Captured Hearts and Stolen Kisses

by Ceci Giltenan et al.

  “There was a woman in the market who gave me leeks. She said ye were always running out of them. I was hoping to surprise ye, but the stocks must have been broken in the confrontation on the road.” She paused to let out a frustrated sigh, then continued, “I guess I’m nae very good at making deliveries, am I?”

  Bess laughed and then kissed her on the forehead. “Sweet child, ye’ve nothing to apologize fer! I appreciate the thought.” She gave Elspeth a wink and added, “She was right, they will come in handy.”

  Graeme walked with her toward the kitchen and spoke in hushed tones. As they disappeared around the corner and out of sight, the door flew open and a man walked into the tavern. Wild, windswept hair fell in his face. His shirt and hose were tattered and smeared with brown smudges.

  Seamus acknowledged him with a nod, saying, “Good day, Matthew. Is something the matter?”

  Elspeth did not recognize him from around the village, but he seemed impatient and desperate. He pushed his way through the crowd and scanned the room looking for something. When his eyes locked on hers, the man headed directly for their table with a sense of urgency. “Miss Elspeth, ye must come quickly.”

  She set down the cup and glanced up at the stranger in surprise. “What’s going on?”

  He shifted nervously, rubbing his face with his equally dirty hands and said, “My wife is near the time fer delivery, but she has fallen in the market and now she bleeds.”

  Elspeth gasped as she stood up from the table and threw the shawl from around her shoulders. “What?”

  Alistair’s eyebrow furrowed, “I’m sorry to hear that, friend. Take Seamus and a few of the men, they’ll help ye carry Ginny back home safely.”

  Matthew shook his head. “She’s in terrible pain, miss. I wouldn’t dare move her. I’m frightened fer her, and the life of our child. Will ye go with me?”

  “Of course. Take me to her.”

  As she was about to leave, Alistair stepped in front of her protectively. “I’m nae sure that’s a good idea…”

  Elspeth scoffed. “She’s hurt and frightened, Alistair. We can figure out what to do with Duncan after I get back, but right now someone needs me.”

  The dirty man called Matthew turned to her and said, “Please, miss. I’m afraid if ye do nae come with me right away, she may end up losing the baby.”

  Elspeth glanced up and Valan and Alistair. “I-I have to go,” she told them. “It’s my duty. If there’s someone out there bleeding, and I dinnae help them when I can, I would never forgive myself.”

  Alistair shook his head. “Sorry, Ellie, but I cannae let ye go with him. Graeme would nae allow it.”

  Thinking quickly, she argued, “Then send some of the men along with me fer protection. Duncan wouldn’t get near me with an escort, and I could still help the lass and her babe.”

  He exhaled heavily, looking back and forth between Elspeth and Matthew. Eventually, he held up his hands in surrender, saying, “Very well. Ginny is a kind lass, I would nae deny her aid in this time of need. Take three of the men and that should be enough to ease Graeme’s fear. I’ll stay behind and let Graeme ken where ye went.”

  She smiled at him. “Thank ye, Alistair.”

  He nodded stiffly while calling back over his shoulder, “Kent, Seamus, William.”

  Three men stood up from their chairs and came over when he called them.

  “Go with Elspeth to the market so she can work her skill, but keep a wary eye out while ye’re there—there’s no telling when Duncan will show his face again.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Valan and Alistair watched Elspeth with apprehension as she turned back to the frantic man.

  “What are ye waiting fer?” she demanded. “Let’s go!”

  He nodded quickly, and they ran from the tavern together. The three men sent to guard her kept in step as they rushed down the dirt path. Her heart raced, wondering how bad the woman’s injuries could be and their footsteps echoed down the hill. She had little knowledge of childbearing but knew bleeding like the man described was dangerous to both the mother and the babe.

  How am I going to do this? Elspeth wondered. I’ve got to try.

  She tried to think of anything she could remember that would help this poor woman and planned out what needed to happen when they arrived. She and the men made it around the corner and almost to the docks before Elspeth started getting nervous. Something did not seem right, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when they reached the less savory parts of Castlebay. She knew Graeme would not be happy about her leaving, but taking the escort with her made Elspeth feel less guilty about disobeying his direct order.

  If nothing else, she was taking precautions to ensure her safety. Surely, Graeme could nae be angry about her desire to serve a woman in need.

  “What direction is she? I dinnae see anyone in the market.”

  “Change of plans,” the man replied.

  Seamus immediately drew his sword. “Ye bastard! Was this yer plan all along?”

  Elspeth’s eyes widened as she stepped back from him confused. Meanwhile, Kent and William had taken a defensive stance in front of her, each putting a hand on the hilt of their blade.

  “I thought yer wife was bleeding,” Elspeth sputtered. “Ye said she needed help…”

  Matthew chuckled, raising his hand up in the air to signal something behind him. “I’m sorry, but that was just a lie to get ye out of the tavern.”

  Kent and Seamus screamed with rage at the betrayal while three men stepped out from the shadows of one of the buildings. As soon as the men stepped into view, her guardians burst into action, fighting off the filthy sailors. Realization dawned on her this was a trap, but it was too late to get away.

  Stupid. Stupid, Elspeth scolded. I should have listened to Alistair.

  Elspeth backed away from them looking for a way to escape, but their position on the road had strategically blocked her way leading back into the village.

  “Why are ye doing this?”

  Matthew smiled a wide, toothy grin as he carefully avoiding the others while they fought. “It would have been easier if ye’d agreed to come alone,” he told her crisply. “But dinnae worry, we can take care of the others easily. Our friend wants to speak with ye.”

  To her horror, one of the men had successfully defeated Kent. He lay on the ground in a pool of blood with a red stain across his chest. Her eyes widened with fear, backing away from Matthew slowly as his companions knocked out Seamus and William. She couldn’t tell if they were alive or dead, but one thing she did know was there was no one else between her and the abductors. As her heart began to race, one of them pulled a burlap sack from behind his back and offered a menacing smile.

  “Nae!”

  She screamed as loud as she could and spun around to leave, but the dirty man who’d led her there grasped her firmly by the wrist. Despite his appearance, Matthew was actually much stronger than she expected. His hands and fingers bruised Elspeth’s wrist as she fought against them, digging deeper into her flesh.

  Her eyes flickered to the bodies of Seamus and the others lying in the road and a wave of grief overtook her.

  This is all my fault, she thought. They died trying to protect me.

  The man merely held her tighter as she struggled against his grasp. The man beside him, who was even taller than Seamus and twice as wide, tied a gag across her mouth to muffle the sound of her cries. Tears streaked down her face as she realized no one was coming for her, no one even knew she needed saving. With the gag in place, her captors moved on to tying her hands with a piece of rope and throwing the sack over her head.

  “Get her in the ship,” a raspy voice commanded. “We have to move before they realize she’s been taken.”

  Panic rose inside her as the men grabbed her feet and arms, lifting Elspeth up into the air. She twisted and turned, fighting against them in a desperate attempt to break free before they took her away.

  Elspeth tried calling out, b
ut the gag muffled the sound and just reverberated within her throat. She screamed into the rag as they swung her body, then flung her through the air. The last thing she heard before landing on the hard, wooden surface was someone in the distance calling out her name.

  ~ * ~

  Graeme exited the kitchen after speaking with his aunt and headed back over to the table. She’d given him many things to consider, and he was always grateful for Bess’ council, but it did little to ease his fears. When he arrived at the booth where they’d been sitting, Graeme realized Elspeth was no longer there. His muscles tensed immediately, and his eyes flew to Alistair for explanation. “Where is she?”

  Alistair sighed, running his fingers through his hair and Valan gave him a look of disapproval. “Dinnae panic, I sent Seamus and two others with her fer protection. After ye went into the kitchen Matthew came rushing in and said that his wife was bleeding. Elspeth wanted to go check on Ginny, so I made sure an escort was in place.”

  Graeme grit his teeth and said, “What?”

  “I ken ye dinnae want her to leave, but she’ll be fine with the others watching her.”

  “Ye dinnae think it’s a little suspicious so soon after Duncan threatened her?”

  Alistair frowned, the brow of his forehead puckering between the eyes. “Graeme, it was an emergency; Ginny and Matthew could lose the babe. I did nae send her out alone, Duncan would be a fool to try anything while Ellie’s with her escort.”

  Graeme pounded his hand on the table and said, “How many men did ye send?”

  “Three—Seamus, Kent and William.”

  He sighed. “That might nae be enough. How long ago did they leave?”

  Alistair’s eyes narrowed as he set down his tankard and stood up from the chair. “Less than five minutes ago. They were headed toward the market—”

  Graeme was already running out the door before he could finish. His legs pounded against the road, racing after them down the hill. As he ran, Graeme looked around frantically for any sign of Elspeth, trying to catch sight of her flowing, blonde hair. His heart began to race as he glanced through the market without any luck. In the distance, he saw a group of five running toward the dock and a flash of blonde hair—Elspeth.

  Graeme locked on them and broke into a sprint, but they were too far away for him to reach. They stopped near one of the lesser used buildings along the port and Elspeth appeared irritated, frustration clearly written on her face. He charged toward them and called her name in panic. “Elspeth!”

  As he made his way toward them, three men approached from the shadows of a vacant building. A fight ensued, and Graeme watched in horror as his friends were quickly disposed and fell to the ground defenseless. Elspeth backed away in fear and one of the men turned to grab her by the wrist. Graeme’s hand flew to his sword, screaming her name into the night sky as he watched them gag her with a piece of cloth and throw a linen sack over her head. Seamus, William and Kent lay in three separate pools of blood, barely visible in the dark.

  “Elspeth!”

  Her captors turned their heads his direction when they heard him scream. Cursing, they quickly loaded Elspeth onto a ship and threw her on the deck with a painful–Oomph!

  As soon as she was on board, the men cast away from the dock and started rowing out to sea. The ship sped away, disappearing into the black waves underneath a crescent moon. All he could do was watch in horror, knowing his worst fears had come to pass. Panic like he’d never felt before rose up inside him and Graeme feared he might never see her again.

  He roared her name into the night sky. “Elspeth!”

  Chapter 26

  The Bay of Barra

  “Elspeth!”

  Over the sound of wind whipping through the air around her, she heard someone calling her name in the distance. She breathed in deeply, realizing that meant someone had seen her get taken, after all. Elspeth wondered if it could have been Graeme, but it seemed unlikely since he’d not seen her leave.

  Her head was still reeling from the attack as she sat up on the ship and a pair of footsteps approached.

  I’m such a fool, she told herself angrily. I should have known it would be a trap.

  She could hear them working and knew it wouldn’t be long until the ship shoved off from the dock. Her wrists rubbed against the rope bindings as Elspeth struggled to break free, and then she felt the ship lurch forward.

  Tears pricked her eyes as she was thrown back by the force of their departure and she slid back into the feet of her attacker.

  What is happening?

  She had never felt a boat move so fast, it didn’t seem possible. The ship swayed with the waves of the ocean and surged forward with tremendous speed. Wind whipped past them and only made her tears come harder. The men on board laughed as the man calling her name grew faint and then faded into the distance.

  Elspeth closed her eyes and breathed out determinedly through her nose, trying to think of a way to escape. She’d lived among pirates for months now, surely she’d have picked up something by now. Her mind flashed through a dozen different ways to escape, each with varying outcomes for success. She thought about Graeme and the potential of their future, making her even more determined to make it out alive.

  He was worth fighting for.

  The boat lurched to a stop much sooner than she anticipated. As it crashed against the shore, Elspeth was thrown forward on the deck. She felt her heartbeat quicken as one of them spoke for the first time since they departed, “Come on, lass. Ye dinnae want to keep him waiting.”

  She couldn’t respond with the gag in her mouth, but still narrowed her eyes at him and bit into the fabric. She didn’t care if they could not see the hatred blaring in her eyes—it was still there all the same.

  The man laughed again and one of them said, “Get her feet.”

  Without the ability to protest, or realize what was happening, Elspeth felt the ground give way beneath her. The hands gripping her by the arms, waist, and feet, lifted her from where she sat and carried her off the boat. She could feel them sway as they stepped onto the shore and placed her on the ground. The surface felt like dirt and stone, but she had no idea where they had taken her. All she knew was that it was solid ground. It wasn’t grass, and it wasn’t wood, that much she was sure of—it was hard and unyielding. Her feet stumbled over the uneven surface as one of them prodded her forward and she was forced to walk along the shore.

  Behind her, she could hear the metallic clink of something being unloaded and her heart beat frantically within her chest.

  A chain, perhaps?

  She was terrified and confused, and didn’t know how she was going to get out of this.

  Eventually, they came to stop and one of the men yanked the sack off her head. She winced as the rough fabric grated against her skin and prepared to face her attacker. When her eyes settled on the man in front of her, Elspeth’s blood ran cold. She would have recognized him anywhere.

  Duncan.

  He smiled thinly, looking back at her and walked around her in a circle. “Was there any trouble?” he asked the dirty man who had lured her from the tavern.

  “Nae. He caught sight of us on the dock, but we were already at sea.”

  “Excellent. I expect Graeme to be joining us shortly then. I want to see his face when I cut this pretty lass’s throat. Then he can understand the depth of my pain.”

  She turned to face him with the gag still tied around her mouth, glaring at him with all the malice she could throw at him.

  Nae! I played right into his trap.

  As the panic rose inside her, Elspeth struggled to speak, but it came out muffled and incoherent.

  Duncan tsked her playfully as his smile widened. “What’s that, dearie? I cannae understand a word ye’re saying.”

  He signaled to one of her kidnappers with a snap of the finger. A burly man, one Elspeth hadn’t noticed before, stepped forward and ripped the fabric roughly from between her lips.

  She spat ou
t the vile flavor of the material and said, “What good would it do to kill me? Graeme will still defeat ye. He’s a better swordsman than anyone on this isle.”

  Duncan laughed. “Is that so? Tell me something, lass. Did it ever occur to ye that Graeme was nae the only one his Uncle Jamie taught to fight?”

  A thrill of fear trickled down her spine and Elspeth’s eyes grew wide. Duncan sneered, leaning in close to grab her by the chin. “That’s right, dearie. I sailed with Jamie fer years before Graeme picked up a sword. I was with them in Spain when he learned how to fence, the spoiled brat he was. Back then, I would have laid down my life fer him—I would have done anything Jamie asked me to. That was before Graeme took my life away from me and ruined everything. I’m sure he told ye about our unfortunate falling out. He took away my happiness, and now I’m going to return the favor.”

  It was exactly as Graeme had warned her it would be. Duncan came after Elspeth because he was trying to get to Graeme. Her love would come for her, that much she was sure of.

  “I offered ye a bargain earlier,” the madman continued. “All ye had to do was share yer secrets with me instead of him. I’m tired of Graeme getting everything that should have gone to me, things he does nae deserve. Everything comes so easily to him, but now I have the upper hand. I’m going to kill his good luck charm and see that his time as captain is ended.”

  Chapter 27

  Graeme stormed down the road toward the docks, cursing himself internally. Amazingly, Seamus managed to survive after being knocked unconscious, but Kent and William were not so lucky. After he and Alistair witnessed Elspeth being taken, they ran back to the Salty Wench to collect the rest of his men. With the speed her ship was travelling, Graeme knew he would not be able to get her back alone. It took them little time at all to enlist the rest of his crew, all of them eager and willing to assist in Elspeth’s retrieval. Most of them were furious that Duncan had made a move against their brethren in the first place and mourned their falling. They needed no encouragement to join the cause and retrieve their tender surgeon.