CHAPTER ONE
“There she is, lads! Ain’t she bonnie?” Arthur yelled to his men.
A cheer rose all around him, echoing off into the distance as it traveled through the lines of his soldiers. He tugged on his stallion’s reins, guiding it over to the side as his men filed past him, making their way toward the castle gates.
Horses whinnied, and the sounds of their hooves echoed around him, but Arthur couldn’t stop the pride rising within him as he watched them head toward their home.
“Five years is a long time, Braither,” a voice sounded directly beside him.
Arthur whirled. His younger brother, Joseph, sat atop his horse. The din of their clansmen had drowned out the sound of his brother’s approach.
“Aye,” Arthur grunted, his gaze returning to his men. “It’s especially a long time when ye dinnae ken if ye’ll live to see another day.”
Joseph nodded pensively before the pair fell into companionable silence.
It had been like that between the two of them ever since Joseph had shown up at Castle Reid at the age of fifteen. He’d been just a lad back then. But he’d pieced together that Arthur’s father was his own, and he’d come to tell the Barkley family the truth.
Arthur, who had been more than aware of his father’s dalliances growing up, had only needed to look at Joseph to realize the truth of his lineage. The Barkley features were plain on his face, and he’d welcomed his brother with open arms.
He knew that had been the only reason his younger brother had agreed to come live in the castle. It was also what drove Joseph to follow him into battle when their clan went to war all those years ago.
I’ll thank God every day that he made it out alive.
With a sigh, Arthur kicked his heels into his horse’s flanks and guided it into the line of men that were headed toward the gate. He knew without looking that Joseph had done the same.
They moved with the tides of soldiers, riding under the gate and into the castle courtyard. It was a flurry of activity, and still, Arthur could not stop his eyes from going wide.
“Nae much has changed,” Joseph mused, eliciting a grunt from his brother.
“I cannae believe we’re back after all this time,” Arthur responded.
“I cannae believe we made it back at all.”
The words hung heavy in the air as stablehands rushed forward, holding the reins of their horses while they dismounted.
Word had been sent about a week before their arrival, alerting the castle that the war was over and the men would be coming home. Women lined the walls of the courtyard, faces lit with hope as their eyes scanned the crowd for their men.
One woman’s gaze landed on someone, and Arthur watched as her face contorted with a joyful sob. She rushed forward, braving the throngs of massive horses before throwing herself at the feet of one of his men.
“Nae everyone made it back,” Arthur reminded his brother solemnly.
He thanked the stablehand before striding toward the castle doors. He wanted to throw a feast tonight, to open the doorswide and allow their entire clan to celebrate this time of peace, and to also mourn those they had lost.
Opening the door, he readied himself to speak to his head maid, but as soon as he stepped across the threshold, he was brought up short.
Five men stood shoulder to shoulder at the entrance to the castle. Immediately, Arthur’s mood turned sour.
“Have ye come to welcome yer Laird home?” he hissed.
The councilmen stood there, their eyes roving over him. Arthur knew what they wanted—they wanted him to squirm.
The councilmen had always been like this. They hadn’t enjoyed his father’s antics, and they’d been less than enthusiastic to embrace Arthur himself as Laird when his father had died.
But what he was experiencing now was a step beyond what he’d seen from them before. While he knew they resented his reign, they had never been outright hostile. Instead, the councilmen had opted to tolerate him.
But now theysneeredat him, each one looking down their noses at him. Ice-cold fury shot through him.
“I asked ye a question,” he seethed.
