Page 4 of The Rightful Highland King (The Last Celtic King #4)

Chapter Two

Neala could not believe how much her life had changed in such a short time.

Laura and the other Sparrows had returned to their base or scattered to other strategic positions to further their mission, promising to be back in a week or so to solidify the plan to rescue Morag and Ann.

According to what they had heard from the reports that Elspeth had managed to sneak out from inside Blackthorn Castle, the two Sparrows were still alive.

Laura and Cailean had agreed that storming the castle right away, especially so soon after their victory here, would simply put the spies in more danger.

For now, though, there was so much good news.

Being part of Breana and Eoin's wedding had filled Neala's heart with joy.

Though she did not know them particularly well yet, they already felt like a part of her extended family.

Cat and Iona had explained to her how dedicated the two had been to their task to find her, and it was clear from how both Cailean and Maeve interacted with Breana and Eoin that they were precious members of the family.

Neala was honored to be a part of it. Now, a few days later, the castle was still echoing with the hope and promise that the rebel victory and the wedding that had followed had brought.

Neala thrived in it. She walked the corridors with her brother by her side, still scarcely able to believe that she was here , right in the home where she had been born.

That first night, she'd taken Cailean back to the secret room in the library and revealed the chest full of their family's treasures.

Cailean had wept, and so had Neala, though this time they had each other to hold.

She'd only realized days later that she'd lost the little doll she'd found, but she never mentioned it to Cailean.

She did not want any disappointment to color their new joy.

Now, the two of them sat in the little garden that had once been their mother's, their heads close together as they read from her notebook.

It's hard tae imagine that one day me wee lads will be big, strong men with wives of their own.

I cannae imagine what brave lassies will tame them!

Barry's wife will be queen one day, so she'll need a shrewd mind indeed.

But oh, the patience she'll require! I've never met such a lively lad.

And me Graham, God bless him, will need a lass who can listen well and offer her wisdom.

He lives his life in a dream, and he'll need a woman who can both meet him there and bring him back tae earth when he needs it.

And what kind of daughter-in-law will me sweet, gentle Cailean bring to me?

He is still young yet, but I can already see who he will be.

Soft-spoken but strong, just as his father before him.

His wife will have a spark of strength in her heart, but a warmth too.

She'll be the balance that draws him out of his tight wee shell.

As for me lassies, I cannae even dream of such things! Perhaps I'll keep them tae meself forever. Rabbie would certainly prefer that! But I ken that one day, just as I did, both me lassies will meet a good, kind man who will steal their hearts. For me princesses, only a prince will do.

Cailean laughed. "Well! Our mother certainly had her plans for us, it seems."

Neala wiped her eyes and grinned, though she had to force herself to ignore the twinge her heart had felt at the last words. Instead, she focused on what Fiona had written about her brothers. "I wish I'd kent Barry and Graham. Abby, as well. They all sound like they were such characters."

"I dinnae remember them all that well," Cailean confessed.

"But those memories I do hold, mostly of our brothers, are precious tae me.

I worshipped our brothers, especially Barry.

I always thought he was born tae be a king, and I wanted tae be like him with all me heart.

" He smiled, though there was a little bittersweet sadness to it, too.

"Mother was right. It would have taken quite the woman tae be his queen. "

Smiling slightly, Neala said, "And what of her plans for ye? Do ye think she'd be pleased?"

"With Maeve?" Cailean asked. Neala loved the way his voice grew warmer just at the feeling of his wife's name on his lips. "How could she nae be? She couldnae have imagined I would find a woman so perfect as her."

"Ye're flatterin' me!"

Both Cailean and Neala turned to see Maeve and Breana approaching, the sisters arm in arm as they strolled across the garden. Neala smiled to see them—her new sisters—and waved them to approach.

"It's nae flattery if it's true, me love," Cailean replied, getting to his feet and kissing Maeve as soon as she reached them. His lips lingered on hers until Neala and Breana both cleared their throats.

Maeve pushed back from him, laughing. "None of that, Bre. I had tae practically pull ye apart from yer own husband tae get ye tae walk here with me."

Breana blushed a pretty pink, but did not try to deny the accusation. They all settled down on the benches, and Neala explained what they had been reading.

"Cailean told me about the diary," Maeve said. She gently touched Neala's hand. "I'm so glad ye have it. Ye deserve a way tae reconnect with yer family. Yer parents sound like they were wonderful people, and they'd be so happy that ye're back home."

"Thank ye, Maeve," Neala replied, though she felt a little twist of sadness.

Maeve would never have what she did. Yes, she had Breana—but neither of the sisters had ever experienced parents who truly loved them.

Neala's parents had died before she'd known them, but even all these years later, she could feel her mother's love echoing from these pages.

"I never thought… I never suspected that any of me family might still be alive.

Tae be here in me family home with Cailean by me side, it's more than I could have ever imagined.

And tae gain all of ye as a part of it as well… "

"It's overwhelmin'," Breana said understandingly. "Aye. I thought Maeve dead when I was married off tae… well, I thought she was long gone. But she saved me, and brought me here, and look at me now."

"A good kind of overwhelmin', I hope," Cailean teased gently.

Maeve winked. "Always." She nudged Breana. "Shall we tell him the good news?"

"Good news?" Cailean asked, raising an eyebrow. "Even more?"

"Eoin heard back from Fergus at the Campbell Clan, where they have been hiding Lady McKenzie," Breana explained, her eyes shining. "The plan is workin'. The False King still believes that Campbell is on his side—and Murtagh McKenzie believes that Fergus is Laird Campbell's nephew and heir."

Neala tilted her head. She had not heard about this plan.

She knew of Murtagh McKenzie, of course, and of Lady McKenzie's miraculous escape from his clutches.

Still, she could not imagine what integrating Fergus with the Campbell clan in such a way would do to help the rebellion.

Laird Campbell had no male heir, but it was widely suspected that the lairdship would be passed to his son-in-law, who had taken on the Campbell name years before.

Why would Fergus appear as a false nephew to oppose that, especially if Campbell was on their side?

"So he's been fooled!" Cailean said triumphantly. "Flora will be thrilled."

Maeve clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Murtagh accepted the proposal on his reception of the letter two nights ago, in exchange for half the Campbell lands after the wedding.

Sorcha is already on her way to Campbell Castle.

By the time Murtagh realizes that it was all a lie and Fergus has nae rights to the lands, it'll be too late—Sorcha will be with her aunt again, and she'll be safe, just like I promised her. "

A wide smile spread across Cailean's face. "Good," he said. "Good. Fergus has done well. And who kens—perhaps he'll be able tae cheer the lass up a bit while he's there. Lord kens she needs a friend."

Neala listened to all of this, and her admiration for this group of people kept growing more and more.

She had grown up amongst the White Sparrows and knew more about honor and loyalty than many people would ever learn in a lifetime.

But she'd found a different kind of nobility here amongst the rebels.

The Sparrows knew that sometimes sacrifice was necessary, and the rebels, for the most part, knew that too.

But to see the most important figures in the rebellion band together in this way just to save the life of one lost daughter of a terrible man…

it filled Neala's heart with hope and love in a way she couldn't even begin to describe.

"Ye're amazin'," she said. "All of ye. Ye're just amazin'."

Cailean laughed. "Dinnae flatter me too much, Neala. I'm still yer older brother, and I gather we're supposed tae bicker."

"Och, let her get tae ken ye better. Ye'll be arguin' before ye ken it," Maeve replied.

All four of them laughed. They continued to chat and good-naturedly tease each other for some time. Neala stayed back from most of it at first but soon warmed up and was even joining in with the jokes by the time the fifth person arrived.

They were all laughing at a comment Cailean had made when a shadow fell over them, and they looked up to see Eoin smiling down at them.

"Nae laughin' at somethin' I did, I hope?" Eoin asked. "Me wife has many stories tae share, I'm sure."

Neala raised a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

In the days since Breana and Eoin's wedding, the two had called each other "my husband" and "my wife" to the point of exhaustion.

Many of the men had started to tease Eoin about it, but Neala herself thought it sweet.

It was as though the two of them couldn't believe their luck.

"Dinnae be so paranoid," Maeve told him. "Come, join us. We were just discussin' Cailean's early days trainin' under Senan and Kier. Apparently, our king had two left feet as a wee lad."

Eoin smiled, but Neala, with her years of training in body language, noticed a stiffness to his shoulders and a tightness to his expression. Something was wrong. Her own body tensed in response, her eyes flicking to the rolled-up letter he was holding in his hand.

"Who is that from?" she asked.

Everyone looked at her in surprise, then, as one, turned their eyes to Eoin.

He sighed and lifted the hand holding the letter. "It's from Darren," he explained. "I brought it for ye, Cailean."

"So ye're here as a captain of the guard rather than me husband," Breana said softly. "That doesnae bode well."

Eoin gave her an apologetic look but nodded.

Cailean pressed his lips together for a moment before speaking, accepting the letter from Eoin's hand. "I suppose this is the end of our run of good news, then?"

"It seems like it, I'm afraid," Eoin replied. He hesitated as Cailean scanned his eyes over the letter, and all of them watched as the young king's expression grew dark.

"What?" Maeve demanded. "What is it? Let me see."

Neala's heart thudded in her ears. Her whole life had been filled with covert messages passed back and forth, and she'd seen this reaction before.

Something terrible had happened—something that was going to shatter the brief peace they had found.

She wanted to run, to block her ears, to do anything to prevent herself from hearing the following words.

"It seems," Eoin said after a long pause during which Cailean did not speak, "That the False King has made his next move. Darren is on his way back from O'Sullivan Castle as we speak."

"Nessa wouldnae come with him?" Breana asked, looking crestfallen. "We kent it was a possibility, but…"

"What do ye mean his next move ?" Maeve asked sharply. "Has he hurt her? Is she?—?"

"She's alive." Cailean's voice was low and gruff. "Our intelligence was correct; Ashkirk has named her Lady O'Sullivan and gifted her yer father's lands. But we all ken that the False King's magnanimity always comes with a cost."

"She's been taken to Blackthorn Castle as a ward of the king," Eoin explained softly.

He reached out and took Breana's hand. "It seems he's…

found her a husband. To take the burden of ruling from her womanly shoulders, so the word he's spreading says.

A kindness, even despite her father's betrayal of the throne. "

"A husband!" Maeve exclaimed. "Well, there we have it, then.

All Nessa ever dreamed of was a husband approved by me father and the king.

It isnae ideal, but it may work in our favor.

If we can manipulate the situation, we could even have her wed tae a clan that's already on our side, or one we think we can turn. This doesnae need tae be a disaster."

Neala narrowed her eyes, studying Eoin's and Cailean's faces. "Nay. There's more."

Cailean nodded, his expression grim. "Ye misunderstand, love," he said. "She is already betrothed. The king has already selected a man for her who will ultimately help him gain more power. Yer sister is betrothed tae be wed tae his own son, Ansel. The very man I let go free."

The shock doused Neala like a bucket of ice water, and her veins froze, her pulse feeling like it had almost stopped.

"To Ansel?" she whispered.

And then all hell broke loose.