Each time, Vivien would poke a hole in an idea Kieran would think of, or Kieran would find some potential danger in something Vivien suggested.
There was only one plan that they kept coming back to, a direct attack that Vivien had suggested. Each time she mentioned it, it was met with Kieran’s refusal due to his worry that his own men would not follow him. He knew they were loyal to him, but after all of the trauma that they had endured since Lord Stone had taken up his position on their territory, their lack of trust had grown to an extent where Kieran was troubled by it.
If he could not count on his own men, there was no one he truly could count on.
“You need the help of your clansmen, Kieran.” Vivien finally shook her head. “There is no way of doing this without their support. You cannot face Stone alone; he will not play by any rules you propose. You cannot face him in a duel – he will simply ambush you. You need to take him by surprise; make the first move. This plan will work.”
Kieran sighed heavily, running his hands through his wild hair.
“I ken yer right, but I cannae tak’ the risk my men willnae follow me. I will lose my clan – I will lose everything if they refuse tae support me.”
“Then you do not let them refuse, Kieran,” Vivien said, holding his face in her hands as she drowned in his eyes for a moment, “You are their Laird; you have proven yourself to them more times than I can count. If anyone can stir their loyalty, their inner fight and strength – it is you. You have the heart of a leader, the courage of a warrior, and the mind of a strategist. There is no reason they will not follow you.”
“I think ye overestimate my abilities,” Kieran shook his head, even though a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“No, you underestimate them,” Vivien said, “I know you can do it. You need to speak to them. Call them together and speak from the heart. And when they agree – not if – you lead them into battle as their Laird.”
“How can ye have so much faith in me?” Kieran asked, looking truly puzzled.
“Because I know you,” Vivien replied, “The best way to end this futile war is to take the fight directly to Stone, as we discussed. With the support of your clansmen, there is no possible way that he can beat you. I do believe my plan will work; you just need to trust yourself and your men. They will follow you into battle.”
Kieran nodded, smiling at last.
“Aye, we will tak’ the battle tae him – where he is the most comfortable, an’ the least likely tae expect it,” he said, pursing his lips in thought. “When yer plan works, this clan will have nae reason tae doubt ye ever again. Ye will be one o’ us. An’ I dae believe yer a better strategist than I am, my Lady,” he said, as he pulled her in for a deep kiss, his hands pulling her against him as though any distance between them was far too much to bear. Vivien found that she felt exactly the same way.
Vivien could only hope that her plan would work. If it did not, she would not be looked upon as a whore anymore.
She would be seen as the woman who brought about the destruction of the MacBride clan.
* * *
Kieran had finally decided that it was time to call a meeting with his clansmen. He knew that some of them would be reluctant to attend and that some would not be as receptive to what he had to say as others would be. But he knew it had to be done.
It was early evening as all of his clansmen filed into the town hall, some looking less excited than others.
It was a rare occasion for a laird to call a clan meeting – it rarely meant anything other than going into battle or waging war against an enemy. Many of Kieran’s men would be thirsting for blood after the recent events they had suffered through. His fear was that it would not be enough men to sway those who were losing faith in him as a laird.
Kieran waited as patiently as he could for his clansmen to take their seats and the din of their conversations to die down before he stepped up to the dais and began his speech.
“Thank ye all for coming,” he started simply, knowing that it was important to run through the niceties before diving headfirst into the task at hand.
A few of his men rumbled their agreement while others simply sat with stoic expressions.
“I ken it has been a difficult few weeks, an’ I appreciate that ye have all taken the time tae be here. It is an important matter that I must discuss with ye all.” Kieran scanned the room with his eyes, taking note of those who were avidly listening and those who appeared to be as disinterested as it could possibly get.
Those who displayed an interest seemed to outnumber those who were there simply to show their faces.
“I have answers on what has been happening tae our clan – who is behind the attack on our men in the forest, why our granary was being targeted. I ken it was a heart-wrenching loss, all the men we lost in the forest that day – cannae say enough how deeply I regret it. But those Englishmen were there, for one thing, an’ one thing only. To kill us.”
Kieran paused, allowing his men the time they needed to gasp and turn to their neighbors, discussing the news he was relaying. After a couple of minutes, Kieran deemed it had been long enough for his clansmen to express their shock to each other.
“I ken who was behind it; I cannae explain how horrifying it is tae ken who did this – the reasons remain unclear tae me still. All I can say is I believe it is a deeply ingrained hatred towards our people, fear and loathing that runs through the currents of this man’s blood.”
“Who is it?” someone shouted from the back, too far away for Kieran to be able to see who it had been.
Kieran straightened his back before answering; he could not be seen to be cowering in front of his men. He could show no weakness – not with what he was about to ask of them. They needed to know that their laird was strong and decisive, that fear and anguish did not rule him.
“Lord Reginald Stone; the Englishman who has recently taken up residence in what he refers tae as Stone Castle,” Kieran had to fight himself from spitting on the floor in disgust.
