Chapter Thirty

Jasper lurked in the greenery of Torhove’s woods. A long wait had given him plenty of time to ponder his rival. Caolan was fortunate in his land – it groaned with timber, its fields were as fertile as his beautiful blonde wife, Sybilla, and the river, running south, transported goods down to England to turn a fat profit. And yet Clan McColl had fallen into his lap by chance. He had not earned it and retained his grip through sheer cunning and Bannerman belligerence. Few men crossed Caolan and lived to tell the tale. As the quietest of the Bannerman brothers, Caolan was an enemy you did not see coming. He certainly hadn’t.

The whinny of a horse alerted Jasper to a rider coming along the riverbank. His spy had been correct, and it was Caolan off on his morning ride. Jasper waited until he drew level and crashed out of the trees straight at him. The impact knocked Caolan off his horse, and Jasper was upon him in an instant, a knife pressed to his throat, his weight pinning him down.

‘Get off me, Jasper, before one of us gets hurt,’ he said with no hint of fear.

‘It will be you who gets hurt,’ said Jasper as he pressed the knife to Caolan’s neck. ‘I will have my vengeance this day.’

‘Vengeance for what, saving you from an ambush?’

‘You sent Strachan as bait. You knew I would hunt down the men sent to ambush me. And then, you took your chance and tried to kill me, you bastard.’

‘The only part you got right is that I am a bastard. My warning was sincere.’

‘You are lying. Your men tried to hang me. They said, ‘Caolan Bannerman sends his greetings.’

‘Which men. What did they look like?’

‘I did not know them. But you told them to make me suffer. So now, I will make you suffer.’

Jasper pressed the knife harder. Blood oozed out from beneath the blade.

Caolan’s eyes flicked to the red welt on Jasper’s neck. ‘News reached me of the attack on you, but it had nought to do with me, and you know it, deep down. And if I wanted to kill you, I would look you in the eye while I did it, Jasper.’

‘Seaton, then. He has long wanted me dead.’

‘He mourns the loss of your friendship and regrets the rift between you. But you know in your heart that he would not wish you dead. And I am true to our alliance.’

‘Why would you ever be true to me?’

‘Because you stood beside me last year against Robert Strachan when I was in dire peril.’

‘I did it to get my hands on the Liddesdale land.’

‘No. You did it for our shared history - you, me and Seaton. Or you did it for Brenna.’

‘Do not speak her name. I warn you.’

‘Whatever your reason, Jasper, your loyalty lies with us Bannermans. I swear, on my life, that I sent a warning, not men to kill you.’

‘Not good enough. Swear on Sybilla’s,’ said Jasper.

‘Alright. I swear on my wife’s life that I sent the warning in good faith. May God strike me down if I lie. And if you cannot believe me, then we are all lost – you, me and Strachan. Do not be turned from our purpose by the Warden’s cunning. I sense his hand behind this, trying to divide us.’

Jasper stared down into Caolan’s eyes. He had watched him grow from an awkward boy, so scrawny that the wind would blow him over, to an embittered young man, and finally, to triumph, as a ruthless laird who would give no ground, even with a knife at his throat.

Had Rowenna’s love softened him, for he could not take Caolan’s life, even if he deserved it? With a sigh, Jasper took the knife from Caolan’s throat. It was only then that he felt the prick of a knife against his belly. It had been there all along.

‘Good. I am glad that is settled,’ said Caolan, sheathing his knife with a grin. ‘Now help me up, will you, and tell me what happened.’

As Jasper recounted his brush with death, Caolan seemed to take an inordinate interest in brushing off dirt and leaves from his plaid, which irritated Jasper no end.

‘Are you even listening to me, Bannerman?’

‘I am. But I am also trying to think this out. I wonder at those men trying to throw suspicion on me. Why do it if they were going to kill you? A dead man can tell no tales. To me, it seems like an added cruelty that those were the last words you would hear. A keen mind is behind this and a spiteful one, too.’

‘They were lying in wait, expecting the wedding party to travel along that road. If you had not given a warning, I suppose they meant some of us to escape and rush back to Kransmuir to tell the tale. Randel would have raised Clan Glendenning and come against you in revenge.’

‘And killed many of us.’ Caolan paced, frowning. ‘Our alliance would have been weakened, and Strachan left to stand alone against the Warden. It is clever.’

‘Aye. Why exert yourself wiping out your enemies when you can set them at each other’s throats.’

‘So whose hand guided your would-be murderers, Jasper, besides the Warden’s? Did you hear any talk of another clan at all?’

‘I was dangling from a tree by a noose, so, no,’ he snarled.

‘What about Rowenna?’

‘She shot one through the heart, the other through the throat, so neither man was saying much for her to hear after that.’

‘She’s ruthless, your lass,’ said Caolan approvingly.

‘Your lass.’ The words were pleasing to his ears.

‘The other man ran away, and then others came, and we had to run for our lives. But I am sure that Alec Carstairs is not the one behind any of this. Too much of a coward.’

Caolan dismissed Carstairs with a wave of his hand. ‘He is an instrument, that is all. I suppose the marriage is off now?’

Jasper’s heart sank, for he still had Maeve to worry about, along with the bairn in her belly.

‘If you are looking for another marriage alliance, then you might consider the Macaulays,’ said Caolan.

‘They are a pack of idlers and thieves.’

‘Who are currently being threatened by the Warden, just like us. You need a clan weak enough to need you, one not in the Warden’s pocket. It would annoy Strachan, seeing as how he is avoiding the hand of Macaulay’s daughter. You could do worse.’

‘I could do better. Stay out of my affairs, Caolan. Our alliance is limited to pushing back against Sir Henry. We are not friends, nor will we ever be again.’

Caolan ran his fingers through his thicket of black hair. ‘That is a shame, Jasper.’ He stared out over the river and sighed. ‘It always amazes me just how much damage love can do. And I’d venture it was love for you, with Brenna.’

‘Any feelings I had for Brenna are long gone, including bitterness at my being jilted. You may be assured of that.’

‘Can I be assured that our alliance will continue – me, you and Strachan.’

‘Aye, for now. If I hear of any danger to you, I will send word. And I thank you for your warning, Caolan.’

‘Let us hope I do not have to send another. I hear the Warden received a visit from King James’ men, so trouble cannot be too far behind.’

With those ominous words echoing in his head, Jasper headed for home. The Macaulays occupied his thoughts all the way back to Kransmuir. Maeve needed a husband, and soon, so they might be worth leaning on for an alliance. But that would make Caolan Bannerman right, and Jasper hated to admit that, almost as much as he hated being in his debt.

Damn the man for worming his way into his head.