Page 90 of Sutherland's Secret
All three stared at him, more than interested. What favor could Campbell want from Brice?
Brice raised a brow. “What favor?”
“A favor to be given to me at a later time.” Campbell was completely still, like a coiled snake ready to strike. He watched Brice shrewdly.
Brice seemed to contemplate Campbell’s odd request, his eyes narrowed.
“No,” Eleanor said. “I’ll not have you make a promise and not know what you’re promising.”
Brice held up his hand to quiet her. The two stared at each other as if in some sort of contest to see who would blink first. It was rather ridiculous, to Eleanor’s mind. She didn’t want Brice to agree to something that could cause him problems in the future. They had no idea what Campbell would ask for.
“Aye,” Brice finally said. “That’s fine.”
Eleanor drew in a breath. Campbell smiled as much of a smile as he’d shown, and Thomas seemed to sag in relief.
“That’s settled, then,” Thomas said. “We’ll leave for Campbell’s lands as soon as possible and then to London.”
“I want to defeat Blackwood,” Eleanor said, apparently stunning them, for all three men looked at her in surprise. “I want him ruined, and I want Charles’s name cleared. I want his parents to know that their son died honorably, and I want their shame erased.”
Chapter 36
“We have no proof other than my suspicions,” Eleanor said to Brice and Campbell. “And the fact that I knew Charles. He never would have done the things he was accused of.”
“We don’t need proof,” Campbell said. “We need conviction. Blackwood will be shocked when he sees you, and we must use that to our advantage. Be firm. Don’t show fear, and we will win.”
“I want him to admit what he’s done,” Eleanor said. “I want Charles’s name cleared.” It was the least she could do, and it was the right thing to do, and suddenly it became her mission. Because Charles didn’t have a voice, and Eleanor had been too intimidated and timid to speak up. Now she had the power of two clan chieftains at her back, but more important, she had her own power.
“Cumberland is very strict, very ordered. He’s fair to his soldiers. If he hears your story, he will look into it and do what is right.”
“How do ye know this?” Brice demanded.
Campbell looked at him steadily. “I know the man.”
Brice cursed and glared at Campbell. “Ye support Scotland’s enemy. Who is the traitor here?”
Eleanor put a steadying hand on Brice’s arm. Tension ran through him. While she agreed with Brice, she couldn’t alienate the one man who could help her. She still hadn’t decided why Campbell was willing to help. England’s business wasn’t his business. The accusation of one unnotable dead colonel wouldn’t interest him in the least. The only thing she could think of was that one day he was going to call in his favor, and Brice would have to pay it, and Eleanor hated that Brice would be obligated because of her.
Campbell didn’t respond to Brice’s accusation of treason. He simply stared at Brice with no emotion. What was going on behind that bland expression? What was he thinking? She had a feeling that few, if any, knew what Campbell was thinking.
For two days the three of them discussed strategy while Thomas glowered and grumbled. It was exhilarating. If this was what it was like to take control of one’s life, then Eleanor never wanted to give up such power.
They left three days later. It had been decided that they would take a Campbell ship from Dornach to Inverness, and from Inverness they would travel on horseback to Fort Augustus. Brice couldn’t offer the use of a ship because they were both being used to transport refugees, of which Campbell knew nothing. But Campbell had offered up his own ship.
Thomas went with them as an escort, not willing to leave Eleanor alone with the Scottish chiefs. The way he had said “Scottish chiefs” offended Eleanor; she could only imagine what it had done for Brice and Campbell.
They were well on their way, under full sail, and making good time toward Inverness when Eleanor finally confronted her brother. He was standing at the railing of the ship when she stepped up beside him. They stood shoulder to shoulder for a bit, riding the swells of Moray Firth.
Eleanor had always enjoyed sailing. She loved the feel of the waves under her feet and the brush of the wind in her hair. On the water she felt unencumbered by the weight of her world. But not right now. Now she felt the chasm between her and Thomas. “You’re not happy with me,” she said, staring into the horizon.
She felt Thomas stiffen. There was a time when he wasn’t so uptight, but over the years, with the knowledge that soon he would have to take over the extensive earldom that their father ran so well, he had withdrawn from her. She supposed it didn’t help that she had always blossomed in society and adored fashion. She’d been foolish and shallow. He had been preoccupied and too serious.
He leaned his elbows on the railing and folded his hands in front of him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come now, Thomas. It’s me you’re speaking to. You’re not happy that we’re on our way to Fort Augustus instead of London.”
Apparently he preferred to keep quiet on the subject, which wasn’t good enough for Eleanor. “Why?” she insisted.
Thomas let loose a gusty sigh. “I see no good that can come of this. My God, Eleanor, the man had you imprisoned, and you’re walking right back into his clutches.”
