Page 71 of The Laird’s Wrong Wife

Tommy glanced at Lennan. “Has somethin’ happened?”

“I will tell ye what ye need to ken once I have spoken with Lennan. Go with yer sister.”

Paisley took Tommy’s hand. Oscar waited until both children turned toward the stairs before looking at Ceana.

“Stay with them.”

Her lips were swollen from their kiss, and one loosened strand of hair hung against her flushed cheek. She studied him with the same sharp attention that had stripped through every excuse he offered in the recess, and he turned away before she could answer.

Lennan matched his pace down the nearest stairs. “A rider came from Morrag.”

Oscar’s blood ran cold. “Who?”

“Fergus. One of David’s men.”

Oscar was already three steps ahead. “Where is he?”

“The guardroom beside the inner hall.”

Fergus sat on a bench with road mud dried on his thighs and smoke caught in his plaid. A shallow cut marked his temple, and blood had run into his hair and dried there. The cup beside him remained untouched. He attempted to rise when Oscar approached.

“Stay seated,” Oscar urged. “Give me what ye brought.”

Fergus reached inside his coat and produced a folded note. Only after Oscar had taken it did the man grab the cup.

The wax bore Laird Morrag’s seal, familiar from the letters they had exchanged before the wedding. Heat had softened one edge, and a smear of blood crossed the fold. The seal itself remained clear.

Oscar broke it and read the letter.

MacKane,

Bryce crossed the eastern burn at first light beneath Gilmore colors. Two steadings burn, and his men hold the north road. His sealed demand names Daphne and calls Ceana’s marriage a second theft. We hold Morrag Castle for now, but we cannot do it on our own for long. Bring what strength you can.

Laird Morrag.

The final sentence had been pressed more deeply into the page. David’s signature beneath it remained firm.

Oscar read the note again. David had written it, which meant he had lived long enough to seal it. For all he knew, Ceana’s parents were still alive. If that had changed while Fergus rode, Oscar would have to face Ceana and tell her.

“When did ye leave Morrag?” he asked.

“Yesterday mornin’, me Laird. I changed horses once. The second beast carried me through the night, though she cannae ride again today.”

“How many Gilmore men did ye see?”

“Several scores crossed first. There were more behind them. I saw dust on the eastern road after the first ranks passed.”

Oscar folded the note along its original crease. “They seized the north road?”

“Aye. Men were posted there before I left.”

“The western approach?”

“It remained open then. I cannae swear to it now.”

“Were the gates holdin’?”

Fergus gripped the cup with both hands. “Laird Morrag called the outer tenants inside and barred the gates. Gilmore’s men hadnae reached the walls when he sent me.”