* * *
“I think ye do not need guarding naw less than ye need marrying tae my brother,” Stewart stopped his pacing and turned to face her. “He should not treat ye in this way, it is not right or honorable for a man to behave in such a manner, not least a man who believes himself tae be a Laird.”
* * *
“Ye and your brother are very different, aren’t ye?”
* * *
She could sense a deep feeling of discomfort at the tasks allotted to him, as though guarding her each day hung heavily upon his heart. Murdoch had chosen the one person he believed he could trust above all others with the care of his prized trophy, but the more time Stewart spent with Rhona, the more he came to see that his brother’s designs upon her were wicked and should never be allowed to go ahead.
* * *
Now he watched as Murdoch strode into the Great Hall, accompanied by his uncle and members of the clan. Ignoring all others, he made straight for Rhona, demanding her attention.
* * *
“My dear Rhona, ye shall know that my uncle and the clan shall reside here until our wedding. It is a great honor for ye tae be married tae the wife of the Laird and many shall want to make your acquaintance. I hope ye shall be forthcoming?” Murdoch looked the girl up and down as though she were a thing he had just bought for his pleasure.
* * *
“Forthcoming? In have naw choice in the matter, but I assure ye that your clan is of naw consequence tae me. They can come if they please, but dinna expect me to show them respect.”
* * *
Around her, the Mackintoshes murmured. Rhona should show the Laird respect and not speak to him as though she was in charge of proceedings.
* * *
“Do ye not think, brother, Rhona should be grateful that we Mackintoshes have done so much for her and her clan? I doubt any other Laird would have been so noble in defeat.”
* * *
“I do not think so brother,” Stewart looked defiantly at his brother. “She has done nothing wrong, and nothing tae warrant such treatment of her.”
* * *
He hated the way his brother was behaving; it was the actions of a pathetic man, not a warrior or noble Laird. Faced now by his uncle and the clan he bowed his head, unable to make eye contact with either Rhona or his brother, so ashamed did he feel.
* * *
“What is wrong with ye Stewart? We are victorious, the Cameron’s castle is ours, all is as we had hoped for and more. Can ye not be happy for your brother or see that this lassie is tae get what she deserves?”
* * *
“Perhaps Stewart is jealous,” his uncle said, smiling at Murdoch’s side, “shall we fine ye a lassie tae, Stewart? There is bound tae be one amongst this rabble of Cameron’s. What about this fine wee one here?” He pointed at Cairstine, who flinched away from his grasp.
* * *
“Leave her alone, I have naw interest in any of them,” Stewart said, “I am sure Murdoch will have his way with Rhona and that the clan will rejoice in our victory here.”
* * *
“That is more like it, brother, and Rhona, see tae it that ye keep a more civil tongue in your head.” With that Murdoch turned and left the Great Hall, leaving Rhona and Cairstine alone with Stewart.
* * *
“I am sorry for my brother’s behavior and for my cowardice,” Stewart bowed his head meekly.
* * *
“Cowardice? Ye are no coward, Stewart Mackintosh, it is a horrible thing tae be faced with a brother like that and a clan who think his actions tae be right. Tae stand up against your enemies takes bravery, but tae stand up against your own clan takes even more courage, of that I can assure ye.”
* * *
It was a brave act on the part of Stewart Mackintosh to stand up to his brother as he did. Rhona had been right in what she said: standing up to friends and family is far harder than fighting against enemies. Stewart felt a deep conflict within his heart. Rhona was such a bonnie lassie, and the more time he spent with her, the more he saw her qualities. He could not stand the thought of any lassie used in such a way. Now that Murdoch’s schemes were before him and he could truly see his brother’s wicked ways, Stewart was determined that he would no longer be his brother’s keeper.
* * *
As the days passed, he watched Murdoch carefully as he went about his schemes, the wedding drawing closer. Doubts surfaced in Murdoch’s mind too; his brother had always been loyal, ever trustworthy to the cause. He had relied upon him in the field of battle, and now he relied upon him to guard Rhona, but Murdoch did not like to be questioned. Discreetly he instructed the captain of the guard to watch his brother from a distance and ensure that he and Rhona and he did not grow too close. He could not remove his brother from the position of chaperoning Rhona, it would look as though he no longer trusted him, but there had been something in Stewart’s eyes that day in the Great Hall, something which Murdoch could not fathom.
* * *
Murdoch pondered on this in the days to come, often visiting Rhona and finding her as hostile as ever. It seemed the lassie would never come to feel anything for him but hatred. Murdoch resolved to live with that, she was his prize, and that would have to do. Iain Cameron was dead, and Rhona’s only hope for survival lay in Murdoch Mackintosh and the marriage that was to be.
* * *
“Ye and I have not shared a drink in some while,” Murdoch said to Stewart as dinner finished one evening and the two left the Great Hall.
* * *
Stewart had planned to check on Rhona, hoping to sit a little while with her but he could not ignore his brother’s wishes and agreed to join him in drinking some of Iain Cameron’s whiskey.
* * *
A barrel had been tapped from the cellar, and the two men sat before the fire in Murdoch’s chambers: chambers that had once belonged to Iain Cameron.
* * *
“So, brother, do ye still think I am wrong tae marry the lassie?”
* * *
“I think that ye do your soul a disservice, Murdoch and the lassie even more so,” Stewart replied, not letting his brother’s gaze fall as the two sat facing one another.
* * *
“I cannot comprehend ye, Stewart. Are ye a Mackintosh or not? Ye should be rejoicing in what we have done here. Why do ye not allow yourself to enjoy the spoils of war?”
* * *
“I cannot enjoy that which I believe tae have been wrongly taken,” Stewart replied, the whiskey putting fire in his belly.
* * *
“Well ye have naw choice, I will soon marry Rhona and ye must accept that fact. Ye are not in sympathy with her are ye?”
* * *
“Naw brother,” Stewart lied, “I simply believe a forced marriage tae be wrong.”
* * *
“So, it is the act and not the person that ye disapprove of?” Murdoch asked, trying to determine his brother’s motives.
* * *
He was suspicious of Stewart. He and Rhona had become too close. Murdoch had asked his brother to guard her, but now he questioned his decision, were his sympathies now with her? He trusted his brother, but there had been something these past weeks that had caused him to doubt whether the two should spend so much time together.
* * *
“I just do not think ye should force her tae marry ye, Murdoch,” Stewart finished his draft of whiskey and stared into the fire.
* * *
“She has naw choice, and neither do ye, and neither does anyone, except for me for I am Laird in this place and will have my prize.” At this he raised his cup in a toast to himself as Stewart sighed once again, Rhona’s fate hanging heavily over him.
Chapter Seven
A Wedding Approaches
The priest arrived from Bencor Abbey in Glen Coraig a few days later, escorted by the soldiers. An elderly man, unused to the rigors of travel arrived in a state of exhaustion. This suited Murdoch very well, the old man hav
ing little inclination that the union between Rhona and Murdoch was neither happy nor mutually consented.
* * *
“The marriage will take place tomorrow,” Murdoch told Stewart, “all is arranged, and it will be a simple enough affair and witnessed by enough of our clansmen to ensure that no questions are asked as to its validity.”
* * *
“And what if Rhona refuses to go through with it?” Stewart demanded: his desire still to protect Rhona from her horrible fate.
* * *
“She will not refuse, she cannot refuse, tae do so would place both her and all those she cares about in danger.”
* * *
“And ye would make good your threats?”
* * *
“That I would,” Murdoch replied, “I should like nothing better than tae do so, but ye and I know both know that we need this alliance tae legitimize our claim over the Cameron lands. My marriage to Rhona will secure the bairn as one of us, and we will ensure he is raised tae honor the Mackintosh banner. His father was a fool, and his mother can be controlled, and if she cannot be, then it will be the worse for those she still holds dear.”
* * *
“Can ye not see that your actions are devilish, Murdoch, that poor lassie a prisoner in her own home, and ye wishing tae make her your wife. Let Rhona alone, ye have won, Murdoch. The castle is yours; ye are Laird now of the Camerons, and upon our father’s death, it is ye who shall inherit, what more is it that ye want?”
* * *
“Do I sense in ye a betrayal, brother?” Murdoch turned to face Stewart, eyeing him suspiciously. “Perhaps I was wrong to place the lassie under your care. Ye have become too soft upon her, brother, far too soft indeed. Remember that we are Mackintoshes; she and all these folks are our sworn enemies. Do not ever forget that. I shall marry Rhona as she is mine tae marry, I have won the spoils of war, and ye shall not prevent me with your high words and morals, do I make myself understood, brother?”
* * *
“Aye, Murdoch. Ye make yourself perfectly well understood,” the anger against his brother burned deep inside him.
* * *
Stewart Mackintosh could not believe his brother’s words, they were treacherous and without honor. He could not see dear Rhona, the woman he had come to love, married to his brother. It was then that Stewart Mackintosh knew what he must do. He must rescue Rhona from her fate and ensure Murdoch’s monstrous plan did not take place.
* * *
“Your thoughts betray ye brother?” Murdoch placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword, “what wicked thoughts have crossed your mind? Ye know better than tae cross me, I could have ye killed, or I could kill ye myself if I thought that ye had designs upon my woman.”
* * *
“She is not your woman, Murdoch, she is her own woman, and a woman ye have taken by force and stripped of her husband. That poor lassie is terrified of ye, why ever would she wish tae marry ye?”
* * *
“Because I am her only hope, brother, and I am the one who will protect her and provide for her. It is a cruel world, and she must realize that.”
* * *
“So ye do not even love her, brother? I have always followed ye, always looked up tae ye and respected ye.”
* * *
It was not lightly that he decided to betray his brother. The bonds of blood run deep within the clans of Scotland, and doing so would make him an outcast. But Stewart knew his brother’s desires were wrong. No man should have the right to force a lassie into marriage, and not least the man who had killed her husband and made her a prisoner in his castle.
* * *
Stewart had come to love Rhona. She was indeed beautiful, but more than that she was everything he imagined a woman to be; bold and daring, unafraid to challenge Murdoch and unwilling to be made subject to his will. Rhona would not be cowed before Murdoch and neither would Stewart who had lived too long in his brother’s shadow.
* * *
Quietly, Stewart Murdoch began to prepare. He did not know if Rhona would even wish to escape. She had resigned herself to the duty of fate, but Stewart knew there was another way. Out on the moorlands and amongst the crofters, far up in the glens and forests the two of them could live safely and raise the bairn. It was a dream but one he was determined to make come true if only to rescue this bonnie lassie from the hideous fate Murdoch had in store for her.
* * *
He selected horses from the stables and packed food secretly into saddlebags, watching and waiting for the moment when he could offer Rhona her escape.
* * *
Rhona knew her fate was determined if she remained in the castle. She had known it since Murdoch’s arrival. If she did not marry him, then it would be the worse for herself and for her clansmen. For the sake of the bairn, she must accept her fate, but still, the duty sat heavily upon her heart.
All the while, the friendship between Rhona and Stewart continued to grow, blossoming like the late summer blooms in the castle gardens. A friendship which seemed so unlikely, scandalous even, but one both came more and more to depend upon.
* * *
“I have brought ye some more food, Rhona,” Stewart quietly opened the door to Rhona’s chambers and smiled at her.
* * *
Rhona was sitting in a chair by the fire rocking baby Andrew to sleep as she listened to the sounds of feasting in the Great Hall below. Murdoch Mackintosh was hosting his clan to a great dinner in celebration of their victory over the Camerons. He had forced Rhona to attend, seating her next to him as a prized trophy, the bonnie wife of the Cameron Laird now his to command.
* * *
Rhona had made her excuses and left as soon as Murdoch had drunk himself into a stupor and fallen asleep on the table in front of him. She had not wished to leave the bairn and now sat feeding him as Stewart entered the room.
* * *
At first, she was embarrassed to be seen by him in such a state, the child at her breast as she nursed him, but he only smiled and placed a plate down beside her.
* * *
“Murdoch is fast asleep now, snoring like a wild animal, I noticed ye did not eat anything, so I brought ye a plate of food.”
* * *
“Thank ye, Stewart, I could not bear tae eat anything, being on display in that manner. Murdoch would have me as his prize to exhibit tae all, it is humiliating.”
* * *
“Aye, lassie, I know it is, and I hate tae see him treat ye in that manner. Ye must eat something if only a little. Ye must keep your strength up, if only for the bairn’s sake.”
* * *
“I will do, come and sit with me a while,” Rhona lay baby Andrew in his cradle and covered herself over.
* * *
She settled herself by the fire facing Stewart and began to eat for she was hungry. There were slices of meat and a piece of bread, vegetables from the castle gardens, and a cup of wine.
* * *
“Will ye not eat with me Stewart, or at least take a little drink?”
* * *
She passed the cup of wine to him, even though he had already drunk his share during the feast.
* * *
The two sat and talked of affairs in the castle, and to see them, one would not think they represented clans that had long been at war. Rather, they appeared as gentle friends, delighting in one another’s company, the fire burning merrily before them in the hearth.
* * *
“At least this night Murdoch will not disturb ye, the liquor has seen tae that.”
* * *
“And for that, I thank God, and for the effects of my husband’s cellar.”
At the mention of Iain, she smiled and looked wistfully into the flames, his name too caused Stewart to stir, a pang of guilt running through him. After all, it was his brother who had killed the brave Laird and caused such grief. Rhona did not think the same; Stewart had been kind to her, their friendship had blossomed, he was a gentle cre
ature yet strong and dependable, as different to his brother as could be.
* * *
The fire burned low in the hearth, and the baby stirred in his cradle, letting out a little cry which caused Rhona to start.
Stealing the Highland Bride Page 7