Had bringing Elaine to the castle been a bad idea? When he asked her, it was only to continue their farce, pretending to be laying together to keep the maids' flapping lips occupied and give him time with the council. Last night was not supposed to happen, and yet it did. Now, Duncan had to figure out what he was going to do about it.
He found Finn and Keir in the library.
“The council is waiting in yer study,” Finn said. “There has been much chatter throughout the castle about retaliation.”
“And who are we tae retaliate against, Finn?” Duncan barked. ‘I cannae tell ye who they were. Can ye?”
Finn looked duly reprimanded and dropped his head.
“Ye cannae take yer frustrations out on Finn, Duncan. He is only informing ye o’ what is going on. Everyone is on edge, and understandably so. But us fighting amongst ourselves will hardly help us.”
“Yer right,” Duncan sighed. “I’m sorry, Finn.”
“It’s fine,” Finn replied. “I understand yer upset. Even more so after what happened to Cora and the bairn. I cannae help but think that this attack came from the same place.”
“But why?” Duncan declared. “It makes nae sense. The dagger that was found near Cora and Eoin’s bodies allegedly belongs tae a clan that resides nearly eighty miles away,” Duncan continued. “I still dinnae understand why it wasnae found at the time their bodies were.”
While he had not said anything to any other, Duncan had a suspicion about the dagger’s origin, and its sudden discovery had more than troubled him.
“The men who attacked last night wore nae identifying tartans, thereby giving us nae idea who they are, why we were being attacked or what it was they were trying tae accomplish,” Duncan declared, feeling more than frustrated. “None of the factors seemed tae add up tae anything. In fact, the lack o’ any motive makes me far more suspicious and puts me more on edge.”
“Clearly, they, whoever they may be, are trying tae put the fear o’ God intae us,” Keir offered. “But yer question is still a valid one, and until we can find the answer, we are reaching blindly intae the dark. Nae word has been sent, nae threats have been given, nor any demands.”
“And that is my very point,” Duncan said. “None o’ it makes any sense.”
“Well,” Keir said. “I suppose we ought nae tae keep the council waiting any longer. Let us seek their advice on the matter.”
Keir stood carefully from his chair, Finn suddenly moving to his side.
“I apologize, Keir. I havnae even asked ye if ye are well,” Duncan suddenly said.
“Thanks tae your mistress, Duncan,” Keir grinned wryly, “I am completely fine. I dinnae ken where ye got her, but I cannae see anyone charging intae yer chambers in the middle o’ the night with that kind o’ protection.”
Duncan returned Keir’s smirk and nodded. “Aye, she is something else indeed.” His smirk fell from his face when he suddenly thought of the other person who had suffered beside his brother. “And what word o’ Mother?”
“I cannae say I have seen her this morning, Duncan. She remained by my side for some time yesterday evening. But I can only imagine, like every other person in the castle, she is in shock.”
“I will find her later and check in on her health.”
When theyentered the study, the elders of the councilrose to their feet, and after an exchange of solemn greetings, the men sat down and gathered around the table once more.
“There is serious unrest in the castle this morning, my Laird,” Jamie began. “Has anything been discovered on who these soldiers were and from whence they came?”
Duncan shook his head. “Naething has been found so far,” he said plainly. His words caused a murmur of confusion around the table, something he knew he felt himself. “With nae word from any other clans, and nae way tae identify those who broke through our defenses, we have nae direction in which tae defend ourselves against them.”
“But more guards have been placed around the castle walls,” Keir added, “and from my knowledge, there are men in place in the surrounding woods tae raise the alarm if anyone tries tae approach.”
Duncan had not known that information, but knowing his war chief, Douglas, he was not surprised to learn of it. He was a canny man when it came to strategy in battle and Duncan trusted the older man’s judgment implicitly.
“Well, with this new development, my Laird,” Callan, another elder, said, “we must now consider the future o’ the clan.”
“Meaning?” Duncan pressed.
“We are all sympathetic tae yer situation, my Laird. There is nae one amongst us who have nae grieved beside ye,” Callan continued. “That being said, we cannae ignore the fact, that with nae heir, the clan’s future is in jeopardy. If the worst had happened last night, my Laird. If ye yersel had been struck down…”
“Callan is right, my Laird,” Jamie said firmly. “With nae heir, we leave ourselves open tae be overrun by neighboring clans. The clan needs security. It needs solidarity, safe in the knowledge that there will be another tae take yer place when the time comes.”
While an anger grew within him, Duncan’s wrath was not directed toward the loyal men who sat around the table. They had to look out for the future of the clan, and though it pained him greatly, he knew them to be right. His anger was toward the faceless bastards who had stolen his life, the cowards who had murdered his newborn son and his defenseless beautiful wife. He knew what was coming before any one of them spoke another word. And though he had tried to slow the inevitable, he was powerless to stop it entirely.