Page 60 of Highlander’s Evil Side

“Enough, Hamilton,” said Laird Douglas while raising a hand. He slowly rose and strode towards Fraser, stopping a foot before him. “Yer father was a good man. Aye, he was hard and gruff at times but a good man. Yer father also knew what it meant to be laird.” Laird Douglas sighed. “That said, the MacClery Clan has not always been at peace. There has been strife within the lands, men fighting over the title of laird, villages being pillaged, and women being taken.” His gaze narrowed while he leaned towards Fraser. “I do not know of yer birth night. Only yer mother and whoever was with her that night would know. But, I do know this, yer father would do anything to keep the peace. Anything.”

Fraser’s breath faltered. He swallowed the lump in his throat. His legs wobbled underneath him. He couldn’t say anything. It couldn't be the truth. It was too shocking to believe. However, he did not know for sure yet. The man could still be someone else.

“If ye want to know the truth,” said Laird Douglas. “Then I would ask yer mother or her midwife.”

* * *

Fraser watched his guards practice in the courtyard. He had rushed back quickly to the castle after his meeting with the laird elders. The news of a possible twin had left him numb. He kept himself busy, focused on his men. He crossed his arms while he searched his men, wondering which pair Beitris had spoken with two days before when she had disappeared with Hamish. Beitris said one had a scar on his chin, and the other had long red hair, yet he did not know those men, and they were not in the courtyard.

Scott stood next to him, silent and watching. He had returned from questioning the soldiers watching the camps, yet none of them knew of such men. Ian fought in front of them. The boy was quick yet lacked technique. Fraser could see he would make a wonderful warrior. He would need to ensure Gavin and Kenneth groomed him. Talent like his shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Have ye questioned the men returning from the western village?” Fraser asked, not taking his eyes off Ian while he blocked an attack.

“Aye, I have; however, nae one knows of the pair Beitris spoke of.”

Scott ground his teeth. Something was in the air; he could feel it. It felt like the beginning of a battle. His insides were twisting themselves into a knot. His shoulders were tense; his hand kept drifting to his hilt. Something was going to happen, and soon.

Beitris shouldn’t be here. With that one thought, his gaze drifted up to her open window, scaling each and every stone, wondering if anyone could slip easily inside. He would need to speak to her about ensuring she locked her windows at night.

“Did ye speak with Ian?”

“Yesterday.” Scott’s sigh only heightened Fraser’s tension, his worry. “He told me it was the first time he had met the pair and that they seemed odd. They mostly kept to themselves. I spoke to the villagers, as well, and the women did not care for them. They also said it was their first time seeing the men.”

Fraser’s hands fisted. With men going in and out to help with the villagers, it was easy to overlook two men, easy to think they were villagers or soldiers. He would need to change the password to the gate, but he did not know if that would suffice. The castle was no longer safe.

Fraser stalked towards the keep, needing to move, do something. He felt as if everything was slipping through his fingers. The castle, the safety of his people, all of it became like water, and he was no longer able to grasp it, to contain the ongoing damage happening to the MacClery Clan.

His frown deepened as he entered the keep, finding servants running back and forth, carrying cloth and baskets full of greenery. Two days ago, he and Beitris had announced their wedding day, and though Fraser was happy to be wed to Beitris, he couldn’t stop the ache from seizing him, knowing that by her remaining with the castle’s walls, she was putting herself in danger.

“The hall looks nice,” said Scott while peeking beyond the door and looking inside. “It will be a nice wedding.”

“If it happens,” Fraser murmured while continuing towards the steps.

“If?” Scott called, confusion lacing his tone.

Fraser didn’t say anything more. He needed to get in his office, where the walls didn’t have ears or prying gazes. If two guards and his double were able to get beyond the gates, then who knew which of his people was gathering information against him. Looking around, he opened the door to his study and briskly stepped inside, keeping it open for Scott to follow him.

“What do ye mean if, Fraser?” Scott asked while dumping his body in the seat across from Fraser’s desk.

Fraser sighed while his fingertips grazed the desktop. “I plan to write Beitris’s father and have her sent with him.”

Scott frowned. “But it’s already been announced.”

Fraser nodded. “Aye, it has. I hope to lure the brigand from the shadows. I know he will attack during the wedding.”

“Won’t Beitris be upset? It’s not like ye to lie, Fraser.”

“It’s not safe here, Scott. I cannot put her life in any more danger than it already is.”

Scott opened his mouth, but whatever he wished to say was quickly swallowed by the knock at the door. “Enter,” Scott called while sitting, his hands braced on his desk while he watched Hamish appear in the open door.

“Ye wished to speak with me, my laird?” the elderly man asked while stroking his long beard.

“How long have ye been serving the MacClery Clan?” Fraser asked.

“All my life, my laird.”

“And ye were a healer at the castle before my father’s lairdship?”