Page 59 of To Charm a Highlander

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Hysteria reigned in Haydon’s solar.Malcolm attempted to pull Callum off Fraser, Sutherland warriors whipped out their swords and backed Gunn’s men to the wall.

Haydon drew his sword and placed it to Gunn’s throat.“Callum, get off him.”

“Nay!He violated my wife.And beat her.I’m going to kill him.”

“No yer not!”Haydon roared.“Now back up.”

Before obeying his laird, Callum threw one solid punch to Fraser’s face, knocking him out.

“Why dinna ye let him kill the bastard?”Conall said, returning his sword to his side.

“Because the mon is Laird of Gunn.If he is to be punished, ‘twill be the right of King Charles.Despite our feelings about the mon and what he did to our sister and Callum’s wife, we need the king to decide his fate.We also need Charles to decide on the right to the lairdship.These are no’ decisions we can make because since the king has been newly restored to the Crown, and he has made it clear he doesna want war between the clans which is exactly what this would turn into.”

Conall stared at Fraser, still knocked out, lying on the floor.“What do we do with them?”

“Lock them all in the dungeon.We have witnesses to the charges now, so the Gunns are all prisoners.I will send a missive post haste to the Crown to see what is to be done with them.”

“And if we get no response?Aside from the dictate we received from Charles about keeping the peace between the clans, no one has heard from him,” Conall said.

“Then we decide, but for now, lock them up.”

Callum stalked from the room.Donella stood to go after him but Haydon stopped her with his hand on her shoulder.“Let him go, lass.He needs to work off his anger.”Haydon turned to Conall.“As do ye, brother.”

Conall nodded and followed Callum out.Haydon walked over to his desk and sat, his elbows braced on the desk, his head in his hands.

Donella approached him.“Doona fash yerself, brother.‘Twill all work out.”

“Nay.”He looked up at her.“I donna have any faith in Charles answering any missive I send.The mon is only recently restored to his rightful place and I’m sure he has much on his mind besides two clans battling each other.”

* * *

A week had gone by,and there had been no return missive from the king.From what the guards at the dungeon had told them the Gunns were making a lot of noise and demands.

“How much longer are ye going to let those bastards sit in the dungeon?I’m all for hanging The Gunn,” Conall said as he joined Haydon and Callum at the dais while they drank mugs of ale awaiting the nooning.

“’Too soon yet to make a decision,” Haydon said as he drained his mug.“I doona ken if Charles would accept hanging.He’s a tad jittery right now with his recent restoration.We doona want the power of the Crown down on our heads.Things are no’ stable throughout Scotland.Hanging a laird, no matter what the charges, could be considered an act of war against the king.”

“Aye, but if ye hang Fraser, then I am laird by default.I willna wage war on ye,” Callum said.

“Yer no’ the king,” Haydon answered.

Callum ne’er thought he would say those words about his brother, and e’en him conspiring with their mam to take the lairdship for himself wouldna have him wanting to see the mon hanged.

But what he’d done to Donella was a hanging offense as far as he was concerned.In fact, any sort of death for the mon would be justified.Preferably slow and painful.

He thought of the times when they were younger, and the best of friends.They’d had so much fun together and had gotten into enough trouble to lose their supper a few times.

‘Twas a shame his mam’s deceit turned Fraser into the mon he was now.Strangely enough, Callum had ne’er wanted the lairdship.He kenned that once Da died and Fraser inherited the lairdship, he would be his second-in-command and the lairdship would only be his if Fraser died before him.But he ne’er desired it.

He was happy with this role as one of his da’s second-in-command.He’d expected one day he would marry a lovely lass and have a family.The idea of power and leadership ne’er entered his head.

Kidnapping Donella and doing such horrible things to her was more shocking to him than his other charge.For that he thought Fraser should lose his life.And he would be more than happy to run his sword through the mon.

Donella entered the great hall, apparently having spent the morning with Dorathia.She was verra happy to be helping the healer and learning the craft.If he was, in fact, expected to take over the Gunn Clan, it would be good for her to be able to use her skills there.

That brought him to the thought he hadn’t really dwelt too much on.He had sworn his loyalty to Haydon and expected to stay here with his wife and future family for the rest of his life.