Page 97 of Promised to the Forbidden Laird

Finlay looked doubtful. “Four men for a garden?”

“For an approach beneath the castle wall.”

The councilor ceased objecting.

Roy placed both hands upon the table. “From this evening, there will be nae separate MacIver and MacNicol rotations.”

A murmur moved through the hall.

Roy continued before tradition could gather sufficient courage to argue. “Each patrol will include men from both clans. Nae watchtower, crossing or storehouse will be held by one clan alone. Captains will exchange written reports at sunrise and dusk. Any rider who fails tae return at the proper hour will be searched for immediately.”

One MacIver warrior frowned. “Some MacNicol men may object tae answering tae our captains.”

“And some MacIver men may object tae taking orders from theirs,” Roy replied. “They may object while performing the duty.”

Hamish concealed a smile. Malcolm did not trouble to conceal his.

Donaldina leaned forward. “The rotations should change every three days. Cormac has friends within the villages. If patrols become predictable, word will reach him.”

Roy nodded. “Agreed.”

Again, the word came without thought.

Not I agree.

Simply agreed, as though the decision belonged to neither of them separately.

Theirs.

He felt its meaning and pushed it aside before it could soften anything vigilance required.

For another hour, they marked routes and assigned riders. Inland caves were divided among scouting parties. Abandoned hunting lodges were placed under observation rather than searched only once. River crossings received additional men, and messengers were forbidden to travel without escort.

When the final order had been written, the map appeared crowded with markers. Protected, any reasonable man might have called it. Roy saw only the gaps between them.

“There is one final matter,” Malcolm said. “What are we tae tell the villages?”

“The truth,” Donaldina answered.

Several councilors shifted.

Roy looked at her. “How much of it?”

“That Cormac abducted me and continues tae threaten both clans. That anyone providing shelter, supplies or messages tae him will answer before the council.”

“And the lodge?” Finlay asked.

Donaldina’s expression did not alter. “They need nae hear every cruelty tae understand the danger.”

Roy felt relief he had no right to feel. He would have permitted her to speak as much or as little as she chose, but the thought of men carrying the details of her captivity from hearth to alehouse filled him with a violence he had scarcely restrained since the rescue.

“The notice will bear both seals,” he announced.

No one questioned it. The council dispersed slowly. Captains collected written assignments. Malcolm rolled the smaller maps beneath his arm. Hamish remained long enough to give Roy a searching look, then followed the others from the hall without speaking.

Donaldina gathered the petitions beside her. Roy stared at the central map.

Twenty-two patrols. Six guarded crossings. Scouts in every direction.