Page 43 of Married to the Highland Devil
Dahlia rushed inside before Amelia could fully climb out of bed.
“War bells, Me Lady,” Dahlia said and took her arm before she could respond. “They only ring the bells when the castle is under attack.”
The chimes continued as Dahlia took her arm and led her out of the chamber.
“What?” Amelia croaked but did not even get the chance to process Dahlia’s words fully because Dahlia was already pulling her and hurrying their pace. “Dahlia, slow down.”
“Nay, Me Lady… The castle is under siege… We must…” The maid was breathing hard now, and Amelia sensed her fear through the shakiness and hushed tone she spoke in. “Me Lady…”
“Has this happened before?” Amelia asked as she let Dahlia lead her into the castle.
“Yes, once before.”
They were going down the stairs now, and Amelia was greeted with the familiar scent of lavender that always filled the castle. It was Yvaine’s doing to drop lavender oil around the corners of the keep. She loved the smell and had mentioned to Amelia once that they calmed her.
Amelia heard the heavy thuds of footsteps and thick voices speaking in Gaelic. She soon heard Duncan’s voice, and her heart skipped a beat because of it.
“Dahlia,” he called. “Take her to her chamber and make certain neither of ye leave there,” Duncan was saying. “I shall have three guards to watch ye and my maither. Yvaine will be with ye too.”
“Duncan,” Amelia said and reached for his hand before he could walk past her. “Are ye strong enough?”
She knew stopping him from charging out was impossible, but she still worried about his wound. The cut was deep, and he had lost a lot of blood.
“I am goin’ to protect my castle, Amelia,” he answered and withdrew from her, but he did not walk far before she heard the slice of blade cutting through flesh and the grunt that followed.
Amelia’s heart flew to her mouth. “Duncan,” she cried out, lurching forward, but Dahlia held onto her and wrapped her arms around her.
“Nay, Me Lady.”
Amelia struggled, but two guards had stepped towards them and held her steady, so she could not run forward.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought it was Duncan who got struck by the blade, but when she heard him speak next, her quivers seized.
“Ye killed a McLennan man in my castle,” Duncan said.
His tone was not the usual thick and soothing sound she was used to. The rumble of his words was a gruff and edgy sound. Amelia knew instantly he was speaking to their enemy.
“I shallnae let ye leave without payin’ for what ye have done, MacGregor.”
“What have I done? It is ye who have refused to honor yer faither’s words and pay me back all that ye owe, McLennan. It is ye who have refused to give me yer sister as promised.”
“My sister wasnae promised to ye. I shall never let ye have her.”
Amelia heard another footstep, and she stiffened, holding back her gasp as she heard Yvaine’s words. “If ye defile me, Laird MacGregor, I will crush ye.”
“I dinnae fear ye, Malcolm. Ye can destroy and raid my villages all ye want, but I dinnae fear ye, and I willnae cave. I shall have yer payment soon, but until then, I will fight ye with everythin’ I have,” Duncan growled.
Laird MacGregor burst into a loud cackle now, and their surroundings fell silent. Amelia did not think anyone besides her, Duncan, and whoever that man was stood there.
“I shall destroy ye,” Malcolm continued. “It willnae take a lot to wipe yer clan off the face of this earth and rid the Highlands of ye lots. If ye give me yer sister, all of this will go away, or perhaps…”
Amelia was still holding her breath when she noticed the shadow of a finger pointing in her direction. She held her breath and squinted so she could properly make out the figure she saw.
“Perhaps ye shall let me have her? In exchange, ye keep her dowry and make life easier for yer clan?”
“That will never happen,” Duncan snapped, and Amelia heard the drawing of a sword.
“It is one or the other, Laird McLennan. Yer sister or yer betrothed. The choice is yers.”
