Thorburn turned to see what had triggered the coward’s reaction. Tasgall and Hendry stood side by side, looking ready to tear Wylie to shreds. Good. He would leave them to it when this was all said and done.
“Well?” The MacDougall glare had settled back on him.
“It is all true.” Thorburn threw out his chest and widened his stance. “And once recovered, my lady love helped us discover her brother’s plans, fought at our sides, and struck the first blow in the killing of him.”
“And I would kill him again if given the chance.” For the first time since introducing herself, Adellis lifted her head. “He was a crazed fool, my lord. I am sorry for all he cost you.”
Lady Christiana twitched in her seat, then tugged on the MacDougall’s arm until he leaned close enough for her to whisper in his ear. Once she finished speaking, he stared at her. After a pointed look and a single nod, she released her hold on him and folded her hands in her lap.
Nostrils flaring, the MacDougall huffed out a defeated snort. His face calmed to a lighter shade of red as he settled back in his seat and stroked his beard. “Ye have lands and titles,” he said. “All granted by me. I could just as easily take it all away, ye ken?”
“Aye.” Thorburn couldn’t resist a smirk. “And my brothers and I could as easily leave ye. Taking our might and a damned good lot of yer men with us.” To defy the man would mean having to leave Scotland. The MacDougall had King Alexander’s ear and would use it without hesitation. Or perhaps not. With the battle prowess he and his brothers possessed, they were known far and wide. Another clan would take them in merely to boast they had won away the Lord of Argyll’s mightyGallóglaigh.Thorburn knew more than just his brothers would leave with him as well. From the frustration knotting the MacDougall’s bushy brows, the man knew it, too.
“I dinna tolerate anyone usingmyresources to benefit themselves,” the MacDougall said. “Even if it ends in the results I desire.” He stabbed a finger in the air. “Ye ken that well enough, Thor, and yet ye did it, anyway.”
“Aye, I did.” Thorburn slid his arm back beneath Adellis’s hand and presented her as if she were his queen. “And I would do it again. I love this woman and will do anything to keep her safe.”
“This conversation is going in naught but circles,” Lady Christiana interrupted. With a calm, unreadable expression, she rested her gaze first on Adellis then slid it to Thorburn. “Sentence them.”
The MacDougall slowly rose. His height rivaled that of Thorburn’s, but his build was far less muscular. With a fierce scowl, he snapped his fingers at the nearby guard. “Fetch the scribe.”
Adellis’s fingers dug into his arm, but she didn’t falter, just stared straight ahead at the MacDougall and his wife.
Pride swelled Thorburn’s chest. God had saddled him with a rare woman, indeed. “It will be well with us, m’love,” he whispered. “I swear to make it so.”
The Lord of Argyll’s eyes narrowed. “What say ye?”
“I swore to my lady love that all would be well.” He allowed his own eyes to narrow into a look the MacDougall couldn’t fail to read. “And it will be. One way or another.”
A tiny man, arms full of ledgers and stacks of parchment, hurried into the room. He dumped the load on a small table nearby, pulled an inkwell from his pocket, and removed the quill from behind his ear. “Ye summoned me, m’lord?”
“Aye,” the MacDougall said as he folded his massive arms over this chest. “Take this down.”
The mousie scribe crouched over the papers with quill in hand, looking ready to pounce.
“Ye disobeyed yer lord and liege, leaving me no recourse, Constable Thorburn MacDougall.” The man glared down his long nose like the fiercest god about to wreak destruction.
Adellis’s nails dug deeper into his arm. As subtly as possible, he disengaged the wee scratching fury and took her hand in his. He stood taller. “Aye? Get on with it then.” Lord MacDougall had always been a long-winded bastard that took forever to get to the point.
The man snorted out a growl, glanced back at Lady Christiana, then cleared his throat. “I sentence ye to a life of servitude.”
“Servitude?” Thorburn didn’t know whether to draw his sword and fight their way out of the room or stay long enough to hear more. The man hadn’t called for more guards. Surely, he didn’t think the one guard and himself could handle the job.
“Aye. Servitude,” the chieftain repeated, then held out a hand for his wife to stand at his side. “Ye call that woman yer wife, but I willna allow such an irregular marriage in my lands. One as easy to cast aside as it is to make. Nay, man. I sentence ye to a formal legal marriage recorded in the church and sent to Edinburgh. Ye will stand before the priest when we’re done here.” He gave a solemn nod. “May God have mercy on yer souls.”
“Does he jest?” Adellis whispered.
“Nay, lass.” Thorburn gave Lady Christiana a thankful bow and added a grin as he gave the MacDougall a slight nod.
“Aye, ye grin now, but ye’ll learn soon the way of things.” The Lord of Argyll pecked a quick kiss to his wife’s cheek. “To the priest now. My lady and I shall be yer witnesses.”
Turning Adellis to face him, Thorburn held both her hands in his. He struggled to find the words to convey all he felt. “I love ye, Adellis. And I shall be saying so all the rest of my days, so ye best get used to it, ye ken?”
“Yes, my Scottish bear.” She squeezed his hands and smiled. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Dunthoradelle Castle
