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“I don’t believe ye,” Rowan said scathingly. “We did no’ even know where ye were or that ye were alive.” His face was crimson with rage, and his eyes were absolutely black under his lowered brows.
“He was goin’ tae kill me!” Fraser roared. He reasoned that it would be better not to involve Evanna and her family until he had to, so he left out the fact that Davie had tried to kill her first.
Rowan rushed forward to land a hard punch in the middle of Fraser’s stomach. He was completely unable to defend himself since both his arms were being pinioned by a strong man on either side of him.
The air whooshed out of Fraser’s lungs, and he fell down on his knees, his face contorted with pain.
Rowan was just about to kick him, but he was stopped by the authoritative voice of the laird.
“What is going on here?” he demanded, pushing his way through the crowd of men to see what was happening. At the sight of Fraser, he skidded to a stop and his mouth dropped open. “You are dead!” he said, his voice high with complete astonishment, even as he moved forward to help Fraser to his feet.
“Aye, so people keep tellin’ me, M’Laird,” Fraser replied, in between bouts of coughing. “Rowan has tried tae finish me off twice, but I am still here.”
“Do you not deserve punishment?” The Laird’s voice was furious. “You tried to start a war between us and the Mulhollands! I was about to arrest you.”
“I think ye are mistaken, M’Laird,” Fraser said grimly as he dusted himself down. He jabbed a finger at Rowan. “Heis the one who has been startin’ fights.Heis the one who has been thievin’ livestock an’ burnin’ barns. I am captain o’ his watch, yet he was always tryin’ tae take over, an’ he tells lies about me tae blacken my name!”
The laird held up his hands to silence them both. “We will discuss this in my study,” he said grimly.
* * *
The laird sat down behind his desk while Rowan and Fraser stood in front of him with two guards behind them.
“Now,” he began, “I want to hear what each of you has to say, and I do not want you to interrupt each other. Fraser, will you go first?”
“Certainly, M’Laird,” he replied. He began by baring his shoulder, then he removed the bandage to show it to the laird. “This is the wound that Rowan gave me. He would have stabbed me in the heart but he was disturbed, an’ I was rescued. Last night I was stayin’ at the tavern in a village at Mulholland Estate when somebody tried tae kill me again. I have no idea how he knew I was there, but he did. I sleep with a dagger now, so I was able tae kill him, an’ I left his body in the forest for the wild pigs tae eat. There will be nothin’ left o’ it by now.”
“Did you know the man who tried to kill him?” the laird asked, turning to Rowan, who had gone quite pale.
Rowan jumped, startled when he heard the laird speaking to him, as if he had been in a trance for a moment. “I know no one, M’Laird,” he said contemptuously. “If he has put the man out for the pigs tae eat, there will be nothin’ left o’ him, an’ no evidence that he is even tellin’ the truth. It is a pack o’ lies from start tae finish!”
“I know his name,” Fraser said suddenly. “It is Davie Morrison.”
“Ye killed Davie Morrison?” Rowan was aghast, then his face paled. “He was one of our best men an’ a good friend o’ mine!”
Then Fraser banged his fist on the desk. “It has beenyestirring up all the unrest on our lands all along, has it not, McLachlan?”
Rowan was pale with shock, and it seemed that all the fight had gone out of him for a moment, then he raised his eyes to Fraser’s. “No! It was ye! Ye were at Mullholland Estate, which means that ye are plotting against us. Ye said it yerself, that ye slept in a tavern at Mullholland Estate!” he cried.
“Fine,” Fraser answered, scowling. “I was rescued by a Mulholland woman an’ looked after ’til I was better. I was in a Mulholland household. The lady of the house did not harm me. In fact, she was good tae me. She kept me safe from ye. But why did she have tae keep me safe from my own clan?”
Rowan was speechless.
“I know ye all came in there one day without yer uniforms tae see what was goin’ on.” Fraser bent over to look into Rowan’s deep eyes. “Ye thought we would no’ know who ye were, but the woman who took care of me did. She knew because I had told her what ye looked like. Was that the day ye found out I was there?”
Rowan smiled in a smug fashion. “We found a basket o’ mushrooms an’ suchlike by the place ye were found an’ asked in the village about who they belonged tae. They told me it was Evanna Mulholland.” He shrugged. “So we watched her, an’ we realized she was hidin’ somethin.’ We were goin’ tae come an’ arrest ye, but I know nothin’ about anybody comin’ in tae murder ye.”
Laird Gilchrist sighed. “I will have to think about everything you have both said,” he told them. “Then consult with my advisors. Fraser, go and clean yourself, eat something, and change into fresh clothes. We will likely need to speak to you later, and you look as though you have been dragged through a hedge backwards.” He stood up. “Stay out of each other’s way, and if I hear that either of you has tried to escape, I will hunt you down and kill you, then I will personally feed you to the wild boars!”
He pushed each of them outside and stood, giving orders to the gate guards not to let them pass. Then, with a last glare at both of them, he marched away.
15
Fraser turned to study Rowan for a moment. He did not seem to be as cocksure as he usually was, and presently, one of his men came up to him and patted him on the back as if in sympathy.
“What is wrong with him?” Fraser asked one of the others, puzzled.
“Davie Morrison was his best friend,” the man answered sadly. “I am no’ one o’ his company, but I saw those two taegether a’ the time. They were like brothers. He looks sad, but ye can be sure he is absolutely beelin’ inside. He is at his most dangerous at times like this, an’ he has his whole bunch o’ favorites around him, so be careful, Fraser.”
