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“Ye dinna lie, for once,” Dunbar said to his son. “Ye did get her.”

Jordan instinctively cowered as Dunbar approached her, very pleased with the turn of events. He put his beefy hands on his fat hips, smiling happily.

“Lady de Longley,” he said. “ ’Tis a pleasure.”

Jordan didn’t reply and simply stared back with apprehension. He took a step closer and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning her face from side to side.

“Aye, the most beauteous woman in all of Scotland,” he said with satisfaction, glancing at his son. “Do ye want her, Abner? ’Tis a fine bit of flesh.”

“Nay,” Malcolm suddenly stepped forward. “I will claim her.”

Dunbar looked at Malcolm. “Ye?”

Malcolm nodded firmly. “Aye. Consider her payment for all of the help I have given ye. I have always had an eye for Jordan, my sweet little cousin.”

Bile rose in Jordan’s throat. What in the bloody hell was the man saying? She would not, could not couple with her cousin. He’d given her no indication of his intentions in their conversation.

Dunbar looked hard at Malcolm, who returned the glare.

“I am yer son, too,” Malcolm met his glare. “I am a year older than Abner, which makes me yer eldest. I demand first choice of the booty.”

Dunbar held his gaze for a long, long moment and Malcolm kept waiting for a fist in his face. But no fist was forthcoming.

“Ye’re becoming a McKenna after all,” Dunbar said finally. “Ye can have yer cousin until I decide what to do with her, just like the others.”

“But…Da,” Abner stammered. “Ye said we were going to call the leaders and try her as a traitor. What about it?”

“We still might,” Dunbar nodded, smiling humorlessly at Jordan. “But let yer brother have his fun wi’ her first. ’Tis no harm in it.”

“And then what?” Abner wanted to know. “We finally have the mighty Countess of Teviot in our hands. What are we gonna do with her?”

Dunbar scratched his bug-ridden scalp. “To be honest, lad, I hadn’t planned on her being here. ’Tis a great surprise. I dunna know what to do with her. Yet.”

Abner’s eyes darted back and forth between Jordan and his father. When he told his father that he had captured Jordan and ordered her father killed, he hadn’t told him the entire story. He failed to mention the companion that got away. The men he sent after the rider had yet to return, so he still held out hope that the person had been caught.

Yet, he knew he had better tell his father everything lest all of his plans go awry.

“Da, there is one other thing,” he said as bravely as he could muster. “When we found Lady Jordan and her da, they had a companion with them who rode away before we could catch him.”

“What? What’s this?” Dunbar’s attention was on his son.

“I dunna know who it was, but my men will surely catch him,” Abner added quickly. “ ’Tis not possible for the rider to return to Northwood to summon help.”

Dunbar was visibly agitated. He let out a low growl and struck Abner on the side of the face hard, sending spittle and blood flying from the lad’s mouth.

“Damnation!” Dunbar exploded. “Why did ye not tell me this ’fore?”

Abner rubbed his face. “Because the rider willna get through. I wasna worried about it.”

“I am, lad!” his father shouted, then as quickly as he angered, he calmed. “I hope he gets through. Aye, I do, and I shall tell ye why; it will bring the English to our doorstep and we can blast them once and for all.” He was instantly swept away with yet another outrageous plan. “Aye, lads, do ye not see the beauty of this? While the English attack us here, I shall split my forces and route an army wide around the English and back to Northwood. All of their forces will be here fighting us, with no one left to defend the fortress. ’Tis brilliant. Masterful. Northwood will fall.” His last three words were punctuated by correspondingly pounding a balled fist into his hand.

Jordan could scarce believe what she was hearing. She stared at Dunbar, at Abner, at Malcolm, her mouth agape. Oh, God, what have I done?

“Take yer woman, Malcolm,” Dunbar had all but forgotten about Jordan in his haste. “Keep her with the other Scott bitch if ye want.”

Malcolm hastily grabbed Jordan’s arm and pulled her away with him. She struggled against him as he half-dragged her up a crumbling flight of stairs and down a musty corridor to a door that was stoutly bolted from the outside.

Jordan was terrified he was going to rape her and struggled furiously with him. He didn’t say a word as he lifted the big bolt and opened the door.