She wondered at his certainty and bit her lip, hesitating to mention the rest. Her father was angry enough with her. But she had to put this behind her. "He claims that he was there when you killed his father and saw the whole thing."
The slight flicker in his gaze could have been anything, but her heart stopped.
"That's impossible," he dismissed. "I don't know what he saw, but Colin Mor and I had fallen away from the group. We were alone when we fought. In any event, I have never denied that he fell by my sword. Or that my victory for our clan was the cause of the Campbells losing their lands around Loch Awe. If Arthur Campbell harbors vengeance for that, it cannot be helped--but it is no excuse."
She forced herself to look at him, though she hated herself for repeating Arthur's accusation. "He said that his father had you at the point of his sword, offered you surrender, that you accepted, but then killed him when he turned away."
This time the flicker in his eyes could not be misinterpreted. Nor the tightening in his jaw or the white lines around his mouth. He was angry.
Angry, but not outraged the way he should have been.
The blood drained from her face.Oh God, it's true.
The horror in her expression seemed to annoy him. "It was a long time ago. I did what I had to do. Colin Mor was growing too powerful. Encroaching on our lands. He had to be stopped."
Anna felt as if she were looking at a familiar stranger, seeing the real man for the first time. He was still the father she loved, but he was no longer a man who could do no wrong. A man whom she did not question. He was no longer a god. Nay, he was frighteningly human. Flawed and capable of making mistakes. Big mistakes. Hideous mistakes.
Arthur was right. There was nothing her father wouldn't do to win. Even the good of the clan would not stop him.
"You have little cause to judge, daughter. You who would let a traitor to your clan walk free." His voice grew so hard it shook. "Do you know what kind of harm he could have done?"
He was right. She'd chosen to let Arthur go free, even knowing he could harm her clan, because she could not bear the thought of being the instrument of his death. "I didn't want to see him hurt. I ... I care for him." She stopped. Suddenly, the tense he'd used struck her. Her heart pounded. " 'Could have'?" she asked.
Her father's mouth was clamped tight, the whiteness of his lips stark against his ruddy, angered face. "You are fortunate that I was able to mitigate a disaster. My men surrounded Campbell when he tried to leave last night. He carried a message with him that proved his guilt." His eyes flared dangerously. "A message that would have ruined everything."
Anna couldn't breathe as horror pounded her. Fear laced around her heart and squeezed. "What have you done with him?"
"It's none of your concern."
Tears burned the back of her throat. Her eyes. Panic seized her lungs. She could barely get the words out. "Please, Father, just tell me ... is he alive?"
He didn't answer right away, but watched her with a cold, assessing gaze. "For now," he said. "I have some questions for him."
She closed her eyes, exhaling with an overwhelming sense of relief. "What will you do with him?"
He eyed her impatiently. Clearly, he didn't like her questions. "That depends on him."
"Please, I must see him." She needed to make sure he was all right.
He looked outraged by the request. "So you can let him go again? I don't think so." He clenched his mouth angrily. "It would serve no purpose. The man is dangerous and can't be trusted."
"Arthur would never hurt me," she said automatically, then realized it was the truth. He loved her. Deep down she'd known it. It didn't change anything in the past, but perhaps it could the future. Her heart squeezed. If he had a future. "Please?"
Her pleas fell on deaf ears, his dark-eyed gaze hard and unyielding. "Arthur Campbell is no longer your concern. You have done enough damage already. How can I be sure that you will not try to find some way to help him?"
The protest died in her throat. Truth be told, she wasn't sure either. The fear that clutched her heart when she thought of Arthur imprisoned made her realize that her feelings for him were not so easy to put aside.
"I did not expect this from you, Anna." The disappointment in his voice cut to the bone. Worse, she knew it was deserved. But she felt trapped--caught between two men she loved. He dismissed her with a harsh wave of his hand. "You will be ready to leave within the hour."
She sucked in her breath. "Leave? But where?"
"Your brother Ewen is marching ahead of the army with a large force of men to bolster our defenses at Innis Chonnel; you will go with him. Once we have sent King Hood to the devil, you will visit my cousin the Bishop of Argyll on Lismore. There, you will have time to think about what you have done--and where your loyalty lies."
Anna nodded, her tears coming harder. Clearly he didn't trust her and wanted her gone from the castle while he was away.
She knew she'd gotten off lightly. Her father's punishment could have been much more severe. But she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Arthur not knowing what was to become of him.
"Please, I'll do anything you ask. Just promise me you won't kill him while I am gone." She choked on a sob. "I love him."
