Page 23 of The Highlander’s Virgin Nun (Highlanders’ Feisty Brides #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

C onall marched back into the Great Hall, and Caelan spotted a small nod directed at him. Caelan set his food aside and rose from his seat.

“Follow me,” he said.

They did not speak on the way to his study, only once the door was closed.

Caelan sat in his chair and motioned for Conall to sit across from him.

“I hope yer journey here wasnae too long,” he began.

“Let’s nae waste time on pleasantries, Sinclair.”

Caelan sucked his teeth in annoyance at Conall’s arrogance, but directed him to speak, to get on with what he was so eager to discuss.

“I am perfectly happy to take me sister back to me home and care for her. It is her home, too, by birth. What I want to ken is how ye can marry a woman and put yer child in her and then choose to abandon her.”

The words stung a little, but Caelan knew that was how it sounded. Not to mention that it was exactly how he had explained himself to Rosaline, whom Conall had gotten his information from.

He remained calm and hoped that Conall would listen to reason, that the man was not fueled by rage, as so many lairds were.

“If ye would allow me to explain?—”

“I certainly hope ye will,” Conall snapped.

“If ye let me get a word in,” Caelan barked back. The men’s voices had risen to an uncomfortable volume, and he restrained himself as much as he could.

“As ye may have heard, me life is under threat.”

“Me sister told me about the two attacks. There have been more?”

“Aye, many. Ever since me faither passed and left me the Lairdship, anonymous assassins have come after me at every corner.”

“And I hear she saved ye in one of these encounters,” Conall jumped in.

“Somewhat, aye. One of the reasons behind these attacks is the fact that there is nay one else in line for the Lairdship, as I have nay heir. I asked Rosaline to marry me and give me an heir, and she agreed.”

Conall did not nod or indicate that he understood; he simply waited for the explanation to become good enough.

“I should have been notified before the weddin’, but go on.”

Caelan did not feel the need to explain that Rosaline had tried, but they did not have the correct address yet. It was beside the point, and he did not want to be argumentative. Her brother had every reason to be frustrated and confused.

“Yesterday, I was attacked in the gardens by the village, and Rosaline was with me. For the first time, they came nae for just me, but for me wife. News of her pregnancy has somehow spread, so I quickly realized that, as the person carryin’ me heir, she had become as much of a target as I am.”

“So it is someone close to ye who is givin’ out this information,” Conall mused.

“That is somethin’ me man-at-arms and I are lookin’ into, believe me. But until I have these answers, I cannae keep Rosaline safe. Her proximity to me alone puts her and the clan in danger. If they kill us both at the same time—as these assassins very much aim to do—me clan will be theirs.”

Caelan paused to gauge Conall’s reaction. His face looked angry and tense, but he did not shout or rise to pace the room. He remained still, waiting to hear the solution.

“Very few people here ken Rosaline’s surname. And even if they realize it from yer presence here today, they will unlikely be able to find ye. It took us fair work to find yer new address, as I believe ye have changed locations discreetly?”

“This is true,” Conall confirmed.

“I believe that keepin’ the two of us separated will at least make these assassins’ job harder. I believe they will have a hard time findin’ her if she is with ye, and as her braither, I trust that ye will care for her and keep her safe?”

Conall considered his words for a moment before nodding. “Of course, I will keep her safe. But what about when the child is born? Will the bairn become the target then?”

“I am goin’ to sort this situation once and for all. While Rosaline is safe with ye, growin’ our child, I am goin’ to find out the scoundrels who are after me and kill them. By the time the child is born, the pesky threat will be gone. If nae, I will pay for Rosaline and the child’s upkeep for the rest of their lives.”

“Why did ye nae explain it to Rosaline this way? Why have ye allowed me sister to think that ye have abandoned her?”

“Because her loyalty is too strong,” Caelan answered immediately.

He was steadfast in his decision to push Rosaline away. He may not have known her for long, but he knew her well. He saw so much of her thoughts in her eyes and her movements, even when she did not voice them.

“If I told her it was for her safety, she would have dismissed me concern. She has survived so much that she believes she can survive anythin’—she will want to remain here because of the vow she made. She deserves time with her family and in safety while I sort out the mess I dragged her into.”

Conall sighed and bowed his head, deep in thought.

Caelan watched him decide whether to trust his explanation and work with him, or conclude that he was lying and take his wife and his heir away forever.

He had to accept that he had done everything he could. He had told Conall the truth—all of it.

“All right,” Conall finally said, lifting his eyes to Caelan’s. “I’ll take her, keep her, and look after her. I dinnae ken ye very well, Laird Sinclair, and I cannae see how me sister does either after only a matter of weeks. But regardless, I can see that she has become fond of ye, and in this mess, ye have hurt her. I want ye to take care of yer issues here—remove anythin’ that threatens her—and then I want ye to come and take her back. If she is married and with child, ye owe her the life ye have promised her.”

“I will do that,” Caelan committed, standing and extending his hand. Conall shook it.

“One more thing.”

Caelan raised his eyebrow, eager to hear what else Conall was going to demand.

“Once she returns and she has this child, I want to be a part of her life. Me sister and I had been separated for too many years, and I didnae look after her. I want to see her regularly, spend time with her, and check up on her. I willnae let her suffer torture ever again.”

“I need to ken somethin’ too before I can agree to that.”

Conall looked up suddenly, his forehead immediately creasing in disbelief.

“Ye abandoned this lass once. I ken that yer clan situation was complicated, but to leave her there for all those years? To not check on her when ye received nae letters? How can I trust that ye won’t abandon her again if I let ye be part of her life forever?”

Conall stood, pushing his chair back and scraping it loudly against the floor. He bore his eyes into Caelan and clenched his jaw in anger. He seemed to be holding back words while his brain calculated.

“Ye have nae issue trustin’ me to care for her while ye sort out yer own mess. Ye’ll just have to take me word for it,” Conall replied, his voice low and curt, showing that negotiation was over.

Caelan decided they had both made their points clear and that no further debate was necessary. He wasn’t entirely sure of Conall and was not happy with the way he had been spoken to, but Caelan had bigger problems to deal with.

The men shook hands again, acknowledging each other’s intentions. They had a mutual enough understanding, and Caelan was more than happy to keep up his end of the bargain. Now, he just had to find and take down whoever had been sending all of these assassins after him. It was more important now than ever.

At that moment, the door to his study creaked open, and Rosaline stepped inside.

Caelan quickly rose from his seat, and Conall turned to greet her. He knew she was still very angry with him, and he did not want to upset her further.

“Ah, Rosaline, are ye ready to go?” Conall asked.

“Aye, I’m ready,” she replied so softly.

Caelan could hear the sadness in her voice. He felt terrible for reducing her to such a quiet, subdued woman, but he had to keep telling himself that it was for the best.

Rosaline looked as beautiful as ever in the dark blue dress Mrs. Milloy had crafted to her shape and preference. The dark hue of the dress and her hair accentuated her glowing skin and the brown of her eyes. Caelan tried to commit her beauty to memory as she stood there, resolving to remember her as she was. He was going to miss having her around.

Eventually, the three walked out of his study and headed to the castle gates. A stable boy secured Rosaline’s trunk onto Conall’s horse and fetched another for her to ride on.

“Ye may return on this horse when the time comes,” Caelan told her.

Rosaline stood in front of him, looking him in the eyes with her chin held high. She was keeping herself together, letting no emotion show in her eyes.

“I will come for ye, Rosaline. Ye just need to stay with yer braither for now. It’s what is safest for ye and the bairn.”

Caelan hoped that the explanation would suffice, but Rosaline did not dignify him with an answer. She took a deep breath, broke her stare, and mounted the horse.

He hoped that her willingness to take the horse rather than just ride on her brother’s was her silent agreement to return. He could not fault her for her coldness. She had every right.

“I will write to ye as soon as we arrive safely,” Conall told Caelan once he was secure in the saddle and ready to go. “Fulfill yer promise, Sinclair, and dinnae take too long.”

“Aye.” Caelan nodded. “Safe travels.”

And with that, his wife was gone.

He watched her long, dark curls bounce with each step the horse took. He stood there for a few moments, drinking her in, until she was a mere speck in the distance, disappearing in the gaps between the cottages.

As she disappeared from view, Caelan dug his fingernails into his palms and rolled his shoulders back. He tilted his head from one side to the other, cracking his neck. Anger built in his muscles.

He had work to do.

* * *

“Jayden, follow me.”

Caelan marched through the courtyard, not even stopping to tell Jayden why he needed him. He merely barked the order at his man-at-arms and continued on towards his study. His footsteps were loud, pounding into the ground, kicking up stone dust.

Jayden, seeing the tension in his Laird’s body, understood the urgency. He quickly apologized to the guard he had been chatting with and fell into step beside Caelan.

The pair moved swiftly.

“Everythin’ all right, Me Laird? Did somethin’ happen with Laird MacKinnon?”

“Nay,” Caelan almost shouted back. “He is gone with me wife. She will be safe, and we are goin’ to make this place even safer for her return.”

“How do ye… plan to do that, Me Laird?”

Jayden was rarely unsure. He never hesitated with Caelan, never asked for directions.

The sudden uncertainty made Caelan nervous. But as a laird, he could not allow his nerves to fester, so he channeled that feeling into anger, the need for action.

“We’ve been too complacent. We need to finish this. We are goin’ to find out who is sendin’ these attackers after me.”

“But how, Me Laird? I’ve been gatherin’ information on every laird in Scotland, lookin’ into every clan, every nomad. We’ve fired guards and servants we have been suspicious of, and the attackers still ken yer locations. We have been thorough.”

Caelan sighed and leaned back in his chair, praying for another solution to dawn on him.

“What if we set them up, just like they’re settin’ us up?”

“What do ye mean? How can we plan an attack when we dinnae ken who’s goin’ to attack ye?”

“Because it’s nae about who . It’s about when and where . And these are things that we can control.”

Jayden leaned forward in his chair and placed his hands on his knees. He tilted his head, trying to wrap his head around Caelan’s suggestion.

“I’m nae followin’, Caelan.”

“These attackers ken me movements, right? They ken where I’m goin’ to be and when. We ken that, too. We ken when I’m travelin’ and how I’m goin’ to get there. I’ve always been prepared for an attack, to defend meself, and I’ve done me best to keep them alive long enough to extract information from them. But we’ve never prepared well enough to do that.”

“So we prepare an army.”

Caelan saw the moment realization dawned on Jayden. His eyes lit up, his shoulders rose, and his head snapped up.

“Ye venture out alone, but the guards follow ye discreetly—movin’ cautiously, always behind ye, unseen. Then, when the attackers come, we burst out. Alone, ye can kill them, but together, we can keep them alive .”

“Exactly,” Caelan said.

Smug smiles crossed the men’s faces. Could they have finally cracked it? It would take a lot of work and coordination, Caelan knew, but if they could just keep these assassins alive long enough, they would get answers.

“These attackers dinnae ken me. I cannae ken for sure, but I swear they are bein’ led by one person. Which means they have been paid to kill me. If we offer them a higher price, they might sell us a name.”

“I’m with ye, Me Laird. I’ll make preparations. Where are we to go?”

Caelan considered for a moment, fueled by anticipation and fury. An idea came to him.

“Let’s just nae waste a journey. We’re goin’ to head to Stonepeak Abbey. I am goin’ to avenge me wife while we’re out there and deal with the nuns who harmed her. The woods will give us good cover also.”

“Understood, Me Laird.” Jayden stood up, ready to leave and gather the right men for the job.

“Jayden, one more thing.”

“Aye, Me Laird?”

“Dinnae share the plan with anyone. The men who will accompany us, merely tell them they are needed to distract the guards at the Abbey. Dinnae say a word about the attack. But let the clansfolk ken about our journey, which day we’re leavin’ and which route we’re takin’. Make sure that word gets out quickly. I want these assassins to find me this time.”

“Aye, Me Laird. Certainly.”

Jayden turned to leave the room, ready and eager to get their plan into motion, but was almost pushed back into the room by Alexandra, who threw the door open and charged towards her brother.

“Caelan Moore!” she growled, stomping right up to his desk and slamming her hands down on the hardwood.

“I’ll leave ye two to it,” Jayden muttered, slipping out of the study and away from her wrath.

“What the hell have ye done?”