“Mairi, help me,” she heard Emelia scream right before her head hit a rock and everything went black.
**********
“Emelia,” Mairi screamed as she sat up in the bed, causing Alastair to wake.
“Mairi?” he asked. “You’re awake? How do you feel?”
“Emelia,” Mairi said to him, trying to get out of the bed. “I must help Emelia.”
“Mairi, stop. You injured yourself when you fell. Just lie back and rest. Who’s Emelia?” he asked.
“My sister,” Mairi said to him. “I think that man, Lord Thompson’s brother, Donovan, took her.”
“What are you talking about?” Alastair asked her. “Mairi, are you remembering things?”
“I remember everything!” Mairi insisted, again trying to get up. “I have to get home to Branxholme; I have to make sure my family is well.”
“Mairi, stop,” Alastair said again, once more putting his hand on her as she tried to get out of the bed. “You’ve been unconscious for two days, and you will not leave this bed until either Flora or Ina look at you.”
“But, Alastair, I left her,” Mairi said, tears beginning to gather in her eyes.
“It’s been years, Mairi,” Alastair gently said to her. “I know that doesn’t help, but whatever happened was a long time ago.”
“They took Emelia,” Mairi said again, “I have to go to her. It was my responsibility to protect her.”
“Who took her?” Alastair asked.
“Lord Thompson’s brother, Donovan,” she again tried to explain. “He’s the same man who tried to take me from the village.”
“Wait,” Alastair said to her. “I want you to start at the beginning and tell me everything you remember.”
“We’d like to hear it too, Mairi,” Hamish said from the doorway where he was standing with Eadan. “If you don’t mind us being here.”
“I don’t mind,” Mairi assured them. “But I need to get home as quickly as possible.”
“It’s winter, Mairi,” Alastair said to her. “We won’t be traveling anywhere until spring.”
“I can’t wait that long,” Mairi told him. “You don’t understand what’s happened.”
“You’re right, I don’t,” Alastair said, “that’s why I want you to start at the beginning and tell me everything you remember.”
Mairi took a deep breath, thinking about where to begin her tale. Once she had decided, she began to explain. “My name is Mairi Scott. My Da is Douglas Scott, and my Mither is Grace Scott, the daughter of Finley Kerr.”
“I know Finley Kerr,” Hamish said, “at least I know of him. He used to travel and compete in tournaments when he was younger, didn’t he?”
“He did,” Mairi said, “he always said he was good and won often.”
“He was better than good,” Hamish said. “I never met him, but I saw him compete. He was a bit older than I was, but my Da loved going to the tournaments and took me often. He’s the biggest bastard I’ve ever seen.”
“He is quite tall,” Mairi said.
“He was more than tall,” Hamish said, “strongest man I’ve ever seen too. Go ahead with your tale though, Mairi.”
“I also have a brother, Cameron, who is four summers older than me,” she explained, “and a sister Emelia, who is two summers younger. We were all very close growing up, like you and your brothers, Alastair.”
“And my sister Jacqueline,” Alastair said nodding, “remember, you’ll meet her when we travel to Tioram in the spring.”
“I can’t go to Tioram,” Mairi insisted, “I have to get home to Branxholme, and see if my family is alive.”
“Why wouldn’t they be, lass?” Hamish asked. “Tell us what happened.”
“When I was eleven summers, Lord Thompson and his brother Donovan, came to Branxholme to speak with my Da. Lord Thompson wanted a betrothal agreement between him and me.”
“How old was this Lord Thompson?” Eadan asked.
“He’s probably ten summers older than me,” Mairi replied. “I don’t exactly know, I never cared enough to ask.”
“What did your Da say?” Hamish asked.
“He refused,” Mairi told them. “Neither of my parents liked the man very much. After that, he’d find reasons to come to Branxholme on business often. Whenever he was there, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere alone; a guard was always with me.”
“Your Da didn’t trust him,” Hamish commented.
“Why did he let him into your keep if he didn’t trust him?” Eadan asked.
“We’re a border clan,” Mairi explained. “The clans on the border try to keep the peace. They trade among each other, and there are some good English people, although my Grandda wouldn’t agree with that.”
“So your family did business with the Thompsons?” Hamish asked.
“Aye,” Mairi replied. “I don’t remember exactly what, I was young and didn’t pay attention to those things back then.”
“I’m glad we’re not a border clan,” Eadan said. “Go ahead Mairi, what happened next.”
“I hated Stephen Thompson. He would always try to get me to walk alone with him, or touch me without permission; he made me very uncomfortable,” Mairi said.
“Did you tell your parents?” Hamish asked.
“Aye,” Mairi said, “my Da made sure I was never alone. Grandda wanted to run him through with his broadsword.”
“I wish your grandda would have,” Alastair said.
“With what happened next, me too,” Mairi said, continuing to talk. “Then one afternoon, Lord Thompson, his brother Donovan, and around fifty of their men showed up at the keep. They told my Da they were traveling north into the lowlands and wanted to know if they could spend the night at Branxholme. My Da allowed it. That night, my Mither put out a feast for our guests. We were all sitting at the table eating, Lord Thompson and Donovan were at the head table with my family, and their guards were mixed in with the guards from Branxholme.”
“They didn’t sit at their own tables?” Hamish asked.
“Nay,” Mairi said. “Lord Thompson said it would be better if the two clans sat together.”
“I’m not sure what happened next, one of the English guards got up and locked the doors of the hall. My Da stood up, I think to question why, but it was too late, the English guards began killing Branxholme’s.”
“Killing them?” Eadan asked. “How?”
“My Da had a rule of no weapons allowed in the hall. Lord Thompson’s men had hidden dirks, and slit their throats,” Mairi said, then gasped and began to cry, “Donovan Thompson stabbed my Da!”
Alastair moved over and sat on the bed next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her against him. “If it’s too much, you can tell us the rest another time.”
“I need to tell it all,” Mairi said. “My Da looked at Cameron and told him to get Emelia and me out of there. I’ve never seen Cameron move so quickly. He grabbed us both and we ran for a bolt hole that only the family knew about.”
“So how were you able to get away?” Eadan asked.
“We ran into my Da’s study,” Mairi said. “We barely made it in there, and Cameron was able to lock the door. There’s a tunnel behind one of the walls, we’d practiced using it all my life, but I never imagined we’d need to use it for real.”
“So how did you end up in the river, Mairi?” Alastair asked.
“The tunnel lead us out into the woods behind the castle. We just needed to get to the river and follow it East. That would lead us to my Grandda’s keep. It’s less than half a day’s ride from Branxholme, but we knew it would take us at least two days walking. We ran and ran, trying to get to the river. Emelia and I were so tired and scared. Cameron was trying to be strong and keep us going, but I know he was worried about what was happening at the castle with my Da and Mither. Then we heard the men coming behind us. They must have broken down the door and found the tunnel. Cameron said he was going to try to lead them away from us and he’d catch up wit
h us along the river. That was the last I saw of him. Emelia and I made it to the river, but then Donovan Thompson and some of the Thompson guards caught up with us there. The last thing I remember is falling in the river, and Emelia was screaming for me to help her. Donovan must have taken her!”
“Calm down, Mairi,” Alastair said. “That was more than five summers ago, we don’t know what’s happened since then.”
“That’s why I need to get to Branxholme, Alastair,” Mairi said. “I don’t know if my family is alive or dead.”
“We’ll find out,” Alastair said, “but we won’t be traveling until spring, especially that far.”
“I’m not waiting until spring,” Mairi said to him.
“You are,” Alastair said to her. “I won’t risk the trip at this time of year. It’s not safe; the weather could turn at any time.”
“She’s awake?” Flora asked as she entered the room, stopping Mairi from any further protests.
“And she has her memory back,” Alastair answered.
“That’s wonderful,” Flora said.
“When can I get up, Flora?” Mairi asked. “I need to get home and check on my family.”
“Mairi,” Alastair said, becoming frustrated, “I already told you, we won’t be able to travel anywhere until spring.”
“I’m not waiting that long,” Mairi again said to him.
“You will,” Alastair said, “we can discuss this more later.”
“You can discuss it,” Mairi said back angrily, “but you can’t stop me from going.”
“Mairi,” Alastair began, but Flora cut him off.
“Everyone out, now,” she said. “I want to have a good look at Mairi, this arguing isn’t helping anything. Even you, Alastair, go have a cup of ale with your Da and brothers and calm down.”
Alastair gave Mairi one last look before getting up and following his Da and brother out of the room. Flora waited until they were gone and the door was shut before she began looking Mairi over.
“Can I give you some advice, Mairi?” Flora asked as she poked at the lump still on her head. Mairi nodded, so she continued, “I wouldn’t argue with Alastair in front of others. It shows disrespect. I know if I did that to Ham, I’d end up over his knee, with my hairbrush striking my arse.”
“But he’s not listening to what I’m saying,” Mairi argued.
“Are you listening to him?” Flora asked. “He does have a point about traveling in the winter. A storm can blow in quickly. Would you really want to take the chance of being caught in one?”
“I have to see what happened to my family,” Mairi said defiantly. “None of you understand.”
Flora sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to talk to her anymore. “You can get out of bed tomorrow if you’re feeling up to it. I’d like you to take things slowly for a sennight, but if you begin to feel nauseous or you head hurts, I’d like you to send for me or Ina immediately.” Mairi again nodded, and Flora left the room, hoping Mairi didn’t do anything that she’d be sorry for later.
Chapter 11 Mairi’s Mistake
“You seem to be healing well, Mairi,” Flora said, as she examined her a few days later. “I’d still like you not to do too much, head wounds can be tricky; I’m not able to tell what damage has been done inside.”
“So what does that mean?” Alastair asked, he was sitting and playing with Cameron while Flora checked Mairi over.
“She can go back to doing normal things,” Flora told him, then she turned back to Mairi, “if you begin to feel nauseous or your head hurts, I’d still like to know.”
“Good to hear,” Alastair said. “Thank you, Flora.”
“I’m glad you’re doing so much better,” Flora said to Mairi, “you had us all quite worried at first. We lost Nessa to the fever; I don’t think this family would have been able to take another loss so soon.”
“How is Eadan?” Mairi asked, speaking for the first time. She hadn’t been talking to anyone very much since her memories had returned. They all assumed she was trying to process everything and didn’t want to rush her through it.
“As well as can be expected,” Flora answered. “He’s been keeping to himself most of the time. Da is trying to help him through his loss, even though things weren’t going well between him and Nessa since she carried Eadan Hamish, he’s taking her loss quite hard.”
“They were happy once,” Alastair said. “It seemed like after Eadan Hamish was born, Nessa changed.”
“She had a hard time carrying her babe,” Flora told them both, “and not an easy delivery. Many women suffer from baby blues, but tend to get over them with time, Nessa never did. She was afraid if she had another babe she wouldn’t survive.”
“I wish there was something we could do for him,” Alastair said.
“Right now Eadan doesn’t seem to want to talk to anyone about it,” Flora said to them. “He’ll come around in time after he grieves.”
“That makes two McCabe’s not wanting to talk to anyone,” Alastair mumbled, looking at Mairi. She had barely even talked to him the last few days. She seemed angry with everyone at Gleann, and he couldn’t figure out exactly why, but he planned to find out as soon as Flora left the room. He was not going to end up with a marriage like Eadan and Nessa; he loved his wife too much to allow that.
“I’m off to check on others,” Flora said, “I thank God every day that the sickness has passed.”
“How many died?” Alastair asked.
“More than twenty,” Flora said, walking towards the door, “There are still a few recovering in the village, but all the villagers in the hall have been sent back to their cottages. It could have been much worse.”
Once the door closed behind her, Alastair turned to his wife, “I’m going to take Cam to my Da and ask him to watch him for a while, I’d like to talk to you.”
“About what?” Mairi asked, not looking at him.
“About your family, and what’s bothering you. I know it’s hard, Mairi, but you’re taking your anger out on everyone at Gleann, and it’s not our fault,” Alastair answered. “I’ll be back shortly.”
Once Alastair left, Mairi moved quickly. She packed a satchel with an extra gown, her hairbrush, and some necessities. She also made sure she had the dirk that Alastair had Craig make for her. It sat in a leather sheath that tied onto her thigh. If Alastair wasn’t going to take her to check on her family, she would go alone. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to Branxholme. She threw her warmest cloak around her and headed out of the room and towards the stables. Hopefully, it would take Alastair some time to find Hamish, and she would be well on her way by then.
Mairi moved fast as she picked out the horse she intended to ride; putting a saddle on him, and securing her bag. She was trying to be quiet so that no one in the stables would ask what she was doing, or where she intended on going. She mounted the horse and turned it towards the opening. The hardest part was going to be getting past the guards and through the gates, but she was already thinking of a plan to accomplish that.
“What are you doing, Mairi?” Alastair asked from the doorway.
“I’m going home,” she said to him. “Get out of my way, Alastair.”
“I won’t let you go,” he answered, walking towards her. “You’re not thinking clearly. You’ll never make it that far, especially alone.”
“I’m going,” she said, “and nothing you say will stop me.”
“I’ve already explained this to you,” he said, “we can go in the spring, but it’s too dangerous to travel in winter. I’m not even sure where Branxholme is located.”
“I have to see what happened to my family,” Mairi insisted, holding back tears, “you don’t understand.”
“I do understand,” Alastair said gently, “but I won’t risk our lives trying to get there. Get down from the horse, Mairi, and we can discuss this.”
“I’m going,” Mairi again insisted.
“Nay,” was all Alastair said, reaching up
to help her off the horse.
“I have to go!” Mairi again insisted, and without thinking brought her riding crop down hard on Alastair’s outstretched arm, leaving an instant welt where it landed.
Mairi felt bad immediately. Although she was angry at Alastair and everyone else for keeping her from traveling to Branxholme, she knew that they were right, and traveling in winter wasn’t a good idea. “I’m sorry, Alastair,” she quickly said, “I don’t know why I did that, it was a mistake.”
“That’s an excellent use for your riding crop,” Alastair said calmly, pulling it out of her hand. “It definitely got my attention.”
Before Mairi had time to say anything else, Alastair reached up and pulled her off the horse. Flipping her over his shoulder like a sack of grain, he carried her towards the keep. He never stopped to look at or speak to anyone they passed as he walked through the hall, up the stairs, and into their chambers.
Hamish watched him go by as he sat in the hall playing with Cam, “looks like your Mither is in a bit of trouble again,” he said to the baby as he watched Alastair go by. He was hoping Alastair was going to take her to task, he was worried the lass was going to try to do something foolish, or maybe she already had.
Alastair walked directly over to the chair that sat in the corner of the room, which he pulled out, sat down on, and flipped Mairi face down over his knees. Without a moment’s hesitation, he had her gown and shift flipped up onto her back, so that she was bare from the waist down.
“I’ve tried to talk to you, but you refuse to speak to me or even listen,” Alastair began, bringing his hand down on her arse and thighs. Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. “Maybe you’ll pay attention in this position.” Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. “It’s too dangerous to travel that far in the winter.” Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack. “I won’t let you risk your life that way.” Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack.
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