Chapter One
Scottish Highlands, June 1619
"Where the devil is it?" Chief DugaldMacKerrick demanded, staring down into the empty wooden chest inhis bedchamber. He didn't carry the King Richard dagger with himday to day. 'Twas far too valuable. He only placed the sheathedweapon on his belt during ceremonies and celebrations, just as hehad a few days ago when his sister, Mairiana, was betrothed to theLindsay chief's eldest son.
"I don't ken, m'laird," Geordie, hismanservant, answered.
"Damnation!" The word exploded from Dugald'smouth, a sense of dread consuming him. Surely, it could not begone! "Search these chests and the whole of Rornoch Castle if youmust."
"Aye, m'laird." Geordie rushed to the nearestchest and knelt to open it.
Through marriage and alliance, the dagger hadbeen passed down from King Robert the Bruce, himself, centuriesago. And long before that, the large ruby in the hilt had belongedto King Richard the Lionheart. Dugald would not be the one to losethe dagger.
He flung open a large mahogany and brasschest in the corner and tore everything from it, his own cleanclothing mostly—linen shirts, plaids. No weapons. Annoyanceconsuming him, he let fly several loud curses. "One of the Lindsaywhoresons must have stolen it!"
Aye, now he remembered Chief Angus Lindsayhad wanted to buy it, offering him a ridiculously low sum, and thena much higher one. Dugald had informed him 'twas not for sale atany price. Even Lindsay's son, Alec, had eyed the dagger with aspark of greed in his eye.
"What is all the shouting about?" Dugald'stwin brother Tòmas barged into the room. His long dark hair in aqueue, he was dressed impeccably, as always, in a belted plaid,pressed white shirt and blue doublet.
"The King Richard dagger is gone," Dugaldsaid, rage crawling over him. "Stolen by some damnable miscreant! Ialways kept it locked in this chest when I wasn't wearing it."
"When did you last see it?"
"After the betrothal ceremony, four daysago."
"Do you think one of the Lindsays stoleit?"
"Of course! Who else?"
Unfazed as usual by Dugald's flaring temper,Tòmas answered, "Why would they need it? They're as rich asMidas."
Tòmas' calm logic grated on Dugald's nerves."Because the dagger would make them twice as rich. The ruby aloneis worth a king's ransom! And both Angus and Alec were neardrooling over it. When I told them the dagger was not for sale atany price, they looked vexed and even more determined to have it.At which time, Angus made a veiled comment about always gettingwhat he wanted." The smirking Angus had been kissing the glovedhand of his new, young bride when he'd said it, but Dugald did notmistake his meaning. He detested the whoreson and now regrettedallowing Mairiana to marry into the family.
"But his son is marrying our sister. Surelyhe would know she could easily identify it as yours if he hadit."
That made sense, but still… 'twas tellingthat the dagger disappeared around the same time the Lindsaysdeparted. "Well, if not them, one of their servants or guardscould've done it, looking to sell it to become independentlywealthy."
"Indeed," Tòmas said, stroking his freshlyshaven, square chin as if in deep thought.
"'Haps Angus intends to sell the ruby fromthe dagger's hilt in order to keep his new French wife in thelatest styles from Paris. Such fancy silks are expensive."
"'Tis a possibility, but the large ruby wouldnot be easy to sell without drawing notice. In order to obtain itsworth, he would have to approach only the very wealthy, a member ofthe nobility, perhaps. Word would travel."
Dugald sucked in a breath, trying to dispelhis fury and watched Geordie search the remaining trunks. He evenlooked beneath the giant oak bed.
Of he and Tòmas, Dugald was the eldest by afew minutes, but he'd always felt his twin should share in theleadership of the clan. And he did. Tòmas was his main advisor andthey often made important decisions together. Tòmas was the voiceof reason, while Dugald wanted to charge in and attack theoffending party. He didn't understand how Tòmas could be sopatient.
The dagger was not only Dugald's, but it alsobelonged to Tòmas and the whole clan. It mattered not to him thathistory had long since forgotten the significance of the legendarydagger and its link back to Richard the Lionheart of England. ForDugald, 'twas the most important object his father had entrustedhim with before his death.
His father's trust was no small or easy thingto attain. Dugald had earned it by slow degrees only a short timebefore his da had passed three years before. During Dugald's wildand reckless youth, his da had often voiced his reservations as towhether Dugald would make a good chief because he acted first andasked questions later.
If Dugald allowed the dagger to be stolen soeasily, then he was not worthy of his father's trust. He'd had toprove himself capable one time, and now he would have to do itagain.
"Given that we've just made an alliance withthe Lindsays, we must handle this situation carefully," Tòmassaid.
Dugald ground his teeth, the urge to launchan attack against the guilty party nearly overwhelming him. Hisbrother was right, of course, but Dugald didn't want to handleanything carefully. His blood rushed too rashly through his veinsfor him to be careful.
"And how do you propose we do that, oh wiseone?" Dugald asked. Though his sarcastic tone was meant to needlehis brother, he also had to admit that Tòmas often came up withcanny solutions to problems.
