“But what I would like to ken, is why I was attacked when returnin’ from the hunt?” He stopped beside one of the older council members with a long beard and smacked his fists on the back of the man’s chair, making everyone jump. “I detest the rumors of disloyalty that seem to plague me clan! How can it be that one of our own betrayed us!”
Faces around the table paled as several of the men swallowed hard.
It cannae be one of them.
Callum took his time looking around the table, checking each man’s face until he was certain that he had made his point before straightening again. “From now on, I want any man or woman who enters this castle to do so only with me ken. I daenae ken who I can trust, and until I do, things will change around here.” He pushed out his chest and stood strong.
An awkward silence ensued until one of the men, known as MacAulay, cleared his throat. “Me Laird, if I may?”
“What is it?” Callum barked before returning to his seat at the head of the table.
The thin man with a long face and an even longer nose paled even further. “There was someone who came to see ye in yer absence, me Laird. He was a land agent who refused to speak to anyone but ye. He said he was from the surroundin’ glens.”
“And where is the man now? Did ye allow him to leave after believin’ me dead?” Callum grumbled and fell back in his chair.
MacAulay seemed to shrink as he licked his lips nervously. “That is just the thing, me Laird. He didnae leave, he disappeared. Nobody has seen him since the day he arrived, along with several other members of surroundin’ clans.”
Callum stilled as a voice echoed inside his memory.
“Me brother, Andrew, went lookin’ for ye. He never returned.”
Had she not said something of the sort to him? Her father and brother have, after all, worked as agents for his estate and lands.
His chest suddenly felt cold as the realization dawned on him. If Andrew had gone missing after looking for him, then there was every possibility that he had been killed, along with anyone else who had gotten in the way.
Eleanor’s face loomed in his mind. How would he be able to tell her that his suspicions seemed to be shaping up to be true?
“Aye.” He inclined his head slowly, hiding his realization behind a perfectly practiced mask. “That does sound very grave indeed. We daenae ken who these traitors are, but we shall. Bring me every scrap of parchment, ledger, or even letter that the man asked for while he was here. I want nay stone left unturned.” He reached for a stack of documents lying on the table before him and shuffled them.
A final murmur of unease erupted as the men around the table began to whisper. They exchanged glances and cleared their throats, but not a single one of them dared look in his direction.
The legs of his chair scraped across the stone floor as he stood, announcing to the room that he would be leaving.
Standing in unison, the council bid him farewell, solemn-faced, as he turned and left the room.
He made it out into the hall before pausing and shutting his eyes. He was almost certain now that Andrew Whitacker had been killed in pursuit of the truth.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Mistress, are ye awake?”
The sound of gentle knocking carried through her chambers, causing Eleanor to open her eyes as she blinked back into reality.
Where am I?
Her chest constricted with pain and fear as the events of the past two weeks came flooding back to her. She was in Fraser Castle, covertly betrothed to a laird who had made her feel things she had never imagined.
Images of his naked body flooded her mind. His tanned skin had shimmered with the oil that had been rubbed in. The chiseled lines of his abdomen and the hard V leading to the section beneath the hide. She had not wanted to stare, yet her eyes had wandered over his unconscious figure, devouring each muscle and contour.
“Mistress? I am sorry to bother ye,” Marion called out again, rapping her knuckles a little sharper against the wood.
Feeling panic set in, Eleanor sat up straight, her cheeks filling with heat. She had a brother to find and an ailing father who needed her home. The last thing she needed was the distraction of a gruff, albeit handsome man.
“Ye may come in, Marion!” she called out, quickly flinging the sheets from her legs before she swung them over the side. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet as she inhaled sharply and drew them back.
The door to her chambers swung open with a loud creak, revealing a bright-eyed Marion with a tray on her hip. “Good mornin’, Mistress. I am sorry to wake ye. Ye must be ever so tired, but His Lairdship has requested yer presence in his study.” She used her foot to push the door shut before making her way across the room and setting the tray on the already full desk.
“Did His Lairdship say what it was that he needed me for in the study?” She shook off the former thought and focused on the appetizing aroma of fresh bannocks and tea. Her stomach growled in anticipation, making her realize just how hungry she felt.