Bride of Dunloch (Highland Loyalties) Read Free

pressure of his fingers caused his ropes of forearm muscles to flex powerfully. Nevertheless, she held her expression of polite interest—a skill borne of her rigorous upbringing.
    “Thank you sir,” she returned, her countenance demure. “I am sure I shall be very happy here.”
    The MacGregor chief nodded. Then, turning to her husband, he said, “My Lord, have ye had any ken of MacGillivray?”
    “I have not. And I must say, I am rather vexed at the fact,” Lord Reginald answered.
    “No pulp of a corpse turn up then? Well, we’re keeping a lookout for the lad to be sure.”
    “Pray that you do. I’ll not have him escape justice.”
    The MagGregor chief, noticing Jane’s inquisitive expression at their exchange, took it upon himself to explain. “Yer lord husband has just snuffed out a wee uprising, didna ye ken, yer Ladyship?”
    “An uprising?” she exclaimed, tensing in her seat.
    “Oh, aye. The MacGillivrays. Tried to take the castle by force. Be no’ afraid, though, lass. His Lordship gave them a right walloping.”
    “Oh dear,” she answered. “Let up hope it serves as a lesson to them that they shall think twice before acting so foolishly again. I do hope there were not too many killed.”
    The MacGregor chief raised his eyebrows, struck by the girl’s naivety. “Aye, well, his Lordship’s side fared the better. No’ too many casualties.”
    “Now, now, Brian. My bride need not be regaled with such gruesome tales,” Lord Reginald interrupted with a good-natured wink. “Far too burdensome for the female sensibility, is that not right my dear?”
    Jane swallowed the insult and nodded complacently. “Indeed, my Lord.”
    Though the conversation ended there, the MacGregor chief’s words piqued her interest. When the man moved away from the dais, she risked her husband’s displeasure and inquired further.
    “My Lord—forgive me, but might I ask a further question on the subject? For if I am to be the mistress of this castle and of these lands I confess I would like to know as much as I can about its people—and also its enemies.”
    Much to her relief, her persistence did not seem to anger her husband. Lord Reginald considered for a brief moment, shrugging finally.
    “I suppose if you are going to be travelling to the village and interacting with its people, you might be better off to know whom you can trust and whom you cannot,” he reasoned. “The MacGillivrays lost their hold of these lands because they refused to swear their loyalty to King Edward. Since Dunloch and its people require rule, the king awarded them to me. These people need a fair and steady lord to guide them in the king’s name, you must understand, not a pack of slovenly, warring savages.”
    Jane, who knew very little about politics, accepted the baron’s logic. “Well then, if they would not swear loyalty and then attacked the castle, I suppose you acted as you needed to in order to protect what is now rightfully yours.”
    “That I did, my dear,” he agreed. “But be you warned—many MacGillivrays still live in the village and even in the castle itself, as do a great many more who were once loyal to the clan. They have been allowed to remain as they have pledged their allegiance to England and to the Crown, but there is no telling whether they harbour secret animosity or design, so do be careful.”
    “Are there MacGillivrays here now?” she asked, her blood chilling at the possibility.
    “Indeed there are,” he confirmed. “Most of the servants—with the exception of the kitchen staff, for I’d rather not suffer a death by poisoning if I can help it. And Tearlach over there—he was the MacGillivray steward before he became a turncoat to his clan and swore loyalty to England. I’ve got my eye on him—I do not trust that man. But he is good with the books, turns me a handsome profit, and so I retain him.”
    Lord Reginald’s attention was diverted then by a guest who wished to speak with him. Jane