took another step closer, alarm filling his face. “Do ye harm her I’ll kill ye.”
“Don’t be foolish, son. I’m looking out fer yer best interests here. And while I’m sure ye care for the wench, ye need to think on yer future now. The Maclean is old and like to die soon. He already very nearly did before the Buchanan came and healed him,” he added with irritation, and then continued, “Right now, the lass’d be the only thing standing between ye and inheriting Maclean when the old bastard kicks off. But does she marry the Buchanan and have children with the bastard . . .” He shook his head. “Ye’ll ne’er gain the title then.”
“I don’t care,” Gavin growled. “I’ll no’ let ye hurt Evina.”
“Ye do as I say and ye can have no’ just Maclean, but MacLeod as well,” he argued with frustration. “And it’s yer birthright.”
“What?” Gavin asked with disbelief. “Ye left MacLeod to me uncle. I’ll ne’er rule there.”
“Nay. I didna,” he assured him. “Tearlach tried to force me to. He came to me after Donnan left with ye and yer mother, and said that if Glenna died, I’d hang for it, but he could protect me. I thought the bastard was finally going to be the supportive brother I needed, but wrangling MacLeod out o’ me was what he was about. He said he’d claim me dead, and save my neck from the noose, but I’d have to sign a new will and make him me heir.”
“And ye did,” Gavin pointed out with disgust.
“I didn’t have a choice, did I?” the MacLeod snapped. “Events were conspiring against me. First Donnan betrayed me by sneaking away with me boy and wife, and then there was yer mother running off and killing herself, and then me brother—”
“Mother did no’ kill herself,” Gavin snapped. “Ye beat her to death.”
“She’d have lived had she stayed at MacLeod,” the man hissed furiously, sending spittle flying past Evina’s face. “Old Sally would have seen her well. She’d seen her back from worse beatings than that one. ’Twas her running off to Maclean with Donnan while sore injured that killed her.”
Evina shook her head slightly with disgust even as Gavin did it fully.
“Anyway,” Garrick added on a sigh. “I did no’ sign away MacLeod on ye. I saved it for ye so ye could return and claim it when ye were old enough to keep yerself safe from me brother.”
“Ye signed it away,” Gavin said heavily. “There was a will naming him as heir.”
“Aye,” Garrick admitted, and then grinned and added, “But I did no’ sign my name, I signed yers.”
“What?” Evina gasped even as Gavin did.
“I signed Gavin MacLeod rather than Garrick MacLeod,” he said patiently. “And Tearlach did no’ even notice. He was too busy pouring himself a drink to celebrate his forcing me to take everything from me boy and giving it to him. I signed yer name, he gave it a cursory glance, no doubt noticed naught but the big G and MacLeod and rolled it up and tucked it away in his chest of important papers where it’s no doubt now buried under every other important paper he’s ever collected since.”
“He’s probably got rid of it by now,” Gavin said with a frown.
“Nay. He throws nothing away. Nothing ,” Garrick emphasized. “The bastard hoards everything he lays his hands on.” He paused briefly, and then said with satisfaction, “So ye see, lad, all we have to do is kill yer cousin here, and that old bastard Maclean, and ye’ll have two castles. Ye’ll be a fine rich laird, all thanks to me.”
“Well, if what ye say is true and I need only go claim MacLeod, why kill Evi and Uncle Fearghas?” Gavin asked with a frown. “What do I need with Maclean if I can claim MacLeod?”
“Because yer uncle Tearlach is a useless fool who gambled away and lost most everything at MacLeod except the land,” he growled, sounding furious. “Ye’ll need the wealth o’ Maclean to help ye bring MacLeod back to the state ’twas when I ruled it. And I’ll help ye with that. We just need to kill the girl here, and her father,” he insisted, digging the knife in a little deeper.
“And, o’ course, ye want nothing for this service,” Evina mocked dryly.
“Shut up,” Garrick growled, pressing the knife tighter again.
He was slicing her throat each time, Evina knew. She could feel the blood dripping down her throat. But she didn’t think he