Page 50 of The Highlander's Illicit Bride
“We cannae negotiate with MacPherson. Nae that he’s now an ally of Laird Mackintosh.” Struan’s voice boomed around the chamber, instantly silencing all the men at the table. They turned wary, fearful eyes to him. Owen’s gaze was neither warynor fearful though, it was curious. As if a question had just occurred to him.
“Ye say Laird MacPherson is holdin’ Finlay then, eh?” he asked.
“Aye.”
“And how’d ye come by this information?”
Struan ground his teeth knowing exactly the response his answer would provoke. But as his councilors turned to him, he knew he had no choice but to answer them.
“’Twas Isolde Mackintosh who told me,” he said.
As expected, the table erupted with raised voices and shouts of outrage. Struan sat back in his chair and took a sip from his cup of wine, letting them get it all out of their systems. One it had died down, it was Owen who unsurprisingly, spoke up first.
“Isolde Mackintosh. The daughter of Murdoch Mackintosh, eh?” he asked.
“Aye. She is his daughter.”
“Then how dae ye ken ye can trust her bleedin’ word?” Owen shouted, which seemed to be the prevailing question of the whole council. “Mackintoshes are liars. Ye ken this, boy. Ye ken they’re nae tae be trusted.”
Struan’s eyes narrowed. “First, ye’ll address me as Laird. Nae boy,” he said, his voice hard and tight. “Second, Lady Isolde is nae her faither.”
“Are ye certain she’s nae daein’ her faither’s biddin’?” asked another man.
Struan turned to him. “I trust her. She’s nae lied tae me.”
“How dae ye ken?” came another voice.
If they were this upset about the suggestion that Isolde could be trusted, they really weren’t going to like what else he had in mind. But he would take it one thing at a time. Rather than dignify their questions with an answer, he instead told them how he came to meet Isolde, telling them it would have taken a tremendous series of coincidences for her to be put in his path simply to feed him bad information or lure them into a trap. Murdoch would have had to know where he was and which direction he was traveling after his escape, to put his daughter in front of him. And while Murdoch was clever and crafty, he was not clairvoyant.
“’Tis why I ken that she can bet trusted,” he said.
The councilors all turned and exchanged glances. He saw a few nods and expressions of grudging acceptance of his explanation.
“So, what are ye plannin’ tae dae then?” Owen asked.
“We’re goin’ tae strike Cluny House,” Struan announced. “We’re goin’ tae get Finlay back.”
Worried murmurs and expressions of concern rolled around the table like waves against the shoreline. Having just fought and lost a battle against Mackintosh, a fight that had seen both he and Finlay captured, Struan could not blame them for not wanting to jump into another conflict. But he had to persuade them that this was what needed to be done.
“Laird Cameron,” Owen said. “I dinnae think we can afford tae send men tae Cluny House now. Not when Laird Mackintosh will be on our doorstep before we ken it. He’ll come fer his daughter the same as ye want us tae go after yer braither?—”
“He aoesnae ken she’s with me, Owen,” Struan said. “The time tae strike is now. While both Mackintosh and MacPherson are distracted. While they’re both searchin’ fer Isolde. And before they figure out she’s here.”
“How can ye be sure Mackintosh daesnae ken she’s here?” one man asked.
Struan sighed heavily. If he was going to get them on his side, he had to be transparent with them. Which meant he was going to have to tell them about the offer Mackintosh made after all. He ground his teeth and frowned.
“Well?” Owen asked. “How can ye be sure?”
“Because Laird Mackintosh sent a letter askin’ tae trade Finlay for the lands tae the south—the lands we’ve fought with Laird MacPherson fer since… well… forever. If he kent, he wouldnae ask for land, but tae get his daughter back.”
A hush fell over the table as the men exchanged glances. He could see in their faces that some of them thought this was a way out.
“’Tis a trap,” Ewan said, breaking the sudden silence. “’Tis nae a real offer. Mackintosh is tryin’ tae lure Laird Cameron out tae either capture or kill him.”
“And how can ye possibly ken that?” one man shouted.
“Because I’ve been fightin’ these men fer a long time,” Ewan replied. “I ken their tricks because I’ve seen them before. Many times. If Struan was tae show up there, he’d find a host of Mackintosh and MacPherson soldiers waitin’ tae kill him.”
