Captured Hearts and Stolen Kisses

by Ceci Giltenan et al.

  Dougal’s expression was grim. “Nay, lad. Some are little more than deep indentations in the rock. a few reach farther into the cliff, but the passages become impassable fairly quickly. If there are other access points, they haven’t been discovered.”

  “They’re lost to us?” Sorrow nearly overwhelmed him.

  “I won’t accept that yet. Andrew may have reached them in time.”

  “But he wasn’t searching sea caves for them. He was trying to reach Fearchar.”

  “Aye, but he didn’t. We came the longer way around. By all rights, Andrew and Fearghas should have arrived here before us, but they’re not here. Let’s not despair.”

  Eoin clung to that glimmer of hope. It was all he had.

  When they returned to the site of the battle, the men who had remained behind had already begun to bury the dead.

  Boyd Sutherland watched as Fearchar’s mangled body was thrown into a hastily dug grave. Eoin couldn’t quite read the emotion on the young man’s face.

  Laird MacLeod put a hand on his shoulder. “I know Darach is yer friend, lad, but we had no choice.”

  Boyd looked his laird directly in the eye. “I don’t mourn Fearchar Morrison. Darach is my friend, but he is nothing like his brother. Fearchar chose this evil path and it ended in the only way it could. ”

  Laird MacLeod nodded, his admiration for the young man evident. “Aye, it did.” To all of the men he said, “I need four of ye to finish burying the dead, return their hired horses to Durness and then see that a messenger is sent to Lewis for me. As we don’t yet know what Andrew and Laird Chisholm encountered, the rest of us will leave immediately for Curacridhe.”

  Chapter 25

  Once they reached the place where they had encountered the wounded Morrison guardsman, Andrew sent two men northward to find Laird MacLeod and inform him of all that had transpired. Then, he took his bride home. It was after midnight when they finally neared the castle.

  Eventually Andrew learned that news had trickled into Curacridhe since early evening. The first bit was brought by the men who arrived with the wounded Morrison. Sadly, in spite of Isla’s best efforts, he had succumbed to his injury a few hours earlier. It had been too much to hope he could survive a knife to his belly.

  Once it was clear the Morrisons had fled northward, messengers were sent to the men who searched elsewhere and they had all returned over the course of the evening.

  The next news came hours later when the contingent of men arrived with Mairi, Tasgall and Darach. The joy at having found the captives alive had been tempered by the horror of the tale they told and the knowledge that Anna MacKay had yet to be found. It seemed that all of Curacridhe and the assembled clans had waited, watching vigilantly, praying for her return.

  It wasn’t surprising then that cheers went up as they rode past the encamped clans. They were surrounded and could barely pass when they reached the site of the MacKay’s camp.

  “Andrew, let me down.”

  “Angel, it’s very late and ye’re exhausted.”

  “Please, Andrew. I’m not too tired to greet my brother’s clan. I love them. It won’t take long.”

  It took longer than he wanted it to, but she seemed truly overjoyed, so he waited as patiently as possible to take her the rest of the way home.

  When they finally rode through the castle gates, the greeting they received was even more exuberant. His heart swelled as Anna went from one embrace to the next. His clan loved her.

  Fearghas had greeted his wife with a vigorous bear hug followed by a tender kiss. Afterward, Ena extracted herself from her husband’s arms and worked her way towards Andrew. After embracing her brother, she turned with him to watch Anna.

  He nudged his older sister his face splitting into a smile. “Do ye still think Da made a mistake forcing the betrothals?”

  Ena shook her head. “Nay, she was meant for ye, Andrew.

  ~ * ~

  Anna had never been so happy to be home. She wanted to put the horror of the day behind her, and the loving welcome they received helped. On the long ride home she and Andrew had exchanged stories. She knew what had happened to Darach and what Tasgall had done to save Mairi. She saw him standing near the hearth with Aidan and Graham. His hands were bandaged, but he looked well otherwise. When she finally made it through the throng, she threw her arms around both brothers. “I love ye both so very much. Thank ye for everything.”

  “We love ye too, sweetling,” said Aidan as he kissed the top of her head.

  When she stepped back from her brothers, Graham gave her a hug too and kissed her cheek. “We were terribly worried when Darach told us everything that happened. When I went to old Laird Morrison’s funeral, I thought Fearchar was odd, but nothing made me think he would do this.”

  “His own brother didn’t see how warped Fearchar had become. Ye couldn’t be expected to,” said Aidan.

  Her lips curved in a sly smile. “Was that my brother defending a MacLeod?”

  “Aye and ye needn’t rub it in, Anna.”

  “And ye rode onto MacKay land at the head of a hoard of MacLeods,” she teased. “I bet ye never dreamed ye’d do that either.”

  He grinned at her. “Little sister, where ye’re concerned, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. But I would have ridden to hell and back to find ye.”

  She gave Aidan another quick hug before turning to Tasgall. Tears welled in her eyes as they hugged each other again. “Tasgall, ye were so brave. Ye saved Mairi. I knew ye would.”

  “Anna—” his voice broke. “I had to choose.”

  “I know, and ye made the right choice.”

  “But if Andrew hadn’t arrived in time…”

  “He would have saved me tomorrow. I was above the waterline. I might have been hungry and cold by low tide, but I was in no danger of drowning.”

  “Thank God,” he said. She could feel the tension leave him.

  She let go and stepped back. “Speaking of Mairi, where is she?”

  Andrew came up behind her, enfolding her in his arms. “Ena made her go to bed.”

  Tasgall laughed. “She made Fiona take Adam and go to bed too. Fiona was worrying herself sick and needed the rest. Mairi, on the other hand, wasn’t happy about it at all and she made certain everyone knew it.”

  Aidan smiled. “She’s like ye in that, little sister.”

  “She swore she would not sleep and she would come back down here as soon as ye arrived,” added Tasgall.

  Andrew looked toward the stairs. “Well, if she can sleep through this, I expect she’ll sleep until morning.” He kissed Anna’s temple. “Ye need sleep too. Let me take ye upstairs.”

  ~ * ~

  Andrew should have expected an argument.

  Anna frowned at him. “I want to wait for Eoin and yer da to return.”

  “I know ye do. But it could be hours and ye’re exhausted. I’ll see ye to yer chamber and come back down here. I swear I’ll wake ye if there is any news.”

  “Aye, go on, Anna. Ye too Tasgall,” said Aidan. “I’ll wait with Andrew.

  “Frankly Andrew, ye need rest just as much as she does,” said Graham. “Ye look ready to drop too. Go on to bed and I’ll keep this fractious MacKay company.”

  Andrew nodded. “Aye, I will then. Thank ye both.”

  Anna sighed. “Ye swear ye’ll wake me if there is any news, Aidan?”

  “Aye, Anna. Go to bed.”

  She nodded wearily. “Then I’ll say good night.”

  Andrew put his hand in the small of her back and guided her toward the stairs. When they reached her chamber door, he cradled her face in his hand and kissed her deeply. The feel and taste of her and her ardent response fed his soul.

  When he broke the kiss, he gathered her in his arms and she rested her head against his chest, seemingly content to stay there. The last twelve hours had been among the worst in his life. He had feared he would never hold his precious angel again. Now that she was in his arms, he didn’t want to let h
er go, but she needed to rest. Even so, he simply couldn’t bring himself to move.

  “Andrew, I…well I…”

  “What, angel?”

  “Please don’t think ill of me, but I don’t want ye to leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Oh Anna…”

  “It is a scandalous thing to ask, I know, and I’m not asking ye to…well…to make love to me. I just want yer arms around me. I want to feel ye and know I’m safe.”

  He lifted her into his arms and pushed the chamber door open. “I want nothing more than to sleep with ye in my arms, and I will always keep ye safe, my love.”

  He carried her to the bed, and after laying her on it, he removed her plaid and shoes. Then he removed his own plaid and shoes, as well as his belt and weapons, before climbing into bed with her. He pulled her close, until her back was against his chest, before drawing the covers over them.

  She sighed contentedly and was asleep in a matter of moments.

  It was a measure of how exhausted he was that he too fell asleep almost immediately, even with the woman he loved snuggled intimately next to him.

  Andrew was awakened by the sounds of horses in the bailey as dawn pinked the sky. Anna still lay in his arms exactly as she had been when they fell asleep, but she too was waking to the noise.

  He rose from the bed. Kissing her cheek he said, “Go back to sleep, Anna. I’ll go see what the commotion is, and I’ll wake ye if there is any news.” Then he reached for his shoes and pulled them on.

  She sat up in bed, cocked her head to one side and said, “Ye’re daft if ye think I’m going to sit up here and wait to find out what happened to my brother.”

  He chuckled, picked up her shoes and handing them to her. “Suit yerself. However, ye might wish to put on fresh garments first. If both of us arrive downstairs in the travel stained clothes we wore last night, we might raise a few eyebrows.”

  To his delight she blushed, but her lips curved into a smile. “Aye, well we wouldn’t want raised eyebrows. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  ~ * ~

  As she had stirred in Andrew’s arms Anna felt more content than she ever remembered being. While she worried about what might have happened to Eoin and Laird MacLeod, she knew, with Andrew at her side, she could face anything.

  After he left, she did take a moment to wash, change her shift and léine and wrap a clean plaid around her shoulders.

  As she entered the great hall, she sighed with relief. There didn’t seem to be anyone missing. Laird MacLeod, Laird Sinclair, and Eoin had all returned. Fiona and the baby were already in Eoin’s arms. Laird MacLeod sat in a chair by the hearth, Mairi cuddled in his lap like a wee lassie, Graham and Andrew nearby. News of their return was spreading fast, because clan and family members were flooding into the great hall.

  “Anna,” Eoin opened his arms to her, “I was so worried about ye.”

  She went to him, giving him a hug. “It seems I’ve worried ye a lot recently, and Fearchar Morrison was the problem both times.”

  “Well, he won’t be a problem anymore,” said Laird MacLeod.”

  “What happened?” asked Anna.

  “The short story is that we caught up with him and his men before they could make it to the ship anchored just beyond the mouth of the inlet. They wouldn’t surrender, so they were killed. However, there are so many different parts to this tale, I would like to hear all of the details from beginning to end. Make yerselves comfortable.”

  Comfortable? There was only one place to be comfortable. She crossed the room to Andrew’s waiting arms.

  Piece by piece the story came together, from Darach, to Mairi and Tasgall, to Andrew, to Anna and finally ending with Laird MacLeod. The morning meal had been served and cleared before the last detail was shared.

  “Darach, son, I am sorry for yer loss. Yer brother gave me no choice.”

  “I understand, Laird. In truth, I don’t consider it a loss. I barely knew him. Until Da fell ill, I hadn’t spent more than a few days with him ever. He was a stranger to me. That’s one reason I couldn’t understand why he wanted me to stay on Lewis. Now it’s fairly obvious it wasn’t because he wanted me at home. He intended to use me for this. I’m sorry, Laird.”

  “None of this is yer fault. I’ve sent a message to yer brother Coll, explaining what happened and asking to meet with him in Durness on the first of May.” Laird MacLeod considered him for a moment. “Darach, tell me, how do ye think yer brother and yer clan will take this?”

  “When Coll hears what Fearchar did, how deranged he became, he won’t seek vengeance. Frankly, Coll will be a much better leader than our brother. Apparently many in the clan disliked and mistrusted Fearchar. When Da was alive he could exercise some control, but when he died…well, it became clear very fast that Fearchar was cruel and ruled by intimidation. Neither Coll nor I had any power over him. I suspect that not only will most of the clan not shed a tear, there may be quite a few who raise a glass to ye.”

  “Were there none loyal to him?”

  “Only a handful, and mostly limited to the men who died with him.”

  “Well then, we should be able to reestablish our alliance.”

  Darach smiled. “I’m glad to hear that, Laird.”

  Laird Macleod looked around the room his eyes resting briefly on Tasgall before turning his attention to Eoin. “Laird MacKay, I find that my debt to yer family simply keeps growing. Not only did Anna risk her life to save Davy, but Tasgall suffered pain and injury to save my daughter’s life.”

  “I’m glad they were able to help.”

  Dougal smiled. “A better man than I would offer to release ye from the betrothals which I forced on ye.”

  Anna felt Andrew tense and Eoin looked shocked.

  Dougal continued. “But I’m not a better man. I fear I am too selfish to do that. I love Anna. I want her to marry my son and help lead this clan as Lady MacLeod. The fact that they love each other is an added boon.

  “I also love my daughter. I want a husband for her who is strong and kind and will always protect and care for her. At the tender age of two and twenty, Tasgall has shown himself to be that kind of man. So don’t even bother asking. The betrothals stand.”

  Eoin laughed. “Well there’s no point arguing then. Besides, Anna would make my life hell if I did anything to prevent her from marrying Andrew.”

  “Well then, by the grace of God, there will be a wedding tomorrow, and I suspect there is still much to do today that isn’t getting done by sitting here.”

  There was indeed a lot to do and Anna was exhausted by the time she fell into bed that night. She had only slept in Andrew’s arms one night, but she missed him and looked forward to marrying him tomorrow and spending many nights to come sleeping in his arms.

  Chapter 26

  The feast of Saint Mark dawned grey and misty, but Anna didn’t care at all. She was perfectly happy. Jesse was there, almost before Anna was out of bed, with a tray of food for her breakfast and a parade of servants to prepare a bath.

  It was delightful and Anna soaked in the rose scented water until it became chilly. Reluctantly she stepped out of the bath and dried herself before slipping on a new silk shift. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and was sitting by the fire letting Jesse comb out her hair when Ena, Fiona and Mairi arrived. She spent the rest of the morning being fussed over and pampered by these three women each of whom she considered to be a sister.

  By midday, they declared her ready. She wore a deep green léine that intensified the green in her eyes, and a jeweled gold belt at her waist. The arisaidh that Maeve had lovingly woven for her, and then retrieved from the forest, was held on by a beautiful jeweled gold brooch. Fiona had pinned it on her, explaining, “Tasgall and Aidan wanted ye to have this. It was yer mother’s.”

  The last touches were a sheer lace veil held on by a wreath of heather and a bouquet of fresh herbs containing lavender for devotion, myrtle for everlasting love and marital bliss, sage
for long life and domestic virtue and mint for warm thoughts.

  Ena put her hands on her hips, looked at Anna intently and declared, “Ye’re a perfectly beautiful bride. My brother won’t be able to take his eyes off ye. Of course he’s rarely able to take his eyes off ye as it is, so that might not be saying much, but ye are beautiful all the same.”

  Fiona laughed. “Aye I have to agree—with everything she said.” She hugged Anna. “I’m so glad ye’ve found love, Anna.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier bride,” said Mairi.

  “That’s because she was just a bairn when I was married,” teased Ena. All four women laughed.

  “Well now,” said Fiona, “I’ll go tell Eoin, ye’re ready.” She kissed Anna’s cheek before leaving.

  “And I’m just going to make sure my lassies are ready. Heaven knows, they have the ability to destroy themselves in nothing flat.” She too kissed Anna’s cheek before leaving.

  Anna smiled at Mairi. “Are ye ready?”

  Mairi nodded. “Aye. Are ye?”

  Anna laughed. “I think I was ready ages ago.”

  “Anna, I’m so glad ye’re happy and that ye love Andrew.”

  “I am very happy, pet.”

  “Can I tell ye something?”

  “Of course.”

  “I uh…I don’t hate Tasgall.”

  “I knew ye wouldn’t.”

  “Do ye know what he did?”

  “To free the both of ye? Aye.”

  “Everyone knows that, but he did something else. I didn’t realize it while it was happening, but I do now.”

  “What did he do?”

  “When we were tied up in the cave…Anna, I was so scared.”

  “I know ye were.”

  “Well, Tasgall did too. He asked me to tell him five things I liked. And then he asked questions about the things I told him. He kept me talking and I wasn’t so scared.”

  Anna smiled at her, tears welling in her eyes. “He’s a good man. Ye are very lucky to be marrying him someday.”

  Mairi’s face split in a smile from ear to ear. “I think so too.”

  ~ * ~