A Hellion at the Highland Court (The Highland Ladies #9) - Celeste Barclay Page 0,136

casks we found them in were small. The kind that fit on a shelf and would last a night or two. Awkward, but Aggie carried one, and I carried two. Colina could have managed at least one. Brodie, if she mixed the poisoned wine with pure wine, it would mask the taste enough for people to drink it. It wouldn’t taste right, but no one would complain at the table. A couple nights of that, and we’d all be dead.”

“Dominic doesn’t drink wine. Ever.” Brodie shook his head. “We drank ourselves sick when we were younger. Ever since then, Dominic heaves at even the taste of it.”

“So Colina wouldn’t have to worry aboot explaining to Dominic why he shouldn’t drink the wine.”

“Where are the casks now?

“In the undercroft’s grain storeroom. I had Declan place them on the top shelf. Just aboot any mon could reach them, but no woman could. I couldn’t, and I’m taller than most.”

“Do you think there are others?” Brodie was growing more and more concerned by what he heard.

“Possibly. But three of those would be enough to poison everyone at the high table over the course of a few days.”

“Show me.”

Laurel led Brodie to the undercroft, showing him the hidden casks first before taking him to the buttery. They inspected each barrel and cask, but found nothing obviously tampered with. But Brodie voiced Laurel’s concern. They might need to dump all their wine in case Colina had sabotaged more, and they just couldn’t smell it. They walked into the Great Hall together, both somber and deep in thought. Laurel shook herself from her stupor, knowing it was Monty and Donnan’s last night at Kilchurn. They’d stayed on to ensure Laurel was safe, and Brodie gratefully added the partners to Laurel’s guard rotation. Now Laurel realized how much she would miss her brother and her friend. She could only truly trust Brodie, and she’d made no friends yet. The days grew infinitely longer.

Thirty-Nine

Laurel and Brodie left the stables after their morning ride. Just as Laurel requested, he forewent training for two days after he sustained his wound. She could only shake her head the morning he returned to training. He’d bounded out of the keep like a young lad. But he’d delayed his entry the past four morning since Monty and Donnan departed. She’d stood beside Brodie as she waved to her brother and his lover until they faded from sight. Brodie understood Laurel was lonely, so he tried to start her days with a smile. They reached the steps to the keep when the cry went out that a rider approached. The man who entered the bailey wore King Robert’s livery.

Laurel and Brodie sighed in unison. Their summons had arrived. Precisely a sennight after the battle. Brodie hadn’t exaggerated. Whether it was the Lamonts or MacDougalls who raced to inform the king, the Bruce hadn’t dallied before sending a messenger. Brodie accepted the missive before he and Laurel went to their solar. Brodie knew it was less likely someone would interrupt them there than in his own solar. They shared the window seat, their favorite place in the chamber. Brodie opened the parchment, and they read the missive together.

“You predicted it, Laurie. The king understands, but the court is rallying for my head on a pike. Everyone is calling it a massacre.”

“We knew it would happen. What do you expect the king will do once we’re there?”

“Levy a fine against me for fighting an unsanctioned war with four other clans. He’ll likely demand I pay restitution to them. We’ll ride with four times the guards because I will not only have you to protect but several chests of coin.”

“You’re going to pay?” Laurel was aghast.

“Aye. I have little choice. But no amount of coin is going to give any of those clans their men back. None of them will harry us again for years. Not if they wish to survive. The money will feed and clothe the innocent, so I feel no resentment making restitution. But neither do I feel guilty for decimating their armies. They knew what they faced when they took on the Campbells. They met the fate they created.”

Laurel sat back, nodding her head. She understood Brodie’s logic, and she admitted she hadn’t really considered those who’d been left behind. She’d worried about the widows among her clan, but she hadn’t thought about the widows in the other clans. They were not in positions to dictate whether their men went to battle. She