“Raiders?” Hamish glanced from Donald to Alec, who gave a grim nod.
“Orkneymen. They attacked the village just tae the north, murdered some and took others with them…seven lasses, two of them wives and their bairns left with no mother. A villager who lost his own promised bride spied the leader, Sigurdson, aboard his ship with a young woman he called Tira—aye, surely the Cheyne lass.”
“Tira is alive?”
Alec nodded at Errol, his face gone ashen and his eyes stricken to hear this news, while Rowen stared with disbelief at Alec.
“You knew of Tira and didna tell me?”
“Forgive me, I should have done so, but we didna speak until early this morning when we…”
Alec fell silent, Rowen’s flushed face and the slight shake of her head a sign for him not to imply anything more about how they had occupied themselves until his warrior had pounded upon their bedchamber door. Instead, he looked back at Hamish and Errol, who still appeared shaken, making Alec wonder…
“I canna say if these are the same raiders who bartered for the lass, but at least we know who has her now.”
“Aye, her father will hear this news,” Hamish answered for them, Errol’s hand clenched around the hilt of his sword as if in silent fury. “We hadna seen her since she was a bairn until the funeral of her mother only days before she was abducted. I’ve never seen a fairer lass with her long flaxen hair—och, other than my own Rowen. Errol was smitten by her?—”
“Iwill ride with you, Mackay,” Errol interjected in so harsh a voice that Alec realized now Rowen’s brother must have been far more than smitten.
“Errol…at least now there is hope,” Rowen murmured, reaching out to touch his arm though Alec could see that her tender gesture of sympathy didn’t ease Errol’s hardened expression.
“I feared her dead…when all the while she’s been suffering—och, Mackay, let us go!”
“Aye, and we will join you!” declared Hamish while already, Errol had strode back to his horse and mounted. “We can do naught else, Tira Cheyne is our kin!”
Alec nodded, the well-armed force to ride out against the Orkney raiders suddenly quadrupled in size.
He took only a moment to embrace Rowen fiercely, kissing her full on the mouth for all to see, and then he mounted the powerfully muscled roan gelding that a stable hand had saddled for him.
“Where is Tempest?” Donald demanded, Alec nodding his head toward the stable.
“Still healing…och, it is done and behind us, Father,” he said to Donald’s vehement curse, everyone waiting now for Alec to lead the way.
With a last glance at Rowen, her chin lifted and her stunning gaze riveted upon him as he silently mouthed to her, “I love you,” Alec veered his horse around and headed toward the gates, the assembled warriors parting to make a pathway for him.
Donald just behind with Hamish and a grim-faced Errol alongside him, followed by Rowen’s other brothers and the rest of the men…a great warlike roar erupting from dozens of throats as the Mackays and Sutherlands rode out together.
* * *
“So he doesna love her,Sheena? You’re either blind or mad—or both.”
Sheena said nothing as Kael looked at her with disgust and left her to walk back into the kitchen, her heart pounding in disbelief.
No, it couldn’t be true! Yet she had seen and heard it all with her own eyes and ears.
Rowen’s passionate declaration of love…and Alec pulling her close to proclaim his love for her as well—och, and how he had just embraced her so tightly as if never wanting to let her go.
Sheena swallowed against the hard lump in her throat threatening to choke her even as bitter tears blinded her.
It should beherstanding there and watching him ride away and not that enemy bride who had come to Strathnaver and dashed all of her hopes, all of her dreams.
Yet Alec clearly hadn’t given her a thought, not even spared her a glance though she and Kael had stood together not far away—aye, she hated him now, too!
Sheena blinked away her tears and hastened toward Rowen, who still stood in the middle of the bailey facing the gates that yawned open.
Damn them both to hell, she didn’t need Kael’s help to ensure that Sutherland bitch wouldn’t be waiting for Alec when he returned, she would do it herself! She knew exactly where to find those raiders, aye, no more than an hour’s ride away.
“Lady Mackay, didna you hear me?”
