Part 33 (1/2)

Another feud.

More unwarranted deaths...

”She belongs to Ryan,” he said insistently, shrugging her hand away. ”You heard what he said. He wanted her so much that he dared my wrath to hire you to keep her away from me.”

Ewan paused as he thought about that. ”Wait... how did he know to hireyou ? How could he have found out about Nora's plans, and then having learned of them, why did Ryan go to you and not her father to stop her from fleeing?”

Catarina looked rather sheepish.

She stepped back, her brow fretful.

A bad feeling came over Ewan as he watched her sudden nervousness. Just what was going on here?

”Cat? What are you not telling me?”

She visibly cringed. ”Promise you won't be angry at us?”

”Nay,” he said sternly. ”I never make a promise I can't keep, and by the looks of you, la.s.s, I be thinking I'm going to be good and angry at this explanation.”

She took another step back.

Ewan grabbed her wrist to keep her from fleeing. ”You'd best be telling me, Cat.”

She squirmed uncomfortably under his scrutiny, and when she finally spoke, it came out in a flurry. ”Her father wanted Nora to marry a MacAllister. He's been trying to arrange a marriage for a while now between your families, and since Braden and Sin are both recently married, he got a bit worried that some woman would grabyour interest and he would lose out on uniting your two families.”

Ewan scowled at her words. It didn't make sense that Nora's father would want him for a son-in-law.

”Why would he wish to marry her to a younger son?”

Catarina cleared her throat. ”Because the MacAllister clan will ever come first to Lochlan. Alex wanted a younger son who could take over his clan's leaders.h.i.+p and yet be able to pull MacAllister strength if needs be.”

Ewan went cold at the name.

”Alex?” he repeated slowly in disbelief.

There was only one Alex who had ever broached the subject of marriage with one of his brothers.

”Are you saying Alexander Canmore is her father?”

Catarina nodded.

Ewan cursed. Loudly.

This was truly unbelievable. Aye, her father would have his head.

Both of them.

”Her father is the cousin to the king of Scotland?” he roared.

Catarina offered him a forced smile. ”Surprise.”

Ewan felt sick to his stomach as the full weight of what he'd done with Nora came cras.h.i.+ng down on him.

He was a dead man should her father ever learn what they'd done.

”She said she was Eleanor's niece.”

”She is. Her mother is sister to Eleanor. She married Alex years ago when he was in Paris.”

Ewan cursed again as he remembered Alexander had married a French lady. It had never dawned on him that she would be sister to one of the most powerful women in all of Christendom.

Anymore than he would haveever believed Nora to be Alexander's daughter. No wonder she had failed to tell him her clan's status or her father's name. No man in his right mind would dare lead her out of the country and risk her father's wrath.

Alexander Canmore was known for his furious wrath and quick retaliation.

Sweet holy Mary, he'd slept with the niece and cousin of two kings!

Lochlan would kill him for this, and G.o.d only knew what her father would do to him...

How could this have happened?

Well, he knewhow it had happened, but why?

Aye, he was a fool. One destined for an ugly castration.

With a blunted instrument.

As his mind played through the horror of his situation, Ewan realized Catarina seemed to know a lot about this whole affair, and he wondered what other information she was withholding.

”You knew Ryan was the one who hired you to abduct me?”

This time she didn't even try to hide from him. ”Aye, I knew it. Viktor and Bavel didn't. They had never seen Ryan before, but I had.”

”When?”

”A few times at Alex's castle.”

Ewan scowled. ”You seem rather familiar with Alexander Canmore.”

”He and my mother are friends. They were very close in their youths.”

Something in her tone made him wonder if she might be one of Alexander's illegitimate children. But that was none of his business.

He had more pressing worries at hand.

”So why did you bring me here to meet Ryan, then, if you knew what he wanted?”

”To be honest, I didn't think Ryan would have the audacity to be here when we arrived with you, and her father wanted me to keep the two of you together for as long as possible. When I told him Ryan had tried to hire Viktor to kidnap you, he thought it would be a good way to give you two more time together. He was certain you would grow to love Nora if you were around her long enough.”