Reclaimed (A Highland Historical Trilogy) (The MacKay Banshees 1-3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

beautiful women that turned him into an idiot?
    “If ye ask me, ye should finish burning her and let the devil take her instead of—”
    “ Thank ye , Bridget, that will be all.” Rory dismissed her with a warning look. “Make sure to carry yer charge on yer way home.”
    “Finish?” Fraser’s eyes widened.
    “The washer woman was wounded in a fire last year, she had extensive burns,” Rory explained. “Some say she’s gone a little daft since and was heard making curses in the square.” He remembered seeing her charred and blistered face last summer as she wandered into Durness and pointed to Angus promising retribution on him and his clan. Rory had never seen such hatred on the face of another. Such loss.
    Angus had been of a mind to kick dirt in her blistering skin and Rory had to distract him from it. That had been the first time he’d truly hated his twin brother.
    Now he knew why. Perhaps some part of him, deep down, had sensed Angus’s responsibility.
    His guilt.
    Rory shook himself, returning to the moment.
    “Maybe you should look to getting an inquisitor up here,” Fraser suggested over a swallow of Rory’s most expensive scotch. “He could interrogate her, just to be certain.”
    Alarm rippled through Rory. He’d heard stories from Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness about inquisitors terrorizing entire clans, called to start one fire, but igniting hundreds. Then installing a monastery or church to lord over the lands. He’d die before bringing that kind of evil upon his clan. Some of them still followed the olde ways. Hell, Rory himself still paid homage to the olde Gods and had delayed building any kind of church on his lands, despite the inquiries from some of his Christian people.
    There were too many Berserksers, Druids, Shapeshifters and Banshees about the Highlands to go inviting that kind of trouble.
    “I’m certain there’s no need of that.” He tried to pacify his soon-to-be father-in-law. “I’ll pay call upon Kevin tomorrow and see if it’s a possible illness that sometimes strikes the herds. Maybe rotted grain or the like. And we’ll need to substantiate the claims of the milk before making any decisions. Milk does tend to curdle if left out for too long, curse or no curse.”
    “It’s just that ye mentioned Katriona—”
    “ Haud yer Wheesht. ” Rory struggled to keep his voice calm and his fingers from Lorne’s throat. Hadn’t the man just lectured him this afternoon about caution? Had everyone lost their mind? “I’ll deal with this in the morning.” Rory pointed to the door and glared at his steward.
    Lorne wisely and silently escaped the hall.
    “Katriona?” Kathryn’s golden brow arched, but her eyes remained gentle.
    For some reason, Rory didn’t like the sound of Katriona’s name on Kathryn’s lips. It sounded wrong, somehow. Like a forgotten platitude or a broken vow.
    “Is this going to be a problem, MacKay?” Fraser queried with a frown.
    “Nay.” Rory grappled with his temper. “Nay, Katriona was Elspeth’s daughter, she died in the fire.” And perhaps now took her wrath out on sheep because she somehow failed to kill him ?
    Rory reached for Kathryn’s hand and pulled her to her feet. He had to admit he liked the way the firelight threw strands of red into her golden hair. “It’s been a long day for ye,” he murmured. “Why don’t ye and yer father retire and refresh from yer journey.”
    A familiar pang of guilt stabbed him low in the belly. He kept looking at her perfect, lovely face and thinking that he still liked stormy green eyes over her gentle blue. He’d been making comparisons like that all day. While Kathryn’s body and features pleased him greatly, she didn’t stir him. Not like—
    “My laird is kind to me.” She curtsied, her soft hand still encased in his. “I find this match very agreeable.”
    Albert stood and moved to her side, drawing Rory’s attention. “I’ll see ye safely to yer chambers,” he bowed.