Claimed by the Highland Warrior

Author:Willingham, Michelle [Willingham, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, General, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781459202146
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-05-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Grizel MacKinloch awaited them inside the inner bailey. Tall and slender, she held herself as though she expected the world to grovel at her feet. Her dark brown hair was tightly braided, pulling the wrinkles taut from her face. As soon as she saw Bram, her expression slid through an array of emotions—shock, sadness and fury.

Dougal took the horses, not even bothering with a greeting before he retreated to the stables.

Nairna took Bram’s hand in hers. Though she’d wanted to believe that his mother would be glad to see him, there was no love on the woman’s face. The atmosphere around them felt colder, and Nairna was beginning to sense what Dougal and Bram had tried to tell her.

‘My lady mother,’ Bram greeted Grizel, bowing slightly.

She stared at him, as though he’d crawled out of a grave. ‘Bram.’

There was no embrace of welcome, no tears shed over his return. Instead, there was an air of impatience, as if she had somewhere else she wanted to be.

He’s your son, Nairna wanted to point out. Hadn’t Grizel missed him at all? Was there no warmth in her heart?

An indignant feeling started to gather in Nairna’s chest as Bram turned to introduce her. ‘You might remember my wife Nairna, of the MacPherson clan. You met her once when we were betrothed.’

His mother hadn’t attended their wedding, though Nairna didn’t recall why. She’d been so caught up in her happiness of marrying Bram, she’d hardly noticed anyone or anything else.

Grizel’s glance was cool. ‘I see.’ Her eyes flicked over Nairna in disdain.

Even so, Nairna remembered her own manners, dropping into a light curtsy. ‘I am glad to see you again, my lady.’

The woman gave a slight nod, then turned to Bram. ‘Why did you come here?’

‘It wasn’t my idea,’ he replied.

The bluntness of his tone made Nairna interrupt. ‘Would it not be better to speak inside? I would like to meet Lord Locharr and we can rest from our journey while we talk.’

If Lady Grizel and Bram began fighting before she had the chance to smooth things over with the others, there was little hope of convincing the women to return.

‘There’s no reason for you to stay,’ Grizel remarked, wasting no time in making her point. ‘If you came to ask us to return, the answer is no. I’ll not go back to Glen Arrin, so long as breath remains in my body. And certainly not if he is there.’ She nodded to Bram.

There was no reaction at all on Bram’s face, only calm acceptance. Nairna’s temper flared up, and she couldn’t stop herself from demanding, ‘Why would you say such a thing to the son you’ve not seen in seven years?’

Was the woman that heartless?

Grizel drew up her posture, her eyes hardened. ‘Would you want anything to do with the one who caused your husband’s death?’ Without waiting for a reply, she swept past them, striding into the castle.

The clench in Bram’s jaw revealed that Grizel had struck a raw spot. Nairna saw the fury that lingered there, but he held it back.

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