He nodded enthusiastically; the lass finally understood. “Aye.”
“That is ridiculous,” she spat. “And precisely why I doona trust men. Ye think because yer wee cliospairneach stands up when yer near me it gives ye the right to interfere in me life?”
“Ye have a crude way with words when ye are angry, lass.”
“No worse than ye,” she said.
“Well then…” He crossed his arms. ’Tis a useless argument. Stubborn woman.
“I thank ye for rescuing me from the guard. But I feel safe enough to walk back to the tower meself now.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond. Adam watched her stride away—flustered by her anger, yet proud that she had stood her ground so admirably.
…
The next afternoon, Laird MacKay summoned Adam to his solar. The timing was suspect, and resentment slowly unfurled in his gut, for he suspected Philip had reported the incident with Kali to his captain.
Adam stood before his sire, waiting to be acknowledged, his hands folded in front of him. Several long moments passed before the elder man dropped the missive he was reading and looked up at his son.
“What is this I hear about the redheaded witch cavorting with the devil under the moon at the burn?”
“Father!” Adam leaned forward and placed his fisted hands on the table. “Ye doona truly believe such drivel, do ye?”
“I believe whatever keeps me people under control.”
“So ye feed their ignorance by letting them live in fear.”
His father stroked his beard. “Ye are a sharp-minded lad, Adam. Me firstborn and me favorite child. But doona challenge me. I have the power to take everything ye hold dear away from ye—to banish ye until ye understand what it means to be the eldest son of the MacKay.”
“Why are ye set on destroying the lass?”
“Destroy her? I have no such intent. I want her reformed and sent back from whence she came as quickly as possible. She is a distraction to ye and everyone who encounters her.”
“That is unfair.”
“It is the truth. Look at Philip! The man lost his mind just setting eyes on her.”
“Ye blame her?”
“I blame whatever god cursed her with such a fair face. It’s unnatural.”
“Where does this superstitious foolishness come from, Father?”
“Do ye no’ remember the curse of the old tower? How yer great grandmother hung herself from the highest balustrade after she caught yer great grandsire with a redheaded witch?”
“I know she was an unkind and jealous woman and had taken to beating the younger female servants if they were comely. It had nothing to do with magic, Father. Only human nature.”
“But the clan thinks otherwise.”
“Ye prey upon the weak, Father.”
“Nay,” the laird denied. “I simply feed their superstitions and take advantage of their fears. Fear begets the greatest loyalty, my son. Ye best remember that.”
Adam shook his head, disgusted.
“Did ye ever wonder why the name Bane brings ill fortune?”
Credulity and lies! “Enough, Father. She is not what ye think.”
“So ye have disobeyed me and spent time with her—grown to admire her.”
