Page 69 of Wild Wicked Scot
“What debts?” Margot asked.
Arran studied Margot. The fury had left him, and in its place was a look of resigned disgust that cut through her like a scythe. He despised her now. The emotion in the letters she’d read had been drowned and washed away by her deceit.
She had to look away from the condemnation in his eyes. “Why does it matter if he has debts?” she asked.
“It matters toeverything,” Griselda said impatiently.
Jock said, “This man, Tom Dunn, has insinuated to some of the chieftains round us that our laird conspires with the English to betray them.”
“Betray them in what?” Margot asked, confused.
“Ach, she knows nothing,” Jock said impatiently. “Men and women who live in these hills would see James Stuart on the throne, aye? Now they’ve accused our laird of betraying them. Griselda has come from Portree, where she has heard the accusation said against him. And in England, they say he plots with the French.”
“Someone has put him in the middle of a deadly game, and Tom Dunn is the common thread,” Griselda said.
Margot looked among the three of them, confused. “But why would Dunn say that of Arran Mackenzie?”
“Because of his debts,” Jock said impatiently. “The man changes coats depending on who will pay for his news. He’s a gambler, aye? He’s more debts than he has friends. He eyes our trade, our lands. He is wagering on who will strike first, aye? And if the laird is found guilty of treason against the queen, our lands will be forfeited—likely to your father.”
Margot felt sick. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “My father wouldn’t take his lands.”
“Would he no’, then?” Jock sneered. “Aye, he would. And Tom Dunn would get his due for exposing the rebellion. Land, money, what have you. Likewise, if the chieftains suspect our laird of betraying them to the crown, they will seize our holdings by force, and again, something will land in Tom Dunn’s hands for having alerted them.”
Arran shrugged as if it were a foregone conclusion.
Margot was appalled. How devious was that plan, how treacherous! A man with no loyalty to anyone but his own sorry hide. “What grievance does Thomas Dunn have against you, my lord? There are many other men in Scotland with lands and trade, are there not?”
“Diah, because I am married toyou, Margot,” Arran said angrily. “An Englishwoman! We were estranged, and now suddenly united. The speculation for our reunion become tales that are easily believed by either side, aye?”
She could see it. Margot could understand how things would be misconstrued by Scottish and English lords alike, depending on who was spinning the tale. How easy would it be to suspect a man with ties to England, especially if one was looking for a scapegoat? This marriage was to have brought him wealth and prosperity—but it was bringing him nothing but heartache and doom.
“All right, then, we can guess it is Tom Dunn who has done this to us, aye? What do we do now?” Griselda asked. “How do we stop it, right it, take it away?” she exclaimed, casting her arms wide.
For the first time since she’d known Griselda, Margot could see fear in her.
“Tom Dunn must admit it,” Jock said slowly. “He must admit it before he hides away in England.”
“We canna force him to confess,” Arran scoffed.
“An authority must hear it,” Griselda said. “Someone with the power to stop him, Arran. There are still those who believe in you and put their lot behind you, aye? But Harley MacInernay said Dunn’s already gone from the Highlands.”
“We must speak to MacInernay and Lindsey at once, aye?” Jock said. “They’ll want to know what we’ve found. They’ll advise us.”
“Who are they?” Margot asked.
“Men who have invested in our trade. Now we must convince them our laird is no’ a liar.”
“But how?” Griselda asked. “’Tis Arran’s word only. We need proof, Jock.”
“I’m proof,” Margot said.
The three Mackenzies eyed her suspiciously.
“They will surely believe it if I tell them what I’ve done, what I know.”
Arran turned partially away from her and ran his hand over his head, as if the idea was disagreeable to him.
“And then we must go to my father and tell him that Thomas Dunn has set you against each other. My father and brother can see that he is brought to justice. My father is an earl! He’s a powerful man.”
