Alastair closed his eyes and fell silent for a long moment. Then, after a long pause, he continued, ‘I grieve the death of my son. Sían was my flesh and blood, and no father should outlive his child.’ His hand closed in a fist. ‘But Lianna is no’ like her brother. She has the heart and the intelligence to lead this clan. Had she been a boy, I would have made her the leader, for she is a good woman who puts the needs of others before her own.’
Alastair poured mead into a silver mazer cup and lifted it high. ‘I don’t want war between the Normans and my people. They will struggle to survive this winter, and we need Norman aid to provide enough food for them.’ He drank from the cup. ‘I offer you this cup of peace. I will forgive you for killing my son, if you do not bring vengeance against our people.’ He passed the cup to his advisors, who drank in turn, and then the cup was given to Rhys.
He hesitated, for he was uncertain whether to accept this offering. Sían MacKinnon might well have acted without his father’s permission. Given the haggard expression on Alastair’s face, he did appear to regret his son’s actions.
This was a man who valued peace, above his own personal tragedy. And that was something to be respected.
‘I will not drive your people out of Eiloch yet,’ Rhys said quietly. ‘For now, I will wait and use my own judgement. If they dare to raise a hand against any of us, they will die for it.’ He drank the mead and passed it back.
‘If any of my people strike back at you or your men,’ Alastair answered, ‘I will order their deaths myself.’ He set down the mazer cup and leaned back in his chair. ‘Lianna will not want to wed you—I must be honest about this. But she does understand the needs of our clan. She knows how dire our circumstances are, and if I command it of her, she will obey.’
Rhys wasn’t certain he wanted to wed under these circumstances. But he did need to be honest with Lianna MacKinnon and tell her of his true identity. She deserved that much.
‘I will speak with her this evening,’ he said. ‘In the meantime, I will inspect your crofters’ homes and learn more about Eiloch.’
Alastair nodded. ‘My men will accompany you to ensure your safety.’ He rose from his chair and said, ‘Under most circumstances, I would join you and Lianna on your journey back to Montbrooke for the formal betrothal. But I think it best if I remain behind, to ensure that my people do not rise up in rebellion.’
‘You assume that I will wed her,’ Rhys said. ‘I will not claim her if she displeases me.’ Unbidden came the memory of her mouth beneath his, the softness of her kiss. But once she learned who he was, she would despise him.
Alastair’s expression tightened with firm resolution. ‘She will do as I command.’
* * *
Lianna stared at her father in shock. ‘I will not.’
How could he even imagine she would wed the Norman who had murdered her brother? The very thought was monstrous. Her heart pounded, and she gripped her hands together so tightly, her knuckles turned white. ‘The men are digging Sían’s grave as we speak. How can you ask me to wed the man who put him there?’ She rose from her place, panic gnawing inside her.
‘Because if you do not make this alliance, he will drive our people out of Eiloch.’ Her father’s pallor was grey, and he sat down, resting his hand on his forehead. ‘Lianna, you don’t ken what lies ahead. Our people cannot survive if he drives us out.’
‘Then fight back,’ she insisted. ‘We have more men than he does!’
‘If we slaughter the heir of Montbrooke, his father will send Norman troops by the hundreds. They would kill every last one of us, and you ken this.’ He swallowed hard. ‘Sían made a terrible mistake, and I should have listened to you. I regret not sending men after him, but I never thought he would do something like this.’
‘And yet, you ask me to marry his murderer.’ Her voice broke away, and terror poured over her in a wave. ‘I cannot do it. I will not do it.’
‘He is coming to dine with us this evening after the burials. You will meet with him then,’ her father said.
‘I would rather die than wed Rhys de Laurent,’ she shot back. Her rage poured over her, and she stood from the table. Right now, she needed to be on horseback, to ride hard and release the storm of tears building inside. She started to back away from the table, but her father raised a hand, and two of her kinsmen blocked her path.
‘You will not leave, Lianna,’ he said. ‘It is not safe now. With all that has happened, you must stay here.’
And be his prisoner, she realised. A blinding anger overcame her, and she tried to shove her way past the men. But Eachann gripped her arm, staring back at her father for his orders.
‘Go to your bedchamber,’ Alastair warned. ‘You may bide there until we bury Sían and the others. And you will meet with Rhys de Laurent later tonight.’ Though he spoke calmly, she didn’t miss the tremor of emotion in his voice. It seemed that he was holding back his own grief by a single thread.
‘I will not meet with him.’ Not now or ever. If he meant for her to stay in her room, stay she would. He could not force her to wed the Norman.
‘Take her,’ Alastair said.
Eachann was not gentle, but pulled her towards the stairs and marched her up each tread. When she reached her room, he opened the door and shoved her inside. She had no time to speak, but heard the tell-tale click of the key turning in the lock.
Lianna drew her knuckles into a fist and slammed her hand into the door, not even caring if it bruised. Her life was falling to pieces all around her, and she could not gather control of it. Anger roared through her, and she dropped to her knees on the floor. There was a stiff brush and a bucket of water in the corner, and she reached for them. She scrubbed the floor over and over, obliterating all traces of dirt. Her shoulders shook with rage and grief, and she wept for the loss of her brother...but most of all, for the loss of her freedom. She scrubbed until her fingers were raw from the effort, and her knees were damp from the water.
Then, a sudden thought took root in her mind. What of the coins she had saved to buy her freedom? Would the Norman consider the bribe? It was still a fragile glimmer of hope that she clung to.
She ran to the opposite side of the room and dropped to her knees again. With the blade of her dagger, she pried up the floorboard and reached for the sack of coins she had saved over the years.
It was gone. With horror, she reached her hand into the darkness, trying to see if it had somehow been pushed aside. But there was nothing at all, save something tiny, a scrap of fabric she could not see. When she pulled it from the hiding place, the tears sprang up again. It was a handkerchief she had embroidered for Sían.
He had taken her coins and used them for God only knew what. When had he done this? She had told him only a day ago, but it was clear that he had seized the coins long before that.
Where were they now? She recalled that he had gone ‘hunting’ with his men, but that was during the afternoon. They had not attacked the Norman camp until nightfall. Where had he been all that time?
She knew he had not kept the coins with him during the attack, for she had spent the past hour preparing his body for burial. A queasy feeling passed over her, and she sat against the wall, drawing her knees up. There was truly nothing left for her now. No silver, no means of convincing the Norman to leave her alone.
Her father wanted her to meet with the man this evening, but she could not fathom doing so. Her heart was ravaged with grief and frustration. If she laid eyes upon his face, it would only bring back her anger.
She lowered her face against her knees. Nothing would ever force her to wed the Norman—not after what he’d done.
She swore, with every breath in her body, that she would not let her enemy claim her.