Highland Defiance - By Sky Purington Page 0,18
men chuckled. Bruce’s pupils flared. She was on to something.
Several long moments passed before Bruce spoke again. “Not even your accent is right. Where did MacLomain find you?”
Ah. So he believed she’d been sent by Adlin…which made her truly wonder about Adlin’s reputation. “East Lothian,” she replied automatically. “I am a Broun.”
East Lothian was supposedly where her mother’s side of the family came from. With any luck that’d explain some of why she seemed out of place.
“So you are a lowlander,” he grumbled. “Never did see what the MacLomains saw in them.”
Discussion apparently ended, he grunted and swung onto his horse. “We’re off to hunt. See that she gets quarters in the castle.”
With one last, long eyeful of her, Bruce spurred his horse and left, all of his men in tow save two. One swung James up, the other her. Mildred tensed, severely uncomfortable being on the horse with a rugged and somewhat smelly stranger. The castle seemed hungry to welcome her. Square and unforgiving, she realized it sat on a cliff overlooking a raging sea. It seemed she’d somehow found herself at the tip of Scotland. Grinding her jaw she knew without doubt she had not found her way here but somehow Adlin had found the way for her. So did that mean her one true love was here?
Daunting thought.
As the horses cantered over the drawbridge she found herself longing not for the company of her siblings but for that of David and Jim. With them here, this would be an adventure. Without them it felt more like she was being imprisoned. For all she knew that’s exactly what Bruce intended for her.
When they dismounted James left without a word. Though she didn’t blame him she wished he’d stuck around. It seemed he was her only potential ally here. The man who had given her the ride nodded toward the castle and started walking. Apparently she was supposed to follow him.
What a place! Like the environment itself the people seemed more abrasive, their faces harder, eyes colder. Then again, she could only compare them to the MacLomains who she’d so recently visited. But it’d felt warmer there… cleaner almost. Not that it was dirty here. Everything seemed in order. But this clan didn’t nearly possess the comfort level she’d felt when with Adlin. Why would it though? The chieftain hadn’t escorted her here.
No, he’d all but ordered.
“I’ll take her the rest of the way, lad,” a woman barked.
Iosbail? Impossible! Yet there she was, hands on hips, expression exasperated. Before Mildred could say a word, Adlin’s sister looked at the man escorting her and said, “You heard me then!”
The big guy who’d been so strictly ordered by Bruce to get her here now almost cowered when confronted with Iosbail. With a brief nod he turned and left. Mildred was about to speak but Iosbail shook her head. “Come on, lassie. Let me show you where ye’ll be sleeping.”
Could this get any stranger? Why was Iosbail here and so familiar with this clan? Guess she’d find out soon enough. It’d be a lie to say she wasn’t slightly more comfortable now knowing Adlin’s sister was here. That she wasn’t alone.
Like the castle, the great hall was extremely different than that of the MacLomain clan. Where the MacLomain’s hall boasted a variety of tapestries ranging from nautical to warring to sensual, this hall screamed war. The artwork was near sinister and borderline evil.
This clan liked to be in charge… or think it was.
Iosbail led her to the second floor then down a long hallway lit by torches. The smell of Brach and seawater filled her nostrils. The air felt oppressive, musky, humid yet chilly. Eventually, they entered a small chamber. With nothing but a cot in the corner and a single wall torch, it felt like she’d truly been ushered into a jail cell.
The minute they entered the room Mildred confronted Iosbail. “What’s going on?”
“You, it seems,” Iosbail said bluntly before she pointed at the bed. “That’s where you sleep.”
“Really?” Mildred crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s all you have to say.”
“Glad to see my stable boy, James, found you.” Iosbail sat on the cot and casually braced back on her hands. “Aren’t you glad that I’m here to say anything at all?”
Before Mildred could respond, Iosbail continued, “I am here because I married into this clan. You are here because you soon will.”
Iosbail was married into this clan? Interesting. But irrelevant right now.
“So you say.” It took everything Mildred had