Page 60 of The Cursed Highland Bride

“I dinnae ken, but if they are nae a part o’ this, then that is a weapon that we can use against Alistair Morgan tae protect ourselves.”

“Should we send a rider tae the king?”

“Let us wait and see what unfolds. I dinnae wish tae be forced tae annul my marriage tae Katarina just tae be forced once again intae a marriage that I did nae choose.”

“And how will ye stop the crown from making such a demand once they discover the truth?”

Dunn smiled. “They cannae force me tae annul a marriage that I chose for myself and was consummated.”

Tor smiled back and clasped his brother on the shoulder. “I am happy for ye, brother. May I be the first tae offer ye salutations o’ joy.”

“Ye may, but only if the lady agrees.” He frowned as he looked back out over the water. And survives…

* * *

When the boat returned carrying the spy that they had been waiting for, Dunn and Tor met him on the shore. “What did ye find?” Dunn demanded to know before the man had even stepped out of the boat. “Are they waiting for us?”

The man shook his head. “They have gone. It appears that they have returned tae the safety o’ the Morgan lands. We found a man left tae spy, but he was done away with.” He made a motion with his thumb across his throat for emphasis.

“Are ye certain that there was only one?”

“As certain as I can be. It is possible that more were hiding, but ye can be certain that there will be others along the way tae Morgan’s stronghold. He will ken that we are coming. There is nae way tae stop it, but we will nae meet with resistance upon landing.”

Dunn nodded his head, his frown deepening. “He wants us tae come. If he did nae, he would have had a force ready and waiting for us along the coast.”

“Do ye suspect a trap, my laird?”

“Where Morgan is concerned, I always suspect a trap.” Dunn raised his hand as a signal to his waiting men, then moved it forward toward the sea. The men streamed across the land to the waiting boats. They could not take every man and leave the castle vulnerable, so a select number of soldiers had been handpicked for the task. It would not be an easy job to take Morgan from his stronghold, but with the right men and a well-thought-out strategic plan, they stood a chance. It was a small chance, but Dunn would take it.

Once they were all loaded with their weapons, Tor boarded one boat, and Dunn put his foot upon the other. “May God keep ye safe,” Tor bid him farewell as the men shoved off away from shore.

“And ye, brother.” Dunn signaled for his men to push off, and they set out across the sea toward mainland Scotland.

* * *

Alistair stood upon the battlements and surveyed the land before him for any sign of movement. His men had returned defeated from their attack on the Clan Leòideach. The Morgan forces had been crushed. Alistair had anticipated that such would be the case and remained behind to defend his own stronghold, for the end goal had been to draw the Leòideach men out so that he might defeat them on his own lands. He had been furious when he discovered that Dunn Leòideach had escaped his plans to murder them all in their beds.

When the man named Bran had returned to the castle from their supposed bathing at the loch to report that the Laird Leòideach had been wounded in an attack by a band of Romani and had returned to Orkney, Alistair had lashed out and struck the messenger. He had contemplated murdering the Romani women in his cells in retaliation but decided against it in case they could be used as a further lure to get the Lady of Leòideach to convince her husband to return. As long as they were in his custody, he still had an opportunity to use them.

Seizing Bran, he had him beaten to verify if he was telling the truth. No matter how hard they hit him, he maintained that what he said was the truth. Alistair had ordered him taken someplace far from the castle and killed, and his men had dragged him away without question. Alistair had then proceeded to set forth his secondary plan of attack to lure the Laird of Leòideach from his Orkney stronghold.

“My laird! My laird!” One of his men came riding into the courtyard at full speed. “We have captured the Lady o’ Leòideach!”

A grin spread across Alistair’s face. “Where?”

“We found her by the loch where we killed her family.”

“Where is she now?”

“With her sisters.”

Alistair nodded. “He will come. He will have nae choice but tae come now.”

“How do ye ken that the Laird o’ Leòideach survived his wounds?” one of his men asked from beside him. “He may nae be able tae come.”

“He was seen fighting on the shores o’ Orkney. If he is well enough tae fight, he will come for his wife.”

“How will he ken that ye have her?”