Page 29 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
All he could think of was Hope. The way her hair cascaded down to her back, he longed to pull it, and dive his hands into it. He wanted her to himself, and he damned his nephew for outsmarting him and wedding her before he could get her for himself.
He finished his dinner, and watched the woman perform a dance for him as the musicians in the chamber played their instrument. Lyall drank ale to take his mind off her, but he couldn’t.
She was beautiful, and unlike any other woman in his Clan or any clan he had been to. His need for her was more than he could bear and he knew he would do anything to have her. Lyall clenched his fists against the table, and scoffed as he remembered Ian’s protective gesture toward her and how she clung to him when they thought he was no longer watching.
He had sent the archer after Ian as a warning, but now he was seriously considering doing more harm to his young nephew.How could he outsmart me?
I have to teach him a lesson, one that would make him fear me.
When Lyall retired to his bedchamber, he took the golden-haired woman with him. Late in the night when she scurried out of his chamber, he sent for his guard who served as a spy in the east wing where Ian lived with his sister and wife.
The man was one of Lyall’s most trusted men, and he paid him well for his services. Once, he had tried to betray Lyall by working with Callum years ago, and he had punished him by asking the cell guards to chop off one of his fingers. Ever since then, he had remained loyal.
“Do ye have any report?”
“I have word that yer nephew plans to send men into the mountains for a search, Callum and three men would go on this search, I overheard this when eavesdropping on the men’s conversations in the practice field.”
Lyall rubbed his eyebrow, and dropped in the chair beside his bed. “Do ye ken what they want to do in the mountains?”
“Nay, My Laird, all I ken is that they ride out.”
He sighed. “What about our men searchin’ for the treasure in the mountains? Any word if they have found anythin’?”
“Nay, My Laird.”
He had sent men out into the mountains days ago in search of the treasure. They were to search every piece of land or mountain belonging to Galloway and they were ordered to not return without it. Lyall knew his nephew was also in search of the treasure, and he had to get to it first.
Once he did, then he would have everything he had ever wanted, and even Lady Hope would not be able to refuse being his wife. He didn’t mind if his nephew had defiled her, he wanted her to himself and he would get her.
Before then he planned to give her one last chance to be with him. After the feast he would make her an offer, and she would not be able to refuse him because if she did, then he would take her by force.
Lyall always got what he wanted, and he never let another man oust him, not even his weak older brother who was Laird before him. He remembered the night he took his life, the way his brother had begged him for mercy in his chamber, but Lyall was not one to ever show mercy. He wanted the Lairdship and he had gotten it.
Hope Burnett was the first woman to escape him, and he vowed to have her. Satisfied with his plans, Lyall ordered the man, “Continue to keep watch, and report anything else to me. Send word to the servants in the kitchen to prepare for the feast, I want every man present there, with no exceptions.
“My nephew should know that all his men should be at the feast, and anyone who defiles this order will be punished,” he said. The man bowed and left Lyall alone in his chamber feeling satisfied.
There was no way they could make their trip for the mountains now, not when he had given this order, and any man who defiled him, he would kill. This would send a message to those who chose to side with Ian, there was still one Laird in power, Lyall Cowan of Galloway, and he intended to remain Laird for a long time.
22
Ian took another long ride outside the Castle the next evening to clear his mind. He still could not put out the image of Lyall’s hands on Hope out of his mind, and it filled him with rage.
If Lyall dares to lay another finger on her, I will kill him. I would not stop myself or practice restraint.
The fierce surge of protectiveness he felt toward her was what led him to think this way. Hope was his wife, and he intended to protect her from his vile uncle.
He thought of taking her away from the Castle at first, but then she would be away from him, and he would not be able to keep a proper eye on her that way. Instead, he would keep her in the Castle where he could protect her himself.
After spending time out in the open field, he decided to ride back home. He continued to admire the lush green of his surroundings, the animals brave enough to play out in the open, and the feel of the cold wind against his face as he pushed his horse into a full gallop, the hoof sound of each clop they took filled the air.
Anytime he rode out of the Castle, he took men with him, but today, he decided to ride alone because he was in no mood for company. As he galloped, he suddenly heard the sound of another horse’s neigh in the background.
He turned around and saw a masked man behind him galloping with full speed, a bow and arrow arched like he was about to shoot. Ian’s eyes widened and he panicked.
Another archer?
Lyall had sent another man after him, and this time there was little he could do out in the village. The last time on the moors he was able to make it into the presence of his men in time. This time he might not be so lucky.
