“I suppose your cousin holds Mr. MacGregor in that regard?”
Greer giggled. “Ye could say that. Morag would walk around like a mooncalf whenever Rory was about.”
Not exactly what she wanted to hear. The dear cousin had probably gone right to his bedchamber last night when she found out they’d arrived.
Aileen nodded. “Morag will be angry as a disturbed hornet if she doesna get back before ye leave.”
Juliana’s ears perked. “She is not here?”
“Our maither said she left a week ago to visit the MacKenzies at Eilean Donan Castle,” Aileen said. “She’ll have to wait until the snow melts to get back.”
“Even then, it will be a three-day ride,” Greer said.
Juliana breathed a sigh of relief. At least the girl wasn’t here, and she wouldn’t be subject to a romantic interlude. By the time the snow melted, they’d be gone and on their way long before Morag got home.
But her elation was short-lived.
“Of course, the snow melts fast at Eilean Donan with all that water around it,” Aileen said, “and they doona usually get as much as we do farther inland.”
Greer giggled again. “She may be back in time to make calf eyes at Rory again.”
Juliana schooled her face once more. Those were words she definitely did not want to hear. Definitelynot.
…
“Did ye see any sign of the Camerons?” Rory asked the MacDonnell laird once they were in the library behind closed doors, along with Calum.
He shook his head. “The blowin’ snow would have covered the tracks, if there were any. What makes ye think Cameron may have come this way? From the story ye put out, ’tis likely he would go on to Grant Castle.”
“’Tis a…feeling. A thought flying through my head.”
A side of the laird’s mouth quirked up. “Did the fae grant ye magical powers, then?”
“There may be more truth to what ye say than ye think.” The laird’s eyebrow went up in question, and Rory continued, “I had trouble tracking Cameron because there were three trails he could have taken. I wasted time on the first two. Ye ken how the faeries like to meddle and make trouble.”
“Aye,” Calum said. “’Tis best to give the fae their due, just in case.”
Rory nodded. “I finally caught up to Cameron, but was nae until after he arrived at the MacLean’s holdings.”
The laird frowned. “Ye didna catch up on the road like the lass said?”
“Nae.” Rory shrugged. “She didna want me to go into detail about what happened.”
“Was there trouble?”
“Nae at first. I told the laird I was handfasted to Juliana and Neal had nae right to claim her.”
Both MacDonnells stared at him. “Ye didwhat?”
“I ken! I ken!” Rory held up a hand. “’Twill mean I canna tumble a lass for a year—”
“Ye can tumble the one ye are handfasted to,” Calum said.
“Nae.” Although Rory had been entertaining far too many lustful thoughts about Juliana, he knew how well—hownotwell—the idea would go over with her.
“Nae? Ye have rights since ye are handfasted.”
Rory shrugged, hoping he looked nonchalant. “The lass doesna exactly understand the whole thing.”
