“Miss Woodburn.” All eyes turned to his father. “I would know what ye would think if yer brother dies by our hands. Would yer hatred fer us, fer my son, be restored?”
“I dinna owe my loyalty to Roderick. If God allows him to face judgment at the hands of the Camerons, then so be it.”
Satisfied with her answer, Lochiel swept past them to the Main Hall. “Let us get ready to leave.”
“Father?” Every head turned to Logan and waited for him to continue. “I was mistaken. We should remain here until Woodburn is caught. We are better protected in a shelter than in the open. Here, we can also keep him oot more easily.
“I think we should send Jamie to the castle with word of what has happened. Have him return here with a dozen of yer best men. They will set a perimeter aroond the glen and keep watch. We can station a few lads to watch the glen from the mountain ridges.
“Stayin’ here also ensures the safety of everyone at the castle,” his father said, then smiled at him. “Who am I to disobey the orders of the captain of the king’s army?”
Logan returned the sign of affection between them. “Ye are a captain as well, and ye outrank me.”
His father shrugged his shoulder. “Nae reason to ignore sound advice.” He looked around at the others. “Jamie?” He searched the faces around him. “Ah, he already left, I see. Good! The rest of ye should be on yer way to do Logan’s biddin’.”
“I’ll go to the ridge,” Ewen volunteered. Logan breathed a small sigh of relief. He didn’t want to leave Elspeth. Steafan sighed in relief as well but for a different reason. He was built fer knocking rocks down, not climbing them.
“Elspeth, dear,” his mother said, taking Elspeth’s hand from his, “come, let us go prepare fer the day.”
Logan watched them leave the room. He smiled at Elspeth when she looked over her shoulder at him. She didn’t want to leave him either.
“Son.”
Logan turned to look at his father. Still sitting beside him was Ealar.
“What do ye plan on doin’ with Miss Woodburn?”
Ealar turned his head, listening for his brother’s answer.
“I intend to make her my wife.”
No one spoke for an eternal moment, and then his father shook his head and looked away. “I’m afraid…I canna allow that.”
Chapter Twenty
“What do yethink of this place?” Logan’s mother asked Elspeth as she showed her around her home.
“This house is extraordinary,” she praised. “How long did it take yer husband to build eleven rooms?”
“Och, darling,” his mother laughed softly.
Elspeth found herself laughing softly with her. It didn’t matter that she had no idea what was so humorous.
“This house wasna built in a day,” she said. “It took him years, decades. He started before we met, while he was married to someone else.”
Elspeth didn’t mean to stop walking. It was just the shock of hearing such news.
“His first wife died while giving birth to his daughter. Sadly, the babe perished as well. He was away in battle and arrived home too late.”
Elspeth’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “How could such a terrible thing befall a man?”
Ismay MacPherson nodded and swiped a tear from her milky cheek. She put her arm through Elspeth’s and picked up her steps.
“It made a terrible mess of him,” the Lochiel’s wife told her. “He was surrounded by ghosts who refused to let him go.” She paused to smile. “I dinna blame them.”
“How did ye win him?” Elspeth asked as they came to a door at the end of the hall.
Her escort opened the door and invited her into her private sitting room.
