Historical Hearts Romance Collection

by Sophia Wilson

  She recited the prayer over and over in her head. One Hail Mary for every movement. She tried to picture the beads on her rosary.

  But everything was getting foggy. A thin veil of mist lay over the water. It was colder than ice. Her teeth started chattering.

  Not long now, she implored herself. Don’t give up.

  Every stroke was agony. Her head dipped further into the water. She took great gulps of water. It was pushing her down, slowly, slowly….

  What must it be like, she thought dreamily, to become one with the water. To fall to the bottom and become a part of its murky depths. The struggle would be over; all the pain and suffering of this world gone.

  Douglas, she thought. My love. Where are you? Come to me, my love.

  Her arms fell like autumn branches splintering from a tree.

  ***

  “She cannot be far, I tell you! Search every fox hole if you have to!” Lord Aberdeen was getting frantic.

  The search party had been riding since dawn. It had stopped at six farm houses so far, but no one had any information about a runaway girl.

  It was starting to rain now. The horse’s hooves, unused to the Highland terrain, were slipping on the rocks as they moved through rivers and across glens. He and his men did not know this territory, either. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. They had just come to another farmhouse on the edge of a river, and Neil was speaking to the farmer.

  Four days, Henry thought through gritted teeth. No one had seen his errant daughter. Lord Loneshire was conducting his own search, but it looked grim. Events were progressing beyond his control. The two clans would battle. He had already sent a rider back to Aberdeen to gather his forces.

  Lord Loneshire’s pride was at stake. Word had got out, as it always did. People were talking openly about the laird’s betrothed, and how she had run away. Every one of his careful plans was being laid to waste.

  Damn the stupid girl! He should have beaten her into submission long ago. Too much spirit. He cursed his own laziness.

  Neil drew his horse alongside his father.

  “We know where he is.”

  Henry turned. “The brother? Are you sure?”

  “Aye. The farmer knows him. Wouldn’t talk at first, until I crossed his palm with silver. Then he sang like a bird. Said he saw him in woods to the east yesterday, camping out. By himself.”

  Henry brightened. “At last! But we must not spook him. Take Munro with you. Don’t approach him, but follow him. He will probably lead us to Lily if we are canny. We will stay here, and Munro can come back and send us word of what’s happening.”

  ***

  Douglas doused the fire, and packed up his belongings. It was time to move on.

  He didn’t know where he was going, not yet. He had just desired time to think things through.

  He kept replaying the moment when Neil had found them in each other’s arms. I should have killed him, he thought grimly. And then I should have taken her away from that place. We could have made it. We would at least have had each other…

  But the world didn’t work like that, Douglas knew. They would have been hunted like hares by his brother – and her family, as well. They wouldn’t have stood a chance.

  It is best this way, he thought fiercely. I must leave her alone.

  It was like he had just made the decision to amputate his own leg. It hurt more than life itself.

  He mounted his horse. It was time to go back to civilization.

  He found an inn in the next town he happened on. After getting his horse seen to, he entered the dim space. A whiskey would be good, and maybe some haggis. He had been sleeping rough for days, and had eaten little.

  The bar was near empty. Two men in the Stewart tartan were sitting at a table in a corner. He approached the bar, and sat on a stool. It felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He couldn’t wait for the first sweet taste of the whiskey.

  “What’ll you have?”

  The barman was a little fellow, with fierce red eyebrows.

  “A dram, ye ken.”

  The fellow poured it.

  “Slainte.” Douglas raised the glass to the barman then knocked it back. The barman’s eyebrows raised.

  “Thirsty? Another?”

  Douglas nodded.

  “Are you here to join the fighting?”

  Douglas looked at him. The second whiskey had gone down as smoothly as the first.

  “What are you talking about?”

  The barman stared at him. “Where have you been, hiding under a rock? The whole village can talk of nothing else. There is to be a battle, between the Douglas clan and the Stewarts. They’re mobilizing men as we speak. The laird’s betrothed has run away.” He dropped his voice. “Didn’t want to marry him! Not that I blame the lassie…. we all know what happened to his first wife.”

  Douglas felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. “The lassie…. she ran away?”

  “Aye. No one knows where she is, though they’ve had search parties everywhere. Disappeared. Seems she’s fallen off the face of the earth.”

  Chapter Ten

  Henry swept his gaze over the encampment of men.

  A hundred Clan Douglas men had set up camp on this hill. A hundred more were marching from the east to join their forces. God willing, they would put up a good fight. Strategically, he had decided the hill was the best place for attack. The plan was to draw the Stewart forces into the valley below, and his men would ambush them.

  It was a waiting game now.

  A wait for the battle to commence. And a wait for news regarding the laird’s brother. It had been a day since he had sent Neil to find him.

  He spotted a rider in the distance. Was it Munro?

  It was. Henry waited for the horse to get closer. Munro saw him first and cantered up to him.

  Henry waited impatiently for the man to dismount, then couldn’t bear it any longer. “Well, man? What news?”

  “Your son has found the laird’s brother, and is tailing him. He has gone to join the Stewart forces.”

  “He hasn’t had contact with my daughter?”

  “No, it didn’t look like it.”

  “Damn!” Henry kicked a rock. He stood still, thinking. Then he turned to the man.

  “Ride back to my son. Tell him to keep watching. If there is no contact by tonight, you both must hightail it back here. The battle will happen tomorrow; I can feel it in my bones.”

  “You don’t want us to ride back and leave the laird’s brother?”

  “No!” Henry shook his head. “They might still make contact. I must find her. Rest your horse and have something to eat. Then head back.”

  Munro turned in the direction of where breakfast was cooking, leaving Henry alone.

  It was risky, Henry thought. He needed his son by his side during the battle. But he equally needed to flush out his daughter. If he could find her, he might still be able to salvage something with the Laird of Loneshire.

  Henry was not a godly man. But he prayed as earnestly as he ever had, in that moment.

  ***

  Neil had been following Douglas all day. So far, nothing.

  He was perched now behind a rock, watching the Stewarts gather for the battle. Douglas had joined them.

  His instinct told him to wait. If Lily had disappeared, she was either in contact with the laird’s brother, or would try to make contact. But time was not on his side. The clans were gathering, and the battle was nigh. His fighting juices were starting to flow. He needed to get back to his clan soon.

  He watched as Richard, the Laird of Loneshire, talked to his brother. It seemed normal. The Laird did not know about his brother’s relationship with his betrothed, Neil thought. If Lily contacted Douglas, he might be able to grab her.

  The wedding might still go ahead.

  Decision made, Neil opened his knapsack and pulled out a piece of black pudding. The watch continued.

  ***

  Lily
awoke slowly. Where on earth was she? And what had happened?

  She looked around. She was in a bed. It was a one room farmhouse. She attempted to sit up, but her head swam.

  A woman entered the room. “Ach, you’re awake at last! I was getting worried. You’ve slept for a whole day and night.”

  Lily looked at her. A farmer’s wife, judging by her clothes. “Where am I?” her voice sounded croaky.

  “Well may you ask,” the woman replied. “My name is Morag Lennox. My good husband is a farmer here.” She paused, and then looked at Lily pointedly. “And you are?”

  Lily hesitated. What should she tell this woman?

  The woman smiled. “Don’t bother yourself, lass. I know who you are. The whole countryside is buzzing with talk of you. You are the Lady Lily, betrothed to the Laird himself.” The woman’s eyes twinkled.

  Lily’s heart stopped. “Have you told the laird that you have me?” her voice trembled as she spoke.

  “Not yet.”

  “Please don’t! You don’t understand. I have jewels, I can pay you…”

  The woman waved a hand. “You have nothing, lass. I found you washed up on the shore, half drowned. I thought you were dead, but I pummeled your back and you started coughing and belching up water. I changed you when I got you back here. There were no jewels.”

  Lily’s heart sank further. She had hidden her jewels in her undergarments. They must have become dislodged during her desperate swim from the isle. Now she had nothing to barter with. She was as poor as the woman who stood in front of her.

  What was she going to do?

  “You’re in a sorry state, lass. You should go back to the castle. But you must wait until the battle is over, for Duncan, my husband, has gone to fight. All the men from the Stewart clan are ready. The Laird himself is there, and so is his brother –”

  Lily sat up so quickly her head spun. “His brother, Douglas?”

  “Aye.” The woman raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh please, you must bring me to the camp,” Lily panted. “I must talk to Douglas! You could talk to him, and we could meet….”

  The woman shook her head. “No, lass. If the laird finds out, he will kill us, or force us off our lands.”

  She lowered her voice. “I should have told him that you are here. God knows, if Duncan was here, he would have returned you by now. It’s only because of the way that the Laird treated his first wife, the Lady Elspeth, that I haven’t. She was a kindly woman; always giving. There was a famine here, two years past, and we had very little food. Lady Elspeth made sure we were all fed. God rest that poor woman’s soul.” She crossed herself.

  Lily’s spirits sank. And then she saw her hand.

  “Morag.” She spoke calmly. “You must take me to the camp. For if you do, you will be able to leave here and buy a hundred farms, if you like.”

  She held out her hand. The emerald in the ring seemed to sparkle, defiantly.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lily stood blinking in the darkness, trying to adjust her eyes to the dim night. She only had a small lantern.

  She was beside the kirk in the woodlands, as agreed. It was an old kirk, almost a ruin. Moss and ivy covered its tumbling stone walls. It made Lily nervous; she could see the old tablet tombstones, jutting from the ground like loose teeth. An owl hooted from far away. She remembered the legend of the Red Cap, a devil who hid in old churches. She crossed herself quickly.

  Where was Douglas?

  It had taken half a day of travel to get to the Stewart encampment.

  Lily had sat in the front of the wagon with her head down. If anyone passed her, she wrapped her shawl around her head, burying her face into it.

  She had convinced Morag in the end to bring her here. She had dressed in one of Morag’s dresses and shawls, and looked like any other farmer’s woman. The farmer’s wife had gone to the camp and was endeavoring to speak to the Laird’s brother on her behalf.

  Morag returned. “I spoke to him.”

  “What did he say? How is he?”

  “Hush, my lady, people will look.” She got back onto the wagon, and then turned to Lily.

  “He is well. He was overjoyed to hear you are safe and well. He will meet you in the woodlands tonight, while the men are eating supper and distracted. I am to bring you to a spot near the kirk. Don’t worry, I know the area well.”

  Later that night, Morag had led her to the designated spot, giving her the lantern.

  Lily had pressed the emerald ring into her hand before they separated, tears springing into her eyes. “I cannot thank you enough, Morag.”

  Morag sniffed. “Aye, my lady.” She looked down at the ring in her hand. “It is I who cannot thank you enough! You have freed my family from poverty. God bless you!”

  She had squeezed Lily’s hand, and scurried away into the darkness.

  A wind whipped up in the trees surrounding her. The owl hooted again. And then, she heard a rustle in the brush. It was him! It was her love!

  He came toward her as if in a dream. They fell into each other’s arms. They kissed, passionately.

  “Oh, my love.” Douglas was kissing the top of her head, frantically. “I cannot believe I have you safe in my arms! I was going out of my mind with worry about you.”

  She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I am safe, and well. Oh, Douglas, I thought that I would never see you again!”

  “Hush, hush,” he implored her, stroking her face. “I am here. We are together.”

  They cradled each other in silence, re-affirming their connection.

  “What on earth possessed you?” He was looking down at her. His eyes sparked. “To run away! Anything could have happened to you!” He clutched her closer as he spoke.

  “I couldn’t stay there!” she exclaimed. “Not after what happened in the hut. I couldn’t bear it!” Her tears started flowing again. “Where will we head tonight?”

  Douglas frowned. “I will take you to a safe place for tonight. But I am going back to the camp. Tomorrow, the clans battle, and I won’t miss it!”

  Lily stepped back from him. “For the love of God, Douglas, we should flee tonight, while they are distracted!”

  Douglas gripped her face. “Look at me, Lily. No, look at me! I will not scurry away like a mouse. If we are going to be together, it will be after I have battled for you, as a man and as a Highlander! I couldn’t live with myself, taking the cowardly way out.”

  She burst into tears again.

  He wiped her tears gently, with his thumb. “We will be together. I promise you! I love you more than life itself, Lily McEwan.”

  “I love you so much, Douglas,” she whispered back.

  “What a touching scene!”

  They both jumped back as if scolded. Where did the voice come from?

  Neil walked out of the shadows of the kirk. Another man walked behind him. Who was it? Then Lily recognized her father’s right hand man, Angus Munro. Both men had their swords drawn.

  Douglas drew his sword quickly, roughly shoving Lily behind him as he did so.

  Neil laughed. “Drop the sword, McLaren. You are surrounded.”

  Douglas smiled coldly. “I don’t think so, McEwan. You won’t take her from me a second time!” He lunged at Neil with his sword.

  “She is not yours to take,” Neil hissed, as he defended the attack. “Prepare to die!”

  As the two men fought, Lily tried to keep close behind Douglas. Her heart was in her mouth, watching her beloved.

  Suddenly, she felt a cold blade against her throat!

  Munro! She had been so distracted by the fight, she had forgotten all about the other man. “I’ve got you now, lassie,” he crowed. “Do not move an inch.” He grabbed her roughly, while keeping the dagger against her throat. He dragged her back to the kirk.

  “I have her!” he shouted. Douglas swung his head toward them. Neil took advantage, knocking the other man’s sword out of his hand then lunging with his own so that the tip of it was again
st Douglas’s chest.

  “Well done, Munro!” he called. “Well, McLaren, it is all over.”

  Douglas stood still. “You would not kill your own sister!”

  Neil laughed. “Wouldn’t I? You’re not able to bargain now, are you?”

  Douglas swallowed, hard. “Don’t hurt her.”

  “Oh, please, Neil, I beg you! I will come with you,” Lily beseeched. “I will marry the laird! Only, please, do not kill him.” She started sobbing.

  Neil picked up Douglas’s sword and threw it into the woods. “Think of it as a stay of execution, McLaren. It will be more satisfying to rip you open on the battlefield tomorrow.”

  Lily screamed. “You cannot battle now! You have me!”

  “It is too late, sister of mine,” he drawled. “You have started a chain of events. But don’t keen. I will kill your beloved on the battlefield, and we will keep you safe and sound. If all goes well, we will be offering you to the laird as soon as the blood starts to dry on the field.”

  He turned to Munro. “Tie her up. Then we will do the same to him.”

  After Lily was bound, Neil held the sword against Douglas while Munro tied his hands behind his back.

  “Don’t worry, McLaren. You should have that knot undone within the hour. Enough time for us to be long gone.” He paused, smiling. “And another hour to find your sword! You didn’t think I was going to make it easy on you, did you?” He laughed. “‘Til tomorrow, McLaren.”

  Douglas looked at him with hatred. “I shall look forward to it.”

  Neil mounted his horse, putting Lily in front of him. He took the reins.

  “You both didn’t think that you ever stood a chance?” He looked from Douglas to Lily with contempt. Lily wept quietly.

  Douglas watched them as they sped away into the darkness. He looked like a man whose heart had been ripped from his chest and lay bleeding on the ground.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Stay still, my lady! Stop fidgeting!”

  Lily looked out the window of the tower at Colloness Castle, staring at the water intently. She hadn’t realized that her legs had been twitching.