Chapter Four
Raphael stood withCain MacPherson in the great hall sippingathole brose, a drink made from oats, honey, and whisky. The honey was sweet and the whisky was potent. His father sat at the MacPhersons’ table again, sharing a word with Cain’s wife and another beautiful woman with flaming red locks who, judging from where she sat during mass, was Nicholas’ wife.
“Cameron,” Cain addressed him menacingly. “I dinna know why ye are here. I only know yer kin are deceitful, dishonorable men and have been fer centuries.”
“The Camerons say the same aboot ye, Commander,” Raphael countered. Of course he feared the commander. But that didn’t mean he would recoil in fear. “Ye are infamous fer fightin’ mercilessly at Bannockburn. Yer brother, Torin, is known fer his great ability to deceive and bring down strongholds from within. Less is known of the youngest, Nicholas—”
“Leave him oot of this,” Cain warned.
Raphael nodded. “Verra well. I am not my kin, nor am I my father. I dinna agree with his ideas aboot peace. I believe the feuds could and should end. Enough blood has been shed.”
Cain narrowed his eyes on him. “Those are nice words, but unless yer father is gone, there will be no peace between us. And just in case there are other thoughts swirlin’ aboot in yer head, stay fer another moment. There is somethin’ I want ye to hear.”
He put his hand on Raphael’s shoulder and called attention. Everyone looked up and set their gazes on him and Raphael. “Today is a day filled with blessings, the first of which I give to my daughter.”
Raphael’s heartbeat sped up.
“Today, I announce Elysande’s betrothal to Hugh Tanner.”
Some people cheered. Elysande stood up, looking pale and ill and ran from the hall. Raphael pulled his shoulder from beneath her father’s hand. He was angry. He would not back down.
“Ye would hurt her to prove a point to me? I didna think ye a fool, Commander.”
“Watch yer tongue, Cameron,” Cain warned through a tight jaw.
Now was the time to still his tongue, but he couldn’t. He understood her father hated him. But to wed her to Hugh Tanner to keep them apart? ’Twas cruel to her and he wanted her father to know. “He is belittlin’ and arroganttoward yer daughter,usin’ her love, respect, fear, or whatever she feels toward ye to threaten her,” he said. “I didna pummel his face beneath the heel of my boot last eve because I came here fer peace. Ye made a terrible mistake, Commander. Her husband will own her, not love her. That is what ye sentenced her to.”
He turned without waiting for a response and left the hall.
Elysande left thefortress and drew her fur-lined cloak closer around her neck. A thin layer of frost covered the hundreds of acres of wilderness and hills where the MacPhersons’ cattle and sheep grazed. The air was brisk and turned her breath white.
She didn’t care how cold it was. She had to get away from her father, her uncle, and Raphael. They all thought tothinkfor her! She didn’t want to believe her uncle was innocent because then she would have to admit that she blurted out that Raphael liked it thereenough to wed her, no doubt!Oh, she thought she could hear her bones rattling with mortification. She had to get away.
And her father! Her tears whipped off her cheeks on a bracing gust of wind. How could he announce her betrothal to Hugh when he hadn’t even told her? Had he planned it or was his action a result of trying to keep her from Raphael? She let out a short scream that was carried away on the wind.
This was what she needed. To scream a little without being heard by a fortress full of people. She kept going, walking farther away, trying to think clearly about what to do. Would she have to marry Hugh? She changed her mind. She didn’t want to marry him anymore! Mayhap if she just told her father how she felt…no. He wouldn’t listen. His caution toward his enemies was too strong.
The wind was growing stronger, snapping her cloak and skirts around her ankles. Puffs of white swirled around her feet as the howling wind swept up the frost. She looked up toward the hills and tried to see if any of the shepherds had come out and tended to their sheep and cattle. But she couldn’t see that far. In fact, the drifting, swirling snow had grown stronger, pulling at her hood, burning her face with the icy cold. She should have known better than to venture so far with the unpredictable weather of the Highlands.
She turned around, cursing at the weather for not letting her go off by herself. She had to get back inside. Frustrated, she shouted as loud as she could just one more time before she realized she couldn’t see the stronghold.
Dear God, help,she thought as panic settled over her. She just had to keep walking straight. She couldn’t open her eyes. They stung and watered. Even if she could open them, all she would see was white.
White. Everywhere.
