Page 25

Harrison turned to face Gowan, still with the dagger in hand and with a look of annoyance on his face at being interrupted from his lethal task. He ran toward Gowan, slashing at him with the dagger. Gowan leaped back. The only downside to being such a tall and broad man was that there was more of him to hit. He jumped back, narrowly avoiding having his chest cut open by the blade. Although Harrison was far less skilled in the art of martial combat, the fact that he was the only one wielding a blade helped the odds in his favor. All it took was one fortuitous slash, and Gowan would be brought to the ground.

He watched Harrison carefully, taking the measure of the man. In all his duels, Gowan had learned to read people and to predict what they were going to do before they knew themselves. Harrison was the type of man to hide in the shadows. He was not used to fighting his own battles, so he would likely try and distract from his attack. This was proven correct as he feinted to the left and then quickly attacked from the right. Gowan was equal to his movements and managed to catch his wrist, squeezing tightly, hoping to persuade the man to drop the dagger.

But Harrison was a spiteful man, a man who was willing to descend to any depths. He spat a glob of phlegm into Gowan’s eyes. Gowan reeled back, clawing at his face to rid his eyes of the horrible liquid. Just as he managed to wipe his vision free, he saw Harrison running toward him, ready to stab him with the dagger. There was really nothing Gowan could do except brace himself for the blow and hope that it did not puncture anywhere vital. He set his feet and got ready to embrace Harrison, hoping that he could bear the pain and then stop Harrison.

But then there was a loud yelp of pain, and Harrison crumpled to the ground, holding the back of his thigh. Gowan blinked away the rest of the viscous liquid in his eyes and saw Maeve beyond her uncle, still clutching her shoulder, but he could see from her position that she had flung her dagger toward Harrison, and it had met its mark. It seemed as though she had repaid the favor he had given to her when he deflected the knife blow.

Harrison cried out in pain and clutched his leg as though it was going to fall off. Gowan obviously had never respected Harrison from the first moment he met him, but he certainly didn’t after this. A wound like that was just a scratch for Gowan, and in his mind, a man should have been able to brush it off without much thought, especially given what he was intending to do.

Gowan towered above the man and grabbed his forearm. This time the dagger did indeed fall to the floor, and Harrison’s strength crumbled before Gowan’s eyes. Wet tears glistened in Harrison’s vision, and he mewed and whimpered for Gowan to let go. Gowan snarled, and the curl of his lip was filled with malevolence. This was the man who had tried to kill his wife.

“I hae every right tae slay ye. Ye would nae be the first man I’ve killed,” Gowan said. But he looked up at Maeve, who was utterly distraught. She shook her head. Gowan inhaled deeply, quelling the righteous anger that burned within him, and then he drew back his fist and punched Harrison so hard that his neck twisted and a dislodged tooth burst from his mouth. He was out cold and fell to the ground like a stone. Gowan spat on the ground next to him and sheathed the dagger before moving to his wife’s side.

* * *

“Are ye well?” Gowan asked, helping Maeve to her feet. She winced a little, and her palm was stained with blood from where she had been holding her wound. The gash in her shoulder looked nasty, and the blood continued to ooze from it. She looked pale, but she was still standing, and that was the way of the warrior. In the meantime, Karl hauled the woman with him, having bound her hands, preventing her from escaping.

Maeve nodded and took her shawl, wrapping it tightly around her shoulder. “I learned a long time ago how tae dress wounds,” she said.

If Gowan hadn’t been in love before, this might have been enough to send him over the edge.

She walked toward the fallen body of her uncle and exhaled deeply, shaking her head in a gesture of tremendous sorrow.

“I cannae believe he did this. I knew he was never the closest with the family, but tae betray us all, and for what? Power? The throne?”

“Men hae done far worse for far less,” Gowan said, running his tongue along the front of his mouth.

“I know I should hate him, and maybe I should want him dead, but I cannae bring myself tae end his life. He is the last remaining blood relative I hae. I cannae just end it all there,” she said.

“I know, lass, I know. At least he will nae be a threat. Everyone will know what he did, and nobody will trust him again, although we will hae tae ask through the keep tae see if anyone else helped him. What dae ye want tae dae with her?” Gowan asked, nodding toward the woman.

“We will get her tae sign a written testimony of what happened sae there is no doubt that my uncle was responsible. Then she can be on her way. Her biggest crime was greed. She can find her fortune elsewhere,” Maeve said. “I dinnae want tae see her again.”

Gowan nodded. Then he picked up the weight of Harrison’s body and carried it back to the keep while Karl had the woman in tow.

* * *

The sight of the three of them returning was a strange one for the people of the clan. They were all concerned when they saw their Laird in a wounded state, and when they saw that Gowan was carrying Harrison, they feared the worst, that this invading brute had gone insane and slaughtered the man. However, the truth soon came to light, and they were all scornful and ashamed of Harrison’s actions. Callum was incensed and shook his head, claiming that he knew something had been amiss and that he had never trusted the man in the first place. He apologized profusely to Maeve and Gowan, too, that he hadn’t done more to stand up for Gowan in the light of Harrison’s accusations.

Maeve was quick to forgive him, though. It had been a swift thing for everyone, and even she had let Harrison’s words hold sway in her mind when she should have dismissed them immediately. Once the story had been told there were investigations performed, questioning every member of the keep in case they had been in league with Harrison as well. It seemed as though he kept his plans confined to one or two people, though, so there were no other snakes left in the keep. Maeve breathed a sigh of relief at this, as she did not want her nascent reign or her new marriage to be marred by investigations and allegations and efforts to unravel a conspiracy. All she really wanted was to rest, but even that could not happen just yet.

Harrison was unconscious for a long while. When he eventually roused, he was in chains and carried down to the dungeon, protesting his innocence all the while. Eventually, it was just him and Maeve standing in the dungeon.

“Well, Uncle, dae ye hae tae say anything for yerself now?” she asked, clasping her hands behind her back. His hands were free of the chains now that he was locked in a cell, but his spindly fingers curled around the iron bars of the door, looking even paler against the deep shade of the dark metal.

“How can ye dae this tae me, Maeve? I know we hae haed our differences, but I’m still yer kin! Please, I thought I was daeing what was best for the clan. I dinnae trust him. I was only trying tae protect ye. Just let me out, and I will prove tae ye that ye can trust me. Ye know I dinnae belong here. I’m nae a criminal. I’m yer uncle!”

“A criminal is exactly what ye are,” Maeve said coldly. “Ye are also my uncle, and I am gaeing tae hae tae live with this. The blood we share is the only reason ye are still alive, and I even haed my doubts about this. I didnae want ye tae think that I am soft, or that just because I’m a lass, ye can spin lies and convince me tae take mercy on ye. Ever since my da died, ye hae wanted the throne. Never hae ye respected his wishes, and never hae ye respected me. I see the truth fully now. Ye dinnae believe that I can lead this clan. Ye think I am beneath it and that ye are the only man who can be Laird.”

“Well, I…I hae the experience. And ye are young, Maeve. Ye dinnae need tae be burdened with all these things. Ye should be free tae live yer life and enjoy yer marriage.”

Maeve enjoyed a wry smile. “Of course, Uncle. Everything ye hae done haes been in the service of someone else. Ye are such an…altruistic person. But I know ye are selfish. Ye almost succeeded in killing me, but ye will never have the chance again. Ye will sit in this dungeon until yer dying day, and dae ye know what ye will hear? Ye will hear the sounds of happiness. Ye will hear the sounds of the clan prospering under my rule because I hae learned many things from my parents, lessons that I will never forget. I may be young, but I know how tae connect with people, and I am nae Laird because I think it is what I deserved or because it is what I hae been owed. I am Laird because my da asked it of me, and I will dae my best tae serve him.”

She turned her back on Harrison. His cries turned venomous as he spat insults at her, but his words faded into the background as she ascended the stairs and exited the dungeon, breathing in the fresh air of the twilight evening. She had everything she needed, and nobody could take that away from her.

20

It had taken a while for Maeve to process the scandal that her uncle had caused. The ripples of uncertainty were felt throughout the keep as well. Suspicion abounded everywhere, and she hoped that this was not going to be her life for the foreseeable future. Gowan seemed to be convinced that it would all fade in time, but Maeve was not sure. After all that had happened, she wanted people to have something to celebrate, and so she arranged for her coronation to take place where she would officially be named as Laird (people could also call her Lady of the clan) as her father wanted. She wanted it to be an impactful statement, and so she invited representatives from clans in nearby territories to attend as well. Gowan’s family were among these, as were other people who knew of his reputation. He seemed excited to be able to see his family again, as was Maeve, for they were all the family she had left.