The Highlander's Reluctant Bride: Book 2 The Highlander's Bride series by Cathy MacRae

Author:Cathy MacRae [MacRae, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Short Dog Press
Published: 2020-03-16T18:30:00+00:00

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Ranald rushed from the room, anger mixed with a peculiar sense of anticipation. A warning from the guard meant someone advanced, and Ranald couldn’t shake the gut feeling something was wrong. When would it end? He’d been at Scaurness barely a sennight, laird less than that, and both the castle and Riona were in constant contention.

An oath burst from his lips. He was neither born to nor trained for this. His brother Eaden was the one groomed to be laird. Raised to the rank of earl by the king, and once the king’s own herald, Eaden was more than qualified to face the unending challenges of lairdship.

Ranald barked a command at Hamish, newly raised to Manus’s vacated position as captain of the guard. “Close and bar the doors of the hall. Let none in without my permission.”

He gave Finlay a hard look. “Ye are in charge should anything happen to me.”

Finlay’s nod was curt and he waved to the boy, Brian, given the job of caring for their weapons. “Fetch shields from the armory.”

“Yer weapons?”

Finlay and Ranald both sent Brian a withering stare. Ranald strode to the stone stair leading to the parapet, his sword strapped at his belt, daggers secure at his waist, a knife in his boot.

Shaking his head at the boy for his youthful ignorance, Finlay followed. “Be quick, lad!” he tossed over his shoulder as Brian scurried to do as bid.

Reaching the parapet, Ranald immediately discovered the reason the guard had not repeated the warning. The evening breeze lifted the banners before the impressive procession of soldiers on horseback riding toward Scaurness Castle. The golden standard with red rampant lion was unmistakably that of King Robert II of Scotland.

Slightly behind it, the smaller blue pennant and stag could only mean one thing. The Earl of Craigievar, Laird Scott, once the king’s herald, was again in the king’s employ.

The riders drew closer. Ranald counted thirty mounted soldiers and half again that many men on foot. Eaden, Earl of Craigievar, rode at their head.

The procession reined to a halt several yards from the castle gate. A single rider was dispatched and Ranald gave a nod to the guard to open the main gate and portcullis to admit the rider. He descended the stair, Finlay on his heels. The soldier dismounted and waited patiently beside his horse.

“I am Laird Scott. What is yer business at Scaurness?”

“The Earl of Craigievar requests permission to enter, Laird.”

Protocol met, Ranald gave a stiff nod, examining all the possible reasons for his brother’s visit. The gates swung open wide. A welcoming smile on his lips, he watched his brother and his men ride into the bailey.

Eaden swung down from his horse and handed his reins to a stable boy. “Surprised to see me?”

“Ye could say that.” Ranald nodded to the king’s standard. “I thought ye resigned.”

Eaden shrugged. “After ye left, I knew there was a chance ye would remain here. When King Robert received word Laird Macrory had died, he informed me ye were now laird and supposed to marry the laird’s daughter within the week.

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