Ceci Giltenan(76)
“Well, that was a wise move on Laird MacLennan’s part if he wanted me to kidnap ye. I never would have attempted it if Niall and his guard were escorting ye. I have no doubt he would die protecting ye. But, my lady, the MacLennans practically presented ye as a gift.”
Katherine frowned at him. “If Niall led an attack on ye, it would leave Duncurra less well protected, wouldn’t it?”
“Aye, probably dangerously so.”
“Allowing someone else to successfully lay siege to Duncurra?”
“Aye.”
“Then it has to be Malcolm at the root of this. He has been behind the raids against us, but he made it look as if it were ye. He has tried over and over to goad Niall into attacking ye, and Niall wouldn’t. He knew it would critically weaken him. So Malcolm did the one thing that was sure to cause Niall to attack. He made it easy for ye to capture me. If he could get Niall to attack ye, he can take Duncurra. That explains what Tomas overheard.”
“Tomas?”
“Our foster son,” said Katherine. She told Tadhg about the whispered conversation in the stairwell. “Niall suspected Fingal. It sounded as if the person talking intended to inherit Duncurra.”
“Unless things have changed drastically, Fingal would never have plotted against Niall. Fingal all but worshipped him. Besides, ye are expecting, are ye not?”
“Aye, but at that time we hadn’t told anyone yet—Fingal didn’t know. It had to be Malcolm, and he meant to seize Duncurra, not inherit it.”
As Tadhg processed this information, he realized its full implication. “If Malcolm MacLennan is behind this, the message Niall will receive today is not likely to be the one I sent, asking to discuss a truce. He will ride on Cnocreidh to rescue ye, leaving Duncurra vulnerable.”
Katherine went ashen. “Niall is expecting Laird MacLennan to send men to Duncurra. They won’t be seen as a threat until it’s too late.”
Tadhg leapt into action. He called to Hamish, who was in the hall a discreet distance away. He explained the situation and gave orders to prepare a large contingent of men to leave at first light. “Lady Katherine, I have to ride on Duncurra before your husband has the chance to leave.”
“But he will think ye are attacking. The battle will be underway before ye can get to him. Even if ye ride under the white flag, I doubt he will believe ye.”
“I have to try. I refuse to let MacLennan get away with this,” Tadhg said angrily.
“Niall will believe ye if I ride with ye. He will not attack if I am there,” Katherine said.
“Absolutely not,” Tadhg said, and stalked away to prepare.
God save me from over-protective men. Oh, and while ye are at it, please, God, save them from each other.
Twenty Five
Fingal knew Fearghas Chisolm and his wife Ena had been asleep for hours, but he told the guard this couldn’t wait. “Damnation, Andrew, ye know I wouldn’t insist on ye waking Laird Chisholm if it wasn’t extremely urgent.”
“Fingal, ye are generally level-headed, and the laird and lady are fond of ye, but by all that’s holy man, they won’t be happy if they find out this could have waited until morning.”
“I promise ye, Andrew, it can’t wait. I have to talk to the laird right now.”
“All right, wait there by the hearth and I will get him.”
In just a few minutes, both Fearghas and Ena greeted Fingal in the hall.
“My lady, I am so sorry, ye needn’t have come down,” Fingal said as she embraced him.
“I tried to tell her morning would be soon enough to greet ye, Fingal, but that battle was lost the moment she heard it was ye.”
“If either of ye think I could go back to sleep, worried about what has brought Fingal here in the middle of a bitter winter night, ye are daft.” Fingal smiled at her warmly, she was the closest thing to a real mother he had ever had. “Ye look like the devil has been riding on your heels, lad, what’s happened?”
The older couple listened as Fingal laid out the whole story for them. Fearghas agreed it was very unlike Tadhg Matheson to raid without provocation. “Now, I wouldn’t put kidnapping a bonny lass past him,” Fearghas added with a chuckle.
“I’m not even sure he has Katherine,” said Fingal. “If Malcolm is behind this, the abduction could be a ruse as well, simply meant to draw Niall out of Duncurra.”
“Ye could be right about it all, lad. Malcolm MacLennan has always been an ambitious man, but not one to take risks. If he had his eyes on Duncurra, he would want to make sure the conquest would be easy.”
“Fingal could be right? Do you doubt him at all? Malcolm MacLennan has never been trustworthy, and neither has Eithne” said Ena indignantly.