Page 25 of Wolf Heir (Highland Wolves of Old #3)

She rushed up the stairs and met him at the top. He pulled her into a hard embrace. “I heard that Nelly saved your life.”

“Aye.” She hugged him back, holding him tight. “I love you so much. I canna believe Gormelia would go to such lengths to get rid of me over some pettiness. Morag defended all of them.” Aisling told him about the chief taking charge of the situation.

“Do you think Morag put Gormelia up to it?”

“The way she was defending her made me wonder. But the chief wasna happy with Morag for taking matters into her own hands without informing him.”

“Good. He is an honorable man.”

“We will have to train the new women to be cooks, so I need to check on that. But I just wanted to tell you that I’m fine and everything has been taken care of.”

A couple of men pulled a cart to the castle doors, and another carried a body wrapped in a blanket out to the cart.

“Gormelia?” Coinneach asked.

“Most likely.”

Coinneach hugged Aisling again as if he could have lost her and was so grateful that Gormelia had eaten the poisoned food instead.

Then they kissed, but Coinneach didn’t want to let her go.

“I’ll be fine. Kenna and Wilma willna dare try to harm me. Everyone will be watching them.”

They looked out across the inner bailey where Kenna and Wilma were learning how to wash the clothes, dropping wet garments on the ground when they slipped out of their hands.

Women were washing in two more barrels, chatting happily, giving Kenna and Wilma disparaging looks.

No one wanted to be friends with someone who had been involved in attempting to murder Aisling.

Everyone already presumed they had as thick as they had been with Gormelia.

“If Cook will let me, I’ll bring you dinner.”

“Aye, I hope she will.”

Then Aisling hurried off to the tower stairs and crossed the inner bailey at the bottom. She headed for the keep, but Rupert suddenly waylaid her. He grabbed her arm, and she tried to yank free of him, but he was too strong.

“Let go of me, Rupert!” she yelled out, hoping someone would hear her and come to her rescue. She would have broken his nose if she could have gotten away with it.

When she fetched eggs for a meal, he would sometimes catch her in the henhouse, and no one could protect her, but this time, they were out in the open, and someone would surely notice.

“You’re naught more than a kitchen servant, yet you act like you’re better than me.” Rupert dragged her toward the stable, and she yanked as hard as she could to free herself.

“I think naught of the sort. You are the chief’s son.” But she wanted to tell him he wasn’t.

Suddenly, Drustan grabbed Rupert’s arm and jerked him aside. “The lass is betrothed to Coinneach. Everyone knows that. You would do well to leave her alone.”

“I will tell my da that you dared put a hand on me.”

Chief Hamish’s brother, Collum, strode forth and joined them.

“Uncle, I want Drustan fired from his position,” Rupert said.

“On what grounds?” Collum asked.

“Drustan dared to grab my arm and jerk me aside like I was some servant.” Rupert was red-faced and furious, but she could smell that he was scared. Drustan was well-liked by Hamish, played a significant role in their security, and could get away with much more than she could concerning Rupert.

Collum folded his arms across his chest. “But it’s all right for you to accost one of our lasses viciously.”

“Aisling said I was the one who told Gormelia to poison her, so I wanted to speak to her about what she was saying and set her straight,” Rupert said.

Collum raised his brows. “Did you?”

Rupert’s face reddened. “Of course I didna.”

“I didna accuse him of doing that either,” Aisling said. “He just grabbed my arm and tried to force me into the stable. He has done so before.” But now she wondered if he had been behind Gormelia’s treachery. Why would he even say such a thing unless it was true?

She hadn’t allowed him to kiss her, though he had manhandled her on numerous occasions, and maybe that was his way of getting even, especially since she was now marrying Coinneach.

Coinneach suddenly joined them. He looked in a fighting mood, ready to pummel Rupert. “You willna lay a hand on Aisling again, Rupert.”

Collum placed his hand on Coinneach’s chest to keep him away from Rupert.

Only in battle did Coinneach look so furious.

“Or you’ll do what?” Rupert was an idiot if he thought to challenge Coinneach.

“You willna treat the lasses with disrespect, any of them, Rupert,” Collum said. “Your mother should have taught you better.”

But his mother treated most of the servants like they were dirt beneath her feet. So she certainly wasn’t teaching her son to be respectful of the lasses in the clan.

“He isna allowed to touch me like he did.” Rupert pointed to Drustan.

“Since you were hellbent on taking Aisling to the stable, he had to stop you. He was right in protecting the lass. I will speak to your da about this. Mayhap he can assign you some chores that will keep you out of mischief.” Collum stalked off.

Rupert glowered at Aisling, as if she were the one at fault.

Coinneach took hold of her hand. “Where were you off to?”

“The kitchen gardens.”

“I’ll escort you there.” Coinneach glared at Rupert, then led Aisling away.

Drustan left also, Rupert standing in the inner bailey, probably wondering if his da would give him some onerous task. Aisling hoped he would have to muck out the stables.

“Rupert accused me of saying that I believed he was behind Gormelia’s attempt at poisoning me.”

Coinneach frowned at her. “Why would he say such a thing?”

“Because it’s true? I’ve thwarted his attempts to take advantage of me several times, and he becomes outraged that he can’t have me the way he wants.”

“The measly little bastard.”

“Aye. Usually, the lasses he targets let him get away with it. Some are like me and fight him off. Gormelia wanted him to show her the same attention, but he wouldna. She probably thought he would become chief if Hamish died, and then she would mate him and be the lady of the castle.”

“I’ve thought about the succession. Rupert willna be chief. Collum would take over. Hamish’s brother is second in command, and everyone seems to like him.”

“Except Rupert.”

“His uncle holds him to a higher standard than his mother ever would. Are you feeling better now?" Coinneach asked, guiding Aisling through the stone archway into the gardens.

“I am. Thank you for not hitting Rupert.”

Nelly knelt among the rosemary and thyme, a basket at her side. She straightened when she spotted them, the knife she used to cut the herbs glinting in the sunlight. "Were you no’ meant to be patrolling the battlements this morning?"

Coinneach shook his head. “I needed to deal with the enemy within.”

“Rupert,” Aisling clarified for Nelly.

“Oh, you didna hit him, did you?” Nelly asked Coinneach, looking worried.

“Nay. Collum stopped me from laying a hand on the snake.”

“Good, because Morag would go after you with a vengeance.”

“Collum is talking to his da,” Aisling said. “Hopefully, his da will give Rupert some disagreeable chores to do.”

“I would love to see that. He thinks he’s a prince among his slaves,” Nelly said.

“I must return to work before Drustan fires me.” Coinneach kissed Aisling.

“I’ll watch over her,” Nelly said.

“Let’s run as wolves tonight.” Aisling hadn’t done that with Coinneach for a while, and she just wanted to leave the castle to spend time with him alone.

“May I go with you?” Nelly asked. “I mean, not to run as a wolf with you, but to stop by your family’s home and visit with your family.”

Coinneach finally smiled. “Aye. We’ll make sure you get there safely and return to the castle.”

Then he headed out of the gardens, and Aisling told Nelly what Rupert had said about Aisling saying he had been behind Gormelia’s attempt to poison Aisling.

“Nay.” Nelly cupped her face, her eyes wide.

“But as many times as he has made advances toward you, you’ve rejected them, and now you’re kissing Coinneach all the time, maybe he was involved.

Or possibly the one who instigated it through Gormelia, promising her something like a mating or something. ”

“Aye. I have to consider the possibility. Luckily, Collum and Drustan heard Rupert’s words. And Collum asked if Rupert had been behind the attempted murder. Which makes me think that he thought the same as us—that it was a possibility. Why else would Rupert say such a thing?”

“It’s too awful to consider,” Nelly said.

“Because he was afraid that I suspected he had something to do with it? I had never considered he might have been behind the attempt on my life.” Aisling thought he should have kept his mouth shut.

“Me either.” Nelly finished clipping herbs for the meal. “Then you could still be in danger. Not only from Rupert’s wrath but also from his mother’s.”

Aisling thought about Coinneach being Hamish’s son and the danger from that also. But what if she could prove that Rupert wasn’t Hamish’s son? Would Hamish banish Morag and Rupert from the pack? And that would end the problem with them?

“I have a secret to tell you.” Aisling wouldn’t tell Nelly about Coinneach’s birthright, but she would need some help proving Rupert wasn’t Hamish’s son.

Then again, what if Hamish knew and didn’t care?

Or he didn’t want to admit that Morag had slept with another man when she’d been married to Hamish?

“Och, what else?” Nelly sounded serious because Aisling’s voice was dark with warning.

“It’s a dangerous thing to know, but my mother believes Osmond is Rupert’s da.”

“Nay, really?” Nelly looked around to make sure there was no one within hearing distance. “He does look like Osmond though.”

“Aye. Both have the same facial features, high-bridged noses and no chin, the same red curly hair, the same slight body build. And they have the same kind of hair loss on their temples.”

“I agree. Do you think Hamish knows and doesna want anyone else to learn the truth?”

“Perhaps.” Aisling wanted to tell her the rest of the story. That having an illegitimate heir wasn’t the half of it. Attempting to kill Hamish’s true son was truly important.

“You want to expose him because of the trouble he still may cause you,” Nelly said quietly.

“I want both of them gone, mother and son. But proving any of it could be impossible. And there’s always the possibility that Hamish willna care since he has raised him as his own son. He may even vehemently deny that Rupert isna his son.”

“How does your mother know?”

“She had seen Osmond and her together in the stables.”

“Och.” Then Nelly smiled. “We can share the rumors in a secretive way. Dinna you think Rupert favors Osmond? And then the rumors would spread. You know how that goes.”

Nelly and Aisling walked through the garden to the keep. “We dinna want anyone to know we are the ones starting the rumors. When Morag learns of it, she will want us both dead.”

“Aye.” Nelly opened the door to the keep. “We will have to think about it.”

When they arrived at the kitchen, Cook wanted Nelly and Aisling to teach the washer women how to prepare meals.

The women looked a bit overwhelmed, but Aisling said, “We’re so glad you are working with us.

Working here, we get better food than most.” Other than the more important members of the clan.

Ann and Marie smiled.

“It’s hard work, but you've already done hard work with the washing, so you’ll fit in fine.” Aisling hoped the ladies would be friendly toward her and Nelly and not like Kenna and Wilma had been.

“Aye, we are eager to work on the kitchen staff,” Ann said.

Marie nodded vigorously. “We didna think we would ever be anything but washer women, though we are sorry for the reason we gained the positions.”

“Aye, so are we,” Aisling said.

“We saw Rupert grab you before we moved inside the keep. He’s a bully,” Ann said. “And there are rumors he’s no’ even the chief’s son.”

Aisling’s mouth gaped. She hadn’t believed anyone else would think that. “What makes you believe that?”

“He looks just like Osmond, dinna you think? While cleaning laundry, we saw Morag and Osmond sneaking off to the stable often enough,” Marie said.

“They looked disheveled when they left the stable,” Ann said. “Morag had no reason to check out the stable, dinna you see?”

“Do others feel that way?” Nelly asked.

“All the washer women. We all saw the same and talked about it,” Ann said.