Page 43 of Healing the Highland Sinner
“All right,” he said. “What dae ye ken about her arrangements with Sinclair. Why is she daein’ his dirty work?”
He frowned. “I dinnae ken the details. The Widow was good tae me, but I wasnae part of her inner circle like that. She didnae share things like that.”
“I understand. But surely workin’ so close with her, ye heard things.”
Ellair could see the battle raging in his head, even still. His loyalty to Rosalind versus the coin he was promising. His desire to protect her was admirable.
“I’m nae lookin’ tae hurt her,” Ellair said gently. “I’m just tryin’ tae figure a couple of things out for meself. I work fer her now.”
“If ye work fer her, why dinnae ye ask her yer questions yerself?”
“Because… I’m just tryin’ tae understand the woman I’m goin’ tae be puttin’ me life in jeopardy fer,” he replied evenly. “And I’m tryin’ tae help her. I understand enough tae ken she’s in a bad way with Sinclair. I want tae help get her out of it if I can.”
Carson searched his eyes, looking for the truth. He apparently found it because he gave himself a small nod, as if convincing himself it was all right to talk to him.
“Like I said, I dinnae ken all the specifics. All I ken is what I heard other men speakin’ on,” he said. “And what I heard is that Sinclair is holdin’ somebody close tae the Widow. A braither or cousin maybe, I’m nae sure. But he’s usin’ their life as the leverage tae force her tae work fer him. I dinnae ken any more than that. I dinnae ken if that’s even true. ‘Tis just a rumor I heard.”
Ellair sat back in his chair and frowned as he mulled it over for a moment. It made sense. It fit with what she’d said the night she’d rescued him from the warehouse when she had said Sinclair had something that belonged to her. At the time, he hadn’t been able to imagine what it was but knowing it could be kin… it made sense. Having the life of her kin in Sinclair’s hands made it very believable that she’d work for him. Carson’s words seemed to confirm his belief that she was working for Sinclair against her will.
“All right. Thank ye fer the information. ‘Tis very helpful,” Ellair said as he put the coins down on the table in front of the man then added two more to the stack. “Get a hot meal.”
Ellair got to his feet and headed out of the tavern. Knowing Sinclair was moving English goods into the Highlands, and was leveraging Rosalind to do it, told him a lot. The plan started coming together in his mind. Sinclair was in bed with the English, everybody knew that. And by arming the smaller clans in the Highlands suggested her was seeking to destabilize the area and weaken clan Gunn, making it easier for Sinclair to move in and take over.
And once he had control of Gunn lands—and the Highlands in general—who knew what Sinclair would do then. But he knew enough to know the man’s ambition was limitless. He thought it likely that, with English backing, Sinclair would eventually move to take over all of Scotland itself. That didn’t seem outside the realm of possibility.
But once again, Ellair was struck by how shortsighted the man was. Once he had eliminated all meaningful opposition and taken over all of Scotland, positioning himself to be the king, did he really expect the English to pull back and let him rule? No, they had been trying to eradicate the Scots for centuries. How could he think they would let him not only survive, but thrive in a land they had long coveted. Unless he was arrogant enough to believe he could take on and defeat the English as well?
That would be the height of arrogance… which fit with what Ellair knew of the man.
The one question that remained lodged in his mind was what to tell Rosalind. If he went to her with what he knew and what he believed, he would be giving himself away. She would know he was not a hired sword but something else. She would likely feel betrayed. And he supposed he couldn’t blame her. He was betraying her.
As he made his way back to the compound, his mind spinning wildly, he decided his course of action. He would write to Laird Gunn and tell him what he had learned. He would lay out the situation for him and tell him Rosalind is not who or what he thought she was. He would take up her case and fight for her with Laird Gunn. He would protect her… as he’d sworn to do.
Until he worked it out with Laird Gunn, he would not say a word to Rosalind about anything he’d been up to.
—
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CHAPTER 19
Ellair lay on the hard packed earth beneath him, bleeding from what felt like a thousand different wounds. He groaned in agony, every square inch of his body hurting. As he stared up at the ceiling, awaiting the cold embrace of death, he heard the muffled sound of voices. It sounded as if he was hearing people arguing while underwater. He gave himself a small shake and grimaced, regretting the slightest bit of movement. But he turned his head, his eyes widening.
