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“Do you know if any of our men are alive?” she asked.
“I saw a handful of yer knights, my lady, fleeing into the forest.”
She breathed hard. “They will return here, if they can.” She had no doubt.
“It might be better if they rode hard and fast for Red John or Argyll,” Sir Neil said. “We will soon be under siege, and they could attack MacDonald from the rear.”
Maybe her men were not returning, after all. She squashed her instant dismay, turning back to Coinneach. “Is the Wolf—is Alexander MacDonald—alive?”
“Aye—he is at the very front of his men,” Coinneach said, his blue eyes now reflecting fear.
She felt sick.
Footsteps pounded down the stairwell, and they all turned toward the sound. Peg skidded into the hall, her eyes wide. “A man is below, outside the barbican—with a white flag!”
Margaret was confused. She turned to Malcolm, who said quickly, “The Wolf has sent a messenger ahead, my lady, I have little doubt.”
She felt her eyes widen. “What could he possibly want?”
“Yer surrender.”
* * *
MARGARET PACED FOR the next half an hour, as she waited for Sir Neil and Malcolm to disarm the messenger—verifying that was what he was—and then bring him safely and securely to her. Peg sat on one of the benches at one of the trestle tables, staring at her, her expression aghast. Margaret was accustomed to her friend’s wit and humor, not to her silence and abject fear.
She turned as they entered through the front door, having used the narrow side entrance in the north tower. A tall Highlander in the blue, black and red plaid walked inside, between Sir Neil and Malcolm. He was middle-aged, bearded and lean. He had been disarmed—his scabbard was empty, as was the sheath on his belt where a dagger should hang.
When he saw her he smiled, but not pleasantly. Margaret shivered.
“Margaret of Bain?” he asked.
She nodded. “Do you come from the Wolf?”
“Aye, I do. I am Padraig MacDonald. He wishes to parley, Lady Margaret, and I am instructed to tell you as much. If you agree, he will bring three men, and you may bring three men, as well. He will keep his army below the barbican, and you can meet just outside its walls.”
Margaret stared, incredulous. Then she glanced at Malcolm and Sir Neil. “Is this a trap?”
“Parleys are not uncommon,” Malcolm said. “But the Wolf is canny—he doesn’t keep his word.”
“It is a trap,” Sir Neil said firmly. “You cannot go!”
Margaret could not even swallow now. She faced the messenger. “Why does he wish to parley? What does he want?” As she spoke, Peg came to stand beside her, as if protectively.
“I was told to offer you a parley, lady, that is all. I dinna ken what he will speak of.”
Parleys might not be uncommon amongst warriors, but she was not a warrior, she was a woman—and her every instinct was to refuse.
“You cannot go,” Sir Neil said again, blue eyes flashing. “He will take you hostage, lady, faster than you can blink an eye!”
It was so hard to think! She stared at Sir Neil. Then she looked at the messenger, Padraig. “Please stand aside.”
Malcolm took him by the arm and moved him out of earshot. Margaret stepped closer to Sir Neil, with Peg. Breathing hard, she said, “Is there any way I could meet him and we could take him prisoner?”
From the look in Sir Neil’s eyes, Margaret knew he thought she had gone mad.
Peg said, “Margaret! He is the Wolf! Ye will never ambush him! He will take ye prisoner, and then what?”
“Dinna even think of turning the tables on him, lady,” Malcolm said, having returned.
Margaret glanced briefly at the messenger, who was staring—and almost smirking—at them. What did he know that they did not? “Is there any way we could parley without my being in danger of being taken captive?”
“It is too dangerous,” Sir Neil said swiftly. “I swore to Sir Ranald that I would keep you safe. I cannot let you meet the Wolf!”
“Margaret, please! I am but a woman, and even I know this is a trap!” Peg cried.
“Even if it is not a trap, too much can go wrong,” Malcolm said, sounding calm in comparison to the rest of them.
He was right. And Margaret was afraid to step outside the castle walls. Besides, she would never convince the damned Wolf to retreat. She squared her shoulders and left the group, walking over to the waiting Highlander. As she approached, his eyes narrowed.
Margaret smiled coldly at him. “Tell the great Wolf of Lochaber that Lady Comyn has refused. She will not parley.”
“He will be displeased.”
She refrained from shivering. “But I wish to know what he wants. Therefore, you may return to convey his message to me.”
“I dinna think he will wish for me to speak with ye again.”
What did that mean? Would the Wolf now attack? Her gaze had locked with Padraig’s. His was chilling.
A moment later, Sir Neil and Malcolm were escorting him out. The moment he was gone, Margaret collapsed upon the bench. Peg rushed to sit beside her, taking her hands. “Oh, what are we going to do?”
Margaret couldn’t speak. Was the Wolf now preparing to attack her? He certainly hadn’t come this far to turn around and go away! And what of William and Sir Ranald? If only they were all right! “Maybe I should have met him,” she heard herself say hoarsely.
“I would never let ye meet with him!” Peg cried, now close to tears. “He is an awful man, and all of Scotland knows it!”
“If you cry now, I will slap you silly,” Margaret almost shouted, meaning her every word.
Peg sat up abruptly. The tears that had seemed imminent did not fall.
“I need you, Peg,” Margaret added.
Peg stared and attempted to compose herself. “Can I bring ye wine?”
Margaret wasn’t thirsty, but she smiled. “Thank you.” The moment Peg had left, she stood up and inhaled.
Oh, God, what would happen next? Could she possibly defend the castle—at least until help arrived? And what if help did not arrive?
Surely, eventually, her maternal uncle, Alexander MacDougall of Argyll, would come. He despised every MacDonald on this earth. He would wish to defend the keep; he would want to battle with them.
Red John Comyn would also come to her aid if he knew what was happening. He was her uncle’s closest ally and his cousin. But time was of the essence. They had to receive word of her plight now. They had to assemble and move their armies now!
Her head ached terribly. There were so many decisions to make. The weight of such responsibility was crushing. And to think that in the past, she had never made a decision greater than what she wished to wear or what to serve for the supper meal!
Booted steps sounded, and with dread—she now recognized the urgency in Sir Neil’s stride—she turned as he stormed into the hall. “He is at the bridge, below your walls—and he wishes to speak with you.”
She froze. “Who?” But oh, she knew!
“MacDonald,” he said, eyes blazing.
Her stomach churned and her heart turned over hard. Only a quarter of an hour had passed since Padraig had left. If the Wolf of Lochaber was outside her gates, clearly he had been there all along.
And suddenly, like a small, frightened child, she felt like refusing the request. She wanted to go to her chamber and hide.
“I can take you up to the ramparts,” Sir Neil said bluntly.
It crossed her dazed mind that Sir Neil would only suggest such a course of action if it was safe, and of course, if the Wolf wished to parley now, she must go. She fought to breathe. It was safe for her to be high up on the ramparts, surrounded by her knights and archers, as they spoke. She felt herself nod at Sir Neil.
But as they started for the stairwell, comprehension seized her. She halted abruptly. How could it be safe for him to come to her castle walls?
He would be exposed to her archers and knights.
She looked at Sir Neil with sudden hope. “Can our archers strike him while we speak?”
Sir Neil started. “They are waving a flag of truce.”
What she had suggested was dishonorable, and she knew Sir Neil thought so. “But is it possible?”
“He will undoubtedly be carrying a shield, and he will be surrounded by his men. The shot would not be an easy one. Will you violate the truce?”
She wondered if she was dreaming. She was actually considering breaking a truce and murdering a man. But she knew she must not stoop to such a level.
She had been raised to be a noble woman—a woman of her word, a woman of honor, a woman gentle and kind, a woman who would always do her duty. She could not murder the Wolf during a truce.
Finding it difficult to breathe evenly, Margaret went up the narrow stairwell, Sir Neil behind her. As she stepped outside onto the ramparts, it was at once frigidly cold and uncannily silent. There was light, but no sun. Her archers remained, as did her dozen soldiers and the women and children who had been present earlier. But it almost seemed as if no one moved or breathed.
Sir Neil touched her elbow and she crossed the stone battlements, still feeling as if she were in the midst of a terrible dream, trying to find her composure and her wits before she spoke with her worst enemy. Standing just a hand-span from the edge of the crenellated wall, she looked down.
Several hundred men were assembled between the barbican and the forest. In the very front they stood on foot, holding shields, but behind them the soldiers were mounted on horseback. Above the first columns a white flag waved, and beside it, so did a huge black-and-navy-blue banner, a fiery red dragon in its center.
And then Margaret saw him.
The rest of the army vanished from her sight. Frozen, she saw only one man—the Highlander called the Wolf of Lochaber.
Alexander MacDonald was the tallest, biggest, darkest one of all, standing in the front row of his army, in its very center. And he was staring up at her.
Black hair touched his huge shoulders, blood stained his leine and swords, a shield was strapped to one brawny forearm, and he was smiling at her.
“Lady Comyn,” he called to her. “Yer as fair as is claimed.”
She trembled. He was exactly as one would have expected—taller than most, broader of shoulder, a mass of muscle from years spent wielding swords and axes, his hair as black as the devil’s. His smile was chilling, a mere curling of his mouth. She stared down at him, almost transfixed.
And when he did not speak again, when he only stared—and when she realized she was speechlessly staring back—she flushed and found her tongue. “I have no use for your flattery.”
The cool smile reappeared. “Are ye prepared to surrender to me?”
Her mind raced wildly—how could she navigate this subject? “You will never take this keep. My uncle is on his way, even as we speak. So is the great Lord Badenoch.”
“If ye mean yer uncle of Argyll, I canna wait. I look forward to taking off his head!” he exclaimed, with such relish, she knew he meant his every word. “And I dinna think the mighty Lord of Badenoch will come.”
What did that mean? She shuddered. “Where is my brother?”
“He is safely in my keeping, Lady Comyn, although he has suffered some wounds.”
She was so relieved she had to grip the wall to remain standing upright. “He is your prisoner?”
“Aye, he is my prisoner.”
“How badly is he hurt?”
“He will live.” He added, more softly, “I would never let such a valuable prisoner die.”
“I wish to see him,” she cried.
He shook his head. “Yer in no position to wish fer anything, Lady Comyn. I am here to negotiate yer surrender.”
She trembled. She wanted to know how badly William was hurt. She wanted to see him. And hadn’t Malcolm said that the Wolf was a liar? “I will not discuss surrender, not until you have proven to me that my brother is alive.”
“Ye dinna take my word?”
She clutched the edge of the wall. “No, I do not accept your word.”
“So ye think me a liar,” he said, softly, and it was a challenge.
Margaret felt Sir Neil step up behind her. “Show me my brother, prove to me he is alive,” she said.
“Ye tread dangerously,” he finally said. “I will show ye Will, after ye surrender.”
She breathed hard.
He slowly smiled. “I have six hundred men—ye have dozens. I am the greatest warrior in the land—yer a woman, a very young one. Yet I am offering ye terms.”
“I haven’t heard terms,” she managed to say.
That terrible smile returned. “Surrender now, and ye will be free to leave with an escort. Surrender now, and yer people will be as free to leave. Refuse, and ye will be attacked. In defeat, no one will be spared.”
Margaret managed not to cry out. How could she respond—when she did not plan to surrender?
If only she knew for certain that Argyll and Red John were on their way with their own huge armies! But even if they were, for how long could she withstand the Wolf’s attack? Could they manage until help arrived?
