Page 44 of Highlander’s Haunted Past

“Do not look so nervous, the both of ye. I only mean to say that I do not need an explanation because I do not believe this to be something ye had knowledge of. Lockhart’s depiction of the conversation is more than enough to prove that ye and yer brothers were simply pawns in a much more complex game,” the Queen continued, her eyes casually drifting to where the three cups still sat, one tipped back to reveal silver, a second tipped back to reveal gold.

“Thank ye fer yer understanding, Yer Majesty,” Rob said with a relieved sigh, his grip on Kenna’s hand loosening ever so slightly.

“Sutherland was a fool. He should have burned these letters. There is more than enough written here to condemn each of them fer plotting against the Crown. Did ye ken that Sutherland and Huntly were cousins?”

Rob’s brow furrowed, “No, Yer Majesty.

“‘It would seem that very few did. It explains the mentioning of family in the letter we intercepted last night. I suppose it worked in both of their favors to keep the nature of their relationship as quiet as possible.”

Kenna felt a twist in her stomach. What a fool she had been. She had known of their relation. The Gordon and Sutherland families had come together years prior in marriage. She even had a vague memory of attending a feast at Strathbogie with her father when she was such a little lass, a feast where the Earl of Huntly had raised a glass to toast Clan Gordon and their cousins, Clan Sutherland. For all she knew, she had even seen the Earl of Sutherland once or twice in her youth. How worthless her mind was to forget something so important when she’d needed to remember it most.

She had never spent much time learning about clan politics and relations. In fact, she had gone out of her way to avoid those lessons as much as possible when she was growing up. Instead, she had focused her attention on what had been in front of her in Inverness, always keeping track of which merchants were fueding and which women were stepping out on their husbands. She had falsely imagined that this would be what her future husband would need her to know, always expecting, of course, to find herself wed to some Inverness-based merchant or second son of a distant laird.

Oh how wrong ye were, Kenna thought bitterly.

The man she ended up marrying could not care less about Inverness gossip, but the lessons she had avoided could have saved them both from unnecessary pain.

“There is much to do here and very little time to do it. I want to thank ye both fer the roles ye have played in rooting out the villainy in my court. I can assure ye that ye will both be rewarded for yer actions as soon as this situation with Clan Gordon is behind us. Lady Kenna, I will have ye tell me the story of what happened here tonight in yer own words, but ‘tis far too late fer such a thing now. Return to yer inn and get a wee bit of sleep. I’ll have someone fetch ye from the inn tomorrow.”

Kenna curtsied, grateful that she would have some time to process her thoughts before she attempted to speak them aloud. And, her mind drifting to the feeling of Rob’s warm hand still clutched in her own, maybe there would be time for other things.

Rob must have been of a similar mind because he gave her hand a quick squeeze, and a hint of his lopsided grin lit up his expression as they turned to leave the room.

“Not ye, Laird Fraser.”

“Yer Majesty?” Rob asked, turning back.

“Go and fetch yer men, only a few, fer ye must travel with as much speed as ye are able. Ye will rally with a few other men at the entrance to Aberdeen and ride with due haste fer Strathbogie Castle. Here is a royal order, affixed with my seal, demanding that the Earl of Huntly surrenders himself to ye. Ye will escort him here, to Aberdeen, where he will face charges of treason. Now that we have sufficient evidence against him, we have the opportunity to end this conflict before armies meet in the field.”

The advisor behind her fished a sealed parchment from his pocket and held it out. Around them, the room had grown silent in reverence of the Queen, all eyes staring fixedly at the exchange. How many weeks of traveling, sieges, and investigations had led to this one moment? The Earl of Huntly was no longer a question; he was a declared enemy of the Crown.

“‘Tis an honor to serve ye, Yer Majesty,” Rob said as he reached out to accept the parchment. He held it nervously in his hands before tucking it safely into his sporran.

The Queen’s lips twitched with a smile. “I am sure.”

No! Kenna’s mind screamed.

Rob was finally here beside her, his hand in hers. They were finally in a place where they could truly begin their relationship, and the Queen wouldn’t even give her one night before sending him out on a death march. He must have seen the rising anger in her eyes because he quickly nodded to the Queen and pulled Kenna from the room before she could begin to list the numerous reasons for her believing it to be a stupid idea.

“Why does it have to be ye?” Kenna asked with a whine as Rob whisked her out into the darkened streets.

“Why shouldn’t it be me?” Rob replied, flashing her a smile. “I’m as good of a warrior as anyone else—many would even say that I’m better.”

Challenge me with a question, Rob Fraser, and ye’ll get an answer.

Kenna cleared her throat before beginning to recite the long list of reasons that she had already started to form in her mind.

“Fer starters, ye have never been to Strathbogie Castle. Surely someone else in the Queen’s retinue of men has. Then, have ye considered that yer horses are too tired to make another long journey? Well, I have.”

Kenna continued her list all the way back to the inn, Rob’s face growing more and more stoic with every additional point she made.

When they finally approached the inn, Rob pointed at the door, but Kenna followed him to the stables instead, not quite done yet.

“Did ye ken that there are cannons at Strathbogie? Big cannons, royal cannons—the kind that makes really big booms and even bigger craters in the ground.”

“Good to know.”

“Or did ye ken that Strathbogie—”