Niall said quietly, “Have it your way, Lachlan, but don’t say ye weren’t warned. Last night, your daughter Eara arranged to meet with one of your clansmen, a man named Rafer. Your man Rafer has been found and we can question him discreetly if ye choose.”
Discretion was clearly not Lachlan’s strength. He roared, “Ye are calling my daughter’s and my clansman’s honor into question? On the basis of what?”
The room practically exploded in shocked chatter. Cathal looked dumbfounded.
“It’s a lie!” screamed Eara.
“Silence!” shouted Lachlan before turning on Niall. “How dare ye make such an accusation against my daughter, MacIan! What proof do ye have?”
“Someone overheard them talking,” said Tadhg.
Lachlan whirled on him. “By God, who? This clanswoman of yours, Matheson? MacIan, I can’t believe ye would risk dishonoring me, my daughter, and my clan on the word of a Matheson wench.”
“She’s lying. I would never do that, Da. She should be whipped for slandering me so.”
“MacIan, if ye don’t have solid proof, this is unforgivable!” said Laird Urquhart, one of Laird Fraser’s strongest allies.
“Is that the lying bitch?” shrieked Eara when she spied Hamish pulling Mairead and Meriel behind him. She lunged toward them and a MacIan guardsman intercepted her.
“Take your hands off my daughter!” Lachlan yelled, throwing a punch at the man.
The hall was on the verge of erupting into a screaming brawl.
~ * ~
Mairead looked on in horror as Eara shrieked and the assembled lairds shouted at each other, depending on their loyalties. Hamish, obviously sensing danger, turned to her. “My lady, Meriel, quickly, up the stairs. Find a chamber and bar the door until I come for ye. I’ll guard your backs.”
As they started toward the tower door a Fraser yelled, “No ye don’t, bitch,” and grabbed Meriel roughly by the arm. Hamish tried to free her when someone grabbed Mairead’s elbow. She turned and jerked away, only to discover Finola beside her.
“My lady, we have to get ye out of here.”
“Aye, Hamish said to lock ourselves in a chamber, get Meriel and come quickly.”
“My lady, it is too dangerous, we will never make it to the tower stairs, but we are close to the kitchen exit. The laird has guardsmen outside—I’ll get ye to them.”
“Nay, I won’t leave, Finola.”
Finola pulled on her arm. “My lady, can’t ye see what’s happening? Ye have to get out of here. If a fight breaks out, ye are a liability to the laird. Ye can be used against him. It isn’t safe for him. He only has Hamish in the hall and he is guarding ye. Cael and Sloan are just outside. We can get to them.”
Mairead hesitated, was she a liability? In that moment of indecision, Finola acted. Putting an arm around Mairead’s shoulders, she urged her through the rear exit from the great hall. “Finola, nay. Let go of me.”
“Hurry, my lady, before it is too late,” Finola insisted. The instant Mairead was out of the hall strong arms grabbed her from behind, but neither Cael nor Sloan nor any other Matheson guard would handle her so roughly. Caught in an iron grip, the man hauled her firmly against his chest as he dragged her away from the keep. Then, a voice she had only heard in her nightmares since that day at the Michaelmas Fair said, “Fancy meeting ye here. After all of these years we can finally finish what we started when the damn interfering priest interrupted us.”
Mairead screamed and a hand clamped over her mouth. She bit the palm of his hand. He swore and momentarily pulled his hand away. She twisted out of his grip, screaming again, but before she had taken more than two steps another man caught her.
Two of them? He shoved a cloth gag in her mouth. “Did ye forget the bitch bites, Darcy?” She maneuvered to escape his grip, trying to yank the gag from her mouth. “Damnation, she’s slippery as an eel, but even eels can be caught in a trap, and so can wee mice, can’t they?” said the first one as he grabbed her again, holding the gag over her mouth. “Guthrie, see that we aren’t interrupted,” he said, pushing through the door of the deserted kitchen.
He held her so tightly; she could barely breathe, much less move. He threw her to the floor with enough force to knock the wind out of her. He was on top of her before she recovered her breath.
Dear God, it was happening again. Just like last time. No, not just like last time! She thrust the heel of her hand toward his nose but he dodged the blow and caught her hand in his fist.
“I had my nose broken once because of ye, it won’t happen again, bitch,” he growled and backhanded her, leaving him momentarily off balance. Ignoring the pain from the blow, she squirmed, trying to free her hips so she could scoot out from under him. He forced her hands to the floor over her head and with the weight of his body held her against the floor. Her struggles were useless. The memory of Tadhg’s words came flooding back to her, “If ye find yourself overpowered, acquiesce. Stop fighting and save your strength.” She stilled.