Chapter 22
Anna seemed to have lost the power of speech. She gaped, unable to quite believe what she was seeing. “You!” she managed to say again.
Lady Maria glanced at her son-in-law and grandson. Laird Alexander and Lord Duncan stood beside her with expressionless faces. “I think she’s pleased to see us, dinna ye think?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned to the men who’d kidnapped her. “Ye ensured nobody saw ye?”
The leader bowed. “Aye, my lady. It all went smoothly.”
“We will be the judge of whether it went smoothly,” growled Laird Alexander. He came down the steps and grabbed Anna’s chin, appraising her with a cold, stony gaze. “I hope yer prize is worth it, Maria.”
Lady Maria smiled. “When have I led ye wrong? Trust me. She is worth it.” Maria’s gaze met Anna’s and a shiver went through her. There was no warmth in Maria’s gaze at all, just cold calculation. “Yer puny idea of warring on the Murrays pales in comparison to the power she can bring us. That’s always been yer problem, Alexander. Ye think too small.”
“What’s going on?” Anna snapped, looking between the two of them. “Why have you brought me here?” They didn’tanswer, so she turned her gaze on the third person standing on the steps. Duncan MacDonald had been leaning against the door with his arms folded and his arms crossed. He did not look happy. “Duncan?” Anna implored. “What’s going on?”
He pushed himself off the door. He did not look at Anna and instead addressed his grandmother. “This is never going to work. I told ye I dinna want to marry her and I’m damned sure she doesnae want to marry me.”
“What ye want or dinna want isnae important,” Lady Maria snapped at him. “She will make a far better match than Aislinn Mackintosh.”
Anna’s mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”
They ignored her. “She doesnae even bring a dowry!” Duncan snapped. “And what about land? Warriors?”
“Fool!” Maria snapped, glaring at her grandson. “She will bring more than that! She will bring power to our clan that ye can only dream of. My daughter spurned such power, too weak to grab what was her birthright, but ye will do what she would not. Ye will bring glory to our clan. Now be silent!”
Lady Maria turned her gaze back to Anna. “Ye are in the MacDonald Keep now, and under my protection,” she said, her voice calm and pleasant. “Ye’ll stay here as my guest until yer marriage to Duncan.”
“Marriage?” Anna almost choked on the word. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m not marrying him. I’m not marrying anyone!”
“Aye. Ye are,” Laird MacDonald growled. “Ye have no choice in the matter.”
“You’re crazy!” Anna spluttered, taking a step back. “You can’t just force me to marry your son!”
“Oh? And who is going to stop us? Yer precious Emeric? He’s dead. Yer only protector is gone. And even if he weren’t, it would take an army to storm this keep. But no army is coming to yer rescue. Ye are alone. Nobody cares about an outland lass with no clan. Nobody is coming for ye.”
Despair washed through Anna like some dark tide. No. This was not happening. Emeric wasnotdead. She was not abandoned and alone in this horrible place. She dug her nails into her palms to keep from screaming.
Maria waved a hand at the man holding Anna up. “Take her to a guest room and make sure she is comfortable. Bring her anything she needs. After all, she’s our guest, not our prisoner. Oh, but make sure ye lock the door and post a guard. We wouldnae want her getting any ideas.”
Without ceremony, they marched her into the MacDonald keep.
EMERIC HAD NEVER RIDDENso hard or so fast. He drove Plover to his limits, foam flecking the gelding’s chestnut coat, and his ribs heaving. But to his credit, as if sensing his master’s need, the big horse didn’t falter, but ran tirelessly, the distance to Dun Achmore quickly disappearing beneath his hooves.
Fear and fury drove Emeric on, a goad that drove into his back like a red-hot poker. He kept his thoughts fixed on theroad ahead, not daring to let them wander because if he did, if he allowed himself to dwell on what might be happening to Anna, he would lose control.
When Dun Achmore finally came into sight, he didn’t slow Plover at all. He sent the big gelding flying through the gates, across the courtyard, and up the steps to the keep, pulling him up sharply inside the entrance hall and leaping from the saddle. He burst through the doors into the great hall, looking around wildly.
