Page 73 of Fire in his Highland Heart

“Any chance tae beat the shite out of a traitor,” Douglas hissed.

James sighed in defeat. “I ken I cannae stop ye. But if ye get out of hand, I will not hesitate tae break ye up.”

He hoped the men heeded his words, for the fight started at that moment. Douglas lunged forward first and landed a mean right hook on Blake’s jaw. Blake stumbled backward at the impact, but quickly regained his footing and managed a blow to Douglas’s stomach and arm. Both men were great fighters, equally matched in their skill and physical strength. Blake was taller and a bit leaner, a little lighter on his feet, where Douglas was shorter and stockier, built more like a brick wall. If anyone could stand his ground, it was him, and if anyone could surprise their opponent with fancy footwork and a sneak attack, it was Blake.

The fight lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour. The horses grazed at the grass lining the main road, completely unbothered. Suddenly, Blake lost his footing, tripping on a loose stone he didn’t see, and fell directly on his back. He groaned in pain, but Douglas took this opportunity to deliver a winning blow. He scrambled onto Blake and punched at his face. Blake tried to hold his arms up in front of him to stop the blows.

James continued to watch, grimacing, until Blake reached up and caught Douglas by the throat. Douglas immediately began to make a choking noise, and that was when James decided this fight needed to end. He dismounted quickly and scrambled over, using all of his strength to disconnect the two brawling men.

“Enough! Enough! This is madness. Ye two are friends! Ye owe each other yer lives!” he shouted at the two of them.

Douglas tried to lunge at Blake again, but James held him back fiercely. Blake grinned and laughed maniacally; a sight made all the more horrifying by the blood in his mouth from being punched in the face. He spit to the side, into the dirt.

“Douglas, d’ye ken why we left in such a hurry? The real reason?” James asked.

Douglas looked confusedly from James to Blake. “What d’ye mean, the real reason?”

James sighed and bid him sit down. Now all three of them were sitting in the dirt in the middle of the main road. “Blake thinks he heard Arguen choose Malcolm over him.”

Douglas wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Well, that’s horseshite,” he said simply.

“Nay, ‘tisn’t,” Blake spoke up. “I went tae talk wi’ Cataline in the dungeons. ‘Twas not pleasant. When I was done, I came back upstairs lookin’ for Arguen. I had tae see her again, tae remind myself that there was good in the world. But…” he gulped here and grimaced, as he’d swallowed some blood, “I found her an’ Malcolm in the study. ‘Twas right after her testimony, so I thought they might be speakin’. But...I heard Malcolm confess his love for her. Then she said ‘Och, Malcolm,’ an’ embraced him. That’s when I left.”

Douglas shook his head, wordlessly telling Blake he had it all wrong. “Nay, ‘tis not that at all. Malcolm’s always liked her, aye, but she’s never had feelings for him. She loves ye, Blake. She told me so ‘afore I came after ye.”

“But with Malcolm... I heard what I heard,” Blake protested.

Douglas rolled his eyes. “Did ye not think tae talk tae her afterward? Ask her the goings-on? Seek clarity?”

Blake mumbled a no. James rolled his eyes.

“She loves ye an’ only ye. Wants tae be with ye forever. An’...I dinnae ken how ye’ll take this news, but...she’s with child. Yer child,” Douglas added.

Blake perked up right away at that. Even if he did not love her, that was reason enough to go back to her. But...this was just icing on the Bundt cake. He knew it could only be his, since he had been her first and only. “I... I didnae ken this,” he said, much softer.

“I think she waited tae be sure. But she does love ye. Only ye. An’ I ken she wants tae build a family. Since ours was broken, ‘tis all she’s ever wanted.”

Blake suddenly felt his heart flutter. He too wanted the same things. He wanted to build a proper family and raise children with the right woman. He knew Arguen was that woman. But now, he was so embarrassed that he didn’t quite know what to do with himself.

“I cannae face her after this,” Blake said wearily.

“Aye, ye can,” James said. “If ye dinnae do it, I’ll force ye tae go back meself. Poke ye in the back with a tree branch.”

The three of them laughed together at James’s lighthearted little quip.

“Right. Well...I reckon we ought tae get back tae Bruckstone an’ clean this whole mess up,” Blake said.

“Aye. Ye look particularly terrible,” Douglas teased.

“Och, but I had ye there for minute,” Blake said. They helped each other up, and they all mounted their horses and began to ride back to Bruckstone Castle.

“Neither of ye had the other. Ye looked like drunk, bumbling idiots,” James said dryly.

They all three laughed again. It felt good to be reunited like this. Now all Blake had to do was give a grand apology and sweep Arguen off her feet. That is...if he did not accidentally spit blood on her first.

Maybe a good bath would be needed first.

Chapter Twenty-Six