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Tovie glanced behind her and saw Niall lurking behind her like a shadow. She rolled her eyes and waited for him to catch up to her, although she had basically finished the tour.

“Well, what dae ye think? Daes it live up tae yer memory?” she asked.

The surroundings were humble, and in truth, it was not as grand as the clan she had been promised when Fraser had first proposed marriage, but she had worked hard to make it as prosperous as she could, and the people who worked hard were all good, honorable people. Perhaps to an outsider, there wasn’t much to take pride in, and indeed given Fraser’s insistence on focusing on war, there wasn’t as much as Tovie would have liked, but she was still proud of her small home.

It was clear by the look on his face that Niall did not share the same feelings, however. His upper lip curled as he surveyed his surroundings.

“Actually, I’m surprised it hae nae changed more. I thought there would hae been more people and more buildings. I thought they were hae been…more,” he said. “I can see that I hae my work cut out for me. I hae tae make up for Fraser’s shortcomings.”

“It may nae be as easy as ye think,” Tovie said, glaring at him. “But that’s about as much as I hae tae show ye taeday. I suggest ye gae back tae the castle and start making yer plans tae improve the place. I’m sure ye hae some wonderful ideas.”

She stormed away from him and continued to look over her shoulder, making sure that he wasn’t following her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was away from him, finally able to have some time to herself again. He may have been disparaging her clan, but she would soon see what plans he had to improve the fortunes of the clan. She didn’t expect him to think of anything more than Fraser had already done. After all, they shared the same blood and were clearly both men of war. She had just traded one man for another.

But at least with a new laird in charge, she could hopefully make people see that the clan was not prospering as it should have. All she needed was a chance to show what she could do, and she was certain she could prove that she was better than either of the Wallace brothers. She may not have had the blood, but she had the name, and she hoped that would be enough when the final reckoning came.

She had no idea where Niall had been all these years or why he had left in the first place, but he assumed he had not found a better home elsewhere in the Highlands. Clearly, he could do no better than here and had ended up where he had begun. Perhaps he was feeling ashamed that he had failed elsewhere. Nobody was exactly jubilant about the fact that he had returned.

Tovie walked to a small hut on the outskirts of the village. She pushed aside the leather sheet that acted as a door and looked with pity at the man who lay in bed. Sweat beaded his temples, and the fever clearly had not broken. She fetched him some water and used a rag to mop his forehead as she sank to her knees. He stirred, and it took him a few moments to become oriented with his surroundings.

“Oh… Oh, my lady, it’s ye,” he said.

“Aye, Hamish, it’s just me coming tae check on ye.”

“Ye didnae hae tae dae that. I’m sure ye hae more important things tae dae.”

“More important things than taking care of ye? After ye guarded me all the way from home and made sure I arrived safely? Nay, there’s nothing more important for me here. Besides, I know the horses would want tae look after ye if they could, sae I’m acting for them here,” she said as she raised a cup of water to his lips. He gulped it down and then collapsed back to the bed as though it took all his strength merely to sit up.

“I heard what happened. Niall haes come back.”

“Aye,” Tovie growled, pressing her lips together tightly. “And now he’s laird.”

“They never should hae done that. Ye are the laird by rights. Yer husband died, sae ye should be the one leading the clan.”

“Aye, but they dinnae see it that way. All they see is some wee lass, and they cannae dare give me a chance tae rule.”

“If only all of us haed a vote. We would hae made ye laird.”

“Aye, especially because most of Fraser’s soldiers are dead,” she said, and then felt guilty for speaking about them in such a cruel manner. She exhaled deeply to calm herself as she did not want to feast on her anger.

“I was wondering if ye could tell me about Niall if ye are feeling up tae it?” she asked. “I hae spent some time with him, but the man is a mystery tae me. Nobody ever mentioned him tae me, nae even Fraser. I didnae know that he haed a brother.”

“Half brother,” Hamish corrected. His breaths were labored, and his words fell out of his mouth in a staggered rhythm as he struggled for strength. “The old Laird Wallace married another woman after Niall’s mother died, and then Fraser was born from that.”

“Oh,” Tovie said, feeling an ounce of sympathy for the man after hearing that his mother had died. Not that it completely excused his actions.

“The truth is that he haes been a mystery tae most of us as well. He was always the type tae keep tae himself. He loved his mother, though, and she doted on him. After she died, ye could tell he was different, even though he was young. It’s always cruel when a wee one haes tae gae through sae much sorrow.”

“But why did he leave?”

“Nobody knows for sure. Things were…tense between him and Fraser. They were brothers, but ye wouldnae know it from the way they acted. Everyone expected Niall tae take over from his father, and then one day he announced he was leaving. Everyone haed their own belief about why he was gaeing, but he never told the real reason tae anyone.”

“But surely others must hae left with him?”

Hamish shook his head and winced moments afterward at the pain. “He left by himself. I dinnae know who these other people are that he’s brought back with him, but they’re strangers tae the clan. I’ve heard whispers that he’s gone up tae the mountains and lived as a wild traveler, but who knows what the truth is. In a way, it’s good that he’s back. I think most people thought he haed died.”

“Well, he haes nae made my life any easier,” Tovie said. “Ye should hae seen the way he was sae arrogant coming back intae the castle, as though he owned the place.”