Page 58 of The Highlander's Dangerous Bride

“Thank ye, Arne. I feel a lot better now we can talk freely, without feelin’ I have tae lie tae ye all the time. But the fear still hasnae gone. Struan is still me husband, and unless one of us dies, he’ll keep huntin’ me down fer makin’ a fool of him. The last time he dragged me back tae Barra, he told me that if I ran again, he’d kill me fer sure.”

Arne was outraged. “Bloody hell, Raven! Why did ye nae tell me that before?”

She shrugged. “Tae keep ye safe. But there’s somethin’ else too I havenae told ye fer fear of what ye might dae.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Ye ken Struan despises me fer nae givin’ him a son.”

“Aye, ye told me.”

“If he ever found out I had a bairn with another man, a son at that, he’d kill Thorsten for sure.”

Christ Almighty,” Arne muttered, appalled and angry. His hatred for MacDonald went up another notch. He was now beginning to understand Raven’s terror of her husband and exactly what lengths she had gone to, to protect their son. In the deepest, darkest corner of his soul, he vowed to kill the evil bastard that would dare to think of killing his son.

“The sooner we get tae yer braither’s castle and start makin’ plans tae dae somethin’ about MacDonald, the better. He needs tae be stopped, permanently.”

“Aye, but I’m scared, Arne. I ken what he’s capable of. I’m so sorry, Arne, I never meant tae bring all this trouble tae yer door,” she said sorrowfully.

“I told ye, Raven, ’tis nae yer fault. Some people are just trouble.”

They fell into a contemplative silence for a while, while Arne fed the loathing for her husband that was burning inside him. He wanted to tell his brothers exactly what Raven had told him about MacDonald because he knew that when he did, Haldor and Ivar would want to kill him too.

Haldor already had scouts and spies deployed in the field, finding out all they could about the military capabilities of MacDonald’s army as well as the movement of him and his lackeys as they continued to search for Raven.

They would join with Everard and Maxwell MacNeil and their army to bring an end to MacDonald’s reign of terror once and for all.

When he looked over at Raven, he saw she had dozed off in her chair. He looked at her for a long time as she slept, this woman he loved, admiring the curve of her cheek and mouth, the dark fans of her lashes beneath her eyes, their lids painted amber in the lamplight. She looked so fragile, so vulnerable, it made his heart ache to think of all she had suffered and suffered still.

He rose to his feet and lifted her up gently, careful not to wake her. Then he carried her across the hall to her chamber, just as if she were his bride, and tucked her into her own bed. He covered her up, stroked her silky black hair, and kissed her brow. Before he left, he banked up the fire and then went out quietly, leaving her to sleep.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Once he had closed Raven’s door, Arne tapped on the door of Haldor and Sofia’s chamber. There was no answer, and when he looked inside, he found only a maid, turning down their bed. He knew where they would most likely be at that time of the evening, in Sofia’s little parlor, which was not far from Haldor’s study. He hurried down there.

Within a few minutes, he was ensconced in a comfortable armchair by Sofia’s cozy fireside, with a dram of whisky in his hand, sitting opposite the pair.

“This MacDonald sounds like a thoroughly evil individual,” Sofia said, looking as appalled as Arne felt after he had related to them all that Raven had told him about the fiend she had the misfortune to be shackled to.

Haldor’s face was a hard mask of disapproval. “Aye, I kent he was a bad man, but from what Raven says, he’s far worse than that. He’s wicked too. Tae threaten her life like that like that. There’s nae doubt in me mind that she’s right. If he learns about Thorsten, the lad will be in grave danger.”

“What if he already kens where she is and kens of Thorsten’s existence too, but hasnae acted upon the information yet?” Arne asked, terrified by the thought.

“I hate tae say it, but that’s a very real possibility,” Haldor said, his expression growing graver by the moment. “I think it would pay tae make our plans as though he’s aware of both those things.”

“Me and Raven are gonnae leave fer her braither’s lands in a couple of days. Everard and Maxwell have long had tae have dealin’s with MacDonald and his allies. They’ll be able tae tell me more about the way the man operates and what they need from us tae help remove the threat he poses tae us all.

“But we also need more intelligence from our men in the field urgently, tae build up a picture of what resources he has and how he deploys his forces,” Arne said, sipping his whisky. “Dae we have any reports on his movements yet?”

“He’s still searchin’ fer Raven as far as I can tell. I put out some feelers tae the neighboring lairds, and his men have been all over the pace, askin’ questions about her. But that was just after she got here. Ye’re right, Arne, we need fresh intelligence. Things could have changed drastically by now,” Haldor replied.

“’Tis when he stops lookin’ fer her that we can expect him tae make a move,” Arne said. “That’s what we need tae ken as soon as possible.”

“Aye. I’m expectin’ several of the scouts tae report back in the next few days. But I’m worried we may not be movin’ fast enough. We need tae get ahead of him somehow,” Haldor said.

Arne nodded and said, “One thing that might be useful is that he has many enemies, and his allies are often nae allies by choice. From what I hear, he generally gets what he wants in the way of agreements and treaties by threats and coercion. ’Tis possible we could get some of them tae help us. There are many who’d like tae see the bastard dead, includin’ me.”

Haldor nodded. “We need tae move fast tae get our information together and deal with this quickly and decisively, before he gets a chance tae dae any more plottin’.”

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