Page 61 of Kidnapped By her Highland Enemy
This time, McKenna straightened, and his eyes were hard. “Out of necessity, nay because I liked it. How would ye feel if ye were booted out of yer fair share of all the land has to offer only because greedy bastards like yer faither and him—” McKenna jabbed a hand at Lucas, “—decided they had authority to take it all and leave ye with scraps? To force ye to live in the outskirts, in barren rocks with naything to help ye survive while they mine gold and iron, reap wheat, have plenteous fish and deer?”
Clamping her lips tight, Maisie realized that this betrayal had not been a new thing, this plan had been thought on, and refined for years. The marriage between she and Lucas not beenexpected, but it had managed to give McKenna another way to shatter their clans into fragments.
“So ye bid yer time and waited for the opportune moment,” Maisie said dully.
McKenna looked heavily impressed, “Yer a cannie lass, arenae ye? It’s a shame yer fool of a husband isnae the same.”
“What are ye going to do with us?” Maisie asked, very hesitant.
“Ye will be killed,” McKenna said plainly. “And yer body dumped in his lands and his body thrown in yers. Both clans will go to war and me clan will stay as the remainder to reap all that is left.”
Maisie did not find any words to say and slipped silent, the fear of death now numbing its way through her limbs. Her gaze rested on Lucas who was still unconscious. She willed Lucas to wake up but she wondered if that would only spur McKenna to kill them faster. It seemed to Maisie that McKenna wanted to show Lucas that he had bested them all.
Thinking about the men back at the castle, waiting for them to marry, Maisie prayed that someone would find out what hadhappened and find them before Lucas woke and McKenna made good on his chilling promise.
Evey servant, from the lowest stable boy to the cooks were lined up in the great hall as Cinead, from the dais, cast his gaze over the hundred and odd of the lot. Now, while he knew his servants weremostlygood people, there had to be a traitor amongst them, and no one was going to leave this hall until he found who it was.
He descended the stairs, with his hand on his sword’s pommel, and walked along them, noting with interest when their eyes dropped to the wicked weapon he still yielded.
“Tis simple,” he said loudly. “If anyone of ye kens or saw who took Lady Maisie step forward now and tell what ye ken, and I will let ye live, or if nay, and I learn that ye are hiding something from me, me blade will be swift.”
No one came forward, but Cinead had expected that. “Find me anyone who saw this traitor or better yet, give up the traitor and ye will all be excused to go back to yer duties, and nay of the innocent will die.”
When none uttered a sound, Angus growled and spat, “Ye dinnae have time for tender mercies, Cinead, take one of them and make an example of them. Me daughter is gone, and I will nay have mercy on anyone who is hiding a thing from me!”
Before Cinead could stop the other man, Angus had grabbed a young man and hauled him to the front. “Ye, what do ye ken? Tell me now!”
The boy’s face was bloodless and he tried to speak but his words were a continuous stammer of frightened nonsense. Angus lifted his dirk—just as someone broke from the ranks and started running.
Angus took off and so did five soldiers, while Oliver grabbed the girl, trapping her hands behind her. She was pale in fright but her eyes glittered dark with hate and Angus had little mercy for her. Lifting the dirk to her throat, he said, “Who is yer master, lass?”
She spat at his feet, “Yer better.”
This time, Cinead took control. “Do ye ken who took Maisie?”
This time she clenched her jaw like a mule and Cinead dropped his voice, “If ye dinnae tell us, ye will be thrown into the torture chambers, subjected to all manner of pain, then when ye think ye cannae take anymore, ye will be drawn and quartered, each limb of yer body pulled right apart, inch by painful inch. Is this dunghill of a master worth losing yer life?”
This time, the girl eyes widened, and she gasped in a breath, then shook her head.
“The offer to save yer life expires when I turn away,” Angus spat, as he sheathed his dirk and gave her an expectant look. When she did not say anything, he turned on his heel only to have her gasp.
“I’ll tell ye, only—only if ye promise nay to send me back to him,” she pleaded. “He will kill me outright.”
“Who is he?” Cinead said, his tone hard and demanding, “And where will we find him and me son?”
The lass’s head dropped to her chest, “Ye willnae like what I have to say, Sir….”
“Tell it to me anyway.”
The family was drinking wine on the dais, while the wife was circling the room, touching the tapestries and the furnishings in the room. Maisie could see pure envy and wicked satisfaction at knowing that soon, all this would be hers.
The sun had dipped, getting slowly past noon, and Maisie guessed that McKenna would only kill them when it was dark. Shooting a look to Lucas, she prayed he would wake—when she saw his fingers begin to twitch. Her heart leaped into her chest but she kept her expression still fixed in a worried twist so McKenna and his family would be none the wiser.
Lady McKenna went to her husband and whispered something in his ear, and instantly, the man’s eyes shot to Maisie. Then he sighed and shook his head, “I’m sorry, dear, she must die.”
Her face soured, and she flung her empty goblet, “Then ye find a wife for Geoffrey then!”
Maisie’s mouth dropped, was the woman truly thinking she would be with her son? Was she moon-stricken? Training her gaze back to Lucas, she saw that while his head was still down and looking as if he were asleep, his fingers were working on the ropes binding his middle.
