Page 17 of The Mad Highlander

17

“ W e must find out who he was talkin’ about,” Hunter said. “If the Murdochs have formed an alliance with another clan, then they must be preparin’ for war.”

Cayden looked out of the small window in his study. Iris was safe in her room, but he had not seen her the entire day, and he felt worse for it. Still, there was more afoot than he had first thought, and even though he had many pieces of the puzzle, he could not see how they fit together.

“It seems like it,” Cayden agreed.

The sun was dipping behind the horizon in the distance, painting large streaks of pink and orange across the sky.

“I can talk with McReed,” Hunter suggested.

“I saw the look in his eyes.” Cayden shook his fist and let out a low growl. “I might nae like the man, but I have to respect his willingness for the cause. He really is ready to die to support the Murdochs. We ken a war is comin’, and he expects to be freed when that happens.”

Hunter placed a hand on Cayden’s shoulder. “So, we take his head before they can.”

“He’s worth a lot more to us alive than dead. He might still give us somethin’.”

Hunter balled his fists. “Even if there is another clan involved, McReed must have been feedin’ information back to Laird Murdoch. He’ll ken we are comin’ for the boy. We cannae rescue him now.”

“Or we use it to our advantage,” Cayden suggested.

“What do you have in mind?”

“We plan yer trip to Castle Murdoch but under the guise of haltin’ the war before it begins. He’ll ken we want an excuse for war, and he wants an excuse for war. That war will still come, but we can rescue the boy before then. Ye’ll travel with some men to his castle on a diplomatic mission, and Laird Murdoch will assume it is a ruse to save the boy. That’s nae when we will save him.”

“We both ken I cannae step foot in that castle now,” Hunter told the laird.

“Aye, I ken, and I wouldnae risk ye. Laird Murdoch can suspect what he wants, but he willnae have a chance to harm ye or yer men. I’ll ride ahead with me men, and we will infiltrate the castle long before ye get there. Ye are to ride halfway there to keep up the pretense, and then ye are to turn around. He’ll be expectin’ us to storm the castle and nae sneak in. Even if he does think we will sneak in, he’ll assume we’ll do it as part of the visit. I want to get into the castle a day before he expects us. They will notice the boy missin’ at some point, and maybe that starts the war, I dinnae ken. All I ken for sure is Laird Murdoch is makin’ alliances, and he tried to get to me through McReed. I promised our plan would not lead to war, but it will.”

“Aye, but nae through ye. Murdoch is bringin’ the war, and yer people would have to fight anyway. It’s good that ye got their loyalty first. And we are better able to defend our castle than storm his. Murdoch bringin’ the fight to us is much better than us taking the fight to him.”

Cayden looked out toward the horizon again. The pink had turned to purple, and some stars were already visible in the dark blue sky.

“Aye, ye are right about that.” Cayden rubbed his hands together. “Send a message to Laird McCabe—our fastest rider with a message for the Laird’s eyes only. I want to ken how his men are, and I want him to be ready to fight with us should the need arise. He will fight for his oldest cousin, but it will be better to have his younger cousin back to safety, too. Inform him that we will retrieve the young Ashton soon, but the plan has changed a little. If he is feeling well, he might join us. He will be in our debt either way.”

“Enemies on the outside and enemies within our castle. Do ye think McReed is the only one?”

Cayden thought about it. “I cannae say for sure, but I did look into the eyes of every man at the council meetin’ this mornin’, and I didnae detect any deception. I believe McReed was the only one actin’ from within, but we have to assume there are more. We remain vigilant until things come to a head with Murdoch.”

“I’ll see to it all. I can see it in yer eyes that ye are thinkin’ about her.”

Cayden was frustrated that his friend could tell. “I only want her to be safe. If I cannae protect a lass in me own castle, then what good am I?”

“Go visit her,” Hunter said. “And get some rest. Ye’ll need it for what is to come.”

“Aye, I only have one more stop to make afore I see her.”

Iris woke with more giddiness in her heart than she had ever experienced before. Her skin rippled as if his hands were still on her. There was a throb at her core that begged for more satisfaction. She might try herself, but she knew she could not replicate the way he had made her feel the previous night.

She could feel his warmth in the bed next to her, but when she turned over to face him, she found an empty spot. Iris placed her hand on the sheets and felt some residual warmth—he was not long gone.

Iris got out of bed, and her feet barely touched the floor as she floated around the room. She washed her face after pouring some water into the bowl from the pitcher and then stopped when she smelled something. She sniffed the air and found his scent in the room. One smell, and she felt her opening become wet, readying for his touch once more.

Iris laughed. She did not think she could feel so happy—her heart was lifted on a breeze brought by the Laird, and nothing could ruin her mood.

Iris got dressed and left the room to go for breakfast. If the Laird had recently left the room, there was a good chance she would find him there.

When she got there, she was disappointed to find only Robyn and Margot. She put on a polite smile as she entered, and she was happy to see them, but she yearned to see Cayden after the night he had given her.

“You look refreshed,” Robyn said. “I was not able to sleep very much.”

The attack had been wiped from her mind with what had come after, but the panic she had felt in her breast the previous day came flooding back. Iris looked at her hands, remembering dealing a blow to one of the men.

“Ye have some color to yer cheeks. That’s a good sign.” She patted the chair next to her, indicating that Iris should join them.

“What happened to the man? The one who didnae…” Iris could see his body in her mind as he was pushed from the Laird. She had not been so close to a dead body before. “Did the Laird…?”

“Dinnae worry about it now,” Margot said. “Yer safe, and the Laird has dealt with those involved. The man who attacked ye is in the dungeon as is the man behind it. Cayden is dealin’ with it all now.”

“Is that where he is?” Iris was impatient, and she took one of the buns from the plate in the center of the table to have something to do.

“He is meetin’ with the council, and I assume he will be busy with plannin’ all day.”

“I can’t stop thinkin’ about it,” Robyn said.

When Iris looked at the Laird’s sister, she realized there were other things to think about. She and Robyn had both been attacked, but she had the Laird in her room overnight to protect her. Did Robyn have anyone to do the same?

“We will be fine now that the Laird is takin’ care of it,” Iris assured. “He would ne’er let any harm come to the two of us, and I ken he will be workin’ all day to ensure it doesnae happen again.”

Robyn nodded as she ate a chunk of mutton. Margot gave a knowing smile as if she knew exactly what Iris felt toward the Laird.

Iris wanted to tell Robyn that the attack was on her and not Robyn, but they had both been attacked, and Iris did not want to diminish what Robyn had gone through.

“Ye did well out there,” Iris added. “Ye were strong, and I wouldnae have gotten through it without ye, Robyn.”

Robyn looked up and gave a tight smile.

Now that the aroma of the breakfast table had infiltrated her nose, Iris found that she was indeed hungry. She gestured toward her bowl, and one of the maids spooned some hot porridge into it. Iris added a good amount of wildflower honey to the top. Her stomach began to rumble in expectation.

“Thank ye for makin’ me feel so welcome here,” Iris told the two women before she took her first mouthful. “The Laird has made me feel safe, but the two of ye have made me feel safe, too.”

“That is nice of ye to say,” Margot replied. “I am only glad that I will finally have some grandchildren. The castle is so empty without children.”

“The castle is empty without family,” Robyn added.

Margot shot her daughter a look, and Robyn looked back down at her plate. Tension filled the room, and Iris wanted to ask more about the Laird’s family, but she didn’t dare. After the wonderful night with Cayden, she didn’t want anything to ruin it.

For now.

“I will take me food back to me room,” Iris said. “I want to rest some more.”

Margot shot another look at Robyn as if she had been the one to drive Iris away which did have a hint of truth to it.

Iris could not think about much else until she saw Cayden, and the longer it went on, the harder it was to think straight. He was supposed to be the mad laird, feared by everyone who laid eyes on him, but she longed to lay eyes on him again.

The sun passed through the sky, and around supper time, Iris asked a maid to bring some food to her room. When the sun dipped below the horizon, and darkness seeped into the sky, she gave up hope of seeing him that day. She was beginning to think she might never see him again.

Until the knock came at the door.

Iris ran to the door, knowing she should not get her hopes up but unable to quench her expectations. She pulled open the door, and the giddiness from the morning returned tenfold.

She reached out a hand to touch him and make sure he was real, but she stopped. She stepped back into the room and tried her best to pout.

“Ye left without sayin’ goodbye this mornin’,” she moaned.

“I didnae want to wake ye.”

“And ye were gone the entire day, and I didnae ken when I would see ye or if I ever would.”

The Laird stepped into the room and laughed.

“It’s nae humorous,” Iris stated. “I’m bein’ serious.”

“I ken ye are,” Cayden said, stepping closer to her again.

“Ye shouldnae have been away for so long.” Iris finally placed her hand on his chest, and she felt her knees weaken. “I missed ye.”

“Aye.” Cayden stared into her eyes, and she could tell he felt the same. He missed her, too, even if he could not say it out loud.

She could feel his muscles beneath his shirt and imagined ripping it from him to have a repeat of the previous night. She wanted more than that, but she would have to wait until their handfasting. For now, she would take what she could get from him.

“I do want to see ye more,” Iris said softly.

“I ken ye do, but I’m goin’ to be busy for a while. I ken I wasnae around today, but ye’ll need to get used to that for a while. That’s why I got ye this as a token of me… appreciation for ye.”

Cayden reached into the pocket of his breeches and pulled out a necklace.

Iris gasped at its beauty. A silver chain held two amethysts and a garnet. The candle by the door illuminated the gemstones in fast flickers. She reached out for it but drew her hand back.

“Ye got that for me?” she asked.

“Aye, a beautiful piece of jewelry for a beautiful woman.”

Iris blushed. She reached out fully and touched the garnet with her fingertips. She had never received such a beautiful gift, and she wanted the Laird to take it back—she was unworthy of such a lavish present.

“Turn around,” Cayden demanded.

Iris was under his spell and did as he asked. He reached his hands around her neck and placed the necklace on the exposed skin below. He brought the chain around and fastened it. The light kiss on her neck sent shivers running through her body, and for the second time in the past few minutes, her legs turned to jelly.

“Let me take a look at ye,” Cayden growled.

Iris turned around and stood before the Laird as he cast his approving eyes across her body. His eyes lingered on her neck, and she could not help herself.

Iris grabbed Cayden by the shirt and pulled him to her, which was no mean feat considering his size relative to her. She pushed herself up on her toes just enough for her lips to reach his, and she kissed him.