She thought that Torbot McBlane’s face darkened before he replied,
“He will be there. You may be certain of that, my Lady.”
“I would like you to speak frankly about him,” Clova said. ‘Why do you dislike him and why are the Elders – so determined that he should not be their Chieftain?”
“As I have already told you, he has no real fondness for Scotland.”
“I think there is more to it than that,” Clova protested.
Torbot McBlane did not speak and after a moment she asked,
“Is he intent on furthering the feuds between us and the Clans who live on the borders of our land?”
Torbot McBlane threw her a sharp glance.
“Why should you think that?”
“It is just an idea that came to me.”
She sensed that he debated with himself before he answered her question.
“It is true we have heard stories of
