Page 71 of Healing the Highland Sinner
“All right. Grab some chairs, some wine, and have somebody cook up some food,” he said. “We’ve got a lot tae talk about. ‘Tis goin’ ae be a long night.”
CHAPTER 31
Laird Torrin Gunn looked over all the documents Rosalind had spread out on the table before him. She’d brought along all the coded messages, maps of smuggling routes, and every other scrap of information she had that helped reveal the extent of Sinclair’s operations and just how strong of a foothold he and his allies had in the Highlands.
“Me God, ‘tis worse than I ever imagined,” Gunn said quietly.
He and his advisors studied all the documents and maps, quietly conferring among themselves for a moment. Rosalind glanced at Ciar who gave her one of his nods. Ellair stood on the other side of the room, watching the conversation between them, eating from the plate of food in his hands. The look on his face was clear—he’d done his part in making the introduction and laying out the stakes, but now it was up to her to forge the alliance.
Rosalind turned back to Gunn. “He’s been at this fer a long time, Laird Gunn. He’s been layin’ the groundwork for his takeover of the Highlands fer months or longer even.”
“Bleedin’ hell,” Torrin Gunn muttered.
One of Gunn’s men turned to Rosalind, his face pinched and angry. “And ye’re the one who’s most responsible for this,” he growled. “Ye’re the one who?—”
“Enough, Jamison,” Gunn said softly.
“Me Laird,” Jamison said. “We cannae overlook her role in all this. She is the reason our enemies in the Highlands are so bleedin’ well armed?—”
Gunn turned to his man. “And what would ye dae if Sinclair was holdin’ yer son?” he asked. “If Sinclair had a blade tae Kade’s throat and told ye if ye didnae dae as he asked, he’d cut it. I ken ye, Jamison, and I ken how much ye love yer boy. I have nay doubt ye’d dae as he asked. And I’d nae blame ye for daein’ it. Love of kin makes us dae unthinkable things.”
“Me laird, she’s a criminal?—”
“Enough, Jamison,” Gunn said, firmer this time. “’Tis enough. ‘Tis me call tae make and I am sayin’ Sinclair is the enemy we have in common. He’s our biggest threat.”
Jamison sighed and lowered his gaze, his face still pinched, frustrated with his Laird’s stubborn refusal to exact revenge on her for what she’d done. But he drew in a breath and let it out slowly before turning his eyes back to Rosalind.
“And what is his plan?” Jamison asked.
“His plan has been tae weaken ye enough that when the time was right, he’d bring in his English reinforcements and wipe ye and yer allies off the face of the world,” Rosalind said. “With English backin’, he’s fixin’ tae rule all of Scotland by takin’ out the strongest rival lairds. It’ll pave the way for the English tae take over the Lowlands while he holds the Highlands.”
“What is his endgame?” one of Gunn’s advisors asked.
“Tae rule all of Scotland,” Rosalind said.
“Nay. Scotland will nae be good enough fer a man of his ambition,” Gunn said. “Eventually, he’s goin’ tae turn on his masters and try tae take over England itself.”
“’Tis nae fer us tae be worried about,” Rosalind said. “And there will be naethin’ tae worry about if we deal with him once fer all. But we must deal with him now.”
“The only way that can happen is if we set aside any differences we have and stand taegether,” Ellair said from his spot across the room. “It requires us tae forgive those differences, move past them, and learn tae work as one.”
A heavy silence settled over the room as the reality of the situation settled down over them. Rosalind was about to speak, but Laird Gunn beat her to the punch.
“We have common cause,” he said. “And we will work taegether tae remove the threat that Laird Sinclair poses tae all of us and tae all of Scotland.”
“One thing though,” Ellair said. He set his plate down on the table and walked over to them. “Laird Gunn, I need yer word that we will save Rosalind’s braither.”
Gunn exchanged glances with his men and Rosalind tensed up. The muscles in her jaw flexed as she gritted her teeth, but Ciar gave the man a grateful nod. Gunn’s men shook their heads, as if trying to discourage him from making any promises to her—or doing anything for her for that matter. She had to keep herself from reaching across the table and pummeling the both of them. Gunn gave them both a stern look then turned to her.
“All right,” he said. “We’ll save her braither and take down Sinclair. We all win?—”
“Or nobody wins,” Rosalind added.
“Aye. Or nobody wins. Because if we fail in our attempt and Sinclair wins, all of us and all of Scotland will lose,” Gunn said. “Therefore, we’re goin’ tae work with Rosalind and we’re goin’ tae set her braither free.”
Rosalind exchanged a nod with Gunn, gripped by surprise that he was willing to work with her at all, let alone be willing to put himself in harm’s way to save her brother. She had underestimated the kind of man he was, and it turned out thatEllair was right. Laird Gunn was a fair and good man. Not that she was every going to admit that to him.
While some day she might be able to forgive Ellair’s betrayal, she knew she would never forget it, could never forget it. The pain she’d felt when she’d learned of his betrayal had been greater than anything she’d ever felt in her life. Rosalind had felt like she was being torn in half. When she looked at him, she still felt a horrible pressure in her chest, like she couldn’t breathe. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tore her gaze away from his stormy blue eyes and focused on Gunn instead.
