Chapter Twenty-Two
As they munchedon their breakfast the next day, Bearnard, Lucas, and Horas eagerly suggested a horseback ride to Ailis and Moira. Ailis hesitated, her mind screaming to decline, but eventually gave in with a heavy heart.
“Aye, a ride sounds pleasant,” Ailis fibbed.
Ailis McAfee trailed her sister Moira, unease settling in her stomach, as they approached Bearnard, Lucas, and Horas, who were waiting with their horses. Despite her hesitation, the chance to gather information compelled her to join the three men she was beginning to loathe.
They rode in silence, finally reaching the loch’s edge, where they dismounted and settled on a grassy bank for a meal. Moira grinned. “Thank ye for thinking to feed us while we are out. Tis much easier to eat what ye brought than hunt for our own meals.”
“Tell us,” Ailis asked calmly, “of yer fathers. And of the alliances that yer clan has.”
“Me father is Laird Gordon,” Lucas boasted. “All of our families are united as allies.” He gestured to his friends there with them. “The Gordons are one of the most important clans in the Highlands.”
Horas added, “Me sire, Laird Cameron has been allied with the Gordons since I was a small boy. The three of us have been friends since we were young lads.”
“And mine own father, Laird MacKenzie is part of the same alliance,” Bearnard chimed in. “We all work toward the same goals.”
“None speak of other ties?” Moira pressed lightly. “The Gordons are allied with the McAfees. Isn’t that true?”
“Aye, but only the McAfees.” Lucas tossed and turned as if he was trapped by his words.
The men exchanged glances before denying any other alliances. Ailis nodded politely while masking her inner turmoil. She knew that the men weren’t telling the full truth, but she was certain they would learn all about the other clans. She simply hoped it happened before they left Clan Gordon.
As the afternoon sun filtered through the forest, Lucas lured Ailis away from the others. “Might I have a private word, Ailis?” He sounded inviting, but she knew there was something he wasn’t telling her, something that could put her in great danger.
“Of course,” she agreed, concealing her unease. The hidden knife against her thigh gave her courage to follow him further into the woods. She knew she could best him with a knife, and he had no sword on his hip. If he had a concealed knife, she was not afraid. Not of Lucas or any other man.
Once surrounded by foliage, Lucas turned to her, his eyes glinting as he leaned in for an unexpected kiss. He moved quickly, and his lips managed to touch hers before Ailis sprang into action.
Ailis pushed back, indignation coursing through her. Swiftly, she stomped on his foot and bit his lip. “Ye have nae right nor leave to lay claim to me affection, Lucas. I decide who kisses me, and ye would not be one I would allow. Never touch me again!”
“Ye’ll rue this slight when I gain power in the highlands. Ye will beg for such favor,” Lucas snarled.
Unyielding, Ailis retorted, “I shall never long for a man who cannot ken the meaning of consent. Ye are a disgusting man, andI hope I never have to lay eyes upon ye again!” She watched his fury give way to humiliation before he stormed off toward the loch.
Upon their return, Moira’s discerning gaze met Ailis’s—a silent question passing between them. Ailis knew Moira had heard Lucas’s enraged shouts carried by the wind.
“Is all well?” Moira asked with concern and keen observation.
Ailis smiled. “Aye, all is well. It seems some men must learn the hard way that a woman’s touch is hers to give freely or refuse to give.”
There was tension surrounding the five of them for the rest of their excursion. Ailis announced she was returning to the castle to ready herself for supper. Moira immediately mounted her horse to return with her sister, not wanting to be left alone with any of the men, and certainly not with all three of them.
As they returned to the keep, Ailis dismounted gracefully, her eyes meeting Moira’s already unbuckling her scabbard. The men had followed, saying they needed to be kept safe, but the sisters had ignored them for the ride back.
“Ye’re eager for another bout,” Ailis observed, a hint of amusement in her voice.
“Not as eager as Lucas is to taste defeat.” Moira grinned fiercely.
Lucas had challenged Moira to fight with him again. He seemed to think he would fare better this time.
Ailis laughed. She was oddly detached, preoccupied with alliances and secrets that bound their lives together. She knew Moira would win, and she was certain Lucas did too. Why would he challenge her and allow himself to be beaten by the same woman twice? The man made no sense to her.
This time was much quicker for Lucas. Moira had taken his measure in their first combat, and now it only took her a fewminutes to knock Lucas onto his backside. After the fight, the sisters linked arms and returned to the bedchamber they shared. Neither felt the need to talk to the men after their afternoon.
Ailis told Moira exactly what had happened in the forest with Lucas, and Moira shook her head. “I should have plunged me sword through his heart, not allowed him to merely feel disgraced.”
Ailis laughed softly. “Nay, sister. I’m a healer. I do not kill indiscriminately, and I dinna want others killing in me name.”
