Page 45 of Enchanted

“What will you do with the lieutenant once you capture him?” Rosalyn asked, her face pale. “I want him to release me from any legal obligation, but it is our Christian duty not to murder him in cold blood as he tried to do to me.”

“I have an idea that does not require any bloodshed,” Alastair said. “We will need to tempt the lieutenant with something he desires more than winning whatever game he is playing with your life, Rosalyn. Is he the type of man to be tempted?”

“He is shallow and vindictive,” Rosalyn said, straightening. “If you dangle a big enough carrot in front of him, he is sure to bite.”

“Good,” Alastair said with a smile. “I have a friend, William Gordon, the second Earl of Aberdeen, who is a Scottish nobleman and a British statesman. I will send word to him that I wish to purchase a rank advancement for the lieutenant. Do you believe the lieutenant will be tempted by attaining the rank of major with little or no effort on his part?”

Rosalyn gasped. “Such an advancement would cost you a fortune. I could not ask you to spend so lavishly on my behalf.”

Alastair’s brows creased. “You’re family. It is what we do for each other that matters most.”

She stood as her face turned ashen. “I do not know how I could ever repay such kindness sufficiently.”

Alastair shrugged. “There is nothing to repay. Make Keiran happy and be a part of our clan. That is thanks enough.”

She swallowed thickly, nodded, then raced from the chamber with what looked to be tears on her cheeks.

Keiran moved to go after her, but Graeme stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Give her time alone with her thoughts. She has had much to adjust to over the past few days. She needs the womenfolk to help her through this difficulty, not you.”

Keiran retook his seat, but his gaze followed Rosalyn until she disappeared through the doorway. “What if the lieutenant refuses your bribe?”

“Then he will be taken to Dunshee Castle,” Tormod said, his features hardening. “He will take his rightful place among the rest of our ‘English visitors.’”

Orrick held up his hands. “We are losing sight of the bigger issue here.” His voice was grim. “Stopping the lieutenant from attacking us might help Rosalyn with her marital issues, but it will do nothing to ease the bigger threat the English pose to us and the other clans.”

“You are correct, Orrick,” Alastair agreed. “That issue cannot be solved by only the MacLeods. All the clans must be involved in that solution because it could very well lead to a war that might leave a lasting effect on Scotland’s people and this country.”

“If we are only focusing our attention on the lieutenant and his regiment, then we also must remember that this is a man who agreed to marry a woman then sent soldiers to kill her and her men. How can we trust him even if he agrees to whatever incentive we offer? Will he take the bribe and disappear? Will he take his men with him? Will he promise never to attack the MacLeods? We have no way to enforce his compliance other than take away his offered rank advancement.”

“All good questions, Orrick. None of which I have answers to,” Alastair replied, his expression matching the seriousness of Orrick’s. “We are in a no-win situation at present. All we can do is try to eliminate the immediate threat and live for tomorrow where we have hope of finding a better, more permanent solution to our issues with the English.”

Orrick pressed his lips together before saying, “And you are willing to trust that Lieutenant Long will accept this bribe and leave the MacLeods in peace?”

“The man is a snake,” Alastair said. “But the one thing he values above all things, as Rosalyn has proven to us, is his own worth.”

“Then we agree this is our best plan for now,” Tormod summarised.

Alastair nodded followed by Orrick, Graeme, Callum, then Keiran. Once lieutenant Long was no longer a threat, they could shift their attention on defending the entire country.

“Sounds like we have a plan for taking care of the lieutenant,” Callum said. “Once we decide on a location, we will be set there. But what about Oberon?”

Graeme turned his gaze to the other men. “Aria and I came to an idea last night based on what we experienced in both the shadow realm and Fairyland when we went to rescue Keiran, and by what Aria knows of the fairies.”

Keiran’s focus shifted to Graeme, interested to hear his plan. He would find Rosalyn after their discussion and make certain she was well.

“Aria suggested that we throw a costume party here at Dunvegan to celebrate the commitment Rosalyn and Keiran have made to each other. Oberon is certain to find a way to attend in disguise.”

Callum frowned. “If he is in disguise, then how will we know it is Oberon when we try to capture him?”

“Anyone with fairy blood can recognise another,” Graeme said. “Aria will be on the hunt for him, but she said in Fairyland when she was a child, he tended to favour costume that made him resemble animals since he often reverts to such a form while out in daylight hours. Is that not so, Keiran?”

“Aye,” Keiran replied, realising he would have to be more careful about the animals he rescued from this point forward. Or he might be responsible for giving refuge to the very man they wanted to trap. He did not have the skill of identifying the fae from the human like Aria, her mother, or her sister did. His blood was all human.

Keiran’s gaze drifted back to the door through which Rosalyn had departed. His human blood had run hot last night with her in his arms. By the heavens, he wanted to go after her, not only to see that she fared well after her upset, but also to pull her into his arms once more. He could still recall her softness, her scent, the way she trailed her fingers against his skin. He had thought last night would appease his appetite for her, but the more he discovered the nuances of her body and the things that brought her pleasure, the more he craved her. He also realised that he had explored every curve and nuance of her body, but he also wanted to know her thoughts, her dreams, her desires, and he could not do that planning to go to war on two fronts.

It was as if the two sides of himself were battling against each other, threatening his current situation as a MacLeod, a brother, and husband. If he wanted a life with Rosalyn, then he had to defeat both men who threatened to upset everything. The sooner these men were out of the way and out of their lives, the better.

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