Page 47 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
Callum dropped to his knees. “A chance to prove how sorry I am to ye,” he said. “I betrayed ye once and I want to make it right.”
“I can never trust ye, Callum. There is nothin’ ye can do to make this right except leavin’ my sight this instant before I have my men remove ye.”
“The huntin’ trip,” Callum said and looked up at him. “Lyall has no idea that ye have caught on about my betrayal… if he kens then he would have killed me since, so I decided to play him. I suggested the huntin’ trip to him.”
“What about this trip?”
“He plans to kill ye, the same way he killed ye faither and he has asked me to do it.”
Ian took Callum away from the field and into his chamber. He called for Rhea so she would be present while Callum told him what Lyall’s plan was. He still couldn’t trust the man, and he was more cautious because Hope would be with him during that hunting trip, and so would Rhea.
He had to protect his wife and sister from Lyall at the same time, and he would need help. “If Lyall wants me dead, he wouldnae just trust that ye would do the task. He kens ye are a good friend of mine, and he is smart.”
“Aye,” Callum replied. “That is why he would also send another man to finish the job. I think he plans to kill me once I do this to cover up his tracks.”
Ian sighed and closed his eyes. He still hadn’t told anyone about the treasure except Hope, and that was because he wanted Lyall out of the way first. But if things became serious, then he would need to use some of the gold to buy the support of the court men. Most of them were loyal to his uncle because he kept their pockets full, and Lyall got so much by increasing tax and stealing from the people of Galloway.
“I have a plan of my own too,” Ian said as a thought occur to him. “If Lyall wants me dead, then ye have to kill me.”
Hope gasped, and her eyes widened. “Nay,” she objected. “Nay, that is nay goin’ to happen, Ian.”
Rhea looked at him, and he smiled. “Ian, I cannae kill ye and I willnae let any other man he sends do it either,” Callum added.
“Ye will have to do it. I will have Orlaith make a poison and an antidote that ye will use on me, and also use the same on Lyall.”
“He wouldnae expect that I will try to hurt him, so we will use this chance to get into his inner chamber. When he is hurt, Orlaith will be called to heal him, and once she gets to his chamber, she will find anythin’ we can use against him.”
They finalized their plan, and when Callum left, a guard came to find Ian. “We found the goldsmith named Peter Macgregor.”
34
Hope went out riding with Ian in the morning. It was her first time seeing Galloway from the view of first morning light, and the faraway mountains were more beautiful than she imagined.
Ian had his arms wrapped around her as they stood near a cliff and stared far ahead, and she smiled.So, this is what love feels like? I am so in love with him, and his land and I never want this magic to end.
Ian kissed her neck, and she sighed. “When I was younger, I was nay allowed to reach the cliff,” he said, and Hope felt his voice resonate inside her. She loved the sound of it as much as she loved the feel of his hands on her skin. Her passion for Ian grew with each passing second, and he also could not keep his hands off her.
But his plan still bothered her.What if something went wrong, and Lyall caught on to what they were doing? It was too risky.
Hope knew she couldn’t talk Ian out of the plan, but she opted to try and get him to come up with something else. “Ian,” she began and he sighed, letting her know she had his attention. “Do ye have to sacrifice yerself for this plan? We can come up with somethin’ else that doesnae involve ye riskin’ yer life.”
“Lyall wants me dead, we have to make him believe he got what he wanted,” he replied gently. “He will never expect that we have a similar plan for him as well.”
“What if somethin’ goes wrong? I dinnae want to risk losing ye, Ian.”
She turned to him and framed his face with her hands so he could see her sincerest thoughts. “If anythin’ happens to ye–” her voice trailed off, and she swallowed.
“Ye wouldnae,” he said and kissed her forehead. “I plan to live a long life with ye by my side, and our bairns playin’ in our garden, learnin’ to walk, and talk. I willnae die, do ye hear me?”
“Promise me,” she said and broke into a small sob. Ian wiped her cheeks and Hope sucked in a large gulp of air, and tried to settle her nerves.
“I promise, I willnae die.”
They sealed their promise with a kiss, and Hope believed it would be enough.
* * *
Ian followed his men to the village, and the cottage where they kept the goldsmith. He went with Rhea, Hope and Gretchen and as soon as Gretchen saw her father, she rushed to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into her tight embrace as she sobbed.
