Page 45 of The Mad Highlander
“I’m only jestin’ with ye. I didnae spill any marmalade there this mornin’. Havin’ said that, there’s probably been a lot worse spilled on the front of me shirt than that.”
Iris smiled and laughed through her nose. She came away from the shirt just in case and sat up a little bit on his lap, looking back at the tear-soaked patch.
“In any case, I gave it a wee wash,” Iris told him. “I ken we are in a sorrowful time, but it is welcome to hear ye laugh like that, Cayden. I dinnae ken what it is, but that laugh makes me feel safer than anythin’. When ye laughed right now, it felt like everythin’ was goin’ to be fine. It doesnae really make sense, but that’s how it was.”
“That’s all that matters to me.” Cayden rubbed her back some more. “I won’t tell ye any lies. It will get more dangerous before it gets peaceful again. I think there will be a war, and I think Laird Murdoch will be the one to start it. I dinnae ken if he has been plottin’ it for a while, but he’s allied with another clan, and that only spells trouble. I will still get yer brother back, but that will be more dangerous, too.”
“What?” Iris placed her hand on the Laird’s chest again and looked at him with pleading eyes. The threat of war sent a weight into her stomach, and she wished she had not left the safety of Castle McCabe. The Laird made her feel safe, but war was a different prospect. “What of me brother? Ye shouldnae be the one to rescue him. Ye can send someone else.”
“Nay, I have to be sure we get him. I made a promise, and while I trust me men, I trust meself above everyone. I wouldnae send men into a place that I wouldnae go meself. The only change is we willnae have any support from Hunter with the new plan.”
“What? What new plan.” Iris felt like crying again. “I dinnae ken what is goin’ on!”
“Laird Murdoch will lay a trap for Hunter if he enters the castle. I willnae risk that.”
“But ye will risk yerself sneakin’ into the castle? What if he lays a trap for you.” Iris could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It was hard enough to be away from the Laird, but the thought of losing him completely was too much.
“It’s too much to explain, but I will be in the castle with me men when he doesnae expect it, and I will fight me way out if there is a trap. There’s nae a man who can stand in me way.”
“Aye, nae one man, but what of a dozen? I ken ye saved me yesterday, but that was only two, and it took a lot out of ye to beat only them.”
“Ye dinnae need to worry about me,” Cayden growled.
“Aye, I do. I dinnae want to lose ye.”
“Ye willnae.”
“How do ye ken?”
“Because I’m tellin’ ye!” Cayden shouted. “Because I made a promise to ye to save yer brother and because I have somethin’worth comin’ back to. Nay man will stop me when I have ye to come back to. We’re nae even handfasted yet, but we will be. I promised I would get yer brother, and I promise I will wed ye. Do ye trust me?”
“It’s hard nae to when ye look at me like that,” Iris admitted. “I just… it’s easy to make the promises when ye are the one doin’ the promisin’. If it goes wrong, I’ll be the one to lose ye and nae the other way around.”
“Better to be dead than grieve for the dead?” Cayden pinned her under his gaze.
“I dinnae ken.”
Cayden pulled her back to his chest and held her there. They sat in silence as they both contemplated what might come from their union. Iris only had something to lose now because she’d had nothing to lose previously. She only worried about the Laird now because Tristan had set the union. If there were no union, she would not worry about him, but she would worry about her brother. It was an impossible situation. She had hope of getting her brother back, but it was possible she could lose her brother and Cayden.
“Do ye really mean it?” Iris asked.
“What?”
“That ye have a reason to come home? What about yer maither or sister? Hunter? Yer clan?”
“It’s different, isnae it? Of course, I want to come home to them, but ye are different. I want to come home to them, but I need to come home to ye.”
“Are we goin’ to be all right?” Iris asked.
“The Murdochs are a force to be reckoned with, especially if they have allied with another clan. Yer cousin’s clan has a sickness, but I hope they will be ready to fight. And there has been unrest from within me clan. I dinnae like any of that. Only time will tell what will become of us all.”
19
Cayden grabbed Hunter’s forearm, and Hunter did the same in return. Both men held tight to the other, their faces close to each other, their eyes locked. Hunter was the closest thing Cayden had to a brother since his own brother had been killed.
“I’ll send word if there are any delays,” Hunter said. “We should be in Castle McCraig after dark, and we plan to stay there two nights. Clan McCraig has been generous enough to house us for a night on our journey, but I’m still not convinced Laird McCraig will send any men if it comes to war, and I’d like to add a little persuasion before we head north to Castle Murdoch.”
“Aye, it will look guid, too,” Cayden added, still holding Hunter’s arm. “Clan McCraig has always loosely been our ally, and it makes sense for ye to stop there. Laird Murdoch might start to wonder if ye were to approach him too hastily; he might nae like it. Takin’ yer time is a wise move.”
