Highland Devil (Murray Family #22)(28)

Mora was going to have to ask Jolene how she made it. It soothed the  itch of healing that still bothered her occasionally, and she was  certain it was easing the scarring such a wound could leave her with.  There had been no poisoning in the wound, either. This was a salve she  definitely wanted to be able to make and always have at hand.



Leaving the bedchamber, she headed down the stairs, going carefully and  keeping a firm grip on the rail at the side. She could hear that the  morning meal was being put out and almost laughed when her stomach  rumbled softly. It was all so wonderfully normal and she hungered for  normal. Normal and calm. She gave a start when a hand gently grasped her  by the arm.

"Sorry," said Annys. "I had thought ye kenned I was following ye."

"I thought ye were already down there. I could hear that the food was being served."

"I had to go change my gown. Bit of an accident in the kitchens." Annys looked at her. "So ye are feeling better?"

"Aye. Much. E'en put Jolene's cream on my wound myself and decided I need to learn how to make some. It is marvelous."

"It is, and I keep meaning to do the same, but she keeps giving me some so I forget. Sigimor's people are doing better?"

"Aye. He just felt the need to get Jolene and his son away from there."

"If I had suffered what he went through when he was a young mon, I would have done the same. But what about his twin girls?"

"At one of their kinsmen's with about seven nursemaids to, as was said,  keep them out of trouble." She grinned when Annys laughed heartily.  "They cannae be that bad, can they?"

"Aye, they can, but they are adorable. I have only met with them once  and they were younger, but e'en then I could see it. They are definitely  Sigimor's girls."

"I seem to have met with so many people since Gybbon came into my life."

"And there are more to come if ye stay in it. Many more. And they are  already planning on whom to get in touch with to try and find out what  happened to your brothers."

"It would be wondrous if they could and e'en more so if they were found alive."

Annys patted her arm. "Keep that hope."



Niall Ogilvy groaned and rubbed his backside when his brother David had  them stop for a brief meal. "Why are we rushing there?" he asked.

"Because something is wrong. Verra wrong. I ken it and need to ken what it is."

"If 'tis trouble we are galloping toward mayhap we should have brought some of the other men."

"I ken where they are. Made certain of it before we left them. Have their promise to come and help if help is needed."

Niall stopped the pacing he had begun to limber up his legs and sat down to look at David. "Ye are truly worried."

"Someone tried to kill us, Niall. We cannae forget that. I dinnae e'en  need to look at the scar I have to keep it in mind. Except for the  French we were fighting, there was no one o'er there who kenned us weel  enough to want us dead. And did it ne'er trouble ye that we got no news  from home? That our parents or sister ne'er once sent us word to ask  about us or tell us about them? They can all write."

"Aye"-he shrugged-"but I just assumed it was because we were nay easy to find and we were far from home."

"I did, too, until I spoke to the men awaiting a hanging for their  trying to murder us. They were hired by Scots just before they boarded  the boat to go to France. They gave a description of the one who did the  talking and it sounded verra much like our dear cousin Robert."

"Jesu," Niall whispered. "Why? We ne'er did anything to him."

"Nay, but I do ken that he has always resented the fact that Grandfather  gave our father that house and several acres of land. It took a bite  out of what he saw as his."

"It wasnae his; it was the old laird's and then became his father's."

"And will soon be his. Rabbit is near done. We eat, then continue."

"Mora might need us?"

"Aye. Her and wee Andrew." David could see that Niall was puzzled and  asked, "Why would our cousin hire men to kill us? Why nay just wait and  see if fighting in France will end us?"

"Because he is getting rid of heirs to that bit of land until it has to  be drawn back into the big lot his father holds?" Niall asked the  question in a quiet, nervous voice.         

     



 

"Aye. It is all that makes any sense."

"I pray ye are wrong."

"Nay harder than I do, but just the thought has me anxious to get back  home. I need to see if I am wrong or right. Until I can see what awaits,  I cannae rest. The question of why did he try to have us killed preys  on me."

"Then we willnae rest. Much. We will go get your answers."





Chapter Thirteen


Mora blushed faintly as Gybbon hooked her arm through his and led her  out into the garden. It was dark but there were a few torches lit to  give light to the area, and the moon shone bright. She suspected  everyone who had seen them leave the hall knew why he was taking her for  a walk in the gardens when one could barely see what grew there, and  that did embarrass her a bit.

They had been at Glenfuerach for a week and she loved the keep. It was  well run and sturdy, with a guard obviously trained to watch and battle  any trouble that came along. Annys was already a friend and Andrew was  happy to be with other boys in a place behind big, thick walls.

"Triona, Brett's wife, has done a lot of work here," Gybbon said,  sounding quite proud of his brother's wife as he looked around. "She and  Annys worked hard, although Annys was cautious because she carried her  child. It was an overgrown, snarled mess. They even put in the herb  garden. Then Triona returned to her home and Brett."

"Why did they have to do so much work?"

"'Twas left alone for too long. The new laird cared naught about  gardens. He did like to hunt down the meat for the table but cared  nothing about all the rest ye need for a fine meal. 'Twas much the same  with the whole keep. It all needed work. The laird here wanted Triona's  keep. He probably planned on living there and just allowing this one to  rot and expanding his land holdings."

"Annys told me some of the tale." She shook her head. "I just find it  difficult to understand. Aye, your brother and Annys have cleaned  things, but the mon had a fine, sturdy keep and land. Why try so hard to  grab even more? Why nay just make this one finer?"

"Annys's lands were far more fertile and she had excellent grazing  lands, so her husband's cousin came after them. He thought to make his  hold on the place more firm by wedding her, but that failed so he just  tried to take them. He had the backing of his family, too, for they had  always resented her late husband being given the lands. She has a lot of  skilled people on her lands and their market day produced a nice  profit. He wanted that, too. He even put all her fighting men in prison  to rot. So, after the battle and after Harcourt got himself named laird  of this place with Brett's blessings.

"With Triona, it was her neighbor Sir John, with his family's quiet  backing at the start, as they all disliked the fact that their ancestor  lost the lands and they had ended up in the possession of her late  husband, Boyd. They felt it should be theirs. Brett had kenned her years  before but came the moment she wrote him of trouble. There was e'en a  battle o'er it all, but then that ended when her husband's elder  brother, Nigel, appeared from the dead and joined in. It appears France  is a good place to try and rid oneself of unwanted relatives as Adam had  paid someone to put Nigel in a prison to rot. So Brett weds her and is  suddenly Laird of Banuilt, the keep John held. Annys and her son came  here to be with Harcourt."

"Ye didnae lie when ye said your kin had experience with greedy  relations trying to enrich themselves. Seeing this, all I can think of  is that Robert seeks to steal a pittance. It seems that the surest way  to trouble for a woman is to be in possession of some lands."

He laughed and led her to a bench set between two trees with gently  arching branches. Gybbon sat and tugged her down beside him. He put his  arm around her shoulders and pulled her up close to his side. It pleased  him when she snuggled closer and rested her head against his chest.

He kissed her temple. "Ye are safe here. Andrew is safe here as weel."

"Just being behind such thick, high walls has done a lot to ease the fear riding me so hard."

Nodding, Gybbon listened to the sounds of the keep, the slow softening  of the usual noise as the light faded. Harcourt had gained himself a  good solid place here with people who were more than happy to call him  their laird and bow to Annys as their lady. He also now had a  well-trained fighting force.

As he slowly rubbed his cheek against Mora's hair, he began to ponder  about what he needed to do to have a place to live, some work to do, and  get some coin. He had gathered a hefty purse during his travels, but  more would help. Gybbon realized such thoughts told him he was done  wandering around the land fighting other people's battles. If he had to  fight again it should be to protect something he owned.