Highland Devil (Murray Family #22)(4)

Her eyes were wide and what appeared to be a dark blue, the light from  the fire occasionally highlighting that color. Even though her mouth was  turned down in a frown, he could see enough of its shape to guess she  had invitingly full lips. Her cheekbones were high, and just under the  right one was a large, dark bruise.

"Someone hit ye in the face?" he asked, wondering why that angered him so.

"One of the men I am running from." She sighed and tugged her cloak  around herself as the cat walked down from her shoulders to settle on  her lap, sitting within the folds of her cloak and staring at him. "Ye  havenae told me who ye are."

"Sir Gybbon Murray. Who are these men ye are fleeing? And why do ye need to flee?"

Mora sighed, still frightened, and saddened by all that had happened,  but seeing no reason not to tell him. "My cousins. All three of them.  The fourth is, I believe, a reluctant partner and I do wonder about the  other two. The eldest is definitely determined. The old laird gave his  eldest son the castle but he also gave my father, his youngest son, a  fine manor house and a few acres. The new laird's sons believe that was a  mistake and that it should all go to their father, who would then hand  it all down to one of them."

"Why didnae ye just go to the laird and tell him?"

"He is ill and I couldnae tell how badly ill he is. He may nay have been  able to understand what I told him and he certainly wouldnae be able to  do anything to stop his sons. Also, telling him what his sons have done  might weel make his illness worsen for he truly cared for my mother and  father. For all of us." She shook her head. "And if I was right about  all of that, I would then find myself too close to the ones trying to  get rid of me and without an ally to fight for me. Every time I  considered going to tell Uncle Tomas what was going on, I then saw all  the ways it could go horribly bad for me."         

     



 

He nodded. "True. Ye could have walked right into the lion's den. So,  are ye just running until ye find somewhere to hide from them?"

"Nay. For one thing, they need to pay for the killing of my parents. I am headed to some kin of my mother's to ask for help."

"Who are they?"

She frowned and stroked her cat. "Why do ye need to ken who they are? Ye  willnae be having to collect your horse," she added in a soft mutter.

"Weel, I may ken who they are. The Murrays ken a lot of folk in this  land and are even connected to many through marriage. I may ken  something ye need to learn to feel more certain that they will or can  help ye."

The way she stared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly, told him she was  not sure she should trust him with that information. Gybbon was not  sure why that irritated him so much as it was a completely  understandable doubt. It did not help ease his irritation when he  noticed that her strange little cat still watched him closely as well,  its eyes also narrowed.

"My mother was their kin. Surely they would aid their kin, even if the  connection isnae terribly close; 'tis, truthfully, a rather twisted,  distant link. I cannae even recall the many steps it takes to make the  link, but I have met them twice. Once when I was verra young and once  when their clan suffered a fever that killed a lot of its people, mostly  the adults. My mother felt he might need some help as there were a lot  of them, so she and Da packed us all up and went to see them."

"But he didnae want her help?"

"He didnae really need it so Mother ne'er really offered, just said  enough to let him ken the offer was there if he wished to call on it.  She said there were some elder women still alive and helping. Also said  she would probably end up being more of a thorn in his side than a help  as she suspected she wouldnae agree with the things he did considering  all his siblings. So, we left, but he and my mother often corresponded."

"It does sound like he would have no problem lending ye a hand. So, who is he and where do ye need to go?"

Mora sighed, seeing that he was just going to keep pressing her until he  got an answer to that question. She thought about it and could see no  real reason not to answer him. "I am headed to Dubheidland to request  some aid from the laird there, Sir Sigimor Cameron." She was not sure  the surprise he let show and the chuckle he let loose were a good thing.

"I ken where that is and I ken Sigimor. I will take ye there."

"Nay, I cannae pull ye into my troubles …  ." She stuttered to a halt when he raised his hand.

"Greedy relatives trying to take what isnae theirs is a problem we have  dealt with before. Money and land are the causes of a lot of family  strife."

"How sad. I dinnae understand why my cousins are so determined to be rid  of us. They have e'en dreamed up a few crimes to charge me with to help  them. 'Tis a fine house we have, but nay that fine and only a few  acres. They have a castle and a large swath of land. I cannae e'en see  how it would help in splitting up the inheritance they'd get when the  laird dies."

"When did the laird fall ill?"

Mora frowned. "The day my parents went to market and were killed on  their way home. Robbed of the money they had as weel. Ye dinnae really  think they would try to kill their own father, do ye?" She shook her  head. "Nay, if naught else, Murdoch, the youngest, wouldnae have had any  part of that. Although the murder they claim I did was done with  Robert's sword, the item I am accused of stealing along with my own da's  money."

"And your father was their uncle. Aye?" When she nodded he smiled  faintly. "Nay a big leap from uncle to father." She was growing a bit  pale, so he decided to leave that subject. "I will take ye to  Dubheidland."

"I cannae take ye out of your way," she said as she fought to banish all thought of her cousins from her mind.

"'Tis nay really out of my way. I was actually thinking of stopping in  there to beg a good meal and a proper bed for a night or two."

It was madness to go off with a man she did not know, Mora thought, but  she was already caught fast in a kind of madness. What her cousins were  doing had to be madness. Murdoch could not know the extent of his  brother's crimes. She felt certain of it. He had not known they were  responsible for her parents' death; she was sure of that. His expression  as his brother taunted her with what they had done was one of horrified  astonishment. He had definitely aided in hers and Andrew's escapes.  And, she feared, it would eventually lead to his own death.         

     



 

"Come, eat something," he coaxed as he held out a plate of rabbit and  bread. "Then we can get some sleep and be on our way at the break of  day."

Taking the plate, she nodded. She was not feeling particularly hungry,  despite her stomach's interest in the rabbit earlier, but she knew she  needed to eat. Strength was needed for what lay ahead. Staring down at  her plate, she picked up a chunk of rabbit and nibbled on it, watching  with calm amusement as Freya's small paw reached out and caught up a  small chunk of meat. The faint smile that crossed Sir Gybbon's face did a  lot to ease her mind about going off with him.

"It is always hard to discover one's kin are nay to be trusted," he consoled.

"Or just plain greedy and evil with the blood of one's own parents dripping from their hands?"

"Nay sure I would put it that way," he murmured, then glanced at her.  "Ye did say one of the brothers didnae seem to be part of it all."

"Murdoch, aye. He is only eighteen and he really looked horrified, and  then he tried to stop them from killing my goats. May be why some of  them fled successfully. Then he said nothing when I helped my young  brother escape out the window to run to Aunt Maggie. He also told me to  run after Robert hit me and his other two brothers were trying to help  Robert stop bleeding."

"Does sound innocent. Why was this Robert bleeding?"

"He grabbed me when I tried to get by him and I cried out. Freya leapt  onto his face and slashed him. He threw her toward the fire, but she is  an agile little girl"-she scratched her cat's ears-"and twisted while  still in the air so she fell to the floor off to the side. I ran over  and got her, and it was Murdoch who signaled me to run, to get out. So, I  did, though Robert tried to stab me as I passed by him. And I have  continued to run. I was surprised that they did not come by me while I  was on the road. I then thought that they might have taken Robert to  someone to tend to his wounds or even told the sheriff of the crimes  they want to charge me with and got some of his men to help them."

Gybbon stared at the small cat, who was primly taking another piece of meat. "She really doesnae look so fierce."

"She always goes for the face." Mora smiled when he winced. "She is  actually afraid of a lot of things. Think it is because she is so small.  Even a hawk eyes her as a meal. Fortunately, it also eyes a small  female with a broom as a threat. So, ye think Sigimor Cameron might  help?"