The Highlander's Time Read Free

with.”
    “When might you find that joy, milord? You know what the women say?”
    “I have heard the gossip, Kevin. Afore long, I will take myself a bride.” Just who the unfortunate lass would be was beyond him.
    “Thank God. My mama was beginning to worry Castle Kincaid would never ring with the sound of children's laughter again nor glow with the warmth of a lady fair.”
    “Kevin, you sound like an old washer woman.”
    “Aye, milord, but 'tis time you took a bride. The clan will find hope in it.”
    “I am well aware.” Now the task was to find a woman who could survive the harsh Highland weather and create a peaceful home for a man who had never known solace. You arenae an easy man to live with . The reminder of his unbending attitude made Iaen wonder if there was such a prize anywhere in the known world. “Be about your duties.”
    He watched Kevin bow and then head for the Great Doors. A drip from the ceiling splashed lightly on Iaen’s tunic-clad shoulder. A curse upon me He tilted his eyes to the ceiling. A rivulet of water flowed from the center beam to the mortise and tenon joint. From there it traveled to where it dripped on him.
    Rather than call for a servant to bring him a bucket, he retraced his steps. He was walking toward the kitchen when a much louder rumble of thunder reverberated through Castle Kincaid.
    Iaen frowned at the sound, or more's the point, the lack of echo. His gaze inspected the empty room. Finishing his journey to the table, he dumped the bowl of apples and carried the wooden vessel back to where he'd first felt the drip. An uncomfortable stillness settled inside the castle.
    A shout from his chamber had him taking the stairs two at a time. Nay, 'twasn't a scream for help, but a woman's cry of terror . The sound of feet following him spun him around. “Kevin, with me. Malcolm,” he continued to the young MacAllister warrior trailing his second-in-command, “stay on the balcony.”
    Iaen nodded for Kevin to open the door. Entering his chamber, he came to a dead stop. “What the...?”
    “Milord?” Kevin sounded just as stunned.
    He blinked at the sight of three women struggling to untangle themselves from his linens and each other. Striding to the side of the bed, he freed them in a snap of his quilt. He handed the comforter to Kevin before he lifted the women out, one at a time. “Who are you, and what do you here?”
    His anger inched up when they stared at him dumbfounded, then gaped at each other. When they began arguing in a language he didnae understand, he shouted, “Enough.”
    Glaring each of them into silence, he took them in. Prostitutes? If their indecent clothing was an indication, he'd guess they were. The redhead, who in his estimation was younger than the other two, carried the shorn-haired head of a whore. Mayhap they had come to the Highland to escape scrutiny. To the wilds where their occupation didnae make a difference.
    That they were in the castle did.
    Determined to get to the bottom of their mysterious appearance, Iaen needed a learned man. One who spoke the language of court and the language of the Church. “Kevin, fetch Father Thomas to the Great Hall.”
    “Aye, milord.”
    He could only imagine the priest's reaction to his request. After all, Father Thomas didnae serve his ecumenical needs, but those of the clan. Iaen rarely attended mass. If he did, 'twas to ask God to grant him victory against an enemy.
    He marched the lot of them out of his bedchamber. Catching the blonde when she stumbled, he cringed away from the pungent scent of alcohol rolling off her clothes. It didnae take him long to see she'd never be able to negotiate the stairs on her own. Looking over the brunette first, she appeared irritated with him. Be careful, lass. I'm not a man to trifle with . The other wore an expression akin to that of a mouse in the fateful moment before a hawk grasped it in its deadly talons. I don't have time to chase you hither and yon . “Malcolm,