Not because she had wanted him to, but because it wasn’t like a seducer at all—saints help her, what sort of men were these Campbells?
One a bold flatterer and the other, as reluctant as a monk who had taken a vow of silence to utter more than a couple brusque words!
“My father and brother were taken prisoner by English soldiers—along with the few men that weren’t slaughtered. They were attacked the moment they set foot upon the shore, as if lookouts had been posted to watch for them—an ambush!”
“English, you say?”
Aislinn saw that Cameron’s shoulders had tightened, his blue eyes boring into her.
“Aye, and Scotsmen among them—the traitors! All had been arranged, my father believing he’d be met by some of King Robert’s forces, but he was betrayed! Everything happened so fast—ah, God.”
Now Aislinn swallowed hard as her throat constricted at the terrible memories that assailed her.
“My clansmen were cut down right and left as they fought alongside my father and Daran, who were struck down, too! Finnegan and I and three others had been the last to disembark from the ship and were wading ashore—Laird Campbell, do they live? My kinsmen?”
A grim shake of his head made Aislinn feel sick inside, the food she’d eaten suddenly roiling in her stomach. It was hard to continue, but somehow she did. “The English took my father and brother… and the Scotsmen brought us here—”
“How long ago?” Conall had blurted out this query, and then glanced at his brother, who still had his gaze fixed upon Aislinn.
“Aye, how long?”
Cameron’s voice had sunk to a harsh whisper, which made her shake her head.
“I-I cannot say. We were shoved into that pit, no light at all to tell night from day. Finnegan managed to count eleven days, mayhap twelve… but by then we’d all grown so weak. We never knew when they would bring us food and water, so there was no way for us to know how much time had passed—”
“Nearly two weeks, then,” Conall broke in again, Cameron nodding grimly.
“Anything beyond that and they would have all been dead,” he said more to Conall, no longer looking at her. “Finnegan told me that she stowed away on her father’s ship. I canna believe when the battle erupted that Lord De Burgh was pleased tae see her—”
“Aye, I stowed away because I wanted to fight for King Robert as much as my father and Daran! I would have challenged those accursed English, too, if Finnegan hadn’t held me back!”
Outraged that they were speaking about her as if she wasn’t there, Aislinn rose from her chair so abruptly that it crashed to the floor.
“You saw yourself, Laird Campbell, that I can wield a sword as well as any man! Finnegan taught me to defend myself and this would have been my chance to prove to my father that I can fight, too! Yet the battle was over before it had even begun and Finnegan held me back! He was my teacher, aye, a second father to me, but for that I’ll never forgive him—”
“He saved your life, woman!”
Aislinn gaped at Cameron, who had taken several steps toward her and reached out as if he wanted to shake her, though instead he gestured at Conall.
“Get her out of my sight, now! I swore tae protect her, aye, but it’s more likely I’ll be forced tae protect the lass from herself!”
Conall lunged around the table and caught Aislinn before she could dodge him, but not fast enough to prevent her from grabbing a bread knife from the table. Within an instant, the blade was pressed to Conall’s throat, his eyes widening in disbelief.
“Uh… Cameron—”
“I don’t need or want your protection, Laird Campbell,” Aislinn said tightly, surprised herself at her drastic action as Cameron’s countenance growing truly thunderous. “I want you to swear to me now in front of Conall and everyone else in this hall that you’ll take me to King Robert. Not tomorrow or a week from now—we leave this morning! He’ll know how to find my father and brother. We’re his wife’s cousins after all. He’ll be honor bound to help me—”
“They’re dead by now, nothing tae find,” came Cameron’s grim response, Aislinn aware that he had edged closer as she shook her head at him.
“No! The English had to have known my father is a nobleman and seized him for ransom! Word has surely flown to Wexford and gold is being gathered—”
“Aye, and once delivered tae his captors, they’ll be executed all the same.”
“No, I don’t believe you! Now swear or you’ll have your brother’s death on your hands!” Aislinn stood her ground as Cameron stepped closer, which forced her to press the blade harder against Conall’s throat. She hadn’t meant to pierce him, but the tip of the knife broke his skin, a trickle of blood oozing forth.
“Cameron… by God, swear tae the lass, will you?”
Her heartbeat thundering at Conall’s hoarse plea, Aislinn wondered with mounting dread if Cameron would lunge at her even as he glanced beyond them to a commotion at the entrance to the hall.
