“’Tis an honor beyond me,” Duncan said.
“No, ’tis an honor you deserve,” Connor said.
“I swear to you,” Duncan said, thumping his fist against his chest, “no one will take Dunscaith from our clan so long as I am keeper.”
“There is one condition,” Connor said raising his finger. “Ye must marry my sister in a fortnight, and I’ll return to Dunscaith then to make sure ye do.”
Relief and joy spread through Duncan. If he could give Moira Dunscaith, she would never leave him.
“If Moira gives ye any trouble about it, you can tell her that I command it,” Connor said.
“You tell Moira that, and I’ll wager she won’t wed ye for another six months, no matter how much she wants to,” Alex said, and the others laughed.
“I fear it would work against me,” Duncan agreed.
“Let’s set sail for home,” Ian said, putting his hand on Duncan’s shoulder. “The defense of the Sleat Peninsula depends on us—and I miss my wife.”
Chapter 41
Erik glared at Hugh’s men. Their drunkenness and lack of discipline—which began with Hugh himself—disgusted him.
“Don’t mix with them,” Erik said, returning his attention to the dozen MacLeod warriors still under his command. While most of his men had been at Trotternish Castle at the time of the attack, Erik had kept a smaller group in a former MacDonald settlement on the east coast of Trotternish Peninsula to maintain control there. It had been an easy matter to collect the men on the way to this end of the island.
Despite Hugh’s slovenly ways, Erik had to admire the man’s cleverness. His plan to ambush the MacDonalds as they sailed through this narrow strait on their route home was brilliant. After taking the MacDonalds by surprise and killing their chieftain, they would sail around the Sleat Peninsula and take Dunscaith Castle.
Hugh was an untrustworthy snake, but then, so was Erik.
After they took Dunscaith, he was going to kill Hugh and take control of the MacDonald stronghold himself. A dozen disciplined MacLeod warriors were worth fifty of Hugh’s men, who were clanless pirates. Once Hugh was dead, most of them would slither away.
By taking the legendary fortress of the MacDonald chieftains, Erik would redeem himself with his chieftain and his clan. And he would have his revenge as well. Hugh had told him that Duncan was likely to remain at Trotternish as its keeper, so Duncan would not die in the ambush.
Erik smiled to himself. The revenge he had planned would be far worse than death for Duncan MacDonald. When Erik took Dunscaith Castle, he was going to cut off Moira MacDonald’s head and have it dumped at the gate of Trotternish Castle.
* * *
“There’s Castle Maol, up ahead.” Niall pointed with one hand while he held the rudder with the other.
Moira’s heart went to her throat as she looked at the MacKinnon stronghold, which stood on a headland overlooking the strait between the Isle of Skye and the mainland.
“The strait is so narrow that it makes a perfect place to trap our boats,” Moira said. “Perhaps we should have brought Rhona. She might have been able to show us where Hugh has set his ambush.”
They had left Rhona where they found her and pushed the little boat she stole out to sea.
“Well, I know I slept better when we camped last night not having to worry about her slitting my throat,” Niall said, sounding cheerful. “Besides that, she would have tried to cause trouble and alert Hugh once we got here.”
“You’re right,” Moira said. “We’re better off with her stranded miles away.”
“Our men won’t be expecting an attack from MacKinnon lands,” Niall said. “We had some trouble with the MacKinnons shortly after the four returned from France, but none since.”
“Will the MacKinnons let Hugh attack our boats from their lands?” Moira asked.
“The MacKinnons don’t want a clan war with us, but they’re not our friends,” Niall said. “They’ll turn a blind eye to Hugh’s boats and afterward pretend they didn’t know Hugh was there or why.”
Moira’s heart raced as their boat approached the MacKinnon castle. She half expected to hear the guards on the walls shout the alarm.
“You’ve heard of Saucy Mary?” Niall asked.
“Tell me about her.” Moira knew the tale, but she was grateful for the distraction.
