“Excuse me,” a villager said, drawing near them hesitantly. “Is there a problem here?”
“King’s business,” Graham snapped. “Isn’t it, my lady?”
By her pale face, Ewan knew Nora longed to tell the truth, but didn’t dare. The truth would get both of them killed and probably the good Samaritan too.
“Aye. There’s no problem.”
The old villager looked less than convinced but went on his way.
The tallest of Graham’s brothers was still a full head shorter than Ewan. He had dark brown hair and mean brown eyes. He grabbed Ewan by the hair and forced him onto a horse.
Ewan kept waiting for Catarina or one of the others to come and distract them.
They didn’t.
So in the end, the MacKaids mounted their horses and he had to watch helplessly as Nora was placed in front of Graham.
He saw the pallor on her face.
“It’ll be all right, Nora,” Ewan assured her.
The doubt in her eyes tore through him.
“Aye, Nora. It’ll be just fine.” Graham laughed evilly and kicked his horse forward.
“Why are you taking us?” Ewan asked.
Graham’s younger brother Rufus was the one who answered him. Shorter than Nora, Rufus might have been passably handsome had he ever taken a bath and if he could get the distasteful smirk to leave his lips.
Ewan had met the man only once, years ago when Rufus had stopped with Isobail and their father to visit with his father at the MacAllister castle.
“For the sake of justice,” Rufus snarled. “You ruined our family and so we ruin yours.”
Graham laughed again. “And here I thought the best revenge would be in just taking the woman you wanted and making her my own. Little did I know who she was. Just imagine how her father will react when he learns that she was killed by Ewan MacAllister. He won’t rest until he’s destroyed every single member of the MacAllister clan. There won’t be a single member left standing.”
Ewan was aghast at their plan. Surely, they weren’t serious. “Are you mad?”
“Not at all,” Rufus said. “We lost everything when you ran off with Isobail. Robby MacDouglas demanded her dowry and then when our father failed to give it to him, he killed Father and banished us.”
“Aye,” Graham said, his lips twisted cruelly as he rode. “We’ve been struggling just to live only to find that none of our family will even admit they know us. ‘Tis time for the MacKaids to be regaled again while the MacAllisters get what they deserve... humiliation.”
Ewan clenched his teeth to keep from telling them who was really to blame for what happened. Reminding them of the fact that their sister was a faithless lying whore wouldn’t accomplish anything.
They blamed his family, not Isobail.
And he doubted if they would ever listen to reason where she was concerned.
“If it’s vengeance you want, then kill me and let Nora go.”
“Oh nay,” Graham said. His eyes glowed with cruel mischief. “See here’s where we regain our position. Who better to fall into the king’s good graces than the man who tried to save his cousin and who killed her murderer.”
Nay! the word screamed through Ewan’s mind.
Ewan was appalled at the man’s plan.
He should have known Graham MacKaid was insane. He should have killed the man in the pub when he had the chance.
Why had he ever allowed Graham to leave the pub without killing him?
