“Nay,I fear not. He still refuses to speak to his parents because they still refuseto accept Margaret as his wife. So, he lingers here.”
“Someoneought to have a long, stern talk with that boy. I cannae, for he refuses tospeak with me. He just glares accusingly.”
“Iam surprised at the steadfastness of the lad. Ye have to admire it. He at leastkens exactly what he wants.”
Ruarislammed his tankard down on the heavy oak table and stood up. “I grow weary ofthis conversation. Ye carp at me like some old woman. I will do what I must forGartmhor and Iwillmake that Hay wench pay for playing a soldier’sgame.”
Tossingoff the last of his drink, Ruari strode out of the great hall. He would neveradmit it to Rosse, but he was also glad that winter had put an end to hissearch for a wife. None of the girls he had met had pleased him in theslightest. He knew he was comparing each one in looks and spirit to Sorchawhich annoyed him. He simply needed more time to forget the three gloriousnights they had shared. It was not surprising that such a sweet, strong passionwould linger in his mind. Once he had the time to shake free of that memory’sgrip, he would be able to choose a wife. As he strode to the small, privatechamber where the ever-diligent Malcolm kept the records of Gartmhor, Ruaricursed Sorcha Hay. He hoped she was having as difficult a time shaking free ofhis memory as he was of hers.
Sorchacaught sight of a scowling Dougal seated at the head table as she entered thegreat hall. She briefly considered making an escape, then squared her shouldersand walked to her seat on his right. In the more than three months since Ruarihad left her, she had become adept at avoiding her brother. It was time to stopbeing such a coward.
“Haveye decided to bless me with your presence, then?” Dougal asked, eyeing Sorchawith a mixture of sullen anger and sharp curiosity.
“Yeseem to be accusing me of avoiding you,” Sorcha said as she filled her trencherwith the savory roasted beef and vegetables. “I dinnae ken where ye get suchideas.” She ignored Dougal’s scornful laugh as the small page filled hertankard with cider.
“Mayhapmy suspicions are bred of the certainty that everyone at Dunweare is keepingsomething secret from me.”
“Nay.What could they possibly wish to hide from their laird?”
“Thetruth about what happened whilst the Kerrs abided here.”
“Theonly truth about that is that they were held here for several weeks, a ransomwas paid for them, and they returned to Gartmhor. What more could there be?”She jumped slightly when Dougal slammed his tankard down on the thick woodentable.
“Agreat deal more, which has put a sadness in your eyes I have ne’er seen therebefore and which has turned the cheerful Margaret into a pale, snifflingshadow. Although Margaret hasnae the keenest wits, she used to be pleasantcompany. Now one dreads the few times she ventures out of her bedchamber forshe casts a damp pall o’er everything around her.”
Sorchaused the chewing of a thick piece of bread to consider her reply. Dougal hadquickly suspected something had occurred between her, Margaret, and the Kerrs,and he had become determined to ferret out the truth. She decided that perhapsgiving him a little of the truth would make him back away. The first snow ofwinter had begun to fall, and Sorcha did not enjoy the thought of beingsequestered inside the keep with a forcefully curious Dougal.
“Ifear Margaret became quite enamored of young Beatham Kerr.”
“Werethey lovers?” Dougal demanded, his intention of seeking redress for such aninsult to his kinswoman evident in his voice.
“Nay,but if matters were different, there could have been a match there. Beathamclearly returned her feelings. Howbeit, the Kerrs would not want any marriagewith a clan that took their laird prisoner, and Beatham is as poor and as landlessas Margaret.”
“Ah,aye, that would be a poor match. It willnae be easy, but both need to find amate with at least some coin and land. ‘Tis a pity. If Margaret had a fullpurse and even a small holding, we could wed her to Beatham to secure a peacewith the Kerrs. It would make all sides happy. Howbeit, she has no dowry atall, and we dinnae have the means to give her one.” He studied Sorcha for amoment. “And did ye lose your heart to Sir Ruari Kerr? Is that why your humorhas grown darker?”
“Areye saying that I am no longer pleasant company?”
“Idinnae see ye long enough to know, and dinnae try to divert me by feigninginsult.”
“Ifmy mood has been dark, I humbly apologize. I found the ransoming of men to be adistasteful business. Mayhap, too, having two handsome, weelborn gentlemen athand made me too keenly aware of how few marriageable men there are about hereand how little chance there is that I shall ever marry.”
Dougalflushed and murmured, “Ye would make some mon a verra good wife.”
“Averra good but verra poor and landless wife. I thought I had accepted my lot,but it seems I had not. Now I will do so. Dinnae look so guilty, Dougal. Yedidnae leave us so poor. Our coffers were emptied whilst ye were still in thewomb.”
“Iken it, but I havenae replenished what was lost either.” He sighed and ran hisfingers through his thick hair. “I thought the way to gain coin was to go tobattle. Many men gain land, money, and power upon the battlefield, but ithasnae happened to me.”
“Ifye consider how many men go to battle and how often they do so, it makes thenumber of men who actually profit from it look verra small indeed. Aye, andmost of them are close friends or kin to the mon with the highest standing.”
Shecould tell by the still look upon Dougal’s face that he had never consideredthat fact. It was somewhat comforting to know that his constant rush to battlehad not been solely a headlong grasp for honor, that he had actually beentrying to recoup the lost fortunes of Dunweare. Sorcha now hoped that he wouldsee what a poor gamble that had been.
“Weel,it looks like ye may have knocked some sense into the fool’s head,” cameCrayton’s voice so abruptly and so close to her ear, Sorcha jumped.
Takinga deep breath to steady herself, Sorcha looked over her shoulder. Crayton wasvisible only to the waist, and it looked as if he was leaning on the back ofDougal’s chair. “Ye will turn my hair white ere I am five-and-twenty.”
Craytonignored her complaint and rested his hand on Dougal’s shoulder, grinning whenthe man shuddered and jerked away. “The men in your clan ne’er get the gift, dothey?”
“Nay,and dinnae tease him.”
