Page 48 of Never Kiss a Highlander

“Aye. She arrived no’ feeling well and then started with the fevers. She’s had two since we put her to bed.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Did she arrive with any injuries?”

The woman hesitated and then said, “Aye, when we undressed her, we found a bruise on her back.”

Finn nodded and Alison was certain he knew immediately who would have caused the injury.

A soft knock at the door caught their attention. Another maid entered. “Laird Mackay, The Mackay requests yer presence downstairs.”

Finn looked at the healer. “I trust ye with my wife. She means e’erything to me.”

The woman nodded. “Yer a good mon, Mackay. I am verra pleased Lady Mackay married ye.”

He had no idea if the healer knew about the broken betrothal and why it happened, but he thought that was what she was talking about. Staff are great gossipers, and it seems likely she knew all about it.

He gave her a quick nod and, after kissing Alison on her cheek, left the room.

“The lairds await ye in the solar.” The maid who had arrived to tell him he was needed waved him toward the staircase.

She walked ahead of him, not speaking.

His thoughts returned to Alison. He’d never been so scared in his life when she went missing and then received the message from The Sinclair that they had her.

His first thoughts were to lead a few hundred warriors to The Sinclair holding and wreak havoc. Then he came to his senses and realized that was probably the easiest way to get Alison killed.

She looked all right for someone with an ague, and the healer seemed to know what she was about. As soon as this meeting was over, he was taking his wife home.

He knocked on the solar door. “Come.”

He entered to see The Sinclair, The Mackay, and Archie sitting at a table. The Sinclair waved him over.

Finn sat next to The Mackay and crossed his arms over his chest.

“We dinna receive what we were due in the betrothal agreement,” The Sinclair said.

When The Mackay said nothing, Finn leaned forward. “Yer son broke the agreement when he refused to marrymy wife.” He nodded in Archie’s direction.

“I dinna want to marry yer whore. I had to be sure my son was my son.”

Finn forgot all about control and jumped over the table, landing on Archie. He got a few good punches in before The Mackay ordered him to stop.

Both men climbed to their feet, and, glaring at each other, took their seats.

“If any other insults are made or even alluded to aboutmy wife, this meeting will be o’er and ye can expect the Mackay clans to attack within hours.” Finn barely got the words out with how tight his jaw was.

The Sinclair turned to his son. “Keep yer mouth shut or I’ll toss ye out of the meeting.”

Archie gave a quick nod and slumped in his seat like a lad.

“I want the piece of land that was part of the betrothal,” Sinclair said.

The Mackay motioned to Finn to move closer. He whispered in his ear, “I’m no’ sure what piece of land he speaks of.”

Finn closed his eyes and held in a groan. The Mackay was fading fast. “Did ye bring a copy of the agreement with ye?”

“Aye.”

Finn let out a sigh of relief and took the parchment from him. He unrolled it and studied it for a minute. He leaned back to The Mackay and said, “It’s on the border between ye and the Sinclairs. It appears he wanted it because of the water. A small lake that fills from one of yer lochs.”