Page 58 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
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“I wonder what everyone is doin’ here,” Olivia muttered.
Outside in the garden still, the three women noticed the carriages and horses arriving swiftly one after another. Ciara recognized them as the council members that she’d been introduced to last night.
“I think I ken,” Ciara said quietly.
Both women turned to her, their eyebrows raised expectantly.
With a sigh, Ciara explained the note that Magnus had received last night and all that had happened since. Elspeth and Olivia listened intently, their joyous smiles turning to gasps of shock and fear.
“I had no idea people would feel this way…” Elspeth said softly.
Olivia nodded in agreement.
“Aye, I ken, none of us did. Maybe it was naïve of me, of all of us, but I thought people would be thrilled to end the feud, to finally get to live a life without violence and loss,” Ciara lamented.
“Aye, but they are! Ye saw the villagers. Once they met ye, they quickly offered their support. No one wants to continue losin’ soldiers.”
“I dinnae ken how we can meet everyone, though. And obviously, some people are unhappy with the peace.”
Elspeth was still shaking her head. “Whoever this was, they dinnae speak for the clan.”
The women were quiet for a moment as they all thought over the implications of the threat and the council meeting. Did the feud run too deep? Was it inevitable that it would start again? And what was Magnus discussing with his councilmen? Did he suspect any of them?
“Well, what are we doin’ out here still?” Olivia exclaimed suddenly.
“What do ye mean?” Ciara asked.
But Elspeth was already smiling. “Come on,” she said, quickly standing up and reaching down to pull Ciara to her feet.
Elspeth led them into the castle. Olivia followed closely behind her mother and was wearing a matching sly smile.
“Where are we goin’?” Ciara asked, but both women shushed her as they stopped in front of an unfamiliar door.
Elspeth beckoned her forward with a finger pressed to her lips. Still unsure what was going on Ciara moved to open the door, but both women frantically waved their hands and shook their heads.
Olivia slowly pressed her ear to the door, looking pointedly back at Ciara.
The council meeting, of course.
Ciara moved to press her ear to the door as well, and when she did, she could just make out the conversation inside the room.
“… It is kind of hard for the people to like ye and trust yer choices if ye dinnae give an explanation,” someone was saying quite vehemently.
Ciara didn’t recognize the voice, so it must have been one of the councilmen.
There was a long pause where she couldn’t hear anything but murmurings. She strained her ear, hoping to catch whatever was being said.
Finally, she heard Magnus’s voice. “I did kill me faither, and I’ll kill anyone who dares threaten me wife. As she is the lady of this clan, and ye are me councilmen, I expect yer full support.”
The violence and threat in his tone were unmistakable, and Ciara reached for anything to support her—the door, the wall, Olivia—anything to ground her. Because, hearing the Laird make a threat like that, to his own councilmen, was doing dangerous things to her.
Too late, she heard the footsteps stomping towards the door. She shot Olivia a panicked look as they hastily stepped away from the door.
The door was flung open, and on the other side of it was one murderous Laird. He immediately stepped back when he saw them all there, but then quickly stepped out of the room.
When he closed the door behind him, he focused his attention on Ciara, and she swallowed heavily under his gaze.
