Ewan turned to climb into bed that was little more than a cot, when someone pounded on the door. He drew his dirk and checked to see that Eoin was armed before creeping to the door. Enemies rarely announced their arrival, but neither man was willing to be unprepared now that they were unwelcome guests. Ewan drew the door open to find a Gordon retainer on the other side.
“A messenger in the king’s livery just arrived with this for ye.” The man held out a rolled parchment and nodded when Ewan took it from him. Ewan turned to look at Eoin after he closed the door. He crossed the chamber and sat on Eoin’s bed next to him. He slid the ribbon off and unfurled the document. A smaller piece of vellum lay on top of the larger one. Both men recognized their father’s handwriting.
I pray this finds you well, sons. Laird Elliot sent word that you’ve recovered your runaway bride, Ewan, and that you’ve stopped at Redheugh. The king is eager to resolve the matter of your betrothal. Laird Elliot informed the king that Allyson would be before a priest the day after Easter, regardless of her feelings on the matter. He assures she’s past her fit of temper and will cause no problems as a dutiful wife. You need only marry her and bring her to Huntley, then get the flock to her father. You can do as you choose while you’re away, and if it should take a little longer to return, she’ll surely be none the wiser. Get her with child, and she’ll have little time to cause trouble. Her dowry will pay for the additions to the keep, so be certain to secure the coin before you depart. Godspeed.
Ewan clenched the parchment so tightly that it vibrated between his hands. Eoin eased the document and the missive from his brother’s hands lest Ewan crumple it.
“And ye wonder why I thought what I did aboot marriage. Father condones me being unfaithful and even encourages it,” Ewan growled. He pushed away from the bed and stalked back to the window, where he scrubbed his hands over his face before leaning toward the narrow opening. He stood thinking in silence, Eoin giving him space, until he decided on how to proceed. “As soon as Kenneth returns, we depart. We’re taking Ally back to court. If Father is there, ye must speak to him before he has a chance to speak to Ally. Lord only kens what he might say to her. If he’s nae there, go to Huntley. Tell him how things have changed, how I’ve changed. Eoin, if he lets on that I should keep a leman, he’ll devastate Allyson, and I dinna ken that she’ll ever trust me again.”
“But ye’ve already explained to her that yer view on marriage has changed, that it doesnae match Father’s anymore.”
“Aye, but who’s kenned me longer? She’ll believe aught Father says, assuming he kens me better. The last thing I need is for her to bolt again or lock herself away. Allyson is the one person who could make me come to blows with Father. I will protect her nay matter what, Eoin. I’m warning ye now, I will choose her.” He spun around and glared at his brother, daring Eoin to mock him.
“Ye’re in love with her,” Eoin mused quietly. His comment made Ewan stop short as Ewan moved toward his bed. He wanted to shake his head, deny Eoin’s accusation, but he realized Eoin would never condemn him for loving Allyson. He had suspected he was falling in love with her, but his reaction to her mother that day confirmed it. His need to defend her had bordered on the pathological.
“I believe I do, and I dinna ken what to do,” Ewan confessed.
“What to do? Make the marriage to the lass real, have a passel of bairns, and live a happy life together.”
“It’ll never be that simple.”
“Then make it that way. Explain what’s happening. Confess what Father wrote and warn her that Father doesnae ken that ye’ve chosen a different view on marriage than he holds. Then face the future together.” Eoin strode to his brother’s side, placing his hand on Ewan’s shoulder and squeezing. “It doesnae have to be any harder than that. The lass loves ye, too.”
Ewan looked at Eoin for a long moment before nodding. They sat together once more and studied the betrothal agreement, pointing out portions that concerned them. He had barely scanned it when he saw it the first time, too enraged to care. He recalled most of it favored Allyson in the event he left her a widow, but he was dissatisfied with her options to return to Redheugh or retire to a convent. Her widow’s portion was enough to provide for her even if he died within the next few years, or it would be a hefty dowry to an abbey. He pointed to the line and turned to Eoin. He couldn’t accept Allyson being forced to leave their home.
“If I die before ye, ye must make certain she can remain with us. If ye’re laird, ye must make certain that nay one will force her out upon yer death,” Ewan’s grave voice made Eoin nod several times.
“She’s to be ma sister. I always wanted one. After all, I’ve always been stuck with yer ugly mug.”
“Ugly? Ye shouldnae be so hard on yerself.” Ewan grinned and appreciated his brother’s attempt to add some levity. “Ye’ll see to her wellbeing if I’m gone?”
“Of course. I would have regardless, but I can see how much she’s come to mean to ye. Ewan, ye have a lifetime of responsibility and duty ahead of ye. I’ll always do everything I can to support ye, but I’ll never be the lady of the clan. If ye’ve found a woman who ye love and who’ll be a good addition to our clan, then I will endeavor to ensure she’s always protected, just as ye would do yerself. Besides, ye’re nae so ugly now that I think aboot it.”
“Thank ye, brother,” Ewan murmured. The brothers embraced and clapped one another on the back. “Do I wait till morning?”
“Ye’d dare go to her chamber at this time of night? When it’s next door to Mary’s? I damn well wouldnae go there alone.”
“Good thing ye’re coming with me.”
“What? This isnae a good idea, Ewan.”
“Just come with me to her door. Then ye can go, and I’ll be out before morn.”
“Before morn? Ye’re going to risk spending another night with her? Ye’re a bluidy bampot, and I’m one too to be considering this. Ye already tested yer luck arguing with Lady Elliot.”
“Aye. I am. I need to see her, and I willna have yer big ears listening outside the door, nor am I going to be traipsing aboot in the dark for someone to catch me and claim I’ve compromised Mary or Alice.”
Eoin’s mouth flattened into a thin line, but he crossed the room and held the door open for his twin.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ewan and Eoin crept into the Great Hall and past the sleeping men and women until they reached the stairs that led to the family chambers. Years of hunting and fighting taught them to tread silently as they climbed to the second floor. Ewan pointed to a door on the right, and they eased their way along the passageway until Ewan knocked softly. He waited, but there was no answer. He tried again, but Allyson still didn’t answer, so he pressed down on the handle, cringing when the metal creaked. He poked his head in but immediately realized she wasn’t in her chamber. He scanned the surfaces and caught sight of the kirtle she wore to the evening meal along with her hair combs on a table next to a pitcher and ewer. He suspected he knew where she was.
“She’s nae here,” he whispered to Eoin. “Go back to our chamber. I ken where she is.”
When Eoin shook his head, he pointed above them and mouthed “attic.” He noted Eoin’s confusion, but he wouldn’t spill Allyson’s secret, and certainly not in the middle of the passageway in the middle of the night. They walked back to the stairs, and Ewan waited for a moment as Eoin descended and looked back once before crossing the Great Hall. Ewan continued on to the door that led to the stairs that would take him to the attic and hopefully Allyson.
Allyson scrambled to hide the book she read when she heard someone open the attic door. She scurried behind a large trunk and waited. It was too late to blow out the candle she’d brought with her. Whoever approached would have seen the light upon opening the door. She preferred to have it lit to identify the intruder. She sighed when she recognized Ewan’s head as it appeared at the top of the stairs.
