something more ye ought to know," she said in her quiet voice. "I think Deirdre is already with child."
Connor sank into his chair and rested his head in his hands. Of course Deirdre was pregnant. And of course her brother knew it. Connor felt like a failure to have been duped like that. By tradition, the clan chose a chieftain from among the men who carried chieftain's blood. To avoid strife, it was essential there be no question that Connor's sons were truly his.
Ilysa was right to stop him, though he wished to God she had chosen a less dramatic method. If he had signed a marriage contract, it would have been a disaster.
Deirdre's child would have been born too early and then Connor would have two choices, both of them bad. If he returned her in disgrace, he would risk war with her powerful father. If he kept her, he would lose the respect of his clan and the other clans. A chieftain who was not respected weakened his clan.
He should have been suspicious when James was so intent on rushing the marriage contract. Connor was in need of a quick alliance, but their clan was not. Why had he failed to be more cautious?
Connor could tell himself it was because he was desperate to gather forces to attack the MacLeods before they attacked him. But that was not the whole of it. He had wanted to bed that lass so badly it hampered his judgment.
Lust had made him hasty and careless. It was unforgivable. He would not allow himself to be so weak again.
Chapter 8
It was kind of ye to come with me," Ilysa said to Niall as they walked the final yards through the field to the castle.
"'Tis dangerous outside the castle," Niall said in an uncharacteristically gruff tone. "Connor said ye needed a man to protect ye."
Ilysa was surprised Connor was even aware that she had been called to a nearby cottage to assist a woman who was having a difficult birth. But then, he had promised Duncan he would protect her, and Connor was vigilant about his responsibilities.
"Ye won't tell anyone that I keeled over, will ye?" Niall asked, sounding young again.
Niall was over six feet and was a courageous warrior, but he had fainted dead away when the babe was born.
"Of course not," she said. "You're not the first man to do that, I promise ye. Now you'll know what to expect when ye have your own."
"What I'll expect," Niall said making a face, "is to be where I don't have to see any of it."
"I suspect you'll feel differently when the time comes."
Niall had a soft heart. He would be the sort of husband who refused to leave his wife's side and got in the way.
"I can smell spring in the air," he said, drawing in a deep breath as they neared the gate.
Beltane would be upon her in no time. In the week since James and Deirdre's hurried departure, Connor had been courteous but distant. She missed the talks they'd had when she re-bandaged his wounds each day, but he had informed her that his wounds were healed.
Niall grabbed her arm when she stumbled as they entered the castle.
"You've been up all night," he said. "Go up to bed, and I'll tell one of the serving women to bring ye something to eat."
"I am tired," she admitted. And she had not eaten since supper last night.
Ilysa intended to take Niall's advice, but she scanned the hall from habit to be sure all was well before going upstairs. Connor was not there. Most of his guard was gone as well, so she assumed he was away from the castle.
When she glanced once more around the hall on her way to the stairs, her gaze fell on a man she had never seen before. Her vision swam, and she halted in her tracks.
The Sight came to Ilysa so rarely that she was slow to recognize it. At first, she dismissed her reaction as due to an empty stomach and being overly tired. Then she realized that her weariness had made her mind open to The Sight. Tearlag always said that she resisted her gift.
The vision grew stronger, and vivid colors vibrated around the stranger. Alas, Ilysa had no idea what it meant.
The stranger sat alone on a bench against the wall with his arms crossed, as if waiting. From his dress, his muscular frame, and the claymore strapped to his back, he was a