Chapter 2

Ruadh's POV

Seeing Aaden after all this time was nothing but jarring, but Ruadh knew how to keep his emotions to himself. The boy looked so much like Evander, so much like the mother they shared that Ruadh's self-control had almost slipped upon laying eyes on him. He resembled both Janice and his traitor of a father, a cruel reminder of their betrayal.

Janice was always meant to be his. Love had little, if anything to do with it. She had been promised to him and his brother never had any right to steal her.

Watching Aaden and Evander as they rode north towards Castle Stewart from the window of his study, though, was a good reminder that, in the end, Ruadh had gotten what he wanted. He wasn't a weak, docile man like his brother. What he wanted, he took either by persuasion or by force and this time, it would be no different.

"Forgive me, me laird, but may I ask why ye decided tae invite yer nephew here after all these years o' exile?" one of his chieftains, Bram, asked. He was near Ruadh's age, but where Ruadh's hair was still dark, Bram's had turned a silvery grey. The two of them had grown up in the castle, but Ruadh couldn't claim they had been brought up together, despite being of similar age and status. To him, friendships had always been an elusive thing.

"I have me reasons," Ruadh said, his gaze never once leaving the pair of horses and their riders until they had disappeared down the path.

"It only seems strange tae me that ye would invite the son o' the traitor here tae hand him a bride an' a clan o' his own," Bram said. The other four men of his council mumbled their agreement, though none of them expressed their concerns quite as readily as Bram. "His faither conspired against ye."

"Aye," another of his men, Athol, said. He, too, was an older man, though he still retained much of his younger strength, towering over everyone else in the room. "What if he turns out tae be a traitor as well? What if he conspires with an enemy clan like his faither did? He may even use Clan Stewart tae achieve his goals if he marries the Stewart lass."

"Dae ye take me fer a fool?" Ruadh asked, his patience quickly draining, having to explain himself to his council. They didn't know everything about Aaden. Ruadh had never told them what his father had truly done. He had never told anyone about Aaden's true origins and he never would. Doing so would only humiliate him in front of everyone's eyes. "We are in a dire position an' ye ken that better than anyone. We need power. We need gold. An' Clan Stewart has both these things."

"Why willnae ye wed Evander tae Lilith Stewart, then?" asked Bram. "She is the heir. She is the one yer son must wed."

"Evander doesnae have the taste fer lasses like Lilith Stewart. The younger lass, Freya… she can be manipulated. She is better fer Evander," Ruadh said with a small shrug. What he truly meant was that his son didn't have the strength to control or even charm a woman with such a reputation, though he would never admit that to his council. As much as he liked to brag, Evander's success with women was limited to those who were meek and easily impressed. A woman like Lilith Stewart was bound to reject him if not bite off his head.

"But this is a matter of strategy," Bram pointed out. "It matters little if he desires her."

Ruadh's patience was wearing thin. He wished he didn't have to spell everything out for his men, but if they refused to think for themselves, then he had to do it for them.

"Once I have the gold from both arrangements, I will have Aaden and Lilith killed, an' then Evander can take the lairdship with Freya by his side."

Ruadh spoke casually, the murder of his nephew and of his young bride leaving no impression on him. He had been planning this for a long time. In fact, this wasn't the first time he would attempt to kill Aaden. While his brother lived, Ruadh had kept his promise to let Aaden live, but since his death, he had seen no reason to hold up his end of the bargain. Ivor was dead. He could do nothing to save his precious son.

It was only bad luck that Ruadh hadn't managed to. With Aaden under the protection of Clan MacDowell, any attack on his life was easily thwarted, as any direct assault would be too dangerous. The MacDowell Clan was too powerful and the last thing Ruadh wanted was to risk going to war with them because of their protégé. But once he was in Castle Stewart, perhaps Ruadh would finally manage to get rid of him. There was no one there who would strive to keep him safe and alive.

"Ye'll kill them both?" Bram asked, raising a curious eyebrow. "Isnae that…"

Bram didn't finish his sentence, but Athol did it for him. "Cruel?"

"Aye, I suppose it is," Ruadh said, unbothered by the accusation. It was true, after all. His plan was cruel but also necessary. "But what other choice dae we have? Aaden cannot be allowed tae take control of the Stewart Clan. Evander must become the laird an' the only way fer him tae dae that is if Aaden an' Lilith are dead. Her faither willnae suspect a thing. He doesnae ken about me braither's betrayal. All he kens is that Aaden is me nephew an' naturally, I will be devastated tae lose him, as he will be devastated tae lose his daughter. Then, Evander will wed Freya as a way fer both our clans tae move forward. It will be a joyous occasion after all the grief."

The five men in his council looked at him with doubt clearly etched in their features, Bram and Athol more so than the other three. Ruadh had made up his mind, though, and he would do anything to convince his council it was the best way forward.

"Well? Why are ye starin' at me?" Ruadh asked, spreading his arms wide as a smile stretched over his lips. "Dae ye have any better ideas?"

No one spoke for several minutes, but then Bram said, "We will find a better idea. I dinnae think this is a wise plan, me laird. Lilith Stewart… she's an innocent lass. We cannae simply kill her!"

"I agree," Athol said, standing from his chair. "Besides, we cannae be certain her faither willnae find out the truth. We cannae risk this. It is better if Aaden weds Freya an' Evander weds Lilith. This is how it should be."

Frustrated, Ruadh slammed his fist on his desk, the tray that held his cup of wine and the pitcher rattling with the force of it. "I already told ye that Evander is tae wed Freya. That decision is final. Naething ye can say will change it."

Athol and Bram exchanged a glance, seemingly not knowing what else to say that could make Ruadh change his mind. Ruadh hoped that was the case.

"Is there anyone else here who disagrees?" he asked his other three men as he raised an eyebrow in a silent challenge.

There was only a moment of hesitation before all three men shook their heads. "He is the son o' a traitor," one of them said. "An' we must dae what we can."

"But the lass?—"

Ruadh held up a hand, stopping Bram before he could say another word. "Tragic things happen every day. Her death is necessary or I wouldnae even consider it. Dae ye think o' me as so cruel?"

There was no response from Bram or anyone else.

"Besides," Ruadh continued, "three out o' five are in favor. We shall proceed with the plan an' by the end o' it all, ye will all see this was the only way."

"Aye, me laird," the men said in a chorus, much to Ruadh's pleasure. Now that he had the support of his council as well, there was only one thing left to do—put the plan in motion.

"Evander will be sendin' us letters often. I have instructed him tae send us updates on Aaden an' the Stewart lass." Once again, Ruadh looked out of the window, though Aaden's and Evander's figures had long disappeared beyond the horizon. There was nothing but the stretch of the valley below them, the green of the forest that spread towards the north. "Soon, it will all be done soon."

He would finally have everything he had worked so hard to get; not only gold and power, but also revenge. The bastard spawn of his cheating wife and his traitorous brother would finally meet his end.