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Tovie’s face fell as she walked away from Niall. It was bad enough that he came back here himself, but he had brought an entire clan with him! She ran down the flight of stairs, hoping that he would not chase after her and seek to speak with her again. She had no idea when he was going to try and force her into being his wife, but there was going to come a point where he would seek to be her husband in every way the law allowed, and she dreaded it with every fiber of her being.

At least that’s what she told herself, but after seeing him in that sparring ring, she could not prevent the image of his glistening masculine body from drifting into her mind, causing heat to simmer under her flesh. This desire was entirely unwanted, and she attempted to push it away as often as she could, but it continued to spread through her. She began to get annoyed with herself. It was as though her own mind was betraying her. There was nothing about him that appealed to her, nothing! He was coarse and rude and arrogant. He was a killer, and it was likely that time spent in the wild had made him quite mad.

She made her way to the kitchens and pulled Shara away from her duties. They walked outside to a field where sheep were grazing. The castle loomed over them, casting a long shadow that lowered the temperature of the air and made Tovie wish that she had worn something a little warmer.

“He wants tae bring the clans taegether,” Tovie said.

“What dae ye mean?”

“I mean he wants us all tae become one. I was hoping that he would only want us tae live in the same place, tae share the same resources, but nay, he wants the clans tae be united.”

“But we are nae like them,” Shara said.

“I know! And that’s what worries me. I dinnae want us tae lose who we are. Niall thinks he can come back and make it sae we hae tae give up our way of life tae ensure they get tae keep theirs. We might hae tae live like savages.”

“S-Savages?” Shara stammered, fear turning to liquid in her eyes.

“Of course savages. How dae ye think they survived in the wild for sae long? I cannae imagine what they haed tae dae in order tae survive. They’re more like animals than men, and Niall made them that way. Now he’s back and wants us tae merge, but how can they be like us? They hae forgotten the ways people live. They cannae just mix with us as though nothing haes happened. And that’s nae forgetting the fact that he killed Fraser, as well as other good, strong warriors of the clan,” Tovie said, and her voice began trembling with fear as she could see the future of the clan unfolding before her eyes. “They’re used tae fighting as well. I reckon all Niall wants tae dae is keep on fighting, just like his brother.” There was an element of hopelessness in her voice. All the dreams she had to improve the prospects of the clan were vanishing before her eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was shackled by the laws that gave Niall power here, and she was completely at the mercy of his whims.

“What are ye gaeing tae dae?” Shara asked.

“I dinnae know, but I need tae dae something. I will nae watch us turn intae a wild mess of people. I will nae let the wildlands in here.”

* * *

Tovie wracked her brain to think about what she could do to prevent the clans from coming together. At the moment, there was still some distance between them. The carts and wagons that Niall’s clan had traveled in were clustered together on the outskirts of the village. They came in for supplies and food, and while conversations were shared, there was nothing more than that. Some of the huts that had been left deserted were now filled with people from Niall’s clan, who were using them as a shelter. There was some consternation between people who thought that this was disrespectful. Tovie heard mutterings as she walked around the clan, and she decided that she should go and talk to Niall’s clan herself to see what they were really like. If Niall was determined to have them be a part of her clan, then she was going to have to see what they were embracing.

She walked to the outskirts of the village and saw that a fire had been built. Smoke rose in a thick plume and was carried away from the village by the breeze. The people there were lean and gaunt, with ragged hair. Even though some of them wore fresh clothes, they could not hide their ragged demeanor. Gazes flicked away as Tovie approached them, almost as though they were afraid of her. But what did they have to be afraid of? She was one, and they were many.

She was about to introduce herself when she heard violent coughing. She looked past the smoke, past the fire, and saw that a mother was nursing a child. Tovie approached and gasped when she saw how small the child looked. Its face was a shade of yellow, and it was such a small thing, almost a ghost already. She dropped to her knees. The mother instinctively held the child closer as though she was afraid Tovie was going to pluck it from her hands.

“What’s wrong with him?” Tovie asked. She reached out tentatively to feel the child’s head. As she pressed her palm to its forehead, she could feel the shuddering of his young body.

“Some kind of fever. I’m hoping it will pass,” the woman said.

Tovie asked her name and was told it was Laira.

“Hae ye given him any medicine?” Tovie asked.

“We were nae sure where tae find some. I hoped that now he can hae proper food and sleep under a shelter, he would recover, although he’s still suffering.” Laira was making an effort to hide the fear in her voice, but Tovie sensed it anyway. She furrowed her brow and took a moment to look around. There were other people suffering from this same fever as well, and not just that, but she looked at these people as people rather than intruding strangers. They were all malnourished and ghostly, with fear in their eyes and a haunted air around them. It was amazing that Niall was in as good of shape as he was.

“Why didnae ye make medicine for him yerself?” Tovie asked.

“None of us knew how. Our healer died a wee while back, and she didnae teach us everything she knew. I hae been waiting and waiting for his fever tae break. He needs tae be strong, like his da.”

“Where is his da?” Tovie asked, although she knew immediately by the look in Laira’s eyes.

Dead, too.

“Why hae ye nae haed shelter before? Why are ye all like this?” she asked.

Laira shrugged. “It is hard tae find shelter in the wild. Storms and animals and bandits come, meaning we hae tae move on a lot of the time. Our warriors are strong and protect us, but there are always casualties. Nobody wants tae welcome us.” Laira looked ashamed as she spoke. “I know we hae caused trouble by coming here, but Niall promised us that we would be safe.”

“Aye, ye will nae be attacked here,” Tovie said, although she was shocked at the state of them. She thought about Hamish, who was suffering from a fever as well, except he had a hut to himself and regular care, with frequent doses of medicine. These people had nothing but their own will to live, and it was a testament to their endurance that they were still here.

The boy cried out in pain. Laira mopped sweat from his brow and cooed gently, trying to soothe him.

“He is my third child. The others are with their da now. I dinnae want tae lose him. He’s all I hae left of my husband,” Laira said, her voice choking on the sob.

Tovie placed a reassuring hand on Laira’s shoulder and rose, feeling anger at this injustice. She walked around the others of the clan and listened to their stories, which were much the same. Their lives had been plagued with tragedy and sorrow. It was a bleak existence, and the only hope they had was of reaching a place that accepted them without judgment. Tovie was flooded with guilt at her initial reaction. These people weren’t wild and they weren’t trying to take over the clan. They just wanted to be safe and have shelter. They just wanted to be looked after, and Tovie was shocked that Niall hadn’t taken better care of them.

“I’ll be back,” she reassured them, and ran across the village to the kitchens. She told the cooks to make a small feast for their newcomers and take it over to them.

Meanwhile, she went to the healers and began to stir up a batch of medicine, and Tovie warned them to keep it coming because there were plenty of people in need. As soon as the first batch of medicine was ready, Tovie took it upon herself to deliver it in person. She carried it all the way back to the wagons and saw the faces of Niall’s clan light up as she appeared. She handed out the medicine to the sick and infirm, describing what was in it and how often they should take it. She suggested that they should all move nearer the fire as well in order to keep warm. They all thanked her profusely, and Tovie had rarely seen such gratitude in people’s eyes. It was clear that these people had been suffering for a long time and had basically been on the edge of death. Instead of being angry at Niall for bringing them to her clan, now she was angry that he had waited so long in the first place. How could he have allowed them to suffer like this in the wild? How could he have let all these people die?

She began to wonder if, in fact, he was actually worse than his brother. While Fraser had been foolish and arrogant and cruel to her, he had mostly been misguided. It was beginning to become clear to her that the Wallace blood was bad, and she wasn’t the only one suffering because of it. It was Niall’s fault that they were sick, and she wasn’t going to rest until she had taught him a lesson. Nobody could bring Fraser to justice for the way he had treated her, but she wasn’t about to stand by and witness another Wallace abuse others like this. This whole problem was bigger than herself and her own pride, and she was even considering allowing his clan into the castle while they recovered, but that would have to wait until after she had spoken with him.

Rage trembled inside her heart as she marched back to the castle and approached his study. She flung the door open without knocking and stood in the entrance, fuming at the man who was sitting behind his desk as though he had no problems in the world.