The hearth had been lit, but there was no sign of Arran. Now, just where did a man go when the whole of his clan was eating and drinking in his great hall? With whom did he consort? Was this how it was done? One betrayed one’s country while everyone was occupied?

She held up a candelabra and glanced around the room—Mrs. Abernathy still had not come to visit this dreadful mess. In addition to the piles of clothing and the assortment of knives scattered about the floor, there were muddied riding boots standing at the foot of the bed, the spurs still on them.

She bent down and picked up a pair of stained buckskins. If she was going to keep near to him, she would not abide this field of debris.

Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ON THE WAY to his chambers, Arran was intercepted by Sweeney, who informed him that MacLeary and his men were at the gates.

“Now?” Arran asked. He wasn’t expecting them.

“Aye, milord. Donald Thane has put them in the barbican with a flagon of whisky.”

The old barbican had once been used for defense of the castle, but Arran’s father had refurbished the rooms to host travelers for the night. It wasn’t unusual that persons who had arrived in Scotland by sea would find their way to Balhaire. “Find Jock and send him to me,” Arran said, and reversed course, headed for the barbican.

MacLeary was a large man with a shock of white hair that made him look a wee bit like a snowcapped mountain. He had meaty jowls and hands, and when he greeted Arran, he clapped him so hard on the back that Arran might have gone sprawling had he not been prepared for it. MacLeary had come in the company of two men; the three were passing the flagon of whisky between them.

“Arran Mackenzie, look at ye, lad,” MacLeary boomed. “There is no’ a bonnier man in all of Scotland, is there? Were I no’ married these thirty years, I’d ask for yer hand.”

His men laughed heartily.

“I must remember to send round thanks to your wife and pray for her continued good health,” Arran drawled. “What brings you to Balhaire, then?”

“We’re bound for Coigeach and a meeting there,” he said, referring to another MacLeary holding north of Balhaire. “You’ll want to attend as well, Mackenzie. I’ve news for you.”

The door opened behind Arran; Jock walked into the room. Arran waited for the men to exchange greetings and Jock to settle onto a bench.

“What news, then?” Arran asked MacLeary.

“Tom Dunn has come round,” MacLeary said.