"And if Maggie refuses?" Braden asked.

Fergus folded his arms over his chest. "We'll give you four days to convince her. If in that time the women aren't back in our homes..." His voice trailed off.

Fergus swept a look around the men watching him. "Well, you'll have to be reaching that English army, I'm thinking. If we kill you here, then they can't come and be commanded by no spirit."

That was one small flaw to his logic Braden hadn't considered. And it was one h.e.l.l of a time for Fergus to find his brains and finally use them.

"Four days?" Braden repeated.

"Aye. Fovir days."

Well, it was a step up from Lochlan's deadline. Briefly, he wondered what he could do to get another two days. If his luck held he might actually gain enough time to think of some way out of this mess.

"All right," Braden said. "I'll have the women out in four days."

Sure you will. Why not just promise them you can walk on water while you're at it? Or turn the fishes into loaves of bread?

Hush, self, I've got enough to worry over without your intrusion.

And worried, he was. Because at the moment, Lochlan, Ewan and Maggie's lives were all depending on him. And for the first time in his life, he was beginning to doubt his ability to handle a situation.

"That's it!" Pegeen snapped, rising from the dining table and heading for the door. "I've had enough of this. I'm going home and no one's to stop me this time."

Maggie grabbed Pegeen's arm as she started past her and held the woman by her side. "Now, what's this about?"

Pegeen gestured back to the table where she'd sat earing, and to the old woman who had been sitting by her side. "I'm sick of Old Edna. She's been doing nothing but clicking her teeth while she eats. I'm sick of it. It's disgusting."

"And I'm sick of not seeing my babes," Merry chimed in from her seat in the left corner. "I haven't seen my sons in so long, I'm afraid they'll forget all about me. For all I know, Davis isn't washing their clothes or their faces. And I bet my home is dirtier than a sty."

The wails and complaints were taken up by the rest of the women. Their loud whines bounced off the walls and rang in Maggie's ears.

Suddenly the large refectory seemed to be closing in on her, the brightly colored walls, much smaller than they had appeared when she had first sat down.

Maggie felt a sudden urge to place her hands over her ears and scream.

Why, even Aisleen started complaining. And up until now, Aisleen had been Maggie's most steadfast supporter.

"Poor Lochlan is probably at his wits' end on how to cope in the castle," Aisleen said. "He's never had to worry over cooking and such. He's our laird and shouldn't be put out so."

"Silence!" Maggie shouted.

To her amazement, they quieted and looked at her as if she'd lost her wits. And at the moment, Maggie wondered it as well. Surely she must have been mad ever to think this scheme would work.

"Now, Aisleen," she said to Lochlan's mother. "I'm sure our laird is just fine. He's a grown man in charge of all our lives. I would think he, of all men, could figure out how to make a simple bowl of porridge."

Aisleen looked less than convinced, but she tucked her chin to her chest and sat back down.

Maggie took a deep breath and surveyed the other women. "As for the rest of you, you ought to be ashamed. How many times a day must we go through this? I thought we had all agreed."

"We agreed," Merry said petulantly as she picked at her roasted chicken. "But you told us the men wouldn't go more than a week without us. Well, it's been much longer than a week and there's no end in sight."

"Aye! Our men need us," they cried in unison.

"I need my man!"

Laughter broke out from the group.

Maggie c.o.c.ked her brow at the last comment, unable to distinguish the voice.

Grateful for the break in the seriousness of the moment, she sighed. "I know you're all tired. As am I."

"Then let us go home," Pegeen begged.

Maggie rose to her feet. "Do you truly wish to go back home and hand the swords to your husbands and sons as they head off to battle to die?"

The women grew silent.

Maggie nodded. " 'Tis what I thought."

"But Maggie," Edna said. "What if they refuse to end this? How much longer are we to wait? I have a garden to tend and berries to preserve for winter. Soon we'll have waited an entire month here while our work and families go neglected. At what point do we surrender?"

"Aye!" Merry chimed in again. "All of us know how obstinate men are. They'd sooner set fire to the kirk than admit they're wrong."

"What if they do come after us?" another woman asked. "How long will they wait before they punish us for this?"

Maggie closed her eyes in frustration as the women voiced her own concerns and questions. Questions to which she had absolutely no answers.

When she'd started all this, she had never antic.i.p.ated the daily fights necessary to keep the women on her side.

How could they not see what she herself saw?

"It will end before much longer," Maggie a.s.sured them. Her stomach drew tight as she remembered Braden's deadline. G.o.d help her then, for she was sure the other women would go home relatively unscathed, but there was no telling what the men would do to her over this.

"When?" Edna asked.

"Soon. I'm just asking all of you to trust me for a few more days."

Edna pierced her with a glare. "My trust is wearing thin, la.s.s."

Maggie could appreciate that, since her own patience had been stretched so thin it was close to breaking. "Give me a few more days to see what I can do."

"All right," Pegeen said, moving back to her seat by Edna. "But don't you be asking for much more than that. I have a home to see to."

Maggie nodded, her heart heavy. Saints help her, she had no idea how to conclude this.

What she needed was help.

She searched through her mind, but only one possibility came to her.

As much as she hated to admit it, she needed Braden. He was the only one she knew of who could find a possible solution. If ever there had been a man born to negotiate, Braden was he.

But it stuck in her craw that she would have to go begging an answer from the devil's own. Even now she could see that c.o.c.ky walk of his. The arrogance.

He thought himself infallible and now she would have to play into his ego.

Still, she had no choice. Her brothers' lives and those of the other clansmen depended on her.

Stiffening her resolve, she went to find the scoundrel rogue.

Chapter 6.

Braden walked the well-worn path back to the kirk as he thought over what had happened and what he had left to do. The evening sun was just starting to set and if he weren't so aggravated, it would be a peaceful, cool evening. The kind of evening best suited for finding a willing maid and pa.s.sing the quiet hours of the night.

But tonight there would be no willing maid in his arms breathing sweet, blissful sighs in his ear.

Tonight he would have to deal with Maggie. And worse, Maggie's obstinacy, for he held little doubt what her response would be when he asked her, yet again, if she would surrender her women to Fergus and his bunch.

It would be as futile as asking the sun not to rise. Or the walls around him to breathe.

Clenching his teeth, Braden wanted to start knocking heads together. Was there no end to the frustration?

Why couldn't someone, other than he, be reasonable?

What had Fergus been thinking when he had decided to go after Lochlan anyway?

When Braden entered the small chapel to find his other two brothers, he swore he could feel his blood starting to boil. His every nerve tense, he needed all his strength not to slam the chapel door and rattle its hinges.

The setting sun filtered into the room through the two large stained-gla.s.s windows that showed the birth and death of Christ. A myriad of colors dappled the old stone floor as he made his way toward the back of the kirk.

There was an iron stand for candles to the left of the nave, where his brothers were working. Sin held a ladder while Ewan stood on the next to the last rung repairing the ceiling. Braden headed for them, then quickly told them the latest bit ofwonderful news.

"Are you serious?" Sin asked as soon as Braden finished his tale.

Ewan descended the ladder. "What do you mean, they've taken Lochlan captive?"

"You heard me," Braden said. "As soon as Fergus left here, he went 'round to the homes, gathering up men and inciting them. When Lochlan returned to the castle, they seized him."

"Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" Ewan roared. "Give me a sword and I'll-"

"What?" Sin asked, interrupting him. "Bleed all over them? I realize you're quite a bit larger than the average man, but we're still just three against how many?"

"Two score in the hall even as we speak."

Sin shook his head. " 'Tis too many to fight."

"Sa.s.senach!" Ewan spat.

Before Braden could blink, Sin grabbed Ewan's collar and jerked his head until their gazes were locked.

The black, evil look on Sin's face would have made any other man wet himself.

"Don't youever insult me again,brother ," Sin said, his quiet voice carrying the wrath of h.e.l.l. "You forget which of us was cast out of Scotland into the hands of our enemies. I was fighting for my life while your lily a.r.s.e was being coddled by a doting father and loving mother. If you've a desire to learn firsthand what I was taught, then grab your precious sword and meet me outside."

For the first time in his life, Braden saw uncertainty creep into Ewan's eyes.

And Braden had had enough. Growling at Sin, Braden separated them by prying Sin's grip from Ewan's shirt and stepping between them.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, is there not a single soul in the whole town who can go more than a second without letting their emotions get the better of them? Leave him be, Sin, or I swear, in the mood I'm in, I'll tear your head off your shoulders and use it for a footstool."

Sin's face was a mask of utter disbelief as he looked skeptically at Braden.

Few, if any, men had ever stood up to Sin for fear of the knight's honed skills and short temper. And if Braden hadn't been so angry, he would have laughed at the expression on Sin's face.

However, at this moment, Braden couldn't find much humor in anything.

Recovering his stoicism, Sin said sharply, "Believe me, there is nothing more I would love than to stain my sword red with Scottish blood, but should we storm the castle, the first casualty would be Lochlan."

Braden nodded. "They said as much before I left."

A tick started in Sin's jaw while he thought the matter over.

When Sin spoke again, his tone was ominous. "Let us not forget that we are dealing with men here. Men who are h.o.r.n.y and hungry. In their state, they are capable of most anything."

"So, what are we to do?" Braden asked.

Sin stroked his chin in thought. "How much time did they give you?"

"Four days. If the women aren't out by then, they'll kill Lochlan and storm the kirk."

"Four days," Ewan repeated. "Well, it gives us time to poison the lot of them."

Sin gave a short half laugh. "Remind me to take you along on my next siege, little brother. I like the way your mind works. However, if we poison the men, then we'll have the women out to kill us for the deed."

"He's right about that," Braden concurred. "After all, they're hiding in here to protect their men."

Silence settled between them as each tried to think of something to end the stalemate.

"I'm afraid we have no recourse," Sin said at last. He met Braden's gaze. "You'll just have to complete what you started. Seduce Maggie."

How simple that sounded. If it were anyone other than she, Braden had no doubt of his success. But at the moment, her seduction was nearly out of the question. "It's not quite so simple a matter anymore."

"How so?"