by Alisa Adams
They rode on until spires of smoke appeared on the horizon and small, squat buildings could be seen gathered together. People and horses moved about freely, but Bryan was careful to look out for any English guards. He kept his ears pricked for the sound of an English accent, and he told Catherine to let him do the talking so as not to draw attention to herself. Catherine nodded mutely and bowed her head, keeping her hands clasped behind her back to hide the jewelry she wore as well.
As they approached town they smelled cooked meats and heard the merchants selling their wares. Bryan dismissed them all with a wave of a hand. He wanted to stay out of sight, so headed straight to the tavern in the hopes of finding a bed for the night. The tavern was a bustling place where everyone seemed to be in good spirits. A bard had struck up a merry tune and people were dancing in the middle of the room, and some were even on tables. From her expression it was clear that Catherine had never seen anything like this, and at one point someone came up to her and tried to get her dancing on a table, but she shook her head sharply and sidled closer to Bryan.
Bryan linked his arm in hers and moved close to the bar, where a barman was leaning. He had a ruddy complexion and had a cloth strung over his shoulder, which he intermittently pulled down and wiped the bar with.
“What can I get ye?” he asked.
“Two drinks, some food, and dae ye hae a room for a couple of nights?” Bryan asked.
“I’m sure I can sort something out for ye,” the barman said as he set about making their drinks. Soon enough there were a couple of mugs of ale. Catherine leaned forward and turned up her nose at the bitter smell, and shook her head.
“Ah, actually, dae ye hae anything a wee bit more suitable for the lass?” Bryan asked. The bartender took a look at her and then chuckled, giving Bryan a knowing smile. He took the mug away and poured some wine from a bottle. The liquid was still thick, but it seemed more palatable to Catherine, although when she sipped she blinked widely and puckered her lips. It was probably more hearty than what she was used to in England.
The only trouble came when the barman told him the cost. Bryan had been so busy thinking about how to flee from England he had forgotten about his lack of funds and clenched his jaw.
“Perhaps there are some tasks ye need help with?”
The innkeeper reared back and blew out his cheeks.
“I’m sorry, but I cannae give a room and food for naething,” he said. Bryan was about to protest more and ask him to make an exception when Catherine reached out and placed a ring onto the bar. The innkeeper looked at it for a moment, and then picked it up. The ring looked small in his grubby, thick fingers. The jewel sparkled and he looked at Bryan and Catherine with narrowed eyes.
“Will that be enough?” Bryan asked.
“Aye, this’ll dae,” the innkeeper said. He reached under the bar and gave them a key to a room, and then directions upstairs. “I’ll send someone up with ye food.”
“We’ll have tae be careful with those rings. We dinnae want tae much attention,” Bryan said as they shut the door behind them. The room was quaint. There was a bed pushed against the wall, a chest for belongings, and a small dresser. Curtains hung over the windows and there was a thick rug on the floor.
“There didn’t seem to be much choice,” Catherine said. She sipped her wine and shook her head. “This is going to take some getting used to. Is this how you used to live before? Going from inn to inn?”
“Aye, some were nicer than others. And some were quieter,” Bryan said. The noise from downstairs was still audible even though the thick door was closed. But at least they were out of sight. Catherine sat on the bed and put her head in her hands.
“Do you think we’re safe here?” she asked.
“Aye, for the time being at least. Let us relax. I’m sure we’ll feel better with some good food in our bellies.”
About half an hour later a young girl was sent up with two plates of food filled with eggs, bacon, and bread. The two fugitives tucked in eagerly and patted their bellies once they were full, and then they relaxed in bed, enjoying a couple of hours of sleep.
Night eventually descended upon them and the stars twinkled outside. The noise hadn’t stopped any, but they had been so exhausted they had managed to enjoy a couple of hours of sleep. They woke up and ventured downstairs for dinner, and found that the tavern was just as busy as it had been before, although the music had changed. Catherine’s eyes widened with delight at all that she could see and hear.
They had dinner and a few drinks and took in the atmosphere of the night, sitting close together. At first, Bryan was tense, but as the night wore on he began to relax and enjoy the company. They sat close together and whispered to each other amusing comments regarding the people around them and the band that was playing. Catherine remarked how different it was to the noble banquets and feasts her father had thrown, but also how similar they were in essence.
However, as the night went on, Bryan noticed that more than a few people were looking at them and whispering to each other. It often occurred after people entered the tavern, and while he could put this down to them being struck by Catherine’s beauty, it did make him paranoid, especially when he noticed people pointing at them.
“Wait here,” he said, and rose from his seat. Catherine looked at him with confusion as he walked across the room and glared at the people pointing at him.
“Dae ye hae anything tae say tae me?” he asked in a low, rumbling growl that would have intimidated even the most fearsome of men.
“I…I…I think ye might want tae look outside,” the man gulped, and glanced towards the door. Bryan furrowed his brow and stepped outside, but he didn’t see anything of note at first. Then he looked at the walls and saw that the town’s notice board was filled with wanted posters depicting his likeness, as well as that of Catherine. She had been painted as the stolen woman, and there was a handsome reward listed for his capture. Bryan ripped the poster off the wall and tore it in half, allowing the pieces to fall to the ground, not that it did much good. He knew that too many people had seen it already, and there would surely be more.
He marched back inside and found that the men he had been talking to had disappeared, but the barman was there.
“Who put those posters up?” Bryan asked. The barman had his cloth deep in a mug and looked at Bryan blankly for a moment.
“A few men came in here this afternoon. I could hae told them ye were upstairs,” the barman said blankly. Bryan softened his demeanor.
“Yes, ye could hae. Why dinnae ye?”
“Because I hae nae love for the English, and any fool can see that ye hae nae taken her against her will. I hae everything I want here, but nae everyone does. Ye should watch yeself. A lot of men would sell themselves tae the English for a reward like that.”
Bryan’s whole body tingled and he suddenly felt under a great deal of scrutiny. He looked around the inn slowly and instead of strangers he saw threats. Some of the men stared back at him, others looked away, and he was sure it was only a matter of time until someone turned him in. He walked back to Catherine and led her upstairs, telling her about what he’d seen. Her hand instantly went to her mouth.
“Oh no, what are we going to do?”
“We’re going tae spend the night here, and then we’ll leave first thing in the morning,” he said with a clenched jaw. They returned to their room and sank to the bed, both of them occupied with thoughts that nowhere was safe.
“What if they spread these posters in all the surrounding villages? Catherine asked.
“Then we’ll find somewhere else. We have nae come this far just tae be captured.”
“I don’t understand. Why would anybody here help the English capture you? Aren’t you one of them?”
“Aye, I am, but I’m just one man and the only people that know me are the people I’ve helped along the way. There are plenty of strangers out there who would want that reward for themselves, especially in a place like this.”
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br /> “Oh Bryan,” Catherine whimpered, and flung her arms around him. His arms fell around her naturally, and he was surprised at how used he had become to having her next to him when for so long he had been alone. He stroked her back and felt the rise of her womanly curves. The heat of her body was pleasing and when he looked down at her the moonlight that poured in through the window caught her in such a way that she looked like an angel. Her face was lined with worry, and Bryan wanted to do something about that. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, feeling that same burning that always occurred whenever the two of them were in close proximity to each other.
Their bodies unfolded and came together. The bed creaked softly under their weight and their tongues began to dance. When he’d first kissed her Catherine had been hesitant and unsure, but she had grown into the embrace and her soft muffled moans were a delight to his ears. He breathed in her feminine scent and, while they were kissing, their anguish melted away and everything seemed to be simple. His powerful hand stroked her soft hair and rested at the small of her back. He could feel her frantic heartbeat thumping against him and she buried her head in between his neck and shoulder, whispering and nibbling on his sensitive skin there. A low rumbling growl escaped his lips as he felt desire rise within him once more, and he knew he couldn’t wait any longer, not when there was so much danger around. He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face and kissed her deeply.
“Lass, in all honesty I dinnae ken how much time we hae taegether.”
Her eyes lit up. “So we should make the most of the chance we have now,” she said, and kissed him more ardently. His hands began to explore her body, feeling the soft curves and supple skin. Everything he felt was a new delight and the air was soon simmering with their heat. They smiled and kissed and suddenly everything seemed natural between them, as though this was where they were supposed to be, together.
They clasped hands and lost themselves in the embrace, their bodies moving so close together that it surely seemed as though they would melt into one being. The sounds of the tavern below faded into a vague echo. More vibrant were their hearts. More vibrant was their passion.
He cupped her lithe young body in his powerful arms and rolled her around so that he was on top of her. He dragged his hand down the middle of her body and rested it on her thigh, squeezing the burning flesh gently. His body thrummed with desire and his heart hammered in his chest.
“I hae never wanted anyone more,” he breathed in between kisses. Her almond-shaped eyes were big and wide, and her body was underneath him, so beautiful in all her virtue. Every time he touched her he saw the wild delight dance within her and he knew that this was her first time. He wanted to make it special, to make her his wife before he did anything like this, but the desire was too strong, and he knew the danger that was present in their lives. He may never get another chance. She was a Lady, and she deserved a Laird, but for some reason she had chosen him and he wasn’t going to question it any longer.
Bryan licked his lips and kissed her again, this time, his hands moved to unburden her of her clothes, but just as he was undoing the clasps of her dress he heard frantic movement outside.
“They’re in there. I saw them gae upstairs. Now, when dae I get the reward?”
“When we capture them,” an English voice snapped. Panic flared in Bryan’s mind and anger burned in his heart as he rose. Catherine was confused, for she had been so lost in the blaze of passion that she hadn’t heard anything, but Bryan quickly told her and then she moved as quickly as him. She looked towards the door and went to fling it open, but Bryan quickly told her not to.
“They’ll be waiting for us. We hae tae gae out the window,” he said, all the while he pulled the dresser across the floor and placed it in front of the door, which would at least delay the English for a few moments. Then, he and Catherine went to the door and looked down. They were on the first floor, so it was quite a jump, but thankfully there was a wagon filled with hay outside. It was a small target, but they had no choice. Bryan took Catherine’s hand and looked at her. They nodded, counted to three, and then they jumped out of the window. The air rushed around them and the ground came up alarmingly quick. At the last moment Bryan closed his eyes, afraid that he would feel all the bones in his body shatter at once, but there was a soft thud as the wagon creaked upon their impact. They glanced up and hurriedly spilled out of the wagon, and then ran to their horse, not bothering to look back.
As soon as they were atop Whisper they heard the guards running out of the tavern, but Whisper disappeared into the darkness and they had narrowly escaped their hunters once again. Bryan rode Whisper hard back into the forest, hoping they could find somewhere during the night where they could enjoy some peace and quiet. These Highlands were supposed to have been his home and were supposed to have offered him sanctuary, but even they were a threat. Was there anywhere safe for him?
20
Catherine held on tightly to Bryan as they galloped through the darkness. The strange, unfamiliar world passed all around her and she ended up closing her eyes, growing tired of peering into the darkness of the night. When she first escaped her home she had been filled with the sense of this grand adventure, but that had now been tempered by the fact that the English were hot on their trail. It was beginning to seem like only a matter of time until they caught up to her, and then the adventure would be over. If she was captured she and Bryan would have only delayed the inevitable. When she escaped she had assumed it would be forever and that she would never see her father again, but what if she had been wrong? What if she was going to be taken back home and forced to marry Lord Ralls anyway? The prospect filled her with anguish because, despite the struggle, she enjoyed being with Bryan more than she had enjoyed life for a long time.
She had also enjoyed listening to his thoughts on the future, and she would have loved to live that out with him. She was sure that with some application and hard work they could find some land upon which to prosper, and she liked the challenge of restoring his family’s honor. After seeing how easily nobility could be besmirched by her uncle she had a good sense of what had happened to the Pressley name, and she feared that the same thing could well happen to hers if her uncle’s sway over her father increased. But in order to do that they would have to be free, and at the moment it seemed as though the hunters were relentless.
When they were in town Catherine had considered the possibility of getting a message to her father, telling him to call off the hunters as she was safe, but there had been no chance to send such a message and she wasn’t sure if the plan would work anyway. The more she thought about it the more she realized that her father and uncle would never give up the fight for her, and her heart sank. Sometimes she wondered if she should have tried to speak with her father before she left, to explain to him how she wanted a life different than the one he promised, but she knew too that it would have only led him to prevent her from escaping. Sorrow filled her mind, for it seemed as though the universe itself was against her happiness. All she wanted was to be with Bryan and to actually enjoy spending some time with him rather than running for their lives the entire time. This wasn’t what she had hoped for when she had left, but she told herself that at least they were together, at least he was alive.
They rode for a long while until the horse showed signs of tiring. Bryan looked back and listened, but the night was still and quiet, and it seemed as though the English had not pursued them through the forest, although no doubt they would find their trail again at some point.
“Where are we going to go?” Catherine asked.
“I dinnae ken. They’ve nae doubt put those posters up all over the land, we need tae get farther north,” he said, “but for the time being we’re gaeing tae hae tae stay in the woods. It’s our only chance to keep away from them.”
They walked forward and tried to find a nice spot to camp down for the night, but after a while they saw a glow ahead of them. Catherine’s hackles rose and she g
ripped Bryan a little more tightly. She was just about ready to imagine the English were all around them and had somehow gotten ahead of them and were lying in wait. The shadows danced with all manner of dark possibilities and threats lurked everywhere. Her throat became dry as they approached and she was about to ask Bryan to veer away, when suddenly the sweetest song pierced the air.
She had never heard the song before, but it spoke to her soul. The voice was honeyed and melodic, and she felt herself being lulled to sleep. As they approached they saw a family sitting around the fire. The mother was singing to a little boy, whose eyes were heavy with sleep. Catherine listened in awe until the last note faded into the silence of the night.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
She wished she hadn’t said anything.
The man instantly raised a spear and the woman scrambled to get in front of her children.
“Who are ye?” the man snapped. Catherine was taken aback. She had spent the past few days being hunted herself, so she didn’t think anyone could take her as a threat. Bryan slipped off Whisper and held his hands up.
“Sorry for disturbing ye, we did nae mean tae sneak up on ye, but ye song was beautiful. I’m Bryan, and this is Catherine, we were searching for a place tae sleep taenight when we saw the glow of ye fire and heard ye sweet song. I hope ye dinnae mind us coming tae greet ye. We’ll move on if ye wish.”
Bryan had a quiet charm and now that she had seen him interact with a few people on this journey, Catherine was aware how he could have survived this long on the goodwill and hospitality of others. He seemed to engender kindness in anyone he met, and it only made her more attracted to him. He would make a good leader of a house, and he deserved to hold that position one day.