Breckin chuckled. “I remember when our da taught her to read and write. My da told me once that he valued the time he spent with Marian. She boasted about it too for months as she learned… Lord, I miss her. She had the best banter and enjoyed baiting me.”
He found the parchment atop his sister’s old trunk and grabbed it, then returned to sit beside Eva on the bed. He realized he didn’t want to have any distance from her. Not anymore. Breathless, he opened the parchment and stared down at Marian’s fine writing. He blinked back tears as he read the words she’d written.
When he was done, he worked hard to compose himself before turning to Eva. “Ye found this in her trunk?”
“Yes, it was stuck in a seam inside. I forgot to tell you about it. Wehave not seen each other much and something always distracted me… What are you going to do?” Eva kept him from moving away when she grabbed his arm.
“Naught, love, och I thank ye for giving this to me. Now, get some rest and I will go and find the lads. They shall come on the morrow to see ye.”
“That would please me. Will I see you on the morrow too?”
“I am unsure because there are some duties that I must see to and I might be detained. But I promise to return to ye as soon as I am able. I want a vow from ye, Eva… Vow that ye will recover because I wouldst be lost without ye.”
She reached to cradle his face with both her hands and promised, “I vow, Breckin, that I shall recover. Now go and see to your duties. When you return to me, I want you to join me here so you can hold me.” Her softly spoken declaration reached her eyes with a smile.
“There is naught I want more.” Breckin kissed her lips. “When I think of how close I came to losing ye…”
When she’d finally seemed to fall asleep, he retreated from the bedchamber and left the longhouse. Outside, he stood upon the small landing at the door and peered at the sky through the branches of trees, where he noted shining stars. Autumn embraced the Highlands now, and soon, winter would have them in its grip. With that thought in mind, Breckin knew time was essential now. He needed to end his battle with the MacLarens.
For the rest of the night, he settled his brothers and assured them he was well. He gained their promise to look in on Eva and keep her company while he was away. When dawn streaked the sky, he left the longhouse and searched for Gideon.
At the bridge, by the guardhouse, he stood with Aymer in wait for the sentry’s return. “Go and tell Alton to have the horses readied. I mean to leave soon after Gideon arrives. Have him get the men rousted and readied.”
“For what, Laird?”
“War.” Breckin noted the horsemen who rode toward the bridge. The sentry had finally returned. In the lead, his commander-in-arms rode ahead but when he saw him, Gideon slowed his mount and slid from its back.
“Laird, ye be up and about. Gladdened I am to see ye whole and of good health,” he said as he approached.
Breckin nodded. But the time for greetings was past. Now was the time for battle, and not for one of his allies, but for the good of his own Buchanan clan. “Gideon, I ordered Alton to ready the horses and gather the men.”
His comrade stopped in front of him. “What goes?”
“We will return Danella’s body this day and then…” Breckin wanted to form the words properly.
“And then what?”
“And then, we use our arms to seek retribution. Aye, for the death of my dear sister, for the attack on me and my wife, for the lies and deceit enacted by their clan when they pulled out of the treaty, and because I bloody well detest them.”
“Many good reasons, Laird. ’Tis time the MacLarens understand they cannot go against a Buchanan and not suffer for it.”
Breckin wanted them to suffer and once he saw to the MacLarens, he’d deal with the Stewarts. Before the cold weather crept in, he was determined they’d be at peace. “Nay, they cannot. We will bring them to heel or end them completely.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Smoke emanated fromthe spires atop the MacLaren holding. Breckin sat upon his warhorse on the hilltop with his men, awaiting his allies. Not that he needed additional forces. He could well take the MacLarens with the two scores of men he’d brought. Yet he wasn’t about to disappoint the MacNabs or Campbells. They’d want in on the fight and he would allow them to right several wrongs done to them by the MacLarens.
“’Tis time to go forth, Laird,” Gideon said as he sidled his horse next to his.
“Not yet. I am awaiting Daniel and Colin. They should be here soon if our messengers rode like hell. Besides, the MacLarens are unaware that we sit here waiting to attack.”
“My sword arm is tense with anticipation. What gets me is that they sent a woman to do their foulness.”
He shook his head. “I am uncertain that they did and deem Danella might have acted on her own. Och, I would not put it past John to send his daughter to try to murder me. We shall find out when we breach their holding.”
“Good thing Milady pushed her over the edge and saved us from having to murder a woman. Her act warranted a killing, Laird, and we would have done our duty,” Gideon said.
Breckin raised a brow at his comrade’s summation. The Buchanansmight be a bit coarse but they were certainly not murderers of women or weakened people. That was what he’d done these past years: aided those who could not defend themselves. But Danella MacLaren needed no one to save her from her own peril. She gambled against the Buchanans and lost.
