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‘She has finer manners than you.’
‘And I have bigger balls than you, coward!’
The crowd started laughing again at her words but suddenly hushed as Will appeared and elbowed people aside. He stood before them and, on his face, was a look of such anger as to make Morna’s blood run cold.
‘Someone had better explain to me why my wife is as filthy as a pig in a wallow, and my clansman stands before her with his backside hanging out, for all of Barra to see,’ he bellowed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Will could feel Morna quivering with anger where he held on to her arm. She was barely recognisable through all the mud dripping off her. He glared at Waldrick, and the man blanched.
‘T’was these bitches as started it, Will. Like two she-devils, they were. It was all I could do to separate them, and she’s a fine temper on her, your wife,’ said Waldrick.
‘I left you in charge of her,’ snarled Will.
‘Aye, and I was minding her, but then I…’
‘He went off with that slattern over there,’ spat Morna, pointing to the redhead, who smiled back at Will in an insolent way.
‘Your whore almost killed me,’ sputtered Edana, just as Wymon Cranstoun pushed through the crowd. ‘She tried to suffocate me, Wymon,’ she whined, pointing at Morna.
Wymon stomped over to Edana and grabbed hold of her arm. ‘What are you talking about woman?’ he snarled, shaking her.
Edana spat out her lies. It was all Morna’s fault, she was completely innocent in the matter. Morna had attacked her for no reason and almost killed her. The woman squealed out her accusations in the tone of a martyr nailed to the cross and started to sniff away lying tears.
Will did nothing to stop the flow of bile coming from Edana’s mouth, and then Cranstoun turned to him.
‘This is an insult to my Clan.’
‘This is nothing but a piece of foolishness between these two harpies. You deal with your woman, and I will deal with mine. A thrashed backside for each of them should put it to rights. Agreed?’ A muscle was going in his cheek.
Cranstoun nodded. ‘Be sure to beat yours soundly, else you’ll get no obedience. Spare the rod, and you will pay the price,’ he said, as he dragged Edana off into the crowd.
‘You are coming with me,’ said Will and, with a vice-like grip, he dragged Morna away. She pulled on his arm and twisted and turned in a temper, but he continued until they were well away from the crowd. He let go of her and took a couple of steps back out of an instinct for self- preservation, for she had a towering anger on her.
‘Could you not muster one word in my defence?’ she shouted. ‘Of course, you would take her side in this. Why should I expect anything else?’
Will bit his lip hard. ‘Calm down, Morna. Are you hurt?’
‘As if she could ever hurt me, and don’t even think of trying to punish me, Will Bain.’
‘Morna, I said, calm down, and we will talk.’
‘I will not be calm. Look at me!’ Indeed, she was a woeful sight, black with muck and stinking of it too.
‘I cannot get to the bottom of this until you are quiet,’ he said softly but with menace.
‘Of course, you accept her version of events. How dare you agree to thrash me. Why, you are as cowardly as Waldrick, Will, not standing up to a Cranstoun.’
‘Right,’ said Will. He grabbed hold of her, dragged her to a nearby horse trough and dunked her in it.
Morna sat up, coughing out water, and he pushed her down in it again and stepped back quickly.
‘Have you cooled down a bit now, wife?’
‘You...you pig,’ she screamed, climbing out and tottering sideways in her outrage.
‘It got the worst of the muck off,’ said Will, failing to suppress a smirk.
