg and tied it tightly. Declan relaxed and the pain subsided and at least his brows didn’t crease so intently. Trevor and a group of men went in hunt for their supper. When they returned, they cooked the hares they had felled, and all were silent. Declan needed to reassure his men that they would defeat their foes, no matter what it took.

“We will defeat our enemy. I vow we will not cease until the attackers are found and dealt with.” His voice pitched with his oath.

“Campbell is a coward,” Anse said.

“Aye, he and all his followers. I do not understand why he would not come. Mayhap I should have ridden to his keep and forced my way inside.” Declan nodded after his spoken thought.

“Are ye maddened?” Anse clipped. “Robbie wouldst have ye killed before ye even breached his gate. Nay, there must be another way to get him to talk with ye.”

A whistle sounded from the men on the other side of the fire. Lorcan sprinted toward them. “Looks to be Laird Murray approaching on foot. His men await yonder, a good distance from us. Do ye want to see him, Laird?”

“Aye, allow him to pass through. He’s an ally.” Declan leaned on his elbow but sat up and used his hands to shift his leg in front of him. He wondered what his comrade was doing, riding in the woods on such a lousy day.

“MacKendrick, what are you doing camped here? ’Tis a long way from your home.” Dermot Murray approached and sat next to him. He took the cup offered by Anse and drank. “Ahhh, ’tis tasty brew, Anse. ’Tis like heaven on my tongue. My thanks.”

“I wanted to meet with Robbie to discuss what the hell is going on, but like a coward, he did not come to meet me. His men attacked us,” Declan explained.

“What ye need is a mediator,” Murray said. “Someone to be the go-between ye.”

Declan stared at his friend and could have smacked his forehead in disbelief that he hadn’t thought of a mediator. “Aye, that is a fair idea, Murray. So, when can ye leave?”

Murray shook his head. “I did not mean me.”

“Why not ye?” Declan nodded at his friend and didn’t relent. “Who better? If ye go to Robbie, tell him I only wish to speak to him. He has to agree to meet me. We cannot have this hostility betwixt us. Our lands are too close and there will be many skirmishes if we do not come to some accord. Tell him thatLeona wouldst be displeased by our discord and that I am not his enemy.”

“Very well, but if I come out of this unscathed, ye will owe me.”

Declan chuckled. “Aye, I will. Let me know when he wishes to meet. Tell him I shall come alone if that’s what he wishes.”

“I will and after I speak to him, I’ll come and see ye. I want to meet yer bonny wife. She cannot be as unsightly as you described.” Murray guffawed with laughter, drawing the gazes of the soldiers who sat nearby.

Anse spit out the gulp of brew he’d taken. “What did ye say? Laird, you told Murray that Milady Isabella is unsightly?” His cousin shook his head and scoffed. “’Tis the truth, Murray, there be no fairer lass in the land. I vow I have not seen a bonnier woman. Declan is a fortunate man.”

“Damn me, och is she as fortunate I wonder? Aye, so he is. Does she have a sister?”

Declan bellowed a laugh. “Nay, unfortunately, for ye, Murray, she does not. At least I do not think she does.” When he’d been at the king’s residence the morning of the combat, he had taken time to ask questions about her family, her, and their connections. The Forresters were wealthy and somewhat troublesome from what he’d heard, but he appreciated their vigor. He hadn’t asked, though, if she’d had any siblings.

Murray grinned. “I cannot wait to meet her then. I shall hasten my travel to the Campbells. Och, before I go, I meant to tell ye… A friar is roaming these parts, his name is Faelan. He is searching for a home, a place to preach.”

“Why do ye not take him in?” Declan asked Murray.

“I have no chapel and there is no room for him. You built that chapel, did ye not? Are ye in need of him? He’s a Blackfriar clergyman and devout by all accounts. ’Tis the truth he has condemned me for my sins since I will not make my confession.”Murray finished his drink and set the cup down next to him. “If ye wish for me to send him on his way, just say so.”

Declan didn’t want a clergyman on his land because once a friar ingrained himself, he was hard to be rid of. But it wouldn’t do harm and he could use all the prayers he could get. Besides that, and probably more importantly, Isabella would welcome a man of the cloth. He nodded to his friend and breathed deeply. “Aye, if ye run across him, send him my way. We will be glad to take him in.”

“I shall and am gladdened he’ll be gone.” Murray stood and bowed to them. “I should get going if I want to find my bed before nightfall.” He waved and walked away from the camp into the woods where his mount was probably held by his followers.

Declan tried to stand but his head spun when he got to his knees. He sat back on the ground and held his head. His wound had shaken him more than he thought it had. Anse moved to stand before him and held his hand out to him. He didn’t want to take his cousin’s hand, but he needed to if he was to get up. Declan gripped it and huffed at the pain that shot through his thigh.

“We got ye, Laird. Lean on me, and we will get ye to your horse.”

He appreciated his cousin’s help but detested the fact that he had to rely on anyone. A laird should not have to depend on the support of his soldiers. But he was in no condition to argue. By the time he reached his horse, his breath was labored. He used his good leg to help shift him into the saddle. That, and Anse’s shove up.

The intense pain wracked every part of him. “I hope I make it home before I…” Declan couldn’t get the words out before he pitched forward and retched. He heard the yells of his men and Anse caught him before he fell from his mount. His cousin shifted him back with his forearm and held on to his arm.