Page 108 of Desire's Ransom
“My belovedclannfolk,” she announced, “I’ve come to give ye aid, to improve your lives and restore your wealth.” She shook her head. “For too long ye’ve been sufferin’ under the rule o’ my greedy father.”
A few men nodded their heads.
“For too long ye’ve worked your fingers to the bone,” she continued, “and for what? To have my father steal your hard-earned coin?”
The crowd voiced their agreement.
Encouraged, she went on. “Cormac lied about me. He lied about my sister. I didn’t kill her. She threw herself from the tower.” Her voice broke, and she felt Ryland’s hand of reassurance on her shoulder. “I ran away the night she died. These good folk…” She gestured to the woodkerns. “These good folk took me in. They kept me safe, safe from Cormac’s fists.”
There were murmurs of sympathy. No doubt many of them remembered Temair’s battered face.
“But now I’m grown. ’Tis time to take back what is rightfully ours. Time to free ourselves from the shackles of a villain. Time to give theclannthe leadership it deserves.”
There were cheers all around her, and she knew she was doing the right thing.
Behind her, Ryland cleared his throat.
She smiled. She wasn’t going to forget him.
“But I cannot do it alone,” she told the crowd. “King John has sent Sir Ryland de Ware to be my husband.” Before the grumbling about foreign rule could begin, she hastily added, “And he has vowed that he and his army will help us take back thetuath.”
“’Tis an invasion!” someone yelled, and others joined in.
“Nay!” she cried, trying to placate them. “Nay!”
Another man called out, “How do we know they won’t just kill everyone in thetuathand hand it o’er to Lackland?”
Temair felt Ryland stiffen, and she knew his men were twitching in their saddles.
“Please!” She raised her hands to calm the crowd, and an impulsive thought popped into her head. It was a great risk. But she had faith in Ryland. And she wanted to show him she had faith in his men as well. “I’ll make ye a promise. If even one o’ theclannis killed by the Knights o’ de Ware…” She licked her lips, hoping she wasn’t making a mistake. “I’ll give up my claim to thetuathand let ye choose anew.”
She heard a strangling sound from Ryland and curses from his men, though none of them dared openly oppose her.
It wasn’t until they continued their march toward the tower house, leaving the cheeringclannfolkin their wake, that Ryland snarled under his breath, “God’s hooks, Temair. What have you done?”
“I can’t kill my own people.”
“What you’re asking is impossible. You’ve taken the teeth out of my army. Cormac hassomeloyal supporters. What if they attack? What if they give us no choice?”
She frowned. “Ye told me there would be no cause to kill anyone.”
“I told ye I’dtrynot to kill anyone.”
“I trust ye,” she told him. “Ye’re an excellent fighter, and ye know your own strength. I’m certain ye can do it. And I’m certain ye’d expect no less from your knights.”
While Ryland appreciated her vote of confidence, the last thing he needed was more pressure going into this confrontation. He loathed going into battle blind, and he had no idea what kind of resistance he was up against.
He knew Cormac had fewer soldiers than he—a score at most—for the chieftain had shown off his fighting forces when they’d first met, hoping to impress Ryland.
But theclannhad the advantage of defending their own home. Despite Aife’s carefully drawn maps of the keep, Cormac’s soldiers would know all the hiding places and secret passageways. The stairways would favor the defenders’ sword arms, and they would be under no constraint to spare lives.
There were other things to consider. How loyal were Cormac’s men? Had he mistreated them as well? Would they surrender willingly once they recognized Ryland had the advantage? Or would they fight to the death?
What if his knights killed someone and Temair was forced to surrender her rule?
That would complicate things. Ireland wasn’t like England—not yet anyway. Rule wasn’t strictly hereditary. The people chose a chieftain by honor price, and Temair, coming from a long line of noble chieftains, held the highest honor price. By marrying Ryland, that worth would transfer to him.
If she gave up her claim to thetuath, the king would be displeased. He could rescind the marriage offer or decide to take the holding by force. Then therewouldbe bloodshed.
