Less than three quarters of an hour later, as she was ushered into the great hall filled with people, including several of the most powerful lairds in the Highlands, she wasn’t quite as sure she would be “fine.” The one bright spot had been Finola rushing to her as she walked through the village with Cael. “Meriel, do ye know what’s happening? I tried to follow ye back to the camp last night, but they wouldn’t let me through the gates.
“Finola, Da was so worried about ye. Go to the gates and send word to him ye are all right.”
“Where are ye going? How did ye get in?”
Cael answered her, “Finola, Laird Matheson needs to speak with Meriel. Go give your father some peace, lass.”
Finola ignored him. “Ye’ve been called to the keep? Alone? Nay, I’ll not let ye go alone.”
Cael tried again. “Finola, she has no choice. Laird Matheson will protect her.”
“But he isn’t a sister. If they’ll let one lass in, they’ll let two. I’m coming.”
“Ye can walk with us, but when they don’t let ye in, I’m walking ye back to the gate so your father can stop worrying about ye.” Again Finola didn’t respond to Cael, but simply fell into step beside them.
When they reached the keep, Finola had begged the guard to let her stay with her sister. Lady Matheson had been nearby. She intervened, asking that Finola be allowed to stay with Meriel. Now here she stood before Laird MacIan and Laird Matheson and Finola had melted into the crowd. More scared than she had ever been in her life, Meriel couldn’t really blame her.
They led her a small distance away from the other people in the hall, she assumed to gain a bit of privacy. “Meriel, lass, ye’ve nothing to worry about. I just want to ask ye a few questions,” Laird Matheson said kindly.
“Aye, Laird. I’ll answer any questions I can.
“Last night, during the Roodmas celebration, Bryant said ye were chatting with Rowan MacKenzie. Do ye recall that?”
“Aye, Laird.” Her voice sounded weak and reedy. It was just as she suspected, this had something to do with Rafer and Eara’s illicit conversation.
“He said Rowan seemed upset. Can ye tell us what happened?”
“Aye, Laird. I had been outside watching the dancing from the steps of the keep and I—I—I overheard something distressing concerning Rowan, so I found him and told him. That is all.”
“What did ye hear, lass?” asked Laird MacIan.
“I would prefer not to say. Rowan asked me not to speak to anyone else about it. Perhaps ye could ask him?”
Laird Matheson put a hand on her shoulder. “We are asking ye, Meriel. Ye have nothing to fear by telling us the truth.”
Meriel remained still for a few moments before finally saying in a very low voice, “Laird Matheson, I overheard Eara Fraser planning a tryst last night with a Fraser clansman named Rafer.”
Laird Matheson grabbed her arm and pulled her farther away from the crowd. “Exactly what did ye overhear? Tell us everything that happened.”
Quickly and quietly, she told them the full conversation.
“Are ye telling us the truth, lass?” Laird Matheson asked.
“Do ye have a reason to doubt her, Tadhg? If this is a fabrication and we act on it, it would be disastrous. Bryant said she has been known to cause mischief.”
“Meriel, ye have been punished once for your poor judgment. There is no room for error here.”
“I swear, Laird. I am telling ye the truth.”
Her laird considered her for a moment before saying, “I have no reason to doubt her, Niall.”
“Did Rowan say what he was planning to do?” Laird MacIan asked.
“He said he could learn the truth by paying a visit to the chapel. But, Laird, why not just ask him?”
Laird Matheson answered, “Meriel, we can’t ask him. Someone attacked him last night and he is unconscious.”
“Was he in the chapel?”
“Nay, Meriel. He was in the keep. Niall, what are we going to do about this?”
“Well, just because Eara was meeting a lover in the chapel, if in fact she did, it doesn’t mean they had anything to do with the attack on Rowan.” At Laird Matheson’s look of doubt, Laird MacIan added, “Aye, I know it is likely to be related, but we mustn’t jump to conclusions. I will send some men to find this ‘Rafer’ as discreetly as possible. We need to find out everything we can before we act.”
“Laird, can I go back to my da now? He is terribly worried.”
“I will send word to your father, letting him know ye are well and have been very helpful, but I’m afraid ye need to stay here in the keep for a while, Meriel.”