“’Tis a tangled mess, and your father will not be happy about it. The MacKays broke the contract.”
Seona was glad, for she’d never wanted to marry Aiden or Dirk. And especially not Haldane. The way the dirty little knave used to stare at her all the time made her skin crawl. Nay, their cousin, Keegan was the only MacKay to catch her attention and steal her heart.
“If Keegan has taken your virginity, your father will kill him. You ken this is true,” Patience said. “I’m certain you remember what happened to the unsuitable young man you danced with last year—MacSween’s youngest brother. Your father had him beaten.”
“I remember.” And she’d felt horribly guilty for agreeing to the dance.
“What you may not know is that young MacSween met an unfortunate end not long after that,” her aunt said.
“What?” The sensation of ice cold water washed over Seona. “Someone killed him?”
“Aye. It happened in Inverness. He was stabbed and robbed.”
Waves of horror and disbelief crashing over her, Seona could scarce breathe. “Did Father order this done?” She forced the words out.
“No one would say for certain, but there was a rumor among the men that MacSween had kissed you and tried to force himself on you.”
Outrage burned through her. “That is not true! We danced and that was all.”
“Well, you know how men are; they like to boast. Once a story gets started, it becomes exaggerated.”
Seona paced, tears stinging her eyes. What in heaven’s name? Had her father really done this? She’d never known her aunt to lie. In truth, her father was violent and brutal, and more than capable of ordering someone killed.
“Keegan is tasked with taking us home, once I’m well enough to travel,” Patience said. “You ken your father has far more men than the MacKay guards who are traveling with us. He could easily have Keegan killed.”
The image of the bruised and battered MacSween man appeared in her mind and blended with Keegan’s handsome andprecious face. If her father killed Keegan, she would not want to live. She loved Keegan more than life itself. She would gladly endure a lifetime of unhappiness and beatings if that meant Keegan lived a full life, too, even if he was far away from her.
She imagined what might happen—when Keegan saw he was being attacked, he would draw his sword. But he would be outnumbered by her father’s men, and they’d all have swords and dirks, too. He wouldn’t be able to fight them all.
They’d kill him.
Her throat closed up and tears flooded her eyes. She had to stop spending time with Keegan and make it clear to him any connection they’d shared was now over.
Chapter Sixteen
Keegan rode with the MacKenzies and seven of the MacKay guards through the village and to the edge of the small wood near Loch Long. They dismounted, leaving the horses with three grooms, and moved quietly through the trees. Fraser had told him the stags had been spotted early that morn, halfway up a mountain, above the tree line, gorging on the fresh spring growth.
All was silent in the wood, except for the whispering shuffle of their feet on the wet leaves. Several of them, including Keegan, carried a bow and arrows. Though he was no archer, he was a fairly good shot.
Cyrus and Dermott led the way, Keegan, Fraser and others behind them. Keegan wished Dirk could’ve joined them, but he wasn’t recovered enough yet. Rebbie had stayed behind to keep him company.
Abruptly, Cyrus halted, holding up his hand for silence. Keegan stopped just shy of running into him. Had he seen a deer? Keegan squinted into the dimness of the forest. In the distance, something darted from one tree to another.Plaid?’Twas not a deer at all, but a man.
“Who the devil is that?” Dermott whispered.
Cyrus pulled his sword from the scabbard at his side. “Let’s go find out.”
Several of the men drew their swords, while others nocked arrows into the bows they carried. Keegan chose his sword since he was far more experienced with it. The lot of them advanced, tryingto keep even quieter than before.
Keegan saw naught but tree bark and leaves for several minutes. Abruptly, the man abandoned his hiding place behind a thick tree trunk and sprinted deeper into the wood.
Cyrus and Dermott increased their pace. Keegan and the other men followed suit. Shouts and yells echoed through the trees up ahead.
“What the hell?” Dermott asked. “How many of them are there?”
Realization dawned. “’Slud. That might be Haldane and his band of outlaws,” Keegan said just above a whisper. A couple of days ago, Keegan and Rebbie had given Cyrus and his brothers a detailed accounting of Haldane, his men, and their crimes.
Dermott glanced back briefly, his green eyes gleaming in the strange light of the forest. “How many of them?”
