“What are ye planning to do? We are freezing our arses off.”
Neal took his eyes off the closed castle gate he was focusing on from the safety of the tree line and looked at his second-in-command. “Are ye complaining?”
Jamie frowned. “’Twas nae the best of accommodations last night.”
That brought laughs from the other men, which were quickly squelched when Neal glared at them.
“Are ye nae Camerons? Ye complain about spending a night in the woods? We were out of the wind and had our tartans, for love of the devil!”
Jamie straightened his shoulders. “Even a plaid gets soaked through with snow on the ground.”
“Contrachd ort!” He let his glance sweep over his men. “Curses on the lot of ye for acting like bairns.”
Jamie had the audacity to raise a skeptical eyebrow, and Neal knew the man well enough to read the look. He thought Neal was the one acting like a bairn. And his second knewhimwell enough not to voice that opinion. Still, it rankled.
“There was naewhere to go. We wouldna have made it back to Spean before dark.”
“Nothing is stopping us now.” One of his other men spoke up. “Dawn broke near two hours ago.”
“We could be having a hot bowl of stew by midday if we leave now.”
“Aye, and a bit of whisky to warm us up as well.”
“Ye have whisky in your flasks, nae?” Neal asked absently, refocusing on the castle in the distance.
“We went through most of that last night.”
“And we have nae provisions, either.”
Annoyed, Neal looked back at them. “Ye are all blethering like a bunch of women. Ye’ll nae starve this morning.”
“We dinna think we would be doing surveillance, either.”
“The plan was to overtake the wench on the road.”
“Enough!” Neal shouted. It was a good thing he wasn’t laird yet, or these men would be turned out for daring to speak to him so. But as long as his father was alive, he didn’t have that option. “I ken what the plan was! How was I to ken MacGregor would take the packet instead of the trail?”
“Well, he is behind the safety of Invergarry’s walls now.” Jamie refused to be cowed. “We can hardly launch an attack with so few men.”
“And your father doesna want to start a war with MacDonnells.”
Neal gritted his teeth. He didn’t need to be reminded of how his father preferred to keep the peace. “My intended bride is inside those walls.”
“And likely to stay there,” Jamie replied.
“We doona ken that. The wench is likely to want to get home as soon as she can.”
“Have ye looked at the sky? ’Tis more snow coming. The pass will be blocked for days. MacGregor would be a fool to start out with her.”
It was what else MacGregor might do with her that upset Neal. Even though Margaret had told him that Juliana had no interest in the man, it didn’t mean MacGregor didn’t have an interest inher. And Neal had been looking forward to being the one who would plow her fields the first time. To show her how strong and powerful a man could be. To bring her to submission through pain so she would not defy him again. If she were not a virgin when he finally took her, MacGregor would pay with his life.
Until then, though, his men were right, much as he hated to admit it. They were not prepared to lay siege to Invergarry. Beyond not having enough men, they had no supplies to maintain themselves. They could hardly ride into the village outside the walls and show themselves. Word would get to the MacDonnell laird within minutes.
For now, he would turn back. But he wasn’t giving up. Miss Juliana Caldwell would be his.
Chapter Thirteen
“Since ye didna see the castle yesterday, would ye like us to show ye around?” Aileen asked as they finished breakfast.
