Page 7

All around him, incessant conversation was happening. These people talked of nothing interesting, and he was tired of feigning a smile. Of course, he couldn’t appear too disrespectful because it would only arouse suspicion. Callum was keeping a close eye on him because of the outburst that Harrison had been unable to control upon hearing the news. At the time, he assumed it was some sick joke. The fool must have been deranged as he died to think that Maeve could take control. Harrison was the ideal candidate. He was the one who knew how the clan ran and how to deal with other clans. There was nothing he had wanted more in his life, and really it was the only reason why he had stuck around this long. He had had opportunities to move, but his loyalty was always to this place, this place that had been a home to his family.

His blood ran through the valleys and the hills. His ancestors were the ones who had built this place and raised it to the high standing it was now. And now, all of that history was in the hands of a child. Maeve was a fine girl, yes, polite and twee, but she was not born to be a leader, a Laird. She was not even a man. Her young shoulders had no hope of carrying the burden of history, and Harrison had no doubt that she would fumble the matter. She was going to have to rely on him to ensure that she made no mistake.

An idea began forming in the back of his mind, a cruel idea that made him smirk. There were many ways in which he could undermine her rule. From what Harrison saw of this husband of hers, well, he didn’t think there was much threat from that direction either. The man’s laughter was loud, and he was one of those men who were more focused on having a good time than anything else. Harrison’s mind was always one or two steps ahead of everyone else, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he had what he desired. He was not going to take this lying down, nor was he going to respect a dead man’s wish when that wish went against everything Harrison believed.

But he had to be cautious about things. He couldn’t simply let the clan fall into disrepute because then when it came time for him to take charge, he would have a tattered reputation to repair. No, he needed something more subtle. As he sat there, he thought and thought, turning ideas over in his mind. He absently picked food from his plate to give the impression that he was enjoying himself, but all the while, he was thinking of a dastardly plan.

And then it came to him.

The only way he could gain control of the clan without harming its reputation was to kill the current Laird—Well, the lady, he corrected himself. He had to act quickly, though. If she had a child, then that baby would become the Laird, an even more ridiculous proposition than the current situation.

If anyone else was doing this then it would be an entirely despicable thing, plotting the death of his own niece, but Harrison knew he was doing it for the right reasons. The world was not a kind place and sometimes being honorable meant taking drastic measures. The clan would be better off with him as Laird than her, and really he would be doing her a kindness anyway. If she continued living, she would have to cope with the reality of disgracing the family name and the pressure of being responsible for such a noble family’s downfall. No, better that she be spared that and be sent into everlasting peace. It was clear that she missed her parents dearly as well, so what better thing than to be reunited with them?

He would also be saving her from a marriage to this beast of a man as well. Harrison shuddered as he thought about the handshake they had shared. Gowan had almost crushed Harrison’s hand with his bearlike paw. The man had no idea of his own strength. Leading a clan required a delicate sensibility, one that wasn’t always focused on war.

No, the more he thought about it, the more Harrison was convinced that if he didn’t act, he would be doing wrong by himself and his ancestors. A mistake had been made, and it was up to him to correct it because he was certain that nobody else would.

His gaze drifted across to the main table where the buffoon was guffawing, speaking loudly about his exploits in battle. Well, there were battles of a different kind here, and Harrison was not going to be matched. Then he noticed that Callum was staring at him. Harrison offered him a friendly smile. Callum gestured with a sharp tilt of the head for Harrison to join him. Harrison gritted his teeth and breathed through his nose as he rose from the table and joined Callum outside. The only relief was that the howling noise of chatter diminished.

“Are ye haein’ a good evening?” Callum asked.

“Oh aye, it’s wonderful tae see Maeve sae happy,” Harrison said, although it was clear to both of them that she was hardly enamored by Gowan. “Did ye call me out here just tae ask that?”

“I wanted tae talk tae ye about Maeve. She is gaeing tae need our help. She doesnae seem tae understand that this marriage is the best for her.”

“Well, young women often dinnae dae what their parents want them tae. She is just like her mother as well.”

“Aye, well, I fear that she haes nobody except for us. I want her tae know that she can trust us. Until she learns what it truly means tae be Laird, she will rely on our wisdom.”

“And, of course, she can count on it,” Harrison lied. “I would dae anything for her.”

Callum narrowed his eyes at this. “Hmm,” he said.

“Is something the matter?” Harrison asked.

“It’s just that yer reaction when ye learned that she haed been made Lady of the clan was quite…emphatic.”

Harrison feigned a laugh and waved his hand through the air. “Oh, well…yes, it was quite a shock, I suppose, but I let my emotions get the better of me. Grief daes manifest itself in strange ways. I am sure Maeve will make a fine lady, and I will dae everything I can tae ensure she serves this clan well.”

“Good. We are gaeing tae hae tae work taegether in this,” Callum said.

“Ye can count on me.”

Harrison’s smile fell from his face as Callum turned his back and returned to the main hall, eager to keep watch over proceedings. Harrison was glad to be done with the pretense of civility for another night and crept back to his chamber, plotting and planning for what was to come. Callum might well think that they needed to work together, but he was blinded by loyalty to a dead man. That was the difference between Harrison and him; Harrison was only loyal to the clan. The clan came before individuals; that was what few people understood. The clan was the only thing that would survive, and sacrifices needed to be made.

He lit a candle and placed it near the window. The flame flickered. It was a customary thing to do in a time of mourning, but it wasn’t just for the recently departed Laird. It was also to signify respect for the others of Harrison’s family who had died over the years and for those who were going to meet their end soon. There were those who would not understand what he did if they ever discovered it, so he would have to be careful. People were far too small-minded to see the big picture, only concerned with what was happening right in front of them before thinking about what truly mattered.

He had to be cautious and ensure that none of this plotting ever got back to him. It would be a tragedy, yes, and everyone would be sad, but from that grief, he would emerge and lead them to a brighter future, a far better one than Maeve could ever grant them. He might have to widen his scope to include Callum as well. The loyal advisor was already suspicious and if anything untoward happened, then he might well come calling on Harrison. He was a part of the problem, though, far too focused on the individual lives of the members of the clan rather than the lineage that extended out for generations. What was a trio of lives compared with all the ones that would come before and after?

Maeve would have to die first, though, if only to cement Harrison’s position as Laird. There was no possible way that the clan would accept Gowan McDouglas as the rightful heir after that, even if they did get married. But to ensure that this would be the case, Harrison was going to have to take care of him as well. It shouldn’t be too hard to frame him as the assassin, and then it would be a simple matter to hang him. Of course the McDouglas clan would be worried. Harrison was going to have to use all the experience and nous he had accumulated over the years to placate them, but he was sure that some memorial would suffice. After all, they would be the guilty party, given how Maeve would be killed before she ever had a chance to live a free life. So much potential would be wasted. What a shame…

Harrison etched the sorrow onto his heart and embraced all the pain. He would take on this burden because it was the right thing to do for the clan. He would bear the unbearable and endure the unendurable. He would do what needed to be done because he was the rightful Laird of this clan, and he would do anything to see that the clan reached its full potential.

5

The morning rose with a sweet scent in the air. Gowan had rested well, with a full belly and a heart filled with cheer. The night had been fun, although his conversation with Maeve hadn’t gone as well as he would have liked. It was clear that she was trying to make him uneasy with her comment about her father leaving a huge presence in the castle. In fact, she was quite blatant about her implication that Gowan would be unable to be the man her father was. She didn’t say it explicitly, but who else could she have been talking about?

He had tried to win her over with tales of his exploits and had actually thought he was getting somewhere as they spoke about battles, but as soon as he broached the subject in private, she seemed offended. He had tried to compliment her as well and tell her that she was different from any other woman he had met, but even then, she had taken it coldly. It was as though there was this barrier around her that he couldn’t break through no matter how much he tried. While he had been talking to the other guests, he had been looking around to see if Maeve was paying attention, but she often seemed distant. He knew it wasn’t a problem with his stories because those around him had been entertained by them, but he couldn’t understand why Maeve was so obtuse.