Page 81 of Lady Len and the Mysterious Mac

Around the edges of the Hall, the men known to be most loyal to Si stepped away to join the search parties, but he knew what it would look like to the rest: abandonment. He had to address them—now, before everything completely fell apart. Before he completely fell apart.

“There ye are, ye bloody great giant. Thought maybe ye’d run away to Aberdeen again.”

“Where is that lovely wee bride of yours, Si?” another heckled. “I’d rather see her face than your backside.”

“I thank you all for coming out to this Gathering,” Si began with some hesitation. “And I apologize, but I must humbly beg a delay.”

“A delay? Ye’ve delayed for years already. What delay were we given when rents were due?”

“Aye, d’ye want our oaths or not?”

“We left our lands for this, our farms—”

“And our women!”

Si rubbed his sweaty palm along his kilt.

“Peace,” Norval said, stepping out of the shadows and holding up a hand. “Let the lad speak.”

“Aye,” Blair jumped in. “For we all know how long it takes to get his words out.”

“You seek a delay?” Norval asked gently, like he was on Silas’s side, and it made Si’s skin crawl.

“He’s been away too long,” Blair told them, his voice echoing through the Hall. “He doesn’t know ye. He doesn’t know what it costs ye to be here.”

“I ken well enough,” Si growled.

“Yet you humbly beg another delay,” Blair said, his voice filled with challenge.

“And for that I apologize, but there is an emergency that requires my—”

“An emergency? More important than the well-being of your entire clan?” a man interrupted.

Sweat broke out across Si’s forehead, burning his eyes.

“I—” he began, but Norval took another step forward.

“He’s young. Inexperienced with handling the many complex demands that face a laird.”

“I can manage very well. I only seek a delay. My wife is missing. Even now, search parties—”

“Missing is it?” Blair asked, a glimmer of mischief in his smirk which made Si’s blood run cold. “Or has she run off?”

Si lunged towards him. “Have you done something with her?” he growled through clenched teeth, but strong arms held him back. A brief look of terror crossed Blair’s face before he simply laughed.

“Steady, milord,” Angus said.

Si shook the steward off him. “Why are you still here?” he demanded in a barely controlled whisper.

“Making sure you don’t do something ye very much regret.”

“How can he expect to control a clan if he can’t even control one wee wife?” Blair asked the crowd with a smirk.

“What is it, Si? Cannae get a bairn in her, so you’re having her rotate beds the way ye want us to rotate crops? A different fella plows her field each month, is it?” the same old crofter laughed at him.

“It’s worse than that, though, isn’t it, Si?” Blair asked. “Elicit trysts in the glade? Trips to the village unaccompanied? Reading lessons in the dark? She made a cuckold of ye and left this very day.”

“How dare you.” He took another step towards Blair, eager to separate the bastard’s head from his body, but Blair held up a handful of folded parchments, stopping him in his tracks.