to Dougal. The only thing that would help his brother was the right preparation.
‘Train with me,’ Bram suggested, ‘and when we’ve located Callum, we’ll make the decision then. If you’re strong enough.’
The light of determination blazed across the boy’s face, but he gave a silent nod.
‘You’ll have to prove yourself,’ Bram said. ‘But if you’re not ready to travel with us, there’s no shame in defending our home.’
His brother’s brown eyes met his own. Though it was clear Dougal was itching to voice all the protests rising inside, he held his tongue.
‘Shall we go inside?’ Nairna ventured, nodding towards the castle walls. His wife appeared anxious, despite her outward eagerness.
‘If you want to visit the other women, I’ll take you to the gates.’ And perhaps, once she’d met Grizel, she would be satisfied to leave his mother where she was.
‘I want to bring them home,’ Nairna said. ‘It’s not right for them to be living within these walls, not when they could be home with their husbands.’
Dougal and Bram exchanged looks. ‘One night,’ Bram said, meeting his brother’s gaze. ‘No more.’
‘Even that might be too long.’ Dougal winced.
His wife eyed them as though she thought they were being unreasonable. ‘No one could be that bad, Bram.’
She let him assist her onto her mare and he let his hand linger upon her calf. Her bare skin was warm and when she held still, he envisioned sliding his palm up her leg. He wanted to take her off the horse, pulling her to him, to show her how much he’d missed her.
Her hand touched his and she leaned down. ‘Thank you for the flower,’ she said, raising her gloved hand. There was a softness in her face, as if he’d done something right.
Bram mounted his own horse and took the lead. ‘Let’s get this over with.’
Chapter Eleven
Grizel MacKinloch awaited them inside the inner bailey. Tall and slender, she held herself as though she expected the world to grovel at her feet. Her dark brown hair was tightly braided, pulling the wrinkles taut from her face. As soon as she saw Bram, her expression slid through an array of emotions—shock, sadness and fury.
Dougal took the horses, not even bothering with a greeting before he retreated to the stables.
Nairna took Bram’s hand in hers. Though she’d wanted to believe that his mother would be glad to see him, there was no love on the woman’s face. The atmosphere around them felt colder, and Nairna was beginning to sense what Dougal and Bram had tried to tell her.
‘My lady mother,’ Bram greeted Grizel, bowing slightly.
She stared at him, as though he’d crawled out of a grave. ‘Bram.’
There was no embrace of welcome, no tears shed over his return. Instead, there was an air of impatience, as if she had somewhere else she wanted to be.
He’s your son, Nairna wanted to point out. Hadn’t Grizel missed him at all? Was there no warmth in her heart?
An indignant feeling started to gather in Nairna’s chest as Bram turned to introduce her. ‘You might remember my wife Nairna, of the MacPherson clan. You met her once when we were betrothed.’
His mother hadn’t attended their wedding, though Nairna didn’t recall why. She’d been so caught up in her happiness of marrying Bram, she’d hardly noticed anyone or anything else.
Grizel’s glance was cool. ‘I see.’ Her eyes flicked over Nairna in disdain.
Even so, Nairna remembered her own manners, dropping into a light curtsy. ‘I am glad to see you again, my lady.’
The woman gave a slight nod, then turned to Bram. ‘Why did you come here?’
‘It wasn’t my idea,’ he replied.
The bluntness of his tone made Nairna interrupt. ‘Would it not be better to speak inside? I would like to meet Lord Locharr and we can rest from our journey while we talk.’
If Lady Grizel and Bram began fighting before she had the chance to smooth things over with the others, there was little hope of convincing the women to return.
‘There’s no reason for you to stay,’ Grizel remarked, wasting no time in making her point. ‘If you came to ask us to return, the answer is no. I’ll not go back to Glen Arrin, so long as breath remains in my body. And certainly not if he is there.’ She nodded to Bram.
There was no reaction at all on Bram’s face, only calm acceptance. Nairna’s temper flared up, and she couldn’t stop herself from demanding, ‘Why would you say such a thing to the son you’ve not seen in seven years?’
Was the woman that heartless?
Grizel drew up her posture, her eyes hardened. ‘Would you want anything to do with the one who caused your husband’s death?’ Without waiting for a reply, she swept past them, striding into the castle.
The clench in Bram’s jaw revealed that Grizel had struck a raw spot. Nairna saw the fury that lingered there, but he held it back.
‘Bram, I—’
‘It’s true, if that’s what you’re wanting to know.’ He headed for the stables, as if he could release his anger with the rapid pace.
Nairna struggled to keep up and nearly stumbled when Bram stopped suddenly.
‘My father died when he took a sword that was meant for me. Grizel blames me for it.’
‘She’s wrong.’ Nairna raised her eyes to her husband’s, and in them, she saw the shadow of the boy he’d been. A boy who had been close to his father and no doubt lived with the cross of Tavin’s death. She couldn’t stop herself from moving into his arms, trying to bring him comfort without words.
But this time, Bram’s hand only touched her back, as if he were too angry to hold her. Whether it was his frustration towards Grizel or whether he simply didn’t want to embrace her, it was the first time she’d experienced hesitation from him. It bothered her more than she’d thought it would. Awkwardly, she removed her arms from his waist.
‘Do you want to leave?’ Bram asked.
She couldn’t—not until she’d spoken with the others. ‘I haven’t finished what I came here to do.’ She held back a moment, thinking to herself. ‘And I want to have words with your mother.’
‘Don’t be bothered by what she said. It’s simply her way.’ Bram continued inside the stables, where Dougal had led the animals. The boy spoke quietly to his stallion, absorbed by the horse.
‘I’ll see to your horses,’ Dougal offered, nodding to both of them.
Bram handed over the reins and went to stand by one of the stalls. His gaze settled off into the distance,
