How to Woo a Highlander by Shona Thompson

Author:Shona Thompson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Highland
Published: 2020-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I t had been four days since William's return to the castle and the engagement between him and Jane coming to light. Alastair was running through the hallways of the castle, after William had shut himself in his study.

The morning had brought chaos. A heavily wounded soldier had crashed into the castle grounds bearing news of a sudden attack from the Grant clan. The villages were being decimated and many lives were lost.

It was so sudden and unexpected. The clan's forces were scattered, and help was still a week away. Alastair had meant to go but stayed back to ensure the injured soldier was taken care of.

Once the man was transported to the healer’s dwelling in town, he’d hurried to find William. He burst into the study to find his friend at his desk hastily writing letters.

"I need to let Cargill and Balfour ken. The army needs to arrive much quicker. I thought everythin’ was going to be alright now, why is it like this? Did our spies nae say they were nae yet launchin’ their attack? We were supposed to have time. The people, Alastair, the people have nay protection," William was rambling.

Alastair recognized that his friend was having a moment of crisis. He shut the door behind him and walked to the desk, taking the paper and quill from William's hands.

"William, I need ye to calm down. Ye are nae fightin' this battle alone. I am here to help ye. We will fix this," he said as he finished the letter William was writing, making sure the essential facts were included in both letters. John Baxendale’s words echoed in his head.

“Imagine that your clan had the assistance of the English army. The war would be won before it even began.”

The man was right; if they had the help of the English army, they would have no reason to panic. They would easily win the war even with the surprise attack that the Grant clan had launched. If that were the case, William would not be so troubled. William rubbed his eyes, trying to steady himself. There was nothing that unsettled his friend more than worrying about his people’s wellbeing.

"I just keep thinking of the people being slaughtered, Alastair; they have nay defense. It is nae war, it is murder! They cannae fight back," he said.

William was right. According to the soldier who brought the news, the Grant soldiers were moving into the clan, killing as they went. Going by what the soldier said, the enemy was only a day away, and they had left death in their wake.

So many people were dying because Mackenzie's military forces were distributed over the lands, combating the raiders who had been attacking the villages. It had been his idea to spread the men, so each village had ample protection, but now, this meant that they were severely unprepared for a full-scale attack from an organized army.

The people were defenseless and would be like sheep to the slaughter. Alastair shut his eyes at the thought; it was a huge blow to the clan, and he could not bear the weight of it.

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