Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 99593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Torrance urged his stallion into a steady trot the next morning. The weight of the night clung to him, Esme’s warmth against him, the silence that bred too many thoughts, and the knowledge that time was slipping through his fingers like rainwater.
Esme wasn’t surprised when he had barely said two words to her this morning upon waking. He rushed her up onto his stallion and swung up behind her, and they were off. His tense body and the way his eyes continually scanned the area had her realizing they were not out of danger yet.
She had to ask, “Where do we go?”
“Clan Stott,” he said, never taking his eyes off their surroundings. “We’re not far from it.”
She blinked against the dull light, pulling her cloak tighter around her. “That’s where we were meant to take shelter today, is it not?”
He gave a short nod but said nothing more.
As the forest thinned, the land dipped into a small valley, and there a modest village sat tucked neatly against the hills… Clan Stott. Wisps of smoke curled lazily from thatched rooftops, and a few figures moved about busy with morning chores.
Torrance slowed the stallion to a stop, his eyes sharpening.
Esme followed his gaze, then felt him go rigid against her.
At the entrance to the village stood a mam, his aging frame still commanding, who Esme assumed was the clan chieftain. But it was not the chieftain Torrance watched, it was the man speaking with him.
The breath caught in Esme’s throat. “That man… isn’t he the one who rode into camp and warned of the second betrayal?”
“Aye, it is. Gavin.” The name left Torrance like a curse. “He rode with the group that took the lead to make sure no danger awaited us. He was ordered to return home and seek help.”
Esme’s stomach churned with fear. How many men had betrayed Torrance? Had any warrior gone home for help? Or were they completely on their own? Watching the easy familiarity between the two men below caused worry to churn her stomach.
The way Torrance’s grip whitened around the reins and how a storm brewed behind his eyes, she believed her husband was thinking the same.
“Is that Chieftain Eagan who Gavin speaks with, and do you think the chieftain is part of it all?” she asked.
“I don’t know, though from here it certainly looks that way” he said. “I’ll not ride into a place where betrayal might be welcomed with open arms.”
While the situation frightened her it also confused her, and she voiced the sudden thought that came to her. “Could it be that those who favored Ryland as the victor, now tries to turn defeat to victory for him?”
“Don’t be a fool, wife,” he snapped. “Anyone who shows Ryland any mercy knows the consequences of such folly.”
Her heart thudded, realizing this could be a chance, one more attempt to crack the mask he wore, if he wore one. She could see how he reacted to the mention of Ryland and how this might be more about him than Torrance.
She edged a bit closer to danger with her next remark. “What if there are those who believe Ryland is entitled to rule Clan Glencairn?”
He turned and looked at her and calmly, though firmly as if he was declaring it an edict, said, “Clan Glencairn will always be ruled by a rightful heir of Glencairn.” He grabbed hold of her chin. “And your duty is to produce one.”
And finally, there was a chance she would.
His hand fell away from her chin, and he turned his head, just slightly. The sharp line of his jaw was taut. His voice, when it came, was a low growl. “I will not beg for loyalty nor chase the favor of cowards. But any man who dares betray me, any man,” —he glared at her— “or woman who seeks to raise a hand against me, will know pain before he or she finds death.”
That he confirmed only a rightful heir would rule Clan Glencairn would be something her husband would say, something he and his father were adamant about. And she had heard Torrance say many times that no half-blood would ever have the title of Lord of Clan Glencairn. She had believed that it was part of the reason he went to war with Ryland. He wanted him dead, never able to lay claim to the title.
And why would Ryland even want it? He had his own clan and from what she heard he was content with no aspirations of ever ruling Clan Glencairn. So, why would she think it wasn’t Torrance who returned home to her but Ryland?
Torrance was different. There was no denying it. If he wasn’t Ryland, then what would have changed him? And would that change last?
“You would show no mercy?” she asked, though knew how her husband would answer.