Much Ado About Highlanders (The Scottish Relic Trilogy) by May McGoldrick Read Free Book Online Page A

focus his thoughts on his ships, his plans for the clan, lectures from his father on everything from hunting to horses.
    Anything but her.
    He thought of his duty as master of the Macpherson fleet. Every month, Spanish ships were returning from the New World bulging with silver and gold. They were sweet fruit waiting to be picked, and he had been picking them. His brother James was following another path. Like their uncle Ambrose Macpherson, James had chosen to pursue the life of a diplomat. Colin, the youngest, was overseeing with his wife, Tess, the Lindsay clan affairs, but he was also ready to take charge of the Macpherson fleet when Alexander succeeded his father.
    In the days prior to his marriage to Kenna, Alexander’s father had reminded him that it was time to assume the mantle as the next Macpherson laird. He would have done it already if Kenna had stayed. But when she left, he had asked his father to wait while he figured out what needed to be done.
    An annulment was one answer. They had influence enough with the bishop. But six months ago, he couldn’t do it. And he couldn’t do it last month, though he made Kenna believe that he’d requested it. It was a matter of loose ends, unanswered questions, wounded pride, and Macpherson and MacKay clan welfare. Walking away from this marriage meant defeat. He wasn’t ready then. He wasn’t ready now.
    Insane as it might seem, he still had hope. They might still make a marriage work.
    Alexander found himself standing at the river’s edge. With the heavy rains of the previous four days, it was a raging torrent. Branches and timber raced by, carried by the speeding current.
    If someone fell in . . .
    If someone who was a good swimmer decided to run away . . .
    Kenna could be halfway back to Craignock Castle by the time anyone realized she was missing. Alexander marched back to where they’d made camp. Perhaps a time would come when he’d stop worrying if his wife was going to run away or not. But tonight was not it.
    Six horses stood tethered at the edge of the clearing. One of his men was looking after them. Alexander knew another would be keeping watch in the darkness. Everything seemed peaceful around the fire. James and Emily sat with their backs to him, speaking quietly. Kenna, sitting against a tree, had a blanket wrapped around her. Her foot was now wrapped in strips of cloth. She watched him suspiciously as he approached.
    “Do you need to go anywhere, do anything?”
    She looked up, pretending all innocence. “Go where? Do what?”
    “You know.” He motioned to where he’d walked from. “Do you need to relieve yourself, woman?”
    “Now?”
    “Now.”
    “When I’m ready, I’ll go.”
    “If you need to go tonight, you’ll do it now.”
    She glared at him. “What are you about?
    He crouched down, looking into her eyes. “Don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind. Walking into the woods? Disappearing?”
    “Without Emily? Without a horse? Limping on a bad ankle?”
    “An abbey tower couldn’t hold you.”
    “In that case . . .” She smiled, peering around him at the woods. “I believe you should stay awake all night and worry about it.”
    “I’m not worrying about it,” he said.
    “Good. Then go away. You’re blocking the heat of the fire.”
    Alexander walked back to his horse and retrieved a length of braided rawhide. No one, including James, said anything when he returned to Kenna a moment later.
    Her eyes widened. “What are you going to do with that?”
    She tried to squirm away when he looped the cord around the tree and reached for her hands.
    “Get away from me.”
    In spite of her size, she was far stronger than he’d imagined. But Alexander had her hands tied behind her back before she could cause him permanent bodily damage.
    “You won’t get away with this. I’ll kill you in your sleep.”
    “Which reminds me.”
    He reached inside her belt and found the dirk. But he took his time. Their faces were just inches