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  She stayed where she was, unable to move even if she’d wanted to, and waited to see if anyone else would enter.

  They did. Next was Alick and Alasdair. Alasdair said, “We’ll make it short. He loves you. Please consider his proposal. We hate to see a big man like Els cry. He’s been besotted with you since he first met you in Berwick. You can’t see that?”

  She giggled and the two left, but they weren’t gone long before Els came in. He carried a bouquet of purple and white flowers and got down on one knee in front of her. “Joya, I love you with all my heart, and I will for the rest of my days. Please make me the happiest man around and marry me,” he said, holding the bouquet out to her. “I want us to have equal say on our decisions for the future. We can work through anything as long as we’re together.” He was dressed in his family’s red plaid and a white leine shirt, a handsome contrast that suited him so. Her heart had never felt so full. Unable to stop herself from crying, she whispered, “Aye,” between her tears.

  He stood up and wrapped his arms around her, then cupped her face and said, “You’re sure? I don’t want you to feel compelled into this.”

  “Nay, Els. I do love you, and your family has made me realize this is where I belong. I support the Scots in our endeavor to become free, but without a clan to belong to, what is the value in the fight? I would like to continue to help Robert, but someday, I would love to see our wee bairn, too. And I adore you. I’m sorry I denied you before, but I’ve never stopped loving you. I was confused. I wish my brother and I had a better relationship, but ’tis up to him now.”

  He grinned and said, “If you really, truly mean it, there is a priest here, and you could change into that gown. We could be husband and wife by nightfall.”

  “Naught would make me happier. I’ve missed being in those big arms of yours.” She moved over to the door and peeked out, surprised to see a hall full of expectant gazes staring at both of them. “But I have one other condition.”

  “What?” he asked, looking truly puzzled.

  “Two lads and two lassies on the loch. I want two lassies.”

  He chuckled and hugged her again, whispering, “Agreed.”

  “I said aye. If you’ll allow me a half hour, I’ll be ready.”

  The group cheered and Emmalin came over and said, “May I help you dress? I can do your hair.”

  She nodded, grateful for the offer. Els gave her a quick kiss and left, holding the door for Emmalin. Closing the door behind her, Emmalin gave her a quick hug. “You’ve made a wise choice. I just adore Els. He’s so good with the bairns, as are you. You make a wonderful pair.”

  “My thanks. He makes me so happy that every morn I wake up fearing that I dreamed him up.”

  “Nay, he is real, and he will stay by your side forever. Come, sit while I do your hair.”

  Joya sat in a chair and let Emmalin do her work, humming as she went. How she wished her mother or her father could be here. A small part of her yearned for her brother, but she had no idea where he had gone. Even if she’d been able to get a message to him, she had no idea if he would be willing to come.

  Refusing her would hurt worse than his absence, so she pushed it all from her mind and did her best to transform herself into a lovely bride. She had a lovely dress, beautiful hair, thanks to Emmalin, and she was about to marry the love of her life.

  True to her promise, she stepped outside into the hall, waiting by the door, holding her bouquet as Emmalin left.

  The hall had been rearranged, the tables moved to the sides to give her a walkway to the priest and Els by the hearth, his mother, sire, and grandsire behind him. The others were arranged around the periphery, Alasdair, Emmalin, Alick, Aunt Kyla, Uncle Finlay.

  But something was missing.

  No, someone was missing.

  She looked at Alasdair and whispered, “Dyna? Where’s Dyna?” She’d grown quite fond of their cousin, whose abrupt and honest ways were somewhat like her own. She knew Dyna would always be there for her, no matter what.

  She wanted Dyna here.

  The door opened and Dyna stepped inside, holding the door open for someone else. She grumbled, “’Twasn’t easy, but I found the brute.”

  Derric sidled in behind her, looking more handsome than Joya had ever seen him. He was dressed in his finest leine and breeches.

  “I hope you weren’t considering getting married without me, sister,” he drawled as he strode over and engulfed her in a hug.

  “Oh, Derric, I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “I’m glad Dyna found me. I was wrong to have left you so long ago. I’m proud of you. I’ve realized that part of the reason I pushed you away was that I was ashamed to have left you. If I’d found a way to stay, perhaps you wouldn’t have experienced such hardships…but you also might not have become such a strong lass. I love you.”

  Dyna took two steps closer and Joya let go of her brother and wrapped her arms around the girl still dressed in her leggings and tunic. “Many thanks to you, Dyna, for going after him.”

  Dyna rolled her eyes and said, “I’d like to say it was no trouble at all, but…”

  Derric grinned and winked at her.

  Epilogue

  About a month later…

  Elshander and Alasdair strode into MacLintock keep from the lists, but they stopped to stare out at a group just beyond the moat.

  Alasdair wiped the sweat from his brow and asked, “Is that Grandsire?”

  Els arched his brow and said, “Hellfire, ’tis Grandpapa. Why is he here?”

  They both turned around and headed to the gates surprised to see their grandfather come across the bridge on his own horse, two pack horses with him along with one hundred Grant warriors.

  “Grandsire?” Alasdair said in shock as he approached the man’s stallion.

  “Is that how you greet a visitor to your castle?” he asked.

  Alasdair glanced at Els, then back at his grandfather. “Are you staying? You’ve got a few things on the horses.”

  He climbed down from his horse and stood in front of him. “I am if you’ll have me. I brought a few gifts for my great-grandbairns if you don’t mind. And another with Aunt Jennie’s potion for my knees. And another with a few keepsakes of Maddie’s.”

  Els glanced at Alasdair and grinned. “I think you might have half the Grant keep on those packhorses.”

  “You’re always welcome, Grandsire, but I didn’t expect you to ever leave Grant land for such a long period.”

  He clasped each of his grandson’s shoulders and ushered them toward the keep, Alasdair telling the stable lads to bring the man’s belongings into the castle.

  As they approached the keep, the castle door opened and a wee lad popped out. “Seanair! Greetings. New sword?”

  His grandfather laughed and said, “I might have a new sword in my belongings, but you must wait until after dinner.”

  “Pway?”

  “After I speak with your father, I’d love to play swords with you, John.” The lad accepted this and spun around, racing back inside. “Mama! Seanair here!”

  The group moved inside, much fussing taking place as Emmalin and Joya joined them, leading the man to a chair in front of the hearth.

  Emmalin said, “We’ll be starting the evening meal in a wee bit. How about an ale by the fire?” She pointed to the six cushioned chairs near the hearth, one larger than the others.

  Alasdair guided his grandfather over to the largest chair and said, “This is your chair, Grandpapa, whenever you’re here.”

  “Fits me perfectly. My thanks to you.”

  Once they all settled, Alasdair said, “You know you’re always welcome, but I’m still puzzled as to why you’re here. What made this decision for you?”

  “’Tis spring, a time of easy traveling. I love to come through the Highlands when the trees are budding and there’s no snow buried under rocks and crevices. I thought I might visit until autumn. I promised all three of your aunts I would return before the
snow flies again. If you tire of me before then, I’ll move on.”

  Emmalin spoke right up. “Oh, I’ll not tire of you. Our bairns don’t have any of their grandparents. You are their only great-grandparent, and a special one indeed. We will love having you here, my lord.”

  “Alex to you, Emmalin. And the same goes for Joya. Besides, I also promised your Aunt Jennie I would move closer for a time. I may spend a month on Cameron land, not far from here. I miss her.”

  “Tell me again about your siblings?” Joya asked. “Els talks about so many in your clan that I confuse them. You are the eldest, correct?”

  “Aye. I have a sister, Brenna Ramsay, in Lothian. She lost her husband, Quade, several years ago, but his eldest is laird there. Clan Ramsay is our closest ally, and we’ve long considered them family. Jennie Cameron is the youngest in my family, twenty years younger than I am. She was only eight summers when Maddie and I married.

  “We lost my brother, Robbie, two years ago and his wife lives with their son’s family in a castle that overlooks the sea, quite a beautiful setting. Their other son wanders about much like Logan Ramsay did long ago. We may see Padraig soon, one never knows where he’ll be.

  “Brodie, my youngest brother, lives at Muir Castle with his wife, Celestina. Their son Braden is laird and they have a large group including Alison and Catriona and their families. Celestina and Brodie have six grandbairns at last count, and Steenie is old enough to consider marriage. ’Struth is, I’ve been able to move and ride a horse more freely since Jennie brought me this salve, so I wish to do some traveling while I’m still able. Aunt Kyla and Aunt Elizabeth will struggle with this, but they’ll have to adjust. This summer here, a month in autumn with Jennie, then mayhap next spring I’ll travel to Muir Castle.”

  “Aunt Maeve doesn’t mind?” Alasdair asked.

  “Maeve just wishes for me to be happy. Aunt Kyla fears the English won’t rest until they hang my head on a pike. What Els overheard in Glasgow didn’t help any, so I never told her that piece. If she finds out, she’ll be here quickly. You can be certain of that. I swear Maddie must haunt her every night the way she fusses over me.”

  Joya said, “You’ve built quite a clan. Be proud of all you’ve done, and what Kyla does is out of love for you.”

  The serving lasses began to bring out trenchers of stew, filling the tables as though they hadn’t eaten in days. Els said, “Emmalin, you do have a wonderful cook. Grandsire, you’ll put weight on while you’re here.”

  They settled at the tables, chatting and laughing over many things.

  Alasdair said, “I expect once Aunt Brenna finds out you’re here, she’ll come to visit us with a few more Ramsays.”

  “They’ll all be welcome,” Emmalin said, her eyes gleaming. “I want our bairns to be part of a large clan. A family of Scots.”

  Els reached for Joya’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. Joya said, “You do have the most wondrous clan, I swear. Clan Grant is amazing.”

  Dinner ended and his grandfather stood from the table and said to John, “Are you ready, laddie?”

  John laughed and jumped off the bench, his face staring up at his great-grandfather with absolute delight. “Ready, Seanair.”

  Grandsire stopped next to Emmalin and asked, “May I hold Ailith for a bit?”

  “Of course,” she said, handing over the smiling cherub.

  The big man picked up the wee lass and said to John, “Over by the hearth. There’s a package tied with ribbons by the chair. Open it for me, please.”

  Alasdair, Els, Joya, and Emmalin walked over to stand behind the man, watching John open the package. He untied it and unfolded the fabric wrapping as carefully as a wee laddie could. Reaching in, he pulled out a twined set of parchment paper painted in various colors, a vibrant scene of a castle on the front.

  John looked up at his seanair with wide eyes. “What is it?”

  Grandsire said, “’Tis a book. And you need to learn about storybooks.”

  Alasdair and Els both gaped wistfully and said in unison, “Grandmama’s storybooks.”

  Joya and Emmalin both broke into peals of laughter, watching the big warriors simpering over their beloved grandmother’s storybooks.

  Alexander Grant turned to his grandsons and winked at them. “I have instructions from a sweet woman above.”

  Then he turned to John, positioned the two siblings on his lap, and began the story of the beginning of Christmas at Clan Grant, the two bairns spellbound.

  The End

  Author’s Note

  Dear reader,

  Thanks for joining me on this journey through the difficult times of the Scottish War of Independence. I already had created the character of Joya when I started doing research for this novel, looking for some juicy tidbits to use in my plot.

  Imagine my delight when I found one book out of all my resource books on Scottish history that mentioned Glenn Trool and the woman the English sent over to the forest where Bruce’s men were hiding. Only she didn’t do what they asked, instead giving away the earl’s intent with a certain phrase said to Robert the Bruce.

  Yes, I played with it a bit to make it work with Joya, but that’s what we fiction writers do.

  I hope you’ve enjoyed your time with Els, Joya, and “Aleshander Grant.”

  You haven’t heard the last of them.

  Keira Montclair

  www.keiramontclair.com

  http://facebook.com/KeiraMontclair/

  http://www.pinterest.com/KeiraMontclair/

  OTHER NOVELS BY KEIRA MONTCLAIR

  THE CLAN GRANT SERIES

  #1- RESCUED BY A HIGHLANDER-Alex and Maddie

  #2- HEALING A HIGHLANDER’S HEART-Brenna and Quade

  #3- LOVE LETTERS FROM LARGS-Brodie and Celestina

  #4-JOURNEY TO THE HIGHLANDS-Robbie and Caralyn

  #5-HIGHLAND SPARKS-Logan and Gwyneth

  #6-MY DESPERATE HIGHLANDER-Micheil and Diana

  #7-THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE HIGHLANDS-Jennie and Aedan

  #8- HIGHLAND HARMONY-Avelina and Drew

  THE HIGHLAND CLAN

  LOKI-Book One

  TORRIAN-Book Two

  LILY-Book Three

  JAKE-Book Four

  ASHLYN-Book Five

  MOLLY-Book Six

  JAMIE AND GRACIE- Book Seven

  SORCHA-Book Eight

  KYLA-Book Nine

  BETHIA-Book Ten

  LOKI’S CHRISTMAS STORY-Book Eleven

  THE BAND OF COUSINS

  HIGHLAND VENGEANCE

  HIGHLAND ABDUCTION

  HIGHLAND RETRIBUTION

  HIGHLAND LIES

  HIGHLAND FORTITUDE

  HIGHLAND RESILIENCE

  HIGHLAND DEVOTION

  HIGHLAND BRAWN

  HIGHLAND YULETIDE MAGIC

  HIGHLAND SWORDS

  THE SCOT’S BETRAYAL

  THE SCOT’S SPY

  THE SOULMATE CHRONICLES

  #1 TRUSTING A HIGHLANDER

  #2 TRUSTING A SCOT

  STAND-ALONE BOOKS

  THE BANISHED HIGHLANDER

  REFORMING THE DUKE-REGENCY

  WOLF AND THE WILD SCOTS

  FALLING FOR THE CHIEFTAIN-3RD in a collaborative trilogy

  THE SUMMERHILL SERIES- CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

  #1-ONE SUMMERHILL DAY

  #2-A FRESH START FOR TWO

  #3-THREE REASONS TO LOVE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Keira Montclair is the pen name of an author who lives in Florida with her husband. She loves to write fast-paced, emotional romance, especially with children as secondary characters.

  When she’s not writing, she loves to spend time with her grandchildren. She’s worked as a high school math teacher, a registered nurse, and an office manager. She loves ballet, mathematics, puzzles, learning anything new, and creating new characters for her readers to fall in love with.

  She writes historical romantic suspense. Her bestselling series is a family saga that follows two m
edieval Scottish clans through three generations and now numbers over thirty books.

  Contact her through her website: www.keiramontclair.com

  The Scot’s SPY

  Highland Swords, Book 2

  Published by Keira Montclair

  Copyright © 2020 by Keira Montclair

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents

  are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used

  fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Printed in the USA.

  Cover Design and Interior Format The Killion Group, Inc.