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Gelroy asked, “What if I were to tell you I cannot remember?”
Colm let the priest see his annoyance “You cannot rehs at least twice asfeat?”
Gelroy bowed his head He gave up trying to be clever “I’iven my word to keep silent, and I must keep it”
Colive your word to the men who tried to kill my brother?”
“I did not, and I have no idea who those terrible men are I would not hold their secrets unless they came to me in confession” He hastily put his hands up “And none of the about them I don’t even knohat happened to your brother I only saw the result of the punishment they inflicted”
Brodick was distracted by the noise from the courtyard A Buchanan warrior called to him “There’s trouble below”
One of MacHugh’s men looked down at the people assembled below “You should see this,” he told Colm
“Why do I care about the English and their troubles?” Brodick asked as he strode to the parapet
“Baron Geoffrey’s daughter is at the heart of the trouble”
GABRIELLE LED THE WAY TO THE COMMONS SHE WAS DETERMINED to end thisand be on her way home as quickly as possible The abbot followed as she hurried up the s quarters and around the s house She was about to enter the co in the shadoatching her Gabrielle instinctively s, but the wo in her expression, and her ferretlike eyes gloith hatred
Gabrielle was so taken aback, she abruptly stopped Although she had never met the woman before, she had a fair idea who she was Such a vile reaction could only come from a Monroe Her father had told her that most of the Monroe clan blamed her for their laird’s death The ridiculous ideato the wo out that her attitude was e woman picked up her skirts and ran away
The abbot caught up with Gabrielle in time to see what had happened “Do you know that woman?”
“No, I don’t,” she replied “She seemed most upset, didn’t she?”
“Aye, she did Upset with you fro on her face”
Gabrielle nodded “She must be a Monroe because the Monroes dislike me intensely”
“Oh, no, Lady Gabrielle, that isn’t so”
“It’s not?” she asked, a bit relieved The idea of an entire clan hating her was upsetting “The Monroes don’t hate erly
“Oh, yes, they do Theyalmost cheerful “But you see, that woman isn’t a Monroe I can’t recall her na introduced to her, and I believe she’s related to one of the barons With all the strangers I’ve ht in lish all tend to look alike”
Lovely, she thought The Monroes’ hatred had spilled all the way down to England
“I won’t allow myself to be concerned about their foolish opinions”
The abbot gestured toward the passage into the courtyard “Shouldn’t we continue on?”
“Yes,” Gabrielle agreed “But you needn’t come with me I’m certain you have more important matters to attend to, and I don’t want you to waste anotherabout me I prefer to face the barons alone”
She stepped through a short hallway and found herself in the ht It was difficult for her to locate the two barons because the area was filled with people, everyone in the asse to shout louder than everyone else It was pandeht, to provoke such vehe for the noise to die down
She searched the crowd for the two barons, and when she happened to look up, her breath caught in her throat and she nearly lost her balance Lia down froer andthan the first time she had seen hih so intiid stance and his stony expression He was the most fearsome man she had ever seen
The laird next to hinized him as well This was the wild Buchanan
Concerned that she would lose what courage she had if she continued to stare at the two Highlanders, she turned her attention back to the fighting throng in front of her
Suddenly one man noticed her, then another and another, and within seconds a hush had fallen over the crowd
Baron Coswold spotted her before Percy did He bowed low and held out his hand to bid her to come forward
“Lady Gabrielle, it is so good of you to join us We’veJohn’s court I’m sure you remember me, don’t you?”
Gabrielle didn’t acknowledge Coswold’s question She simply looked at hi
“I speak on the king’s behalf,” he stammered, unnerved by her silence
She walked toward him, and the baron silently cursed himself for the devil pact he had ive her to another rown even more beautiful
Everyone remained quiet as the lady made her way to the center of the courtyard
Col below hilish were, arguing over who had the right to speak When the screa suddenly subsided, he wondered what could have quieted their absurd tirade And then he saw her She h and her hands at her sides
Baron Percy broke the silence “My lady, I can see you don’t remember Coswold,” he said, a snicker in his voice “We have alsoJohn”
Percy knew better than to ask her if she reet the saiven Coswold
“And Coswold is ’s behalf I do”
The stateument
Cosaved a docu er valid The date , later than Percy’s worthless paper, proves that I ae”
Percy wasn’t about to let the woers “As is his habit, Baron Coswold speaks nonsense I have already decided that since Laird Monroe is dead, you will return to England withJohn decide your future”
Coswold turned to Percy “Everyone here knohat you’re planning You plan to wed the lady before you leave the abbey, but she isn’t going anywhere with you”
“I will have her!” Percy screamed
Gabrielle could hardly believe her ears Were they both h she were a piece of s? She knew she couldn’t be that important to either of them Nay, it was Finney’s Flat they were after Both barons wanted the valuable land
Several MacHugh and Buchanan men joined their lairds at the wall to observe the coaze was fixed on the wo on inside herand her composure impressed him
Coswold clapped his hands to regain everyone’s attention He then turned to the group of ave a quick nod, and said, “I’ll sett
le this here and now”
The crowd parted, and Laird Owen MacKenna stepped forward He nodded to severalup at the top of the wall, he saw MacHugh and Buchanan watching him, and stiffened in reaction
“Look who just crawled out from under his rock,” Brodick said “It’s our old friend”
“The arrogant swine,” Colm scoffed
Baron Percy did not know Laird MacKenna “Who is this ?”
“I areed to marry Lady Gabrielle and accept her dowry From this day forward, Finney’s Flat will be called Glen MacKenna”
Cosore a s look “Aye, Finney’s Flat will be yours”
Up above, Colm reacted with a start “The hell it will”
Brodick straightened “No, we can’t let that happen” He looked at Gabrielle and wondered why she hadn’t protested the barons’ high-handedlike her father, she was railing inside, Brodick thought
MacKenna approached Gabrielle with a war through hiht sheAfter all, she was about to be married to a powerful laird Aye, far more powerful than poor dead Monroe could have hoped to be And MacKenna was ood fortune just hadn’t sunk in yet
“Laird MacKenna and Lady Gabrielle will be married before this day ends,” Coswold called out
Another shout fro of people interrupted his proclaht to her I am Harold Monroe, and I will soon becoht to eniture”
The throng stepped aside to let hinized the man He had been with the spiteful woman at the funeral
As Monroe ed him “You are not the firstborn son of Laird Monroe He had no sons You, therefore, cannot claieniture”