Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

A s soon as the chamber door closed on Angus, Alana turned to Tadhg and pointed at the large four-poster bed dominating the spacious room. "Before ye go gettin' any ideas," she said warningly, "if ye think I'm sharin' that bed with ye, ye must be mad. Ye'll be sleepin' on the floor."

Tadhg shrugged casually, hiding his disappointment, though he had expected her to say something of the sort. "Fine, if that's how ye want it. But dinnae blame me if the servants get wind that we're nae sleepin' together and they realize we're nae married," he replied, unbuckling his sword belt and laying it over the back of a chair next to the large stone hearth.

"I dinnae care," she hissed, taking off her boots and putting them neatly by the door. "Just because we have tae share a room?—"

"Like a man and his wife," Tadhg put in matter-of-factly, heeling off his boots and stretching out his long legs. His body was uncomfortably full of tension that had nothing to do with the long ride, so he went and stretched out on the bed.

"But we're nae man and wife, are we? And we never will be. 'Tis just a ruse ye thought up and managed tae convince me was a good idea," she shot back pettishly. She turned back from the door and saw him lying on the bed. Her lips pursed as she rushed over and shooed him furiously with her hands. "Will ye get off there!"

"A ruse that may save ye from bein' forced intae an arranged marriage," he defended himself, hurt by her attitude and deciding he could be as stubborn as she was. "And why should I get off? Does the bed have yer name on it? Am I nae entitled tae a rest as much as ye?" He calmly folded his hands behind his head and made himself conspicuously comfier.

"Nae on the bed! I told ye, the bed is mine," she cried, clenching her small fists, her cheeks turning pink with anger as she glared at him, all of which Tadhg found amusing and alluring at the same time. "Now get off, will ye?"

"Why can we nae share it if we're only restin'?" he asked, deliberately provoking her by patting the coverlet next to him. "'Tis a big bed. Ye can lie over there, and I'll lie over here. But only if ye promise nae tae touch me."

He observed with satisfaction as she screwed her face up in fury and waved her fists at him. "I hate ye, I absolutely hate ye with all me heart," she spat, her eyes flashing. "I can see ye're enjoyin' every moment of tormentin' me like this! I wish I'd come alone now."

"Why are ye bein' so unreasonable when I'm only tryin' tae protect ye?" he asked, then he looked her dead in the eye and added. "Why, the way ye're actin' now, 'tis almost as if ye want me tae ravish ye."

He had to stifle his laughter then, for she looked ready to explode. To his surprise, she suddenly jumped on the bed and scrambled towards him on her knees. Before he could stop her, she pushed hard with both hands and rolled him violently onto the floor.

"Ow, that hurt, ye cruel thing!" he exclaimed untruthfully, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. A pillow landed on his head with a thump, followed by the coverlet.

"And ye can stay down there!" she declared as her face appeared over the edge of the bed, still pink but now wearing an expression of triumph.

"Talk about a hen-pecked husband," he goaded her, getting up, taking his allotted pillow and the coverlet over to one of the cushioned settles by the fireplace. Secretly, he admired her fiery spirit.

She folded her arms and closed her eyes as though pretending he was not there. Smiling to himself, he groaned a bit as he arranged his long limbs as the settle allowed, which was not very much.

"This wee chair is hardly big enough fer a tall fella like me tae get any rest in," he complained. "Where am I suppose tae put me legs? Ye're small. Should ye nae have the chair after all?"

"Shut up!" she ground out, her eyelids tightly closed.

"But 'tis nae fair," he said plaintively, gleefully watching her knuckles turn white.

"The floor's plenty big enough fer ye, ye great lummox. Now, will ye be quiet

before I beat ye tae death with a warmin' pan?"

"By the Wee Man, such threats of violence comin' from a wee lassie like

yerself. ‘Tis shockin'."

She sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. "Right, that's it. I've had enough. I'm gonnae?—"

Whatever it was she was going to do to him, he never found out because their bickering was interrupted by the arrival of a maid bearing a tray of refreshments. She was soon followed by another lugging hot water in a large jug. While directing them to leave their burdens on the large table by the window, Tadhg made sure to flirt with them both.

Alana studiously ignored it, apparently uncaring. After the maids had gone, she hopped off the bed, helped herself to a couple of bannocks and a cup of tea, and then retreated back to her hard-won spot against the pillows. Tadhg had to get up and serve himself. When he had settled back in the chair, a plate of bread, roast beef and some chicken resting on his lap, he turned his attention to Blaine MacIver and the upcoming council meeting.

"What d'ye make of Blaine?" he asked, watching Alana daintily nibling on a thickly buttered bannock.

"Hard tae say," she muttered with a shrug. "We only met the man fer two minutes, if that."

"He certainly seemed pleased tae see ye." He cut off a piece of the beef and ate it.

"Why nae? He's likely as curious about me as I am about John MacIver. Besides, he greeted ye warmly too," she replied, pausing to sip her tea.

"I suppose, but if I'm right about the clan's intentions, I'm sure he's sorry tae see ye have a husband. As far as he's concerned, his plans tae marry ye off are ruined."

"He kent I was married already, from the delegation," she pointed out, replacing her cup in its saucer and picking up the half-finished bannock. "Anyway, ye cannae be sure that was their plan."

"Och, come on, Alana, ye ken as well as I dae how these things work. Succession, continuin' the bloodline, that's all these powerful clans care about most of the time."

"Look," she said, holding the bannock in midair, "I didnae come here tae get married tae anyone. I came here tae find out if John MacIver really is me faither, and if he is, tae make him explain why he's only just bothered tae come and find me now."

"So, that's why ye're here? Because ye're angry with yer faither?" he asked, realizing she really was angry about what she clearly saw as being abandoned.

"'Tis nae certain that he is me faither. But yes. I'd like tae give him a piece of

me mind."

"But are ye nae forgettin' that John MacIver has been abducted, so ye'll nae

get the chance tae tell him what ye think of him? They want ye tae help them get him back."

"But I already told Roger Huston I cannae be any help with that, as I already have a husband." She glared at him and bit into the bannock.

"Aye, and we'd best keep up the pretense so they dinnae suspect 'tis a lie.

God only kens what might happen if they catch us."

Alana chewed and swallowed. "Well, I suppose we'll find out more once we hear what Blaine and his council have tae say about the situation."

"Aye," he replied with a sinking feeling in his belly. Putting his half-eaten food aside, having suddenly lost his appetite, he added drily, "I'm really lookin' forward tae that."

An hour or so later, washed and refreshed, they found themselves sitting side by side at the council table, the subject of great interest from the absent laird's advisors, who were gathered around them. Blaine MacIver sat to the right, at the table's head. Tadhg's eyes ranged across the various faces, wishing he could read the thoughts behind them. Alas, such a feat was impossible, so he contented himself with paying close attention to all that was said. As he had expected, the focus was on Alana.

"So, as Roger here explained tae ye when the delegation spoke tae ye at Lennox Castle, Laird John MacIver has been abducted, and so far, we've nae been able tae locate him," Blaine explained, nodding in Huston's direction as he addressed Alana directly. "Our problem is, that although we suspect we ken who might have snatched him, we have nae proof. And even if we did, we dinnae have enough allies tae start a war tae retrieve him."

"But none of this has anythin' tae dae with me. I've never even met the man, so why did ye summon me here in the first place?" Alana replied.

"'Tis just a coincidence," Blaine went on. "We've been lookin' fer ye fer a long time, and we happened tae find ye when me faither was kidnapped."

"Who's been lookin' fer me?" she asked.

"Me faither. Yer faither. Ye see, Alana, recently, we came across some old documents that seem tae prove that ye're his illegitimate daughter by his former mistress, yer maither Ella. The documents show that when Ella was pregnant with ye, she went missing and disappeared off the face of the earth. But the documents dinnae say why or what happened back then tae make her vanish."

Tadhg swallowed hard, for he knew exactly what had happened. Apparently, though, he was the only one who did, and he was certainly not about to blab. He fervently wished for the thousandth time that he did not know. Then, he would not have had to lie to Alana all this time or to leave her in the first place.

But it suddenly occurred to him how differently things could be playing out here, in the council room, if his past spying mission had been less successful. If he had not been forewarned about Alana's true origins, then he would not have foreseen the likelihood of her being forced into an arranged dynastic marriage by the MacIvers now. He would not have seen the necessity to pretend to be her husband, to protect her from that possibility. Jaysus, why daes it have tae be so bloody complicated?!

"So, ye're sayin' nae one kens why me maither left here?" Alana asked. Blaine shook his head. "Aye, that's right. The only reason we could think of is that me our faither sent her away when he found out she was expectin' a bairn because he feared fer his marriage tae Lady Skye."

"I see," Alana answered quietly, nodding. Tadhg could see by the set of her jaw the anger she was feeling at that moment over what she clearly interpreted as John MacIver's cruel dismissal of his pregnant mistress. "He used me maither, and then, when she became an embarrassment tae him, he banished her."

Blaine frowned. "We dinnae ken that fer sure," he said.

"That would explain why he didnae bother tae come and find me fer such a long time," Alana murmured as if she had not heard Blaine's words.

"Och, that's what's so strange about it all. He did," Blaine assured her. "He

searched and searched, but like I say, yer maither had vanished. And after a while, when he had nae luck trackin' her down, and because he and Lady Skye had nae bairns, he started tae worry about who would take over from him when he died, since he had nae clue if ye were alive at all.

"That was when he adopted me, gave me his name, and raised me from a lad as his son. Now, I'm his trusted advisor," he added with an expression of pride. It soon turned into a pleading look aimed at Alana. "Can ye see now why it means so much tae me tae get him back safely?"

After the council meeting was finished, Alana and Tadhg began walking back to their chamber. He wanted to speak to her about what had happened in the meeting, but when they got to their door, she suddenly turned to him.

"I'd like tae bathe, so I need some privacy fer an hour or two. D'ye mind?"

"Daes it matter if I mind?" he asked, disappointed once again.

"Nay, nae really." She folded her arms and stared at him. "I just dinnae want ye anywhere near me when I'm bathin'."

Once again, Tadhg was hurt by her attitude. She would not even allow them to be friends. "Aye ye gonnae treat me as if I'm the devil forever?"

"Aye, probably," she replied defiantly.

Feeling defeated, he sighed and said, "All right. I'll go fer walk." He turned on his heel and strode off down the hallway, in search of something or someone to distract him from the pain and anxiety filling his heart. The whole way, he could feel her eyes boring into his back.

He went out from the keep and walked around the castle grounds, getting his bearings. He turned a corner, and his ears pricked up to hear the distinct clash of metal on metal and the grunts and shouts of men. He knew at once that the training ground must be nearby. Hoping he might find a sparring partner to blow off a bit of steam, he followed the noise.

He soon found himself standing at the edge of the training field. Soldiers were dotted about, either practicing together or with various contraptions loaded with large, human head-shaped turnips or mangel-wurzels. His fingers itched for a vigorous bout of sparring, and he was standing looking for a likely candidate when a familiar, jocular voice behind him said, "Lookin' fer a partner tae trade a few blows with, are ye?"

Tadhg turned on his heel to come face to face with the grinning face of Laird Stewart.

"Ye read me mind," Tadhg said, returning the grin. He was glad to see the man, for he seemed to offer an oasis of sanity in a madhouse. "Aye ye up fer it?"

"Aye, if ye like. I've naethin' else tae dae until dinner, it seems," Stewart explained.

"Oh, why's that? I thought ye were deep in negotiations with Blaine over yer treaty."

"I need some more documents from home apparently. I've sent fer them, but until they come, I can dae little but offer me assistance tae Blaine in his attempts tae get his faither back."

"Well, I wish I could say I'm sorry about that," Tadhg said, "but I'd be lyin'. Right now, I cannae think of a better man tae go a few rounds with."

"Me too, so let's get tae it, me friend," Knox agreed, giving Tadhg a hearty slap on the back. Chatting amiably about their different battle experiences and the weapons they favored, they walked together across to the armory, to change into some suitable training gear.