Chapter Thirty-Two

MacDougall

Ulchel MacDougall sat on a rock, looking out over the bay. Soon everything would return to the way it was—Clan MacDougall would again be the strongest clan on the Isle of Mull.

He didn't care about the fool Robert the Bruce. He didn't consider the man to be the king of anything except perhaps the king of arseholes.

Once he accomplished his objectives, he'd be welcomed back into the clan as the brother to the chieftain instead of being banned because he'd hurt a lass.

The bitch had deserved it, but that was another tale for another day.

First, he had to regain his standing in his clan. Without his brother, he had no clan, no coin, and no bedchamber. He couldn't abide any of it.

Of course, MacClane had called him a fool for thinking he could take Duart Castle back from the Grants and Ramsays who held it now. Ulchel was smarter than anyone gave him credit for.

He knew the Ramsays could beckon a huge number of guards to take him out.

He knew the Grants had twice their number, as they were known as the strongest clan in the Highlands.

He knew the Ramsay women were archers who could shoot a man's bollocks off, if they wished to.

He wasn't foolish enough to go against either Clan Ramsay or Clan Grant.

But he'd been planning this for a while.

He'd paid men to attack Clan MacQuarie so they would wonder what was coming next. Told them to grab the faery if they saw her. Then he'd started rumors about attacking the clan and taking it over. He didn't care about MacQuarie Castle at all.

Not yet.

But he did need to halve the forces of Duart Castle, which would happen if they went to assist Chief MacQuarie. That was already set up. The rumor had wings already. He knew that would happen as soon as he had told Neal MacClane of his plans. And Neal had believed every word Ulchel had said.

The plan was in place. The Ramsays would hear that Clan MacQuarie was about to be attacked. They would send half their forces to aid MacQuarie, leaving Duart vulnerable.

His brother would be so proud of him.

But even his brother wouldn't know what else Ulchel had done. He'd seen Logan Ramsay and followed him one night. That was when he learned of the faery, the one who could grant wishes, but he also learned something else. This was information that would help his brother to get back in good standing with King Robert.

He'd witnessed the fool who had told Logan he was going to take over the isle. Once Ulchel had Duart Castle back for his clan, he'd send a messenger to the Bruce to tell him who was stealing cattle, lying, and doing his best to cause trouble on the Isle of Mull. He knew the identity of the man who vowed to control the isle.

No one else knew but Logan Ramsay. And he'd have to get rid of him somewhere along the way, but not yet.

The first step was capturing Duart Castle.

By the morrow, there would be a large group leaving Duart Castle for the western part of the isle. That would give him the time he needed.

Once they left, he would move in. Start a fire in front of the castle to draw the others out, then he could use the back entrance. If he were to guess, the Ramsays hadn't discovered the secret entrance his grandfather had made. He'd have a boat waiting not far away, and once he got the girl, he'd leave.

The girl would be his answer to everything. The faery had to grant him one wish, and he'd take back Duart Castle for Clan MacDougall. For his brother.

The morrow would be his day. They'd all see, and they'd sing his praises soon enough.

Duart Castle would be a MacDougall castle once again.