Page 2 of The Mad Highlander
2
P acing back and forth, Iris awaited her cousin’s arrival on the outskirts of the castle walls. She knew better than to be out there, but the anguish of waiting was almost too much for her to bear. It had been two days since Tristan had gone to seek an alliance with the mad laird. She had tried her best to remain patient, yet the long wait was beginning to conjure up fears in the pit of her stomach.
“Were ye looking for someone, Me Lady?” A male voice suddenly made her whip around, and Iris spotted one of the guards coming toward her.
She faked a smile and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders to ward off the cold. Gray storm clouds had begun to gather over the castle; she knew in the pit of her stomach that it couldn’t bode well. “Aye, the Laird should have been back by now.”
The tall guard had coppery hair that was tucked beneath his cap. His dark brown eyes were filled with concern as he looked her over. “Aye, I’ve been nervous too; the mad laird isnae a man to be trifled with. He will more than likely kill ye ‘afore ye even have a chance to speak. The O’Briens are a bloodthirsty lot, make nae mistake.” He suddenly looked up and realized what he was saying.
The blood drained from her face as she felt her pulse quickening with fear. There was no other way she would be able to get her brother back if anything happened to her cousin, let alone the fact that she would be left without a single person in the world if Tristan didn’t return.
Lightning lit up the sky in the distance as the wind began to pick up; they were in for a storm, and it didn’t bode well for anyone riding on the back of a horse.
“Nae that I think the Laird willnae come back; our Laird is a strong man; he will be back for sure.” The guard coughed and quickly corrected his statement.
Iris found little relief in his words as she wrapped her arms around her waist and cast her eyes to the horizon.
Please come back. Ye have to come back.
“What do ye ken about Laird O’Brien?” She fought between her better judgment and the need to know more about him.
The guard whistled through his teeth. “I have never seen him in person, but it is said that the floor of his great hall is stained with the blood of his enemies. Nay only his enemies but his friends, too. Not that he has any friends, but ye ken what I mean—the men and women who are nae his enemies. Ooh, I’m tanglin’ meself up now. The blood of his family is ingrained in the stone of his hall—I ken that. Laird O’Brien took the lives of his faither an’ brother to gain control of the clan. Naebody has ever dared challenge him since then.”
Iris tried not to let her mind wander as to why her cousin had been delayed. “Aye, but it’s all part of his myth, right? I ken men like to make themselves sound a certain way, and he must have embellished the stories a wee bit or have had his clan pretend that he killed so many people. He cannae really be like that, can he?” Iris kept her eyes on the horizon as her angst grew. The sun was all but setting and there wasn’t so much as a hint of Tristan on the horizon.
“I dinnae ken.” The guard adjusted his belt, shifting the sword at his hip. “They say Laird O’Brien is seven feet tall and wields a sword even taller. And that he can cleave a man in twain with one swing of his claymore. He is as bloodthirsty as they come. All he wants is power. I once heard that his eyes glow with the spirits of all those he has killed. It’s hard to tell what’s true and what’s nae. The O’Brien Clan keep to themselves most of the time an’ never stray from their own lands.”
“That doesnae make any sense; if Laird O’Brien was so greedy and hungry for power, why would he nae want any of the surrounding lands? Surely, he must have tried to gain more for himself?” She found it odd that a man whose reputation was steeped in blood would just shut himself away after gaining control of his father’s clan.
The guard shrugged. “I dinnae ken what to tell ye, Me Lady; all I ken are the stories that are told of the Laird. He is said to be one of the fiercest men in all of Scotland. He doesnae have a wife because nae woman has ever been able to look at him without fainting.”
Images of a beast covered in scars flashed across her mind. Was he truly that grotesque and horrid to look at? She wondered if his battle with his father and his brother had left him horribly disfigured. There had to be a reason that he had seen fit to lock himself away for so many years. She wouldn’t want to be one of the women who had been forced to look upon such a monster in the past.
“I think that’s the Laird now. I will leave ye now that ye are safe, Me Lady.” The guard drew her attention back to the present as she lifted her eyes to the horizon once more.
Relief flooded her body as she spotted her cousin in the distance, riding toward her atop the back of a black stallion. The welcome sight would only have been sweeter if her brother had been at his side. “Surely ye ken better than to be waiting outside the castle walls, cousin.” He brought the stallion to a halt in front of her and dismounted.
Crossing her arms over her waist again to ward off the chill in the air, Iris chewed the inside of her cheek, anxious for an answer. “Thank the gods ye are alive. What news have ye brought back?” She searched his face for any signs or even a hint of how the meeting had gone.
Tristan took a deep breath before answering. “I made it into O'Brien Castle, but I was caught by the Laird’s men.” His face gave nothing away as he stood with his hand on the saddle.
She could feel the blood draining from her face as she stared at him. There was little to no hope of the mad laird helping them if Tristan had been captured so quickly. “How did ye escape?” she asked in a small voice, unable to imagine all the horrors that her cousin must have endured.
“I didnae have to escape; they threw me in the dungeon, and I thought I would die there, but the mad laird finally decided to grant me an audience after I begged the guards to give me a chance.”
She almost fainted from fright, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. Why had he not just started with that? “Ye dinnae mean to tell me that he agreed to help us?” Her mind spun with all the possibilities. Tristan seemed unharmed, and it was unlikely that someone like the mad laird had just let him go and agreed to come to their aid.
“He agreed to an alliance between our clans for the sake of saving Ashton. I had to agree to a few of his terms, but we came to an agreement in the end,” Tristan filled her in without giving away too much of what happened.
Iris felt as if her legs would buckle with the combination of shock and relief she had experienced in a short amount of time. “Well, I am glad ye are alive. We can go home now. Ye can tell me all the details over a glass of ale. I’m anxious to hear when we will get Ashton back.”
“There is something I must tell ye now,” Tristan called to her just as she turned to leave. The little hope she had managed to gather sank to the pit of her stomach as she froze in her tracks.
“Aye, go on?” She turned back, noting the look of dread in his eyes.
“Laird O’Brien has agreed to help us under one condition. He needed to be sure that we wouldnae attack him once he helped us. So, we came up with a plan that would assure the peaceful coexistence of our clans. I say we, but please understand that he left me with nae choice, Iris.” The way he almost seemed to plead with her sent a cold shiver down her spine.
“What are ye trying to say?” She took a step forward and folded her arms across her waist again as if she could protect herself against whatever he was about to say.
“Laird O’Brien needs a wife,” he said the sentence and held her gaze with a piercing stare.
“Does he want to marry one of the lasses from our clan?” She felt a little confused under the scrutiny of his stare. “I dinnae think that’s a good idea; I’ve heard the stories, and nae woman could ever be happy as his wife.”
Tristan shook his head as if he were too afraid to meet her gaze. “The Laird will nae marry just anyone, Iris; it will have to be ye.” The finality in his voice sent a wave of shock throughout her body.
This cannae be happening.
Iris felt her heart drop at Tristan's words. Marry the mad laird? It was an impossible request. She couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life with a man who had killed his own father. She would spend the rest of her life fearing for her safety and that of any children their union would bring. “I dinnae think I heard ye correctly?” Iris asked firmly.
“I ken this is a lot to ask, but think about it, Iris,” Tristan pleaded. “This is our only chance to save Ashton. Do ye want yer brother to die at the hands of the Murdochs? There wasnae another way; I begged him to see reason, but his mind was set. It was ye or nothin’.”
Shutting her eyes, Iris tried her best to stop the nauseating spinning that consumed her mind. Everything seemed to be changing so quickly that she barely knew if she was dreaming.
I can’t marry him.
“There has to be another way; surely ye can think of something. Are ye sure that we dinnae have enough men to face the Murdochs ourselves?” Her hopes sank even further when Tristan shook his head with a solemn look.
“Ye ken very well that they outnumber us ten to one. It would be too much of a long shot, an’ I cannae justify placing the men in such danger… even for Ashton. Ye ken how much I care for yer brother, but I must protect the clan; as laird, I must weigh all the possibilities and decide what is best for everyone, nae just our family. The decision had been made; I already pledged yer hand in marriage to him.” Tristan spoke gently as if he were addressing a child.
I dinnae have a choice; I will have to marry him.
Hope quickly slipped through her fingers as she realized what her cousin was saying. There was little else she could do. She needed to choose between saving her brother’s life or her freedom…
Gulping back the dread that had begun to rise in her throat, she took a deep breath. “How long do I have before we are to be married?”
Tristan held her gaze. “Laird O’Brien will be here in two days. Ye have until then to prepare. I have asked him to stay so that ye may get to ken him in yer own home.” Tristan paused as his eyes grew even darker. “He also said that if he arrived an’ ye were nae here, that he would take that as a declaration of war.”
Her resolve suddenly strengthened again under her cousin’s gaze. “I wouldnae place the clan in danger. An’ I would go to hell an’ back to save me brother.”
“I ken very well that ye would say that.” Tristan took a step toward her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “If all the men who fought for me were as brave as ye are, then I wouldnae need the help of anyone else.” He pursed his lips in a half-hearted attempt at a smile. “I will be there for ye, cousin. I dinnae ken if this will make ye feel any better, but I dinnae think that Laird O’Brien will harm ye. He wants a wife.”
Looking to the side, she met his gaze. “Nothin’ seems to have stopped him from harming his kin in the past, but I will do it for Ashton.”
Tristan looked as if he wanted to say more but simply lowered his hand and began to walk back to the castle with his horse following behind.
I can do this for Ashton.
A light breeze picked up, whipping her black curls into her face as she watched her cousin striding away from her. The castle that towered above them in the distance had long been her home. It felt emptier now that her brother was missing; she would do everything in her power to get him back. Even if that meant that she would no longer be living at Castle McCabe.
Lightning cracked the sky as she shut her eyes against the cold sting of rain on her cheeks. There was so much to prepare for and even less time to do it in.