Page 53 of Claimed Highland Brides

She inhaled noisily, nostrils flared with annoyance. “Give me time to change my clothes and I shall go and see my uncle.”

Simon stepped back at once. “Aye, alrigh’.”

The door closed in his face and he took a deep breath before beginning to pace as he waited. He hoped with everything he had that the lady would not take her time with her toilette. Time was of the essence. Wherever they had taken him, he doubted that his kidnappers meant Daividh any good. He feared that even now, they were too late.

The door opened and Lady Fiona strode out, followed by a retinue of women. Simon recognized them as the lady’s sisters and perhaps their maids as well. They seemed to be quite a number. They marched down the stairs and straight to the laird’s quarters. Lady Fiona knocked quite loudly on the door and then turned the knob without waiting for permission to enter.

She closed the door behind her and left the rest of them waiting in the corridor like a royal guard. Simon planted himself in the back, resolving not to move until he knew whether his friend was to be saved or not.

* * *

“I love ye Uncle Donnchadh,” Fiona said and could see the surprise on his face at her words when she had walked into his rooms with so much aggression.

“I too love ye, my niece. Why have ye⁠—”

“Ye ken why I am here, Uncle. I need yer help. Because as much as I love ye like I did my faither, Daividh is my soul. Ye mun’ help me get him back, please Uncle. Tell me where he is.”

Uncle Donnchadh blanched, looking disconcerted at her blatant honesty. “Ye’re engaged to Hunter. Ye cannae⁠—”

“I will gang the noo and break the engagement but this is urgent. Where have they taken him? What will they do wi’ him?”

Donnchadh looked away. “I dinnae ken.”

“Uncle Donnchadh, ye say ye love me. Do ye want me tae be happy?”

“O’ course I do but…”

“Wha’ is he holding ower ye, Uncle?”

Donnchadh looked away, hunching in on himself. “I dinnae⁠—”

“Ye will never be free o’ him. He will use ye until he has wrung ye dry. Please Uncle, can we no just make a stand? Tell me where they have taken him.”

Donnchadh turned to look at her, eyes bleak. “I really dinnae ken. But…” He stopped, forehead sweating, and licked his lips. “I suppose a good tracker could find them. They werenae hiding. And I suppose there is only one place really that Hunter would take him.”

“And where is that?”

Donnchadh met her eyes. “Glendale.”

Fiona leaned forward. “Uncle Donnchadh, will ye gi’ me men to follow them?”

Donnchadh sighed. “Nae. I willnae gi’ ye men. I will take ye.”

Fiona smiled. “Thank ‘e Uncle.”

“Dinnae thank me, Lady Fiona. I am the one who betrayed him in th’ first place…” He met her eyes. “Just as I betrayed yer faither.”

Fiona blinked, a few things rearranging themselves in her mind. It came to her that her uncle was saying her father’s death had not been an accident. That somehow, Laird Hunter had engineered it...with her uncle’s help. To his credit, her uncle did not plead for her forgiveness or try to justify his actions. He simply looked at her and waited.

She took in a deep, shaky breath, and tried to clear her mind. “Find Daividh and save him and then we can discuss the rest.”

Donnchadh nodded. “Aye. Come, there is a lot to plan.” He took her arm and led her to the door, pausing only briefly in surprise when he saw the crowd outside.

“Simon, gather the men. We have a man down we mun’ bring back home.”

Simon’s face brightened visibly and he nodded determinedly. “Aye sir. Right away.” He hurried off towards the courtyard as Donnchadh led the rest to his war room.

“Ye mun’ understand that he willnae let ye gang easily my dear. I think he has been planning this since ye were born.” Donnchadh shook his head.