Meg forgot all about Dougal and pushed her way through the crowd, heading toward Alex. But before she could reach him, he’d disappeared. She turned around helplessly, searching the sea of inquiring faces gawking at her. But he was gone.
She had to find him. For Meg knew that if she did not, he might just slip beyond her reach forever.
Dougal MacDonald hid his outrage beneath a lazy smile as he watched his intended bride flee the hall, scampering after Alex MacLeod. She’d seemed oblivious to the whispers that followed or to the fact that she’d just abandoned him in the middle of the room. Abandoned him for his nemesis, which made it even worse.
His spies at court had of course informed him of MacLeod’s presence, but Dougal hadn’t been aware of his interest in Meg Mackinnon. Nor of hers in him. It was a complication, but not one that worried him greatly. Complications were easily taken care of.
He smiled, this time with pleasure. He’d beaten Alex MacLeod before, he’d do it again. And this time, he would show no mercy.
Even if Dougal didn’t want her for himself, a Mackinnon with a MacLeod was an alliance that could never be allowed to proceed. The battle for dominance of Skye between the MacLeods and the MacDonalds had endured for centuries. Placing the Mackinnon’s lands in either hand would lead to an imbalance, one that Dougal intended to secure for himself.
Originally, he hadn’t intended to marry the chit himself. He admitted to being pleasantly surprised tonight when he’d first caught sight of her. His little pigeon was much improved from the last time he’d seen her. Dougal was almost looking forward to the bedding. His expression hardened. But if she dared embarrass him like this again when they were married, she would feel the brunt of his anger. He would not be shamed by any woman.
Wooing Meg Mackinnon was proving more of a challenge than he’d anticipated. She was unusually intelligent for a woman and would not be easily duped. Dougal admired her spirit. He would put it to good use in the bedchamber, but he would never allow it to get in the way of his plans.
One way or another, Meg Mackinnon would be his wife.
For the first time since he’d arrived at court, Alex could see his mission laid out clearly in his mind. And refocusing on the task at hand, and not on a pair of enchanting green eyes, was already yielding results. He could scarcely believe his good fortune.
By the time Alex had forged his way out of the crowded hall, Lord Chancellor Seton was nowhere to be found. Cursing the wasted opportunity, and the spark of jealousy that had led to it, Alex looked around, only to see someone just as important leaving the hall and starting down the corridor: Secretary Balmerino—one of the original twelve Fife Adventurers from the first attempt to colonize the Isle of Lewis a few years back. Given the secretary’s previous involvement, Alex knew that his sudden appearance at court was significant.
Alex made the quick decision not to look for the lord chancellor, but to follow Secretary Balmerino, hoping that one might lead to the other.
Living as an outlaw for the past few years, Alex had depended upon stealth to evade capture by the king’s men. He was used to moving soundlessly, to hiding under brush, to blending in with the landscape. But blending into the background at court was an altogether different proposition. In circumstances such as these, his size definitely worked against him. There weren’t too many places he could hide. It wasn’t difficult to be inconspicuous near the hall with all the people milling about, but as the secretary approached the corridor leading to the presence room, the crowds had thinned considerably, and Alex had to drop back farther and farther, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible without losing sight of him.
He also had to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Once, when he’d been forced to slip into a room to avoid the sound of approaching voices, he thought he’d lost the secretary. But a few seconds later, a muffled cough pointed him in the right direction.
Not taking any more chances, Alex drew closer, silently willing the secretary not to turn around. He would be hard-pressed to convince Secretary Balmerino that he wasn’t following him. As a precaution, he’d studied the layout of the palace; but unlike in the wild, in the palace escape routes where he could slip away unnoticed were limited. Being caught spying on these men would be tantamount to treason. Alex had been imprisoned once, courtesy of Dougal MacDonald, and he was not eager to repeat the experience. But he’d known the risks when he volunteered for the job.
When Balmerino continued past the presence room to a dark, deserted corridor at the rear of the palace, Alex breathed a sigh of relief. The alcoves that lined the hallway would provide some measure of protection. About halfway down the hall, the secretary entered a small antechamber, and Alex’s suspicions were rewarded. The secretary had led him directly to Lord Chancellor Seton and his cronies and, finally, to the conversation that Alex most wanted to hear.
The one that he hoped would send him on his way to the Isle of Lewis.
The king’s dream of colonizing Lewis, and later presumably the rest of the Western Isles, was founded on the false belief of hidden riches in the Isles that lay merely awaiting his plunder. After a series of laws aimed to divest Highlanders of their land, the king had “leased” the Isle of Lewis—land that rightly belonged to the MacLeods of Lewis—to a group of Lowlanders, mostly from Fife, who were willing to take up the challenge.
King James had hoped to establish a settlement of Lowlanders at Stornoway, the largest village on the Isle of Lewis, and eventually to build a trading port. But Alex’s kin Tormod and Neil MacLeod, with the secret help of some of the Island chiefs, had successfully burned and pillaged the interlopers back to Fife.
The “Gentlemen Adventurers from Fife,” as they called themselves—making it sound like some damn expedition rather than a conquest of their countrymen,Alex thought—had returned with their tails between their legs to a furious and humiliated king. A king who Alex knew would do everything in his power to ensure that a second attempt was not the same resounding defeat as the first.
Alex, on the other hand, would do everything to ensure otherwise. He’d be damned if he’d just sit back and watch the king steal his cousins’ land and fill it with bloody Lowlanders. But he knew that his reasons for helping his kin went even deeper. His cousins’ deaths on the battlefield at the hands of Dougal MacDonald four years ago still weighed on him. He now had the opportunity to make amends.
Tucked into one of the small alcoves that lined the corridor, Alex was doing his best to conceal his large frame in a small area—with limited success. Should someone quit the room unexpectedly, he risked almost certain discovery.
But it was a risk he had to take.
From his position to the side of the door, he could not see directly into the room, but he could hear enough to make out the gist of their conversation. Already his muscles were complaining from the effects of being confined—he’d been forced to suffer through the seemingly endless idle chitchat before they’d finally broached the subject he’d been waiting for.
Despite the discomfort, it was well worth the wait.
He recognized the commanding voice of Lord Chancellor Seton. “Rest assured you will have your ships, Secretary. The king has pledged to do all he can to ensure the success of your endeavor. Are your men ready?”
“At the king’s command, my lord chancellor. Even now my men are in Fife awaiting word, readying the colonists and stockpiling provisions. By the time the king’s ships arrive, we’ll be ready.”
“Excellent. How many colonists will you bring this time?” the lord chancellor asked.
“Perhaps four hundred persons, including fighting men, craftsmen, builders, and women.”
Alex exhaled, relieved to hear at last the direct confirmation of a second attempt by the Fife Adventurers to take Lewis. Now if only he could learnwhen….
