Page 31 of The Pirate Laird's Hostage

‘Aye, I saw how you got wet – on the beach, in my cousin’s arms.’

‘That is not your business, Drostan. Careful what you say to me.’

‘What I am about to say to you, Morna, you really need to hear.’

‘Alright then,’ she sighed. ‘What troubles you?’

‘You like him, don’t you, my cousin? He has wheedled his way into your trust. Is he also in your heart?’

‘You may leave now,’ she replied, her anger rising at his probing.

‘Don’t trust him, Morna, for he will use you ill. I told you how he became Laird here, what he did to my father.’

‘Will explained that to me, it was a matter of life and death.’

‘It was a matter of lust and power, that is the truth of it. Will cares only for himself and his own interest.’

Morna took a step back. ‘Will saved my life. He has protected me since I got here. He would never hurt me.’

‘Oh, Will has no urge to hurt you, quite the opposite, unless you resist him for too long and he gets tired of the chase. No, he has dark desires which drive him, and you are presently the object of them. You are his prize, his plaything until he gets bored. So he is with all women who fall under his power. He will take you into his confidence, draw you close and then pounce. You are a chicken to his fox. His ardour is just a game to bring you to heel. Do not be a fool over him, Morna, as your friend, trust me on this, please. Will always has a plan, in his favour and his alone.’

‘No, I do not believe you. Drostan, you have cause to hate him, you resent his taking your place as Laird, and I understand how that must grate on your pride, but he is doing right by me.’

‘Will is doing the opposite. Do not let him use you, for that is what he is doing.’

‘How?’

‘My cousin wants you warming his bed, and he is clever enough to get you to beg to climb into it. He has spun his web of lies so well that you cannot even see it.’

‘No,’ said Morna, shaking her head as a cold dread took hold.

‘Ask Will where Waldrick went in that ship these last days.’

‘To the mainland, to send word to my brother. The seas have calmed enough to make the crossing.’

‘Do you know how long it takes to make the crossing – half a day at the most? Do you also know that the Bains have seawater running through their veins, no storm in the world stops them from setting sail when they want to. Did you see the cargo he was unloading? Taken, from a merchant vessel. Waldrick was sent out to hunt, not to send word on your behalf. As to the storms, they have not prevented our other vessels, moored in coves all over the island, from setting sail all the time you have been here. Waldrick was no more sending word to your brother than my cousin has an ounce of sincerity in his heart. There is no gain for Will in sending you home.’

‘But he told me that…’

‘No word has been sent to your brother, Morna, nor will it be. Will is keeping you here for his own purpose. He makes you feel like a guest when, in fact, you are a prisoner. If you don’t believe me go and ask him yourself, and watch his face when he lies.’

***

Will stood on the battlements staring out at the horizon, his brow deeply furrowed. He wanted to hold thoughts of Morna in his head a little longer, take them out and turn them over and over until he made sense of them. Instead, Waldrick was bleating in his ear like a sheep.

‘This word from the mainland. How do we proceed Will?’

‘As we always have – by preserving our interests and staying out of Scotland’s quarrels.’

‘But with the English massing for another march north, Robert may look to the Isles for support.’

‘And he’ll get none from me, Waldrick. If the English send another army to re-take Berwick, then our so-called King will need us more than we need him, but I’ve no appetite for sacrificing Bain clansmen, not if he came on bended knee.’

‘And if he comes as a conquering hero? If he breaks King Edward’s army and assumes control of Scotland, what will you do then?’

‘Negotiate of course, but from a position of strength. We are not an easy target for King Robert. Let him rant and rave and denounce us as cowards. We go our own way, as do the other clans of the Isles and he has few ships to threaten us.’

‘So we are to do nothing?’ said Waldrick.

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