CHAPTER ELEVEN
The meal passed in relative silence. Though the spread was lavish by anyone’s standards, with huge platters of wild deer, boar, rabbit, and fowl, Annabella could hardly place a bite in her mouth without wanting to spit it back out again. Everything tasted like ash, and the cook was not to be blamed.
MacDonald had made a plea and she had answered in the only way that made any sense. But it did not sit well with her. Like it or not, she was at the centre of a very dangerous game, and if she wanted any control over the outcome, she would need to do exactly what she had just done—play along.
“Do you not like wild game, Lady Annabella?” the man sitting next to her asked. “I do, but it appears I have little appetite this eve.”
He gave her a sympathetic smile. “You are too young to be caught up in these political games.”
She liked that he had not said anything about her gender. “I thank you for your kindness, sir.”
The rest of them were so busy trying to find ways to use her to their advantage, they had forgotten that she was a living, breathing person who had feelings. This man’s kindness was a bit of a tipping point. If anyone raised their voice to her, her courage would rise to meet it. However, his kind words made her eyes sting, and she had to fight hard not to let a tear slip by.
“This is a nasty business, lass, and has been going on for many years. It is unfortunate that one such as yourself has been tangled up in it.”
Annabella glanced around to find Angus and Graham deep in a side conversation. Perhaps she could probe this man for information without anyone else’s knowledge.
“How did this all begin?”
“Oh, that’s a story that would take a year and a day to tell, lass. Suffice it to say that the Stewart wants what we have and we are not letting it go. One thing you need to always remember is that once we see something as ours, we will hold onto it to our dying breath.”
Something shifted in Annabella, then. Though she wanted desperately to see her cousin, she longed for the kind of fierce loyalty and pride these people held for their lord and their community. Not one person she had encountered here appeared unhappy with their circumstance. Well, except for the maid Rhona. But that had nothing to do with where she lived or her duties, it would appear. No, that was all about the man sitting beside her.
The moment Angus’s attention turned back to her, she sensed it. Her body tingled with anticipation, and somehow, without even turning, she could feel his gaze on her.
“What do you tell her, Iain?”
“Naught that she shouldn’t know,” he said. “She is a part of this now and deserves to understand what she has been drawn into.”
“And do you have an understanding what is at stake here, Lady Annabella?”
“I believe so, MacDonald. You feel you own this land, and wish to protect it and those who live and work here. My cousin’s husband is king and, while I agree he cannot take your lands unlawfully, he is Scotland’s monarch and you must recognize that.”
Had she gone too far? He had asked for her thoughts, and she did not see a reason to hide them from him. If he was going to trust her to help him, then she had to start by being honest, herself.
“I do notfeelI own this land. I do. By law. Your cousin’s husband has no claim on it or us. We do not recognize laws that are passed hundreds of miles away by people who have never even been here.”
“That may be so, MacDonald, but your insolence will only get you so far. If you wish to win this game of yours, you must understand your enemy. I do not believe that you do.”
“Oh, I understand him well enough—”
“No, you do not. You imagine him to be a tyrant with no vision, who wishes to steal your lands and your rights away.”
Graham sat up a little straighter then, and slowly shook his head at her. Angus’s fists clenched on the table. “You know him so well, do you? Tell me, Lady Annabella, did he tell you about the dozens he had slaughtered at Inverness because they opposed his laws on authoritative reform? No? I thought not. This blind faith you have in him will get us all killed. I need to know I can trust you.”
“Do not twist my words, MacDonald. I do not follow you or him. I have my own king to bow to and, as a woman, every other man I encounter.” She could not believe her ears. He wanted her assistance, yet would not even have a simple discussion with her about the circumstances into which he had dragged her. She worked hard not to lose her temper, but rather sat with her hands folded gently in her lap as though they discussed the spring rains.
“Something tells me you do not bow to anyone easily, Lady Annabella. I do not tell you this to shame your cousin or condescend to you. I tell you this because, if you are to help us, you must exercise a high level of caution. You cannot even tell your cousin what you are about.”
Did he think her that daft?
“You do not have to worry about me, MacDonald. I understood what was at stake here when I offered my assistance. I will have to bear the weight of my actions on my own conscience, and you need not worry about it. In the meantime, I would appreciate understanding the reasons behind your father’s capture.”
“He was taken because he would not comply with the Stewart’s demands to relinquish his title and his lands.”
“Surely there is more to the story than that?” She turned to Iain.
He shook his head and frowned. “Unfortunately, lass, Angus is right. That is why Alexander was taken. It really is that simple.”
