Once Iain was carried away, Jamie stepped forward, growing angrier by the second. Such childishtheatrics these were, intended as insult and taken as insult.
“I’ll no’ take issue with you, Sir Dugald, until I hear what has happened,” Jamie said with deliberate evenness of tone.
“Take issue all you want, MacKinnion. But if you’re wanting to know what happened, ask your man there. See if he dares tell the truth.”
Dugald’s finger was pointed at Black Gawain, and Jamie eyed his cousin with considerable surprise. “You? What have you to do with this? You werena even here for the wedding.”
“I came after you took your leave—and your pleasure—with your new bride.”
The rudeness of it was bad enough, but the unmistakable bitterness in Gawain’s voice disturbed Jamie. He was reminded of the spring raid, and how Gawain had behaved when he found his sister dead. Hell-bent on blood and revenge. Did he still hold that grudge? Had Iain been his revenge?
“You stabbed the man?” Jamie asked without preamble.
“I did.”
“An accident?”
“Nay.”
Jamie took a deep breath, holding himself in check. There was not an ounce of remorse in Gawain. If anything, he was belligerent on purpose.
“You’ll be telling me why.”
Jamie’s tone was sharp, leaving no mistake about his rising temper. Black Gawain wisely took note ofit and was less bellicose as he said, “You’ve no need to worry I was without cause, Jamie. The man rose to attack me. If he was slow and cloddish and my dirk found him first, whose fault was that? The first attack was his.”
“But he wouldna have attacked you!” Sheena gasped. “I know Iain. He wasna a fighter.”
Jamie gave Sheena a sharp look. She was not to interfere.
“Who else can tell me what happened here?” he demanded, looking around.
“You doubt me, Jamie?” Black Gawain asked.
Jamie eyed him steadily. “Since when is only one side a fair accounting?”
“I can be telling you what happened here.” A Fergusson spoke up. “’Twas no’ the way he says.”
“You saw it all?” Jamie was being very careful.
“I was next to Iain at the table,” the man explained. “I couldna help but see it all.”
“And what part wasna as my cousin claims?”
“Nae part,” the man said without hesitating, his accent thickening with his emotion. “The MacKinnion came, and nae sooner did he sit down, he started in on poor Iain. Boasting he was, of raiding us. Laughing, too, he was, over how many Fergussons he’d killed. He was baiting Iain, and nae mistake. He should’ve come to my side, and he’d hae found what he was after. But Iain was only disgusted wi’ his blathering. He rose to leave,no’ to attack. He would’ve walked away if this one hadna gone for his dirk and stuck it in him.”
Silence reigned once again. Sheena was appalled, believing her kinsman completely. Didn’t she know all too well what kind of man Black Gawain was? Hadn’t he attacked her, as well, without provocation? A different kind of attack, but still an attack.
Jamie was in a quandary, unable to believe it of his cousin. The same age, the boys had grown up together. Would Gawain deliberately provoke a fight? He couldn’t have changed so drastically in the months since his sister’s death, could he? There had to be more to it.
What was Jamie to do, take the word of a man he didn’t know over his cousin’s version? Yet he had to make a decision. The tension in the room was getting very bad. It was obvious that all his clan believed Black Gawain and the Fergussons believed their man. Even young Niall stood on his seat, viewing the scene below with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Could Jamie stop the men from fighting?
“Were you looking for a fight, Black Gawain?” Jamie had to ask the question.
“No’ looking, but no’ backing down, either. If I had wanted to fight the Lowlander, I would’ve challenged him outright, no’ goaded him to it.”
Jamie sighed. His decision would not be greeted well by Sheena’s clan. “What we have then is an error in judgment, a misconstruing of simple actions. I’m thinking it can only be called an accident, however unfortunate it was.”
“Are you now?” Dugald spoke up, his face mottled with anger. “And I’m thinking we’ll be getting no justice here!”
