And that was where Ian Scott, chief of Clan Scott, found himself.
He knew the chatter that had been going on ever since his only daughter had been attacked by the English soldiers. At first, Argyle and Brendan and even his own son, Robbie, had been working the clan into a frenzy against the English. That was all well and good because Ian intended to avenge his daughter and the younger men whipped the warriors of the clan into a sort of madness, mad enough to charge into England and attack a fully manned English castle. Not just any English castle, but a big one by the name of Etal. Ian had sent word to his English allies asking for their help, but the request was politely declined.
That declination hadn’t gone well in Ian’s favor.
Nor had the battle itself.
Out of nearly six hundred men, they’d lost forty-seven and had over one hundred wounded, which was a big ratio for such a number. The English had out-fought, out-chased, and essentially overrun them, chasing them back across the border carrying their dead and wounded. Ian had expected the anti-English sentiment to grow but what he hadn’t expected was for his clansmen to turn on his daughter, the very reason for the battle itself.
Clansmen that had been divided by Argyle and Brendan.
Robbie, his own son, staunchly defended his sister, as he should, but Argyle and Brendan began to speak against her. Usually, their efforts to undermine Ian were at least somewhat discreet, but they made no such effort when discussing Annaleigh and how her brazen ways had lured the entire clan into tragedy… and how it would undoubtedly happen again.
Robbie had been furious but Ian had told him not to respond, as it would only add fuel to the fire. But the fire kept burningand, finally, Robbie had snapped, taken his close circle of friends, and had beat Argyle and Brendan severely. Argyle even lost two teeth in the brawl. But all that beating had succeeded in doing was rousing the anger of those who listened to Argyle and Brendan, those who had lost fathers or sons or brothers in the skirmish at Etal.
Those people began to talk.
Even after Ian sent Annaleigh to Castle Questing where his cousin, Jordan, was the Lady of the Castle, people still whispered about her. There were threats. Things were said that should not have been said about an innocent young woman. The months passed, tongues wagged, and the clan grew more divided. There were those that sided with Ian and those that sided with Argyle and Brendan. Ian even pleaded with their father, Cord, to stop the madness, but Cord was torn. He loved his sons, but he also loved his brother, which resulted in inaction at best. Cowardice at worst.
And now, it had come to this.
In the hall of Langton Castle, which had been rebuilt over several years, Ian and Robbie were facing off against Argyle, Brendan, and several senior clan members who had lost sons or brothers or fathers in the skirmish at Etal. They were still fresh from that jarring event when a few rebels from Clan Kerr, a rival clan, raided a couple of farms on the edge of their adjacent lands and a woman had been killed as a result.
There was blood in the air… again.
Ian could see that things were about to come to a head as Argyle, a big man with two missing front teeth and a nasty temper, paced the floor to present a case as to why they needed to seek vengeance against Clan Kerr for their offense. The man shouted and stomped, straw from the compact earth floor sticking to his boots and dogs darting out of his way as his movements became rather violent. As Argyle called for action,Robbie had been watching his cousin also. Much like his father, he could see where this conversation was going and it wasn’t going to end well. He glanced at his father before stepping forward, into Argyle’s path.
“Argyle,” he said firmly, slowly. “For all of yer rage and demands, ye’ve not yet mentioned the obvious.”
Argyle came to a halt, his nostrils flaring with anger. “What do ye mean?”
Robbie lifted a dark eyebrow. “That Clan Kerr outnumbers us two tae one,” he said. “Tae attack their stronghold would be foolish. There are too many of them. In this case, it was two men who raided our lands and killed old Miriam. It would be better if my da speaks tae Donal Kerr about this incident. We’ll be satisfied if he punishes the men responsible.”
Argyle’s jaw was flexing beneath his bearded cheek. “Ah,” he said, looking to the men around him. “Ye’ll resolve it with talk when it comes tae Kerr. But when it involved the Sassenach, ye took the whole bloody army of warriors with ye tae avenge yer sister. And she wasna even harmed!”
Robbie knew this would come up, but he was hoping it wouldn’t come up so quickly. He was a big man and quite capable of doing serious damage to Argyle, so he didn’t back down. The man had been a thorn in his side ever since the battle at Etal and his patience was at an end.
“Ye know we sent word tae Etal,” he pointed out. “Or did too much drink and whoring cause ye tae forget? Are the whores sucking yer brains out through yer manhood, then?”
The room erupted in chuckles because it was well known that Argyle visited taverns and brothels because no decent woman would go near him. The more he visited those places, the more the good women stayed away, so it was a self-fulfilling prophesy. But Argyle didn’t take the insult well.
His eyes narrowed dangerously.
“At least I’ve got someone sucking my cock, Robbie,” he growled.
“I could have those women suck mine, too, if I paid for it.”
Argyle’s body began to tense for a fight. “I’ll not have the likes of ye lecture me,” he said. “What the Kerr committed against us is greater than the sins the English committed, yet ye summoned the entire clan tae seek punishment for the wrongs against yer sister. If they evenwerewrongs. Yet ye’ll not summon the lads tae punish the Kerr?”
Robbie’s fists began to work, which was never a good sign. Ian, sitting in his customary chair near the hearth, could see his son’s body language and he knew what was coming. With effort, he stood up and made his way to his son, putting a meaty hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Argyle, I’ll not have ye stirring up trouble where there is none,” he said. “Ye’ve been trying tae do it since the battle at Etal and I’ve ignored ye, but I’ll ignore ye no more. Ye’re young and stupid and ye dunna know what ye’re talking about, yet ye and yer brother spout off as if ye know everything. Ye know nothing.”
Argyle glanced at Brendan, who was standing a few feet away. Brendan usually let Argyle lead for the simple fact that he didn’t want to be the one viewed as the rebellious one even though everyone knew he was the brains. He simply nodded to his brother, almost imperceptibly, and Argyle faced his uncle.
“I know enough tae know that we should have never gone tae Etal, yet ye willna do the same for old Miriam,” he said. “I know enough tae know that ye’ll protect yer own daughter, but ye willna protect an old woman.”
Ian made a sharp hissing sound, loud enough that it was quite startling. In fact, Argyle instinctively tilted away from his uncle as the man held up a hand to him as if he wanted to slap him. Had he been any closer, he probably would have.
