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“Rory, get ye out and take care of the horses.” Mungo jerked his head at one of his other men. “Charlie, take the lass and follow me.”
Rory threw Donella a morose look as Charlie clamped a rough hand on her shoulder and steered her forward in Mungo’s wake.
When a cold wind whipped around her legs, she glanced up to see a gaping hole in the timbered roof. It struck her that there would probably be breaches in some of the outer walls, too. It was a miracle the place was still standing.
At the back of the dimly lit hall, Mungo opened a door. He took Donella from Charlie, and ushered her in.
It was a small room, brightly lit compared to the hall. She had to blink to properly focus, and was not presented with a reassuring picture.
Kitted out as a tidy and rather comfortable bedroom, a large bed piled high with blankets and pillows was tucked against the wall. Several branches of candles shed a soft glow over the room. Two wooden chairs were pulled up in front of the hearth, with its cozily burning peat fire. There was even a carpet on the stone floor that looked quite new.
Standing on that carpet was Roddy Murray, a sheepish grin splitting his genial features.
“Hullo, lass,” he said tentatively.
Donella turned on Mungo and glared at him.
“No,” she said through clenched teeth. “Absolutely not.”
Mungo barked out a laugh. “After all these years, ye’ll finally be doin’ right by my boy. And then in the mornin’, we’ll be off to the parson to make it formal.”
“Logan will kill you for this,” she said, “as will my brother and cousin. And you don’t even want tothinkabout what they’ll do to poor Roddy.”
Mungo shrugged. “Nay. Ye’ll be a Murray, and Riddick will have to go along with it, if he doesna want ye labeled a whore.”
“Da!” exclaimed Roddy. “Ye canna be callin’ Donella a—”
“Shut it, ye ninny,” his father ordered. “Ye only have one job tonight.”
“But—”
Donella rounded on Roddy. “Were you actually in on this plan to kidnap me, Roddy?”
His eyes went wide with alarm. “I, uh . . .”
“Tell me the truth, or I’ll throttle you.” She thought she might be able to kill him with her bare hands, at this point.
Mungo snorted. “He’d nothin’ to do with it. Ye know he’s a witless fool. Why I had to be saddled with the likes of him as my heir is a sad mystery.”
“That’s not very nice, Da,” Roddy said in a wounded voice.
Argh.
“Your father isnota nice man, Roddy. He and his men kidnapped me at gunpoint.”
Wrath gathered on Roddy’s handsome features. “Ye took Donella against her will?”
“I had to, ye booby. Do ye think she would come otherwise?”
Donella pressed the side of her head and tried to look fragile. “One of his men even hit me. It’s a wonder I’m still alive.”
Mungo snorted. “Och, ye bumped yer stupid head because ye wouldna come quietly.”
“Ye hurt Donella?” Roddy gently led her to one of the chairs. “Here, sit ye down, lass.” Then he glared at his father. “Ye shouldna done that, Da.”
“She shouldna resisted,” he retorted.
“I was so frightened,” she said in a quavering voice. “Roddy, I just want to go home.”
