Page 56 of Wicked Highland Wishes
She stood but put space between them. “I ken ye would never hurt me purposely,” she said. “Ye have a right to be angry. I’ve hurt ye.”
“I’m nae simply angry,” he said, his gaze narrowing. “I will kill the man who has dared to pursue what all here ken is mine.”
Her breath caught at the menace and hatred in Graham’s voice. “I’m nae a possession, Graham.”
“Tell me the man’s name,” he ordered, ignoring what she’d said.
She could not tell him. She knew it deep within. If he knew that she loved his brother, she was sure the seer’s prophecy would come true.
“Nay,” she said. “I’ve told ye what I felt I must. Ye ken if ye draw first blood and ye marry me, I’ll nae ever love ye with my whole heart, and ye deserve that, Graham. Ye deserve a woman who will give herself to ye, body and soul.”
“I want ye,” he said simply. “Nothing will change that.” With that declaration, he turned and strode away from her.
She watched him disappear as the ache in her heart became almost unbearable. She could not marry one brother while loving another, yet what choice was there?
Panic rioted within Lachlan as Bridgette walked out of the great hall with Graham. He could not lose her. He could not simply do nothing and let her be handed like a prize to another man. He fought against the tide of helplessness to gain control and order his thoughts. The first thing he needed to do was convince David to let him break his pledge with Helena now. The king could see that it was done if he agreed.
The door to the great hall shut, leaving Lachlan, Iain, and the king alone. Lachlan rose to speak, knowing there was not a moment to be wasted. “I’ve discovered that Helena has come here to steal the Fairy Flag.”
“How do ye ken this?” the king asked, his voice hard-edged.
“I caught her searching for it, and I learned she’s asked a great many questions about it.”
“If she’s here to take the flag, then it’s by her father’s command. And the only reason to take the flag is to weaken the MacLeod clan.”
“Aye,” Lachlan and Iain said as one.
“The Campbell kens ye are my allies; therefore, if he’s trying to destroy ye, he is my enemy.”
“Aye, Sire,” both Lachlan and Iain said again. It was best to let David continue rather than interrupt.
The king pounded his fist into the palm of his other hand. “We must learn with whom the Campbells have allied. I suspect it’s Robert, but I dunnae ken who else, possibly the Earl of Dunbar. I dunnae believe either man cares for my governing style. They wish to tell me what to do, and I’ll nae have it. I’ll nae be any man’s puppet king,” David snarled, referring to Robert Balliol.
“Why do ye reward the steward and Dunbar more land and titles that make them stronger if ye believe they are conspiring against ye?” Lachlan asked.
David waved a dismissive hand. “I can take it away as quickly as I give it, but for now, I grant it to appease them. I need their support—or pretense of it, at least—until I have the backing I need to oppose them should they rise against me.”
“How close are ye to having the reinforcements ye desire?” Iain asked.
“Verra,” David answered, showing a cold smile. “I leave here day after tomorrow to see Gowan. Once I’m assured I have the Lord of the Isles’s faithfulness to add to those of ye I trust, I will feel confident I can crush any who oppose my rule. And I will make known that I dunnae need nobles to retain control of my kingdom, no matter how powerful they are. I need men who trust that everything I do, every choice I make, is for the good of Scotland. I must ken all my enemies so I ken who to destroy.” David speared them both with an intense look. “Do either of ye believe we should be considering any other men that may be conspiring with the Campbells?”
“Likely our Uncle Jamie,” Iain said. “He stands to gain a great deal if he can capture Dunvegan and align himself with men who are against ye as my ally.”
“My spies dunnae have any word on yer uncle but what I told ye. It’s as if he has disappeared.”
Iain shook his head. “He’s hiding, I’m certain. Preparing to strike.”
The king turned his attention to Lachlan. “Do ye believe ye can get Helena to admit she is here to steal the flag and that her father sent her? At least then we will ken for certain that the Campbells are enemies. And if she kens who the Campbell is conspiring with, all the better.”
Lachlan nodded. “I hope to have the proof by tomorrow, and if I do, I’d like ye to declare me released from my pledge to Helena immediately.”
David arched his eyebrows. “I ken wishing to be released, but why the urgency?”
Lachlan looked to Iain, and Iain gave a quick nod of his head that the time for total truth was at hand, but to know how to proceed, Lachlan needed to understand something. “Why would ye be willing to allow Colin Campbell to marry Bridgette MacLean, when ye believe the Campbells to be yer enemy?”
“I’m nae.”
Lachlan frowned. “Ye’re nae?”
