It was every man for himself.
Kieran was grateful that he was currently not in the crosshairs of the internal power struggle like the rest of the lairds. There was no guarantee that would last, but he was not about to go looking for trouble, either. The less involved he was in the politics, the better.
Realizing that his efforts were in vain, Kieran thanked the lairds for the effort they had made in coming to see him. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but there was nothing he could do to change it.
Chapter Twelve
“They all said nae?” Bailey asked, his shock making the pitch of his voice rise.
“Aye,” Kieran said as he, Tilly, and Bailey walked through the castle’s gardens.
Kieran needed to find some peace of mind. The exasperation he felt at the other lairds’ refusal to help him was gnawing at him like a dog with a bone. He was the type of laird who would always send his men to help his allies, no matter what the circumstances were. He was always willing to help in any way he possibly could.
He could not say he was shocked at their refusal. He had come to realize that his allies were only interested in agreements that benefited them more over the years. Kieran accepted that this was just the way of things – complaining would get him nowhere.
“I cannae believe they have nae interest in helping ye, brother.” Tilly shook her head. “Ye aren’t asking for much. An’ furthermore, it’s tae help them in the long run too. How dae they not see this?”
Kieran shrugged, the stress of a potential attack at any time looming large in his mind. He could only defend his castle and people to a certain extent. If the Englishman decided to move against him, with soldiers that outnumbered his own, there was very little he would be able to do to stop him.
His soldiers were stoic, fearless, and seasoned warriors. But Kieran could not face the thought of losing any more of his men than he already had to something as senseless and wasteful as another altercation with Lord Stone’s men. Kieran’s soldiers had families, wives, children, parents. Asking them to sacrifice themselves for the sake of appearances was not something he was prepared to do.
“They’re too focused on their power struggle, Tilly,” Kieran replied, taking in everything around him. Life at the castle and outlying villages had returned to normal. The families who had lost their men had come to a point where they had moved on from blaming him for their losses entirely. Kieran still could not forgive himself; he still wore the pain and guilt like a lead mantle around his shoulders.
A slight commotion at the main gate to the castle caught Kieran’s attention. A slim figure in a dark blue coat, hood covering her head, seemed to be trying to enter the castle grounds. His soldiers on duty were refusing her – Kieran could just make out that it was a feminine figure beneath the cloak. She had nothing in her hands, no weapons attached to her belt or hidden under her clothes, from what he could see.
“I need tae see what’s happening at the gate,” Kieran said to Tilly and Bailey, marching off towards the gates, the two of them in tow.
“What dae ye think is happening?” he heard Bailey whispering to Tilly as they walked.
‘I dinnae have a clue,” she whispered back, “We’ll find out soon enough.”
“What is going on here?” Kieran demanded of the three soldiers who were surrounding the woman, refusing to let her move past them. She could not get onto the castle grounds, but she also could not go back the way she had come, being encircled the way she was.
She must have been terrified, Kieran thought, before berating his soldiers.
“You’ll let her go, or you’ll have me tae answer tae. Dae ye hear me?” his voice was dangerously low. He spoke in a tone as close to growling as he could manage, shooting each of the soldiers an angry look. “We dinnae treat guests to the castle this way. Ye should ken this as well as ye ken how tae use yer swords. If I hear o’ ye doing this again, I’ll have ye taken tae the stocks. Got it?”
Kieran couldn’t help but smile as all three of the men’s faces blanched, the one going so far as to attempt to stutter out an apology.
“Get out o’ my sight, ‘afore I call yer Commander an’ have ye all whipped for this.”
It was largely an empty threat – Kieran did not believe in corporal punishment, but it certainly helped to scare some of his more unruly men back into shape.
“My Lady, I apologize for my guards’ treatment o’ ye,” he said gently, turning to look at the woman who had caused his men to lose their sense of common decency, “Please feel free tae enter the castle grounds.”
“Thank you, Sir,” she said from within her cowl, her face still hidden.
It didn’t matter that she had hidden her identity; Kieran knew who she was the instant he heard her voice.
He inhaled sharply.
It was Vivien.
Kieran’s heart picked up its pace, much to his consternation. He felt his loins tighten at the sight of her – the woman did something completely inexplicable to his body and mind, something that he did not mind entirely.
“Bailey, Tilly, will ye excuse me? I have some business tae tak’ care o’. We can pick up where we left off later.”
Even he could hear the tremor in his own voice.
