Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum

Author:Heather McCollum
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical British Fiction;Historical Literary Fiction;Historical Scottish Fiction;Scottish Historical Romance;Historical Romances;Women's Historical Fiction;British & Irish Literary Fiction;Heather McCollum;The Devil of Dunakin Castle;the beast of aros castle;The Wolf of Kismul Castle;Highland Conquest;Entangled Publishing;Amara;Mass Market Paperback;Historical Romance;highlander romance;highlands;Highlander Hero;Highland Chief;Highland Clan;16th Century Romance;Sexy historical Romance;Smart Historical Romance;Enemies to Lovers Romance;Forbidden Romance;Passionate Historical romance;Passionate Highlander Romance;Battle;Castle;Moors;Summer;Scotland;Scotish Romance;New Series Romance
Published: 2020-02-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

I would kill you.

The thought surfaced in her mind like the memory of a nightmare.

Cain sat there under the stars next to her, ready to defend her from her dead father, ready to hear her thoughts about making Scotland strong. Was he the monster that Kenneth and all of Sutherland clan thought him to be?

Her lips felt numb in the wind, and she touched her mouth, sliding a hand down to her chin. Kenneth used to clasp her chin when she was a child to hold her attention as he taught her right from wrong. She dropped her hand. “I would unite the clans as allies with a written treaty between them. The clan leaders would work to remain together through quarterly discussions as a group and with King James.”

“James is not strong enough to keep the clans together,” Cain answered. “Such pacts have fallen apart before.”

“It requires honest and respectful listening and discussing to get the clan leaders to agree to stay together. Diplomacy.”

“I would be honest and respectful, but I have found that others like to shoot and slash rather than talk,” he said.

“Fear makes people attack. Perhaps you should try…I don’t know…not growling at people or ordering them around constantly or riding down on them with your crown and bow and three nightmarish brothers.”

She sucked in a large breath. “Maybe listen to them for a change. Learn their names and who they are. Other people have ideas, some of them sound. Others, besides you and your brothers, are also clever, but when you roll through clans, taking everything over, killing whomever stands in your way, you silence them.”

“I am listening right now to the Sutherland chief, am I not?” He crossed his arms where he sat, the silhouette of a mighty warrior. If he was carved in marble, he could be called The Strength of Scotland.

“Yet you are stripping away my chiefdom,” she said. “Trying to change my people into Sinclairs. If you take their name and their pride, no amount of stargazing will make them strong. The strength of Scotland lies in clan pride and loyalty. Conquered warriors will not fight for the Sinclairs, at least not well. If you conquer the pride of our people, Scotland will weaken.” She watched his face, his brows lowered. Could she possibly change a mind that had been molded by a madman over a lifetime?

In the distance, a horse neighed, and another round of screams rose up. Cain did not reply to her comments, but at least she’d gotten the chance to say them. No one, besides Kenneth, had ever listened to her ideas about creating a strong Scotland before.

She turned toward the bonfires and leaned forward, making Gilla walk. “I suppose we must return, Gilla,” she said. “To the insanity that is the Sinclair clan.” Her horse’s ears flicked toward her in agreement over her assessment.

“’Twas my father’s tradition,” Cain called and caught up to her. “He felt that chaos would weed out the weak.”

Ella rolled her eyes heavenward.

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