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Darach smiled at her, and she wished she was alone with him in the room. She wished that she could pull him against her body and lay her lips on his once more.

She exhaled heavily as he returned his gaze to the other two at the table, wishing they weren't there so she could cup his face in her hands and pull him down into a breathless kiss that would leave her panting and gasping for air. She could see how his eyes glowed and his nostrils flared whenever he caught sight of her.

Darach's expression tightened as he stared at her from the corner of her eye. She shifted in her seat, fascinated by his intense look. His gaze felt so warm on her body that she wished she could loosen the strings of her dress and carefully peel the material away to allow his eyes to feast on her form properly. Her face flushed at the thought, and she turned away from him, her nipples perking up beneath the dress.

Jane closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sensations coursing through her. The three men were obviously talking and discussing the battle plans that were in the works. Morven spokefirst, explaining how he'd sent word to all the other lairds, and they were all set to deliver a contingent of Jacobite soldiers.

Jane realized they were running out of time due to the approaching winter, which would bring snow and bitter cold. Darach seemed eager to go to war, and he directed Morven to prepare and await the laird's summons.

Despite the fact that she knew this day was coming, Jane was disturbed by the news. She had no desire to have her father and her clan go to war, and now a man she loved would be at the warfront too. She bit her lip and kept her misgivings to herself. She wouldn’t burden him when his mind was already looking ahead to the coming battle.

He seemed restless, and as the discussions wore on, Darach instructed Morven to round up a hunting party the next day to hunt as much meat as possible in the short time before they needed to ride off to war.

“‘Tis time tae tell us yer plans, Kenn.”

“Aye, my laird.” The advisor pulled out a map and spread it across the table. “I think with the Macduff attack recently, the king expects our troops already.”

“‘Tis just as much my fault as anyone’s,” Darach said bleakly. “We should have avoided the peaks of the southern border and ridden home a day earlier.”

Kenn nodded at both brothers. “That’s in the past, my laird. I think I have a plan that would ensure us victory.”

A pang went off in Jane's head. She shook her head slowly and tried to focus on the discussion that until now she was only listening to as background sound.

“William will expect a full-scale attack on the holding in the east,” Kenn pointed out. “He’ll ken that Macduff cannae hold us away for long, and he kens ye’ll come for him. He’ll ken it and expect it, so he’ll be prepared.”

“I cannae risk the alliance's security by attacking him blindly with the might of the entire army. If we lose the first battle in a bad way, it could kill the belief of most lairds in the movement. I'd rather nae take the risk that way.”

“Aye,” Morven agreed. “But what then do we do?”

“We steal into his territory and weaken him with an unexpected battle.” Kenn let out a deep breath, the sound loud in the quiet of the study, provoking Morven to shake his head in disagreement.

“Ye make it sound like a simple raiding mission, Kenn. William will expect such a trick as well.”

“He wouldnae,” Kenn replied immediately. “We’ll succeed with this. We have nae other option.”

Morven took a step toward Kenn, his eyes narrowing. “How are ye sure of that? Do ye have intel within William’s camp?”

The silence in the milliseconds before Kenn answered was heavy to Jane’s ears. She watched in anticipation as the man turned up to look at Darach’s brother.

“I dinnae, Morven. The only intel I have is from our spies’ tales.”

A spasm arrowed through Jane’s mind, grabbing her head with its painful hold. She could feel the vibration of the bizarre voice humming in her with a squeaking voice she knew too damn well.

Lies. He lies.

Jane took huge draws of breath to calm down the pounding in her head but to avail. It was almost impossible to believe that Kenn was a traitor since this was the man Darach had sacrificed his alliance with her father for. Yet, she was haunted by the voices in her head.

“I dinnae think it wise tae attack without assurance of what is currently happening in William’s lands,” Morven muttered. “This attack has tae be an entire surprise if it is tae succeed.”

“I have a plan, but I’m rather wary of speaking of it before an outsider.” Kenn glanced at Jane, his deceitful eyes flashing scornfully. She looked back to Darach, only to see the trust reflect in his gaze, then she stilled and stared intently into Kenn’s eyes once again.

“Why, pray tell, are ye attacking my presence in this room?”

Kenn scoffed. “Ye doubt me, my lady. ‘Twas expected. Ye doubt that I could escape because ye believe yer faither’s weak defenses are strong.”

Jane watched his nostrils flare, and her lips curled as she watched him stare coldly at her.

“It was strong enough tae keep ye for days.”


Tags: Fiona Faris Historical