Chapter 1

1586, Lennox Castle

Odhrán took his place as Laird Lennox at the head of the council table feeling deeply uneasy. He was well aware that only five months after the death of his father and the lairdship passing to him, he was still on thin ice. His position as laird was by no means certain. And as always, he had his father to thank for it.

"Well, let's get down tae business, gentlemen," he said, making sure to sound strong and determined as his eyes swept around the table, where his councilmen were taking their seats. "There's nae time tae waste."

"Aye, me laird," intoned Angus Bowman, who had been his father's chief advisor for many years, shuffling the papers in front of him. "The most important matter is that of yer faither's will."

"Aye, I ken it," Odhrán said with a sharp nod, exchanging a look with Liam and Tadhg that expressed his impatience and their sympathy. "Get on with it then."

Angus cleared his throat and spoke up clearly. "As ye ken, the old laird left a will saying that if ye dinnae have a wife and a bairn on the way a year after taking the lairdship, the council should gather and decide if 'tis better fer yerself tae continue as laird or fer Rollo tae take over." The old advisor paused to look at Odhrán before he went on, "'Tis already five months since ye became laird, and there's nae sight of a wife, let alone a bairn."

Angus's words drew a collective muttering from the councilmen, though Odhrán found it impossible to tell whether they were happy or not about the terms of the will. He'd been fuming ever since he'd first heard of them. Even in death, it seemed his father continued to torment him.

"So, what d'ye all think on this?" Odhrán asked through gritted teeth. Once more there were hushed murmurings around the table.

"Frankly, me laird, there's nae many of us are happy about it," piped up Renly Cooper, who dealt with the clan's finances. "But the will is a legally binding document, and ye can be sure Rollo kens about it. Yer faither kept his counsel, so even if we destroy it, he'll challenge yer right tae inherit."

"Aye, none of us can see a way tae prevent him legally takin' over the lairdship except by ye marryin' and trying tae get a bairn started in the next six months," Angus added, sounding surprisingly downcast.

"Wheesht!" Liam put in with some impatience. "He'll nae be able tae inherit if he's dead. If we dinnae want him as our laird, why nae just kill him?"

"I'd be happy tae dae the job," Tadhg said, nodding vigorously. "The man's a snake. He's nae even a good master tae his own folks. All the headway we've made as a clan in improving relations with our neighbors over the last few months with Odhrán here at our head will be lost if he takes over."

"Aye, even his wife doesnae much like him, the poor lass, so I hear," Renley said, eliciting nods and words of agreement from his fellows.

"Ach, I wish it was that easy, me friends," Angus told them , shaking his head morosely. "But 'tis a legal matter. If we just go and kill him, I reckon everyone will ken who's responsible at once. He has many allies. It could mean war."

"I'm touched by yer support," Odhrán said, meaning it. He had not really expected to learn so much about how they all felt about the matter. It was encouraging that they liked his style of lairdship, which was so different to that of his father.

However, there was more than one important thing the council was so far unaware of, bar Liam and Tadhg. He did not want to marry. Or, more specifically, he did not want to marry just anyone. In fact, the only woman he wanted to marry hated his guts. The only solace for his broken heart in the whole mess was knowing that Maddison was back home safe with her family again, following a violent attack on Lennox Castle by her brothers and their allies that had ended in his father's death.

And there was more than just the will. When going through his father's desk, which now belonged to him, he had found a letter from his father addressed to Rollo. Furious, he had torn it open and read it.

If ye become Laird Lennox, ye must finish what I started and kill all the surviving Kincaids. Me spirit willnae rest until ye have wiped out the whole family and clan tae the last man.

Odhrán had almost choked on his hatred for his father as well as his fear for Maddison on reading those words. He knew Rollo would enjoy carrying out his father's wishes should he ever become Laird Lennox. But Maddison's life and her clan had to be protected at all costs against this new threat. Immediately, he had thought the best way to do that would be to have her close, ideally as his wife. But he had known with a sinking heart that it was out of the question. She, her family, and the whole Kincaid clan despised him. They would never countenance such a union.

But though he hated his father and Rollo as much as Maddison and the Kincaids hated him, he was still his father's son. He had never been one to give up easily, however bad the odds seemed.

There must be a way.

Now, standing before the council and hearing what they had to say, he was encouraged to put forth the plan that had been slowly forming in the deep, dark depths of his mind for some time.

"There's only one lass I'll consider as a wife," he said in a tone that, he hoped, brooked no argument.

The councilmen's ears pricked up, and they all looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and expectancy.

"Oh? And who might that be, me laird?" Angus asked.

"Maddison Kincaid."

He might as well have thrown a fox into the henhouse for all the furor that caused. Only Liam and Tadhg appeared unsurprised.

Angus spluttered out, "I'm sorry, me laird, but did ye say Maddison Kincaid?"

"Ye ken I did," Odhrán confirmed with a nod, creating fresh turmoil amongst his advisors.

"The lass yer faither kept locked up here fer a year until her braithers attacked us and killed him and took her away?"

"Aye, the very same."

"May we ask why her in particular, me laird?" Renley asked.

"It'll put an end tae this feud me faither had with the Kincaids once and fer all. It'll be of benefit tae all of us if it's done with," Odhrán explained, growing bolder as they seemed receptive to his idea.

"Well, fair enough," Renley said after a few moments of quiet discussion among the councilmen. "If that's the lass ye want, me laird, then we'll back ye. But d'ye nae think it likely her braithers will nae countenance such a match, even if she agrees tae it? Which I dinnae think there's much chance she will. Nae counting that they killed yer faither…"

"If the laird's willin' tae put that aside fer the sake of improvin' relations between our two clans then we should support him. After all, the old laird was nae much of a faither tae him, and he didnae exactly act in ways tae improve our relations with other clans either," Angus pointed out. "That wasnae good fer any of us."

Once again, Odhrán was touched by the councilmen's understanding of the difficulties he had faced when his father had been alive. The old man had been a bully and a brute. The only trouble was, they were lacking a vital piece of information that may have radically changed any decision they might choose to make about their future laird.

The council did not know that the Kincaids had not killed the old laird. It had been Odhrán himself who had ended his father's life, all to protect Maddison. Odhrán was that most wretched of creatures—a parricide. It was such a horrible thing to have done that, however bad his father had been, he could not even reconcile it with himself, let alone tell anyone else the truth about what he had done. All but his best friends, that was. Thus, deep down, he knew he'd never be at peace with what he had done.

"True enough. But other clan feuds that have lasted decades have been ended by such marriages, and both clans have prospered," Renly said. "There's nae harm in tryin' if that's what the young laird wants." Murmurs of agreement came from the others.

"So, d'ye have any ideas how we could go about securin' their agreement, then, me laird?" Tadhg asked, looking at Odhrán with a hint of encouragement in his eyes. He and his brother already knew a little of Odhrán's thoughts and plans on this subject.

"Aye, as it happens, I dae," Odhrán replied, flashing a grateful glance at Tadhg.

"Well, let's hear it then, me laird," Renley said. "If there's any chance of it workin', we'll back ye all the way rather than have Rollo as our laird."

"All right," Odhrán replied, optimism welling up inside him and replacing the guilt he felt as the man who had killed his father. "So, here's me plan."