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"Nothing," Dougall said abruptly.
It was Conran who said, "He did no' ha'e to. She's dead too."
Murine's eyes widened. "How--?"
"A fall," Dougall said abruptly.
"From the bell tower," Conran added helpfully and nodded when she gaped at him.
Murine shook her head slowly, absorbing all of this, and then frowned and asked, "But if Fenella and Lady Tilda are both dead, why is Saidh still at MacDonnell?"
"She lives there now," Geordie explained.
"She married Greer. The new MacDonnell laird," Alick added helpfully.
Murine hadn't needed the added explanation. She'd met the new laird of MacDonnell, Allen's cousin Greer, when they'd stopped at MacDonnell. Truth be told, while she was surprised at this news, she wasn't as surprised as she might have been had she not seen the two together. Murine had sensed something strange and powerful between the two at the time. She'd even mentioned it to Saidh and warned her to take care. It seemed she needn't have bothered. Things had worked out for the pair. At least, she hoped they had, Murine thought and asked, "Is she happy?"
"Disgustingly so," Alick assured her with a smile.
"They are perfect together," Geordie added, grinning widely.
"Aye, they are," Conran agreed with a small smile of his own.
Dougall merely nodded in agreement.
"Well, that is wonderful. I am happy fer her," Murine said, and she was. She was very pleased that her friend had found a husband and was so happy with him. She was also a bit envious. Murine didn't want to be, but she was and couldn't help it. Her situation was so dire . . .
"Where were ye headed on yer cow?" Dougall asked suddenly, bringing up the subject she'd been happy to avoid last night in her need to relieve herself. With her fainting, they'd never returned to that question. Until now, and Murine wasn't too pleased to have it crop up again. She was rather embarrassed at having to admit the truth, but there was really nothing else to do, so she admitted, "I planned to ride to Buchanan to see Saidh. Not to stay for long," she added quickly lest they think she'd planned to just move in and settle them with her burden. "I thought mayhap if Saidh and I, and mayhap even Joan and Edith, put our heads together we might figure a way out of the mess me life has become."
When the men were silent, she added, "There is the church, o' course. I could take the veil. But I ne'er imagined that would be me future. I was betrothed, me future settled. I was supposed to marry and ha'e children and . . ." She let her words trail off helplessly. All her hopes and expectations for the future were crumbling around her and Murine just didn't know what to do or where to turn.
"Ye're saying ye were betrothed then?" Dougall asked when she fell silent.
"Oh, aye," Murine smiled crookedly. "To a fine young man. He was ever so handsome and good."
"What happened?" Conran asked curiously.
"He died on the way to collect me some three years ago," Murine said, lowering her head unhappily. That had actually been the first of all the tragedies to strike and knock her life off the course she'd always expected it to take. Waving her depressing thoughts away, she went on, "Anyway, I may yet ha'e to take the veil, but I am hoping Saidh and the others can help me find another solution. Mayhap a nice old laird who would no' mind a bride with no dower, or--"
Geordie took a step closer and then said, "Ye could--"
"If ye plan to feed her as ye mentioned, ye'd best get to hunting, else we'll be camping here again tonight," Dougall interrupted sharply.
Geordie scowled at him briefly for interrupting whatever he'd been about to suggest, but Dougall's expression was cold and grim and held a wealth of warning. After a moment the man turned to Murine and said, "He's right, I suppose. I'll catch a fine pheasant or hare fer ye to feast on and we'll talk of this while ye eat."
"I'll help him hunt," Conran decided. "If we catch three or four pheasants we can clean and cook them all up and eat in the saddle at nooning to make up fer the time we're losing here."
When Dougall nodded approval, Conran slipped off after Geordie. Dougall then turned his gaze to Alick and said, "We'll need more wood fer the fire to cook the meat."
Alick hesitated, but then nodded and moved off, leaving Murine alone with Dougall. He watched until all the men had left camp, then turned to peer at Murine.
"We'll ride to Buchanan to drop off yer cow and the horses yer brother did no' buy, then escort ye on to MacDonnell so ye can see Saidh," he assured her solemnly. "If the two o' ye then want to continue on to Sinclair to include Lady Joan, and stop to collect Edith on the way, we'll see to that too."
"Thank ye," Murine breathed with relief and just barely refrained from hugging him for the generosity and kindness he was showing in his willingness to help her. She had hoped they would see her to Buchanan, but she hadn't even allowed herself to hope that he would offer to take her to MacDonnell and then on to Sinclair. Dougall was a good man, she thought and beamed a smile at him as just the possibility of talking to Saidh shifted a great weight of worry from her shoulders.
Surely Saidh could help her come up with a solution to her problem? And if she couldn't, then with Joan and Edith's help they definitely would think of some way to keep her safe from her brother's clutches. Something that did not include giving up her life to God and never having the children she'd always imagined would fill her life.
"Rest now," Dougall suggested gruffly. "'Twill be a while ere the boys return with their catch and then it still has to be cooked."
Murine smiled at him widely and shifted to lie down by the remains of last night's fire. She didn't close her eyes at once and go to sleep, though; instead she watched him putter around the camp gathering twigs to start a new fire with. Saidh had spoken often about her brothers, claiming they were, every one of them, fine men with good heads on their shoulders and true hearts. Murine was much relieved to find it so. Dougall was a good man.
His brothers were, too, of course, she added quickly in her thoughts. But it was Dougall she found herself most often looking to. She would have liked a husband like him. In fact, Murine began to think he would be a husband any woman would be happy with. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the market for a wife just now, she reminded herself, recalling his words in her brother's great hall.
Sighing, she closed her eyes to rest.
Chapter 4
Dougall came awake with a start and opened his eyes to find all three of his brothers staring back at him. Geordie was glowering, Alick looked like someone had stolen his pudding, and Conran was grinning like a fool. Scowling at the trio, Dougall arched an eyebrow. "What's about?"
"Nothing," Conran assured him solemnly, and then grinned wider and added, "I was just commenting to Geordie and Alick on how sweet the pair o' ye look cuddled up like ye are."
Dougall stilled at the words. Anger tried to flicker to life somewhere low in his belly at the teasing, but confusion was making that impossible.
"What the de'il are ye talking about?" he demanded in a growl, and then followed Conran's gaze down to see that Murine sat beside him. Really, she was almost on top of him, cuddled against his side, one leg thrown over both of his where they lay stretched out before him. One of her little fisted hands rested low on his stomach, and her head nestled on his chest. Her mouth was open and she was drooling all over his tartan.
Worse yet, in his sleep he'd curled his arm around her back and his hand was curved around the outside of her breast, his fingers resting across the globe as if it was his to touch. As he noted that, his fingers tightened instinctively and Murine moaned and then closed her mouth and shifted against him. She next frowned and began to make smacking sounds that suggested her mouth was either dry or was filled with an unpleasant taste. Perhaps both, he thought distractedly as he felt her nipple pebble under his fingers through the cloth of her gown. His cock twitched in response and began to harden just as she opened her eyes to peer sleepily up at him.
Dougall stared into the clear sky blue of her eyes a
nd thought that a man could easily get lost in their cerulean depths.
A loud throat clearing from Conran brought Dougall back to their situation, and he quickly released Murine and straightened, allowing his arm to drop away.
