Margaret said nothing. Domhnall’s gaze had drifted somewhere beyond the walls.
“There was a raid along the western routes,” he continued. “MacGregor men had been crossing the passes, taking cattle from Campbell lands and attacking travelers under our protection. Me faither sent men tae intercept them.”
“Ye led them,” Margaret felt the answer.
Domhnall nodded once. “Aye.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“We met them near Glen Orchy. It was nae meant tae be a great battle, just a clash between raiding parties. But it turned intae something worse. The fighting lasted for hours. Men fell on both sides.”
Margaret watched him.
“In the end,” Domhnall said slowly, “Kenneth’s faither lay dead.”
The words hung in the air.
“I didnae strike the blow,” he added after a moment. “But a Campbell blade did. That was enough.”
Margaret’s hand rested quietly over the blanket.
“He was nae laird yet,” Domhnall continued. “Kenneth. But he was there that day. He watched his father die on the field.”
He exhaled slowly. “After that, the feud changed.”
Margaret did not interrupt.
“Three years passed,” Domhnall said. “Long enough that some believed the worst of it had cooled. I had married by then.”
It felt strange to talk about her. Then again, he could never pretend that she never existed.
“Me wife wasnae part of the feud,” Domhnall explained quietly. “She had naething tae dae with the fighting between our clans. She had never even seen a battlefield.”
His gaze remained distant.
“But Kenneth remembered.”
The silence in the chamber deepened.
“As ye ken, one night,” Domhnall continued, “MacGregor men came tae me household while I was away with me men along the western road. They… burned the house. They killed everyone who tried tae stop them.” He spoke the words plainly. “When we reached the ruins the next morning, there was naething left but ash.”
Margaret closed her eyes briefly. Her breath slowed.
Domhnall’s voice had grown colder now. “So aye, that was Kenneth’s answer tae his faither’s death.”
The quiet stretched for several seconds before he continued again.
“The Crown intervened after that, because the feud had grown too dangerous. There were negotiations, threats, agreements meant tae keep the clans from tearing each other apart entirely.”
Margaret looked at him. “And that is where I came in.”
Domhnall nodded slowly. “Yer faither became involved in those negotiations.”
Margaret’s gaze lifted.
“Drummond lands sit between Campbell and MacGregor territory. The Crown believed an alliance through marriage might stabilize the region.”
She nodded faintly.
