His Bonnie Bride

of their devastating defeat was somewhat callous. Another group that did not laugh was the newly returned force of men from Athdara, who had seen the clear signs of a fierce battle that was evidently over and had raced into Caraidland afraid of what awaited them there. The call to Athdara had been a false alarm, and they knew now that it had been part of a trap sprung upon Caraidland. They wondered at the sanity of their laird, who stood with an ancient enemy laughing and slapping backs as if they were the oldest and dearest of friends.

Tavis did not laugh either. The battle was over. Because of Eldon's part in the saving of Caraidland there would be no ransoming. Storm would simply leave with her father. He fought the urge to grab her and race for the hills, to kidnap her once again.

As the bodies began to be cleared away, women served ale to the men. Eldon had to smile as he saw how the Scots and the English stayed more or less separate and eyed each other warily. He then turned his full attention to the matter of Storm. She still stood with him and the rest of her family while Tavis stood at a distance, neither moving nor speaking. He wondered if they were going to resolve a great many problems by simply turning their backs on each other.

Storm looked toward Tavis, wondering why he stayed so far away. She felt a chill enter her blood as it seemed that he was staring right through her. Even as she told herself not to imagine the worst, to wait and give him more of a chance to speak up, she found herself bracing for the blow.

"We will take some of our dead home, MacLagan," Eldon said, "and what we leave behind is yours to toss away as you will. I recognize a few of the men. Hugh and my wife gathered some true scum round them. A troop of traitors, thieves and murderers. Hagaleah is choked with such refuse."

"Weel, I thank ye for saving us from that refuse. We had our backs to the wall. I admit it."

"While we are being so disgustingly honest, I will admit that I thought on waiting."

"I can understand why. Best way to weaken your enemy—sitting back and letting others do it. Why did ye change your thinking? Your lassie?"

"Nay. My nephews had reported that you would not trade her, and I knew that Sir Hugh would not kill her until the wedding vows were secured. I changed my mind because I was told that he had cried havoc. Not only is that forbidden, but I wanted no murder of women and babes to stain the name of Hagaleah or Eldon." He looked at Colin curiously. "Why would you not trade her for your son?"

"Did ye hear that that whoreson had grabbed her once?" Eldon nodded. "Then ye ken why. I couldnae give her o'er to that. Nay, especially not when I owe her my life. My wife was poisoning me and the lass kenned it, catching me back from the brink o' death and naught less. It seems we share a deadly puir taste in the women, Eldon."

"Speak for yourself, MacLagan. I have found me a fine one and now I can wed her. Aye, and I should hie to it. If she hears that I have returned and naught else ..." He grimaced.

"She is not at the cottage, Papa. Ye have time. She also knows of the troubles, for they reached out to her, but she and the babes are well," Storm hastened to add. "They stay at her sister's."

"I think you have a tale or two to tell me, but it can wait. There are other things to speak on ere we go." He studied her carefully, yet kept a watch on Colin, who looked only mildly curious, but was in fact tensed for confrontation. "Do you have anything to talk to me about?"

It was hard, but Storm resisted the urge to look at Tavis and struggled to look mildly bewildered. "Such as?"

"Very well done, m'girl, but do not think to play that game with me. More than one has told me how things stand here, all that has gone on. What is done is done. The question I ask is what is to happen now?"

Storm looked at Tavis. It was up to him to speak. She felt her heart contract, break apart piece by piece as he stood silent. There was no need to speak of what her confession of love had meant to him. His silence was answer enough. As she had always feared, he had simply used her. She forced her pain aside so that she could face her father with some calm.

"We go home, Papa," she said quietly, suddenly needing to get away from Caraidland.

"Are you sure, sweeting?" He frowned, for she had gone somewhat pale.

"Very sure, Papa. When do we leave?"

"As soon as the horses are done being watered."

"I will be ready. Just let me go and see that I leave nothing behind."

She hurried off to the tower room, stopping briefly to bid a fleeting, tearful farewell to good friends she had made. It occurred to her as she hugged Maggie that she would probably never see any of them again, and she came very close to wailing like some starving baby. So, too, did she realize that she had hoped, even before she had heard that her father was dead, that her new friends would always be at hand. Even though they were but a few miles away it might as well be thousands.

When she reached the tower room she decided it had been a mistake to return to it. She hastily gathered up the few things she felt could be considered hers, anxious to leave a place that was choked with memories. The urge to hurl herself upon the bed and weep was almost too much to resist, but she knew she