Page 30 of Highlander’s Sweet Poison

Tearloch nodded and didn’t say another word.

16

Although the council concluded, they interrupted Graeme while he was trying to organize the guard patrols. Baldie, Ludo, and Monroe, the three oldest members of the council, strode into his private meeting chambers without so much as a knock on the door, and they were not alone.

“Alan,” Graeme greeted with some annoyance. “I dinnae suppose ye men understand that I am a bit behind on my duties and need to catch up.”

“And if ye had brought the prisoner here like ye were supposed to instead of marrying her, then ye would not be so behind, would ye?” Alan said nastily.

Standing, Graeme looked at him coldly. “Careful, Alan. Ye may be family, but I am still yer laird, and ye will show me some respect.”

Most men would be cowed at the reminder, but not Alan. Graeme could only assume that Fulton had promised him some sort of position of power when he was laird, and that had given Alan some ideas of grandeur, but this was Graeme’s reign, and he would not allow himself to be used.

Ludo put a hand on Alan’s shoulder. Of all the men in the council, Ludo had Graeme’s respect. The man never tried to give orders or manipulate Fletcher, but only offered advice. Before Fletcher had died, he’d confided that of all the council, Ludo was the only one he truly trusted not to stab him in the back.

Graeme had asked Fletcher why he had not dissolved the council if he felt that way, and Fletcher had told him that tradition was important above all else.

Tradition, Graeme decided, was not above the safety and lives of his people.

“Our apologies for barging in like this,” Ludo began.

“We have come to a decision,” Baldie interrupted. “We will support yer marriage.”

Graeme lifted an eyebrow. “I didnae realize that ye had a choice in the matter unless ye want to be exiled from the clan.”

“Ye would dare exile a member of the council?”

“I would dare exile the whole council if they didnae uphold their vows of fealty.”

Baldie and Monroe gasped, but Ludo just smiled. “As I was saying, we spoke at great length after ye left, and we have concluded that ye were right. There is nothing more than hearsay against Lady Jillian, and so while we do not all agree that yer marriage was a sound judgment, we will give ye and her the benefit of the doubt. We hope that with the council behind ye, the rest of the clan may fall in line, but we fear that may not be the case.”

“Unbelievable,” Alan muttered, and he glared at Baldie. “Ye allowed this to happen?”

“Enough,” Graeme cut in. “As my council, ye will stand behind me while I made my announcement before dinner and share my table in the great hall. If ye speak against me during the announcement or at dinner, I will assume that yer lies were meant to manipulate me, and I will act.”

Baldie grew red. “And what do ye mean by that?”

“I mean that the council may have been useful in the past, but with Fletcher’s rule, ye did less counseling and more demanding. I dinnae plan to let that continue. In an advisory capacity, ye will be welcome, but if ye seek to gain more power, I will dissolve the council.”

There was shocked silence, and Ludo stepped forward and bowed his head. “I will stand behind ye, Laird Graeme, and when I have a thought about the clan, I will be happy to share it.”

After a moment, Monroe stepped forward and bowed his head as well, leaving Baldie with no choice but to follow suit. Graeme turned to Alan. “As mistress, Jillian is to be protected. What ye say in the privacy of yer own home is yer business, but I wilnae allow vicious rumors to spread or any harm come to her.”

“She murdered yer cousin!”

“The council has just stated that there is no evidence, and I agree. The matter is settled, Alan, and I will hear no more claims against her concerning Fulton from ye or anyone else.”

Snarling, Alan stalked away, followed by Baldie and Monroe. Only Ludo remained.

“Yer father and I were friends when we were young,” he said mildly. “I dinnae know if ye knew that.”

“I did not.”

“He was a good man. I see quite of bit of him in ye. I have high expectations from ye, Graeme, and I hope ye dinnae disappoint me.”

“Did Fletcher disappoint ye?”

Ludo sighed. “Fletcher was a good man and a good laird, but the death of his first wife broke him. He loved her like no other, and her passing took the best part of him with her. There was nothing that he could do to fill it.”