“I didn’t take Lady Margaret for being so bloodthirsty, but the Hays have brought aboot their share of bloodshed with poor allies. They shouldn’t have taken on the Sinclairs over Lady Deirdre or Lady Brighde.” Matthew raised his mug to his brother and sneered. “You pick the worst bedfellows.”
“Anyone ever notice how the Sinclairs are at the center of most Highland conflicts?” Edgar mused. He threw his hands up when Magnus and Seamus reached for their blades. Magnus was Laird Tristan Mackay’s cousin, and the laird married Mairghread Sinclair, the only daughter to Laird Liam Sinclair and younger sister to Callum, Alexander, Tavish, and Magnus. Seamus’s older half-sister Siùsan married Callum, heir to the Sinclair lairdship. Seamus fostered with the Sinclairs, and Magnus cared for his cousin-by-marriage.
“Don’t forget that they are also the center of the most powerful alliance in the Highlands,” Magnus pointed out.
“Do you ride with me or not?” Nelson grew tired of the conversation drifting from his goal.
“What do you intend to do? Kidnap the woman right from under Campbell’s nose? She won’t be out of arms’ reach of the mon.” Seamus shook his head. “I’m out. I’m not dying over Laurel Ross, or rather Laurel Campbell. Like it or not, she’s still Lady Sutherland’s niece. I’m not bringing the Sutherlands down on my clan’s head. I know the Sinclairs will side with them before they do the Mackenzies, even if I grew up there. And that’s not to mention the trouble we’re already having with the Rosses.”
“You wagered a small fortune on them, but you’re willing to walk away.” Matthew smirked before he raised his mug in salute. “Wise mon.”
“And the rest of you?” Nelson locked eyes with each man.
“I’m out.” Magnus rose from the table. “Even if I cared enough to get involved, my laird would kill me. Besides, he expects me back at Varrich, not wondering aboot the Highlands.”
Nelson to stared at Stephen, Edgar, Andrew, and Matthew. He knew his brother would ride with him, along with Liam. But the other three could pose a risk if they disagreed. They could warn the king or Brodie. Nelson and Matthew wouldn’t take that chance. Edgar was the only laird in the bunch. Stephen and Andrew were only representatives. The Gunns and Oliphants were at each other’s throats, so Nelson would consider Edgar’s death as a gift to Liam and his clan. Money and women were what kept them civil to one another at court.
“Aye, I’ll ride with you. The Gunns have no love lost with the Rosses.” Edgar raised his mug and toasted his pledge.
“MacBain?” Matthew looked at the last man to speak.
“I’m in.” Stephen sounded the least confident, but he’d placed one of the highest wagers.
“Then we ride out before dawn. Campbell will have stuck to the roads for her sake. We ride over land to catch them.” Nelson was pleased by the sound of authority in his voice.
“You still haven’t told us what you plan to do once we catch them.” Stephen narrowed his eyes, doubt niggling at him. His clan had barely recovered from their encounter with the Camerons. Lady Cameron was Lady Sutherland’s daughter, which made her Laurel’s cousin. The women were hardly close, but they shared blood. The last thing the MacBains needed were the four strongest clans in the northern Highlands descending upon them, and Magnus’s glare reminded him that his own clan would be forced to face the Rosses, Sutherlands, Camerons, Sinclairs, and Mackays.
“Don’t forget she’s Lady MacLeod’s cousin too,” Magnus whispered to Stephen. “Do you want them on your doorstep too?”
Stephen considered his options. He’d committed to Nelson, and he didn’t trust the man not to stab him in his sleep. But he didn’t need to start a feud on behalf of his clan, nor did he think he’d survive his uncle if he turned up at home to announce the six mighty clans were chasing him. He nodded to Magnus. He would ride with Nelson, but the first opportunity he had to leave the group, he would.
“Be ready to leave an hour before sunrise.” Nelson put coins on the table and rose. Matthew followed him, grinning at Edgar and Stephen before he and his brother left.
“We’re deep in the shite now,” Stephen muttered.
“Nay. But we will be deep in the coin,” Edgar countered.
“But everyone wagered Campbell would fail. How can you think that you’ll win aught?” Magnus knew he would lose money since he’d betted that Brodie wouldn’t woo Laurel.
“Because we adjusted the wager to how long their marriage would last. We never stipulated how it would end,” Edgar reminded the men who remained.
“You’re a fool, Gunn.” Magnus rose. He only tolerated Laird Gunn at court to keep up appearances that their truce held. If they’d been in the true Highlands, they would have already drawn swords days earlier. Magnus would ride for Varrich and warn his cousin, but he knew he would reach home days after whatever happened. He walked out of the tavern with Seamus. “My men and I leave as soon as I return to the keep. You’d do well to leave too, lest you wish to die in your sleep tonight. MacDougall won’t risk us informing the Bruce or Campbell.”
“Aye. That’s why I head to the keep now. We’d be safer if we rode together until I turn west.”
“Aye.” Both men hurried back to Stirling Castle, not casting a backwards glance at the town. The Mackenzie and Mackay contingencies rode out within fifteen minutes, putting as much distance between them and Stirling as they could despite the dark.
