Page 32 of Ruining a Highland Healer
"Take them tae me study," he told him. "I’ll be right there."
With a nod, Noah left to gather the men. Torrin preferred meeting them in his study, where it felt as though the entire room was his domain, his battlefield, the place he knew better than anyone. It would also give him time to do the one thing he needed to do the most.
Marching back to Valora, who was keeping herself busy with Arrow, he gently grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away, speaking urgently into her ear.
"I must take ye tae the chambers," he said. "Laird Keith’s men are here, an’ there’s only one thing they can want. I want ye tae stay there an’ nae open the door fer anyone other than me or Daisy, dae ye understand?"
As he spoke, Valora’s eyes widened more and more with fear. Much to his surprise, she never once tried to argue, which could only mean that her brush with Laird Keith and his men had left her so shaken that she wasn’t willing to risk being in their path again.
With urgent steps, the two of them made their way through the entrance hall, up the stairs, and finally, to Torrin’s chambers. He opened the door and let her inside, grabbing her shoulders for a moment to make her look at him.
"Promise me ye’ll stay here," he said. "Nay matter what, promise me ye willnae leave this room."
For a moment, Valora was stunned, as though she hadn’t been expecting such a fierce reaction from Torrin. But she was under his protection now; he would do anything to keep her safe, no matter how things worked out between them.
"I promise," she stammered out, nodding. "I promise I willnae go anywhere."
"Good," said Torrin, taking a deep breath to calm himself. It did little to help. How could it when the enemy was in his own home? "Good . . . I’ll have two guards outside the doors. Naethin’ will happen tae ye."
"I ken that," Valora assured him kindly. "I dae. Dinnae fash, I’ll be fine."
Torrin could only hope that was true and that there was really no reason for him to worry. Perhaps Laird Keith had only sent his men there to talk instead of planning something much more nefarious, but he couldn’t get the thought that this was only a ploy out of his mind. What if they had gone there just to keep him busy while someone tried to steal Valora away, as they had done the last time? It sounded audacious, downright insulting to think that he would allow something like that to happen in his own home, but he wouldn’t put it past Laird Keith to pull something like that.
Once he closed the door and found two guards to keep watch outside his chambers, Torrin took a moment to compose his expression into one of chilly neutrality before he made his way to his study. There, he paused by the doors, taking a deep breath, and then opened them to find about a dozen people in there—all of them Laird Keith’s men, save for one of his own; Noah.
As always, Noah stood by the desk, watching the Keith men with narrowed eyes. Torrin took his time entering the room and closing the door behind him, then covering the distance to his desk. The men watched him warily, and that pleased him. The more they feared him, the better it was for him.
When he finally sat down in his plush chair, sinking into the soft leather, he leaned forward and steepled his fingers under his chin, staring the men down. Laird Keith had sent a variety of them—some older, some younger, some clearly of high rankthan others. He didn’t understand the purpose of it; he didn’t understand why he felt the need to send such a large party, but he didn’t bother questioning them about it. It wasn’t as though he would be getting any real answer, he figured.
Without being addressed, one of them stepped forward. He was an older man, the kind that Torrin would think would be in charge of the group, with hair so gray it was almost completely white and a pair of piercing blue eyes. Before speaking, he cleared his throat, the sound loud and grating in Torrin’s ears.
"Laird Gunn, we have come tae present ye with an offer," the man said, not bothering with pleasantries. It was better this way. The last thing Torrin wanted was to be thanked for his hospitality by the enemy. "Whatever ye paid fer Miss Valora MacNeacail’s hand, we will double it. Ye take the gold, we take the lass, an’ everyone is happy."
Torrin didn’t even know what to say to that. He couldn’t imagine how anyone in that small group of men could have possibly thought it a good idea for them to march over to his home and propose such foolishness. Then again, for Laird Keith, the only thing that mattered was gold, so perhaps he thought he could buy this, too.
He didn’t speak for a long time—so long that the men began to get uncomfortable, some of them shifting their weight from one foot to the other, others glancing around them nervously as they waited.
Good… let them feel it. Let them be shaken.
When Torrin did finally speak, he didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear.
"I dinnae understand what ye or Laird Keith were tryin’ tae achieve with this," he said. "Dae ye truly think I would ever agree tae such foolish terms? Especially after the attack at the auction, yer laird should be in hidin’ from me, nae sendin’ his men tae me home. How can ye nae see how insultin’ this is, both fer me an’ fer ye?"
The men glanced among themselves, all of them saying nothing. What was there to say after all? They were all well aware that their plan wouldn’t work, and Torrin couldn’t wait for the moment they would all finally leave his home.
"I think there is some merit tae the idea," said the older man. "O’ course, we all ken that with Miss MacNeacail’s hand, one will receive a large fleet, but with the gold Laird Keith is willin’ tae offer fer the lass, ye can build a fleet o’ yer own, Laird Gunn. Just the way ye wish it tae be. Ye willnae need tae negotiate with her faither. Ye willnae need tae go through another clan tae make decisions. Ye can have yer own fleet an’ use it as ye see fit."
Torrin narrowed his eyes at the man, leaning back, his posture open and relaxed. "An’ if Laird Keith has all this gold as ye say, then why daesnae he build the fleet fer himself? Why daes he need Miss MacNeacail?"
"He daesnae," said the man with a shrug. "He simply wants her."
Torrin didn’t know whether or not that was true. There was a good chance the man was lying to him, since from what he knew of Laird Keith, the man was only after gold and power, not matters of the heart. Then again, he could be so greedy that he could think having Valora, the object of his desire, was the end goal.
There is nay tellin’ with them, an’ that is what bothers me the most. Are they lyin’ tae me? Are they tellin’ me the truth?
Over his shoulder, Noah watched the Keith men like a hawk, taking in their reactions. Torrin knew he would have a lot to say to him by the end of this, but Noah never shared anything in front of the enemy, not even quietly, unless he was asked. Torrin had half a mind to ask him, but in the end, he decided against it. It was better to show these men the kind of power they understood—complete and absolute, with him making all of the decisions for himself and the clan.
They couldn’t understand the power that lay in the council—or rather these men could, but not Laird Keith.
