My Brave Highlander(112)

Anne's eyes filled with tears. "I am sorry. I didn't know what was in the missive or why she wished me to deliver it. She hired me to do her bidding and that's what I was doing."

"If you want to stay out of the dungeon, you will tell us everything you know about Lady MacKay and her devious plots."

"She said if Aiden didn't want to be chief, that Haldane would. She'd see to it."

He should've guessed she'd never give up. "Where did she send those men when they went south? Did she mention the MacLeods?"

"I heard her whispering to Haldane a few days ago that if anything happened to her, to ride south to the MacLeods and tell them Isobel MacKenzie is being held hostage here."

Dirk nodded. He'd suspected as much, but 'twas good to have confirmation.

"And he was to tell them to bring a large force of men to help him take Dunnakeil from the imposter."

"I see." Would MacLeod do as Haldane asked and help him take over Dunnakeil? Not if he was intelligent, but the man might be desperate to reclaim his beautiful bride. He'd no doubt bring every able-bodied MacLeod to help.

Dirk had the maid locked in a separate room, where she could no longer come within reach of Maighread. Then, he stopped by Maighread's chamber.

"Bring Lady MacKay to the library," he told her two guards. "Tie her hands in front of her first."

"Aye, m'laird."

A quarter hour later, they escorted her into the library.

Dirk, Conall, Keegan and the clan elders sat around the table. They'd left one chair vacant for his stepmother, wearing widow's black. Her green-eyed glare was more venomous than usual, but her gray hair and increasing wrinkles reminded him she was but a mortal woman. Not some everlasting female demon who had tortured and endeavored to kill him from the time he was a lad.

"How dare you imprison me in my own home?" she seethed at Dirk.

Ignoring her question, he got right to the point. "Two more murders are on your head. Both MacKays. The guards."

"I have murdered no one." She was less sanctimonious this time, and closer to boiling with rage.

"I doubt Haldane is bright enough to do all this scheming, plus organizing a dungeon break."

"You have no proof of anything," she sneered.

He gave her a forced smile. "We have witnesses."

"Who? Aiden? He is too naïve to know anything."

"Nay, not Aiden. It matters not how we know. You sent Haldane and the other men to the MacLeods. 'Tis hard to believe you'd betray your friend's daughter in such a way."

"Isobel MacKenzie is nothing like her mother. She's naught but a light-skirt whore."

Fury clawed its way through Dirk's vitals, tensing his muscles, making him want to unsheathe his sword. "If you were a man, I'd strike you down for that," he growled.

"I knew you were smitten with her—a woman who's all but married to another man. How dimwitted can you be? Now you'll have to answer to the MacLeod for kidnapping her."

Dirk snorted. "The MacKay clan knows I didn't kidnap her. That's all that matters."

The elders nodded, eying Maighread with suspicion.

"Well, now that you've bedded her, 'tis doubtful the MacLeod will want her," Maighread said in a nasty tone.

"Won't do him any good if he does. He's not getting her," Dirk said.

"I hope they rain fire on this keep and burn it to the ground!" Maighread said. "Then at least an imposter won't get it."

***

Nolan MacLeod sat in Munrick's great hall, eating venison stew with his brother, Torrin—the MacLeod chief—and their guests, the MacKenzies. Cyrus MacKenzie, Isobel's brother, reminded Nolan of a dark warlord who wouldn't mind taking off anyone's head, and Nolan didn't want to cross the bastard.

Torrin had sent Cyrus a missive that Isobel had run madly out into a snowstorm and disappeared. Cyrus had been irate, demanding answers when he'd arrived with his brothers and several men the day before. Why wasn't his sister protected and taken care of while she'd been here? Where was she? Why hadn't the MacLeods searched for her? Torrin blamed himself, but he was at a loss as to what happened since he hadn't been here at the time.

Nolan didn't know why Torrin had allowed the MacKenzies to gain entrance. If it had been Nolan's decision, he would've left them beyond the walls to freeze.

At the moment, no one paid any attention to Nolan, and he was glad. He had to keep a low profile since the place was crawling with MacKenzies. Fortunately, no one else in the clan knew why Isobel had left. Nolan was the only one. He smiled inwardly. They would never know what happened. 'Twas a pity because of her lush beauty, but Isobel was probably dead. Her own fault for knocking him on the head, running away and facing the harsh elements.