Chapter Three

The Past ~ 1460

Dunstaffnage Castle, Scotland

"Ye dunnae look pleased at MacDonald's visit," Alan said, drawing Gilbert's attention to his brother-in-law once more.

For a breath, Gilbert considered feigning confusion, but he could trust his brother-in-law. He was the one man he could completely confide in. But not at this moment. So he simply said, "I'm nae," and then glanced down to indicate the conversation was over. He quickly finished reading the queen's missive before he had to somehow extract his eldest son from the betrothal with John's daughter without raising suspicion.

Come at once. You have been appointed the head of a three-person council to choose the men who will serve as advisors to me while I'm in service as regent. And bring Isabel. I like her better than you.

Affectionately,

Your Queen

He rolled up the missive, opened his desk drawer, and then glanced to Alan, who appeared to be studying him. And no wonder. Alan would no doubt want Gilbert to appoint him to the council so his brother-in-law would finally be in a position to gain a stronghold of his own once more. "I assume ye ken what's in the letter?"

Before Alan could answer, a rap came at the door again, it flew open, and John strode in, his face red. "Ye sent a missive fairly demanding my presence, and then ye keep me waiting. What the devil is going on, Gilbert?"

Gilbert waved a hand at Bran to exit the room, hoping this would signal to John to have his right hand do the same. He wanted this talk to appear as informal as possible so that John would hopefully not question why Gilbert wanted to break the betrothal between Ross and Grace. John motioned to his right hand to leave, and Alan stood as if to excuse himself, but Gilbert shook his head at him. Alan and John were good friends as well, and Alan's leaving would undoubtedly raise John's suspicions.

"Wine?" Gilbert offered John as he poured it.

"Nay. What's the urgency?"

It's come to my attention that ye're a traitor.

Gilbert cleared his throat, set the goblet down, and threaded his hands together as he considered the words to construct a believable lie. "I need to break the betrothal between our children."

John's mouth pulled down in a frown. He moved to the chair to the left of Alan, who was staring open-mouthed at Gilbert, and sat. Then John reached across the desk and took up the goblet of wine he'd declined. "What's this about?"

"Isabel is nae happy I made the marriage contract without consulting her." To Gilbert's dismay, heat burned his ears and neck. He hoped he wasn't turning red and giving away his lie. He didn't like using his wife as an excuse, but he couldn't come up with anything else plausible that would not make John wary and take away his upper hand.

John paused for a breath, his red eyebrows rising in what looked to be doubt, and Gilbert was certain his friend knew he was lying. But then John chuckled, the sound a mixture of pity and disdain. "'Tis funny that ye did nae send a missive about it with Bran when he visited my home."

John knew he was lying about why he was breaking the betrothal. But for whatever reason, he was not going to directly state it, which wasn't like John at all and raised Gilbert's own suspicions. Still, there was nothing he could do but proceed forth with the tale.

"As one of my oldest and truest friends, I wished to tell ye face-to-face, to explain. I dunnae want bad blood between us."

"How can there nae be? Ye have just told me my daughter is nae good enough for yer son."

"'Tis nae what he said," Alan chimed in. Then he looked to Gilbert. "What was Isabel's reasoning?" he asked, his tone a gentle prodding that Gilbert was grateful for.

"She was wed for love, and she wants the same for our children."

John shook his head. "Yer wife dunnae ken the ways of men."

"Dunnae disparage my sister," Alan said.

"I dunnae disparage yer sister," John shot back. "I speak facts. The two of ye were stripped of yer parents early, so yer da was nae there to make a strong match for yer sister, but she did get lucky with Gilbert."

"She was nae introduced to Gilbert by luck," Alan snapped. "Ye think me a fool?"

"Ye ken I dunnae," John growled, and it seemed as if something was being left unsaid, but Gilbert was too stunned by the revelation that Alan had strategized to introduce his sister to him.

"Was Isabel aware of yer plan?" he asked Alan, forgetting for a moment the truly pressing business at hand.

"Of course nae. Do ye think Isabel would be demanding yer children wed for love if she had nae? I introduced ye," Alan said, "because I thought ye were a good man, and I kenned ye came from a good family who would give Isabel security. Ye two did the rest."

That was true, and even if it wasn't, Gilbert and Isabel had been wed for seven happy years. "When the children are older, we will introduce them just as I was introduced to Isabel, and if it's meant to be, then it will be."

"I'm afraid that will nae work for me," John replied, his gaze as cold as his voice as he rose. "We made that contract to bind our families and to ensure we were each other's allies in all fights. If ye break that contract now, I will have to consider ye my enemy and nae my ally."

The vein near Gilbert's right eye began to twitch. This was a test to see if John could count on Gilbert when he aligned himself with the King of England. If Gilbert broke the contract now, John would know Gilbert was not on his side, but if he left the contract intact and something should happen to him, his son would be bound to a traitor's family. His chest tightened and his stomach knotted as he thought of his young son who already had so much on his shoulders without even knowing it.

Gilbert nodded. "I see yer point," he lied. "The contract will remain, and I will speak with Isabel."

"Ye will speak with me about what?" Isabel's voice came from behind John.

Gilbert nearly groaned. The timing could not have been worse for his wife to come to his solar. He'd always told her she was welcome there no matter who was visiting, even if it was the Queen of Scotland herself, but Isabel had never entered the solar when he'd had visitors before. The gods had aligned against him this day.

"Ross and Grace are to stay contracted to wed," Alan announced in the typical unthinking, blunt way he often did with his sister. Isabel's brows dipped into a frown, and she tilted her head to the left with an unmistakable look of confusion. If John had not known Gilbert had been lying, he did now. Gilbert wanted to throttle Alan, but instead, he caught Isabel's eye and hoped she somehow would understand he'd lied and to go along with it.

"Ah, well," she said, nearly immediately with a shrug and a scowl. "I suppose I'm nae surprised. As a woman, I'm used to my opinion being dismissed."

"I'd stay to break bread," John said, offering a smile that did not reach his eyes, "but the queen sent me a missive that she wished me to attend her. Gilbert, did ye receive such a missive?"

He nodded. God's blood. He had to tell the queen about John before she appointed him to her advisory council, but first he had to ensure his men were on full guard. The tides of war were rising, and his main enemy stood before him. Gilbert suddenly felt sure John would not hesitate to strike him in the heart, at his home.

"Then come," John said, his gaze turning frigid even as he smiled and held out his hand to Gilbert. "Let us ride together as the allies, as the friends, we are."

"I've some clan business to attend to afore I depart, but I'll see ye at Court."

John inclined his head. "As ye wish, but why do ye nae send Alan with me as a symbol of our combined houses so that all may see we are now and forever joined?"

Gilbert didn't know what game John was playing, but he had no choice but to play it. He glanced to Alan, who nodded. "Fine," Gilbert said. "I will join ye both at Court."

"I look forward to it," John replied. "Alan, could ye ride immediately?"

Alan nodded, though he had a wary look on his face that showed he sensed trouble brewing between the men. He strode to his sister, hugged her close, and Gilbert could see he whispered something in her ear. When the solar door closed behind them, and the tap of their footsteps on the wood floors faded to silence, Gilbert finally spoke to his wife, who stood there white as a sheet, twisting her hands together.

"What did Alan say to ye?" he asked her as she rushed into his arms.

She turned her face to his, and fear danced in her eyes. "He told me to keep the children close as I slept tonight, for he had a terrible foreboding."

Gilbert nodded as he hugged his wife fiercely. "Bring the children to our bedchambers and take a dagger with ye. Dunnae open the door for any but me or Bran afore dawn, do ye hear?"

"Aye," she said, her voice trembling. "But where will ye be?"

"Preparing the men for attack."

"Ye think we're coming under attack?" she whispered, her hand fluttering to her neck.

"Aye, Wife," he replied, kissing her forehead. "I do. I think John will attack us this night, and if he dunnae, I'll send ye to my sister's home in the morning with the bairns."

"Why would John attack us?" she asked.

He quickly told her of the treaty Bran had seen on John's desk.

Isabel trembled where she stood. Finally, she looked at him with eyes full of tears. "If John kens ye lied, then Alan is in terrible danger."

"Nay, lass," he said with more reassurance than he felt. "Alan is cunning. He can take care of himself."

"I hope so," she whispered, burrowing her face into his chest. "Other than ye and the children, my brother is my only family, the only one I truly count upon to care for the children as his own if something were to happen to us."

He kissed his wife on the nose and then her lips. "Dunnae whisper such dire words, Wife. We are in a castle that is nearly unbreachable, I have well-trained, strong warriors, and yer brother is like a cat who always lands on his feet," he finished as he wiped the tears that were now streaming down Isabel's face.

She gave a bark of laughter at that. "'Tis true," she agreed in a tear-clogged voice. "And I suppose I can count on Bran to love the children as his own, though he's nae family," she finished.

"Aye," Gilbert agreed, thinking of his trustworthy right hand. He needed to seek Bran out and give him instructions in case the worst should happen. He didn't want to think it could occur, and he'd never say the words out loud to his wife, but that didn't mean he didn't need to prepare for the possibility.

"Go on now," he said, releasing Isabel from his hold. "Gather the children so I ken ye are all safe and sound. I'll send Eppie up to ye with supper."

"But ye said nae to open the door for anyone but ye and Bran."

"Aye," he agreed, but that was before he considered what needed to be his plan if he should fall in battle and, god forbid, something should happen to Isabel. If John's plan was to wipe them out, then that meant the man would next come for their heirs, because to let an heir live would be to leave a thread loose, and John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, was not the sort of man to leave any thread of a challenge uncut.