The Border Hostage

by Virginia Henley

  At night, as they lay enfolded in each other's arms, Heath told her about Donal and Meggie and how deeply in love they were. “You and Meggie will like each other; she has a sweetness that is special, and their little girl will steal your heart.”

  “Valentina will be overjoyed when she sees you.”

  “And when Tina sees that you are with me, she will be like the cat who has swallowed the cream. She was as determined as I that you were the perfect wife for me; soul mates I think she called us.”

  “Are Castle Douglas and Donal's tower castle far apart?”

  “Nay, the land runs together. The Kennedy tower castle stands at the mouth of the River Dee where it empties into the Solway; Castle Douglas lies a few miles upriver.”

  “So we will reach Castle Douglas first, and your own acres? We need not take the mares further?”

  Heath read Raven's thoughts and realized she was nervous about visiting the Kennedys. “We must go and see them.” He took her into his arms. “My darling, you have already met my father. I know he can be fierce and overbearing at times, but you must never be afraid of him. He admires those who have courage. Valentina is his favorite because she has the guts to stand up to him. When he learns of your bravery in rescuing me from Carlisle Castle, he will be like butter in your hands.”

  It took them two more days of traveling to get to Castle Douglas. When they entered the massive hall, it was beginning to fill up for the evening meal. Tina scattered the rushes as she flew to her favorite brother's side. “Thank you for riding to Ram's aid in Newark. He told me you had escaped from Carlisle Castle, but I wasn't worried for a moment. I knew if you could escape the Tower of London, Carlisle would be like child's play to you. What the devil took you so long?”

  “It was Raven who rescued me from Carlisle,” Heath explained.

  Valentina turned to Raven and stared horrified. “What the devil have you done to her, you madman? She looks like a damned Gypsy!”

  Heath laughed. “We brought my mares from Eskdale.”

  “You've been living rough and sleeping outdoors? My God, only look at her delicate skin … the sun has turned it brown!” Tina was outraged. “She's wearing rags! Ada, come quickly, we must do something about Raven.” She turned to Heath. “Any woman who would do this for you must love you enough to marry you. Have you asked her yet?”

  “I have,” Heath declared.

  Tina turned to Raven, “And have you finally agreed to wed him?”

  “I have,” Raven declared.

  “Oh, how marvelous, I have a wedding to plan!”

  “As a matter of fact, Tina, we are—”

  Raven put a quick finger to her lips to stay his words. Tina was the most generous woman in the world, and if her heart was set on having a wedding, Raven would see that she got her wish. Surreptitiously, she took off her wedding ring and slipped it into her husband's hand.

  Heath repeated, “As a matter of fact, Tina, we are looking forward to being married in your chapel here at Castle Douglas.”

  Ram entered the hall with his faithful wolfhound, Boozer, at his side. When the fierce creature saw Heath, he loped toward him and stood with both his front paws on Heath's shoulders, barking loud enough to raise the rafters. Ram laughed. “Anyone would think he was glad tae see ye.” He turned to Raven. “Have no fear, the Boozer's bite is worse than his bark.”

  “I brought my mares to pasture on the land that Angus gave me. I haven't even seen it yet, but we'll take them first thing in the morning.” He turned to Tina. “We brought Indigo; would you like to ride out with us?”

  “Oh, thank you so much, Heath; I have missed her dreadfully. I can think of nothing more invigorating than a morning gallop. Ram, you must send a message to my father immediately to let him know that Heath is here, safe and sound.”

  “I sent him a message days ago that he was safe and sound; I warrant Rob would prefer a visit tae another damned message.”

  “We will go downriver as soon as we get the herd pastured,” Heath said.

  “We?” Tina repeated archly. “You may go by all means, Heath Kennedy, but Raven cannot go to meet her future family until I have transformed her back into a lady!”

  Heath looked helplessly at Ram. He certainly didn't want to be separated from his bride.

  “My God, don't look at me fer help, she's yer bloody sister, and ye know she rules Douglas with an iron fist,” Ram jested.

  Tina looked at Ram and Heath impatiently. “Go over there and eat with the men; we have a wedding to plan.”

  As the two men walked apart from the women, Heath told him that he had allowed Margaret to escape to England. Ram laughed. “Let Dacre look after her; it will cost him a pretty penny. She has obscenely expensive tastes.”

  “What about Archibald?” Heath asked.

  “Poor Archie cannot escape tae England. Henry Tudor would have his balls along with his head. Takin' Tudor gold and then not deliverin' the goods is very bad fer the health! My cousin will have tae withdraw tae the Braes of Angus in the Highlands; 'tis the only place he has left. I just got word from the courts that the will I submitted has been accepted and validated.”

  “Congratulations! Thank God old Angus is up there pulling the strings. If they hadn't accepted it, I would have no claim on the land across the River Dee. Things are looking up for both of us. Raven and I got married before we left Eskdale, but Tina has it in her flaming head to plan our wedding, and Raven wants me to keep my mouth shut so Tina won't be disappointed.” Heath rolled his eyes.

  “Yer secret's safe with me. She'll be in her glory plannin' a christenin' and a weddin'. All Kirkcudbright, Wigtown, and Galloway will be invited. She wants tae show off the twins, and we're still arguin' about the bairns' names.”

  After dinner Heath approached Tina and his wife, who were in deep conversation with Ada and two waiting women. He managed to catch Tina's eye. “Which chamber can we have? We want one where we won't be disturbed.”

  “You may take the chamber next to Cameron's. You won't be disturbed at all, for Raven is sleeping in my wing, so she may use my bathing tub and get fitted for some new gowns.”

  “You are wrong; I am greatly disturbed! I want Raven to sleep with me.”

  “And so she shall … after the wedding. A bride-to-be needs sleep, not what you have in mind.”

  “What I have in mind is throttling a certain redhead. I don't know how the hell your husband puts up with you!”

  Ada said dryly, “It's because Black Ram Douglas has such a sweet nature, coupled with an extremely mild temperament. You would do well to emulate him.”

  Heath glared at the female conspirators and threw up his hands in surrender.

  CHAPTER 31

  Heath found his bed extremely lonely and the night interminable. He arose at the crack of dawn and made his way to the spacious Douglas stables to visit his stallion, Blackadder. When he saw Heath, the huge black horse began to kick the sides of his stall, indicating that he needed exercise. Heath saddled him and trotted outside to the paddock where he had left his mares. As Heath expected, Blackadder began to rear with excitement the minute he scented the females. “I know how you feel,” Heath muttered sympathetically as he gentled him and brought him under control.

  As he dismounted Blackadder and tethered him, Ram joined him and they went back inside the stable, where Ram saddled Indigo for Tina. “I take it the ladies intend to grace us with their company,” Heath said. “I had better saddle Sully.”

  Ram hid his amusement. “Yer voice seems tae have an edge tae it this fine morning. Doesn't marriage agree with ye?”

  Heath threw back his head and laughed, his good nature restored. He turned as he heard female voices, and stared at the beauteous creature who accompanied his sister. Raven was garbed in a fashionable riding dress of pale peach trimmed with apricot braid, and a fetching hat in a matching shade perched atop her dark curls. He immediately closed the distance between them and lifted her gloved hands to his lips. “You look
ravishing, or good enough to ravish,” he whispered intimately. “Though lovely, your dress is grossly impractical.”

  “For ravishing or riding?” Raven lifted her mouth for his kiss.

  Heath's lips twitched with amusement. “Only a few hours with Tina and already her sauciness has rubbed off. The only way I can tell you apart is by the color of your hair.”

  “What a lovely compliment,” she teased. “Will you be this attentive after we are married?”

  “Speaking of weddings, when is ours to be?” Heath smiled and tried not to grind his teeth.

  Valentina jumped in with the answer. “We have decided it shall be the same day as the christening, since all the guests have already been invited.”

  “How many days?” Heath's voice was measured, his words deliberate.

  “Such impatience. … I am tempted to postpone it just to see how long you can hold out.”

  “Tina!” His tone clearly told her he was in no mood for games.

  “This Sunday, which gives us only four more days to sew a wedding gown and complete a new wardrobe for your bride.”

  “Four days?” It sounded like a life sentence to Heath. He took Raven's hand and drew her aside. “I cannot stay under the same roof with you for four days and remain celibate. I shall go downriver and visit my father for a few days.”

  Raven looked at him longingly and wished she hadn't entered into the game. She reached up on tiptoe and kissed him. “We mustn't let it spoil our joy in taking the mares to our own land.”

  He held her close. “I love you, Raven.”

  “Fer Christ's sake, Tina, will ye get in the bloody saddle before he tumbles her in the hay?”

  Heath took the mares from the paddock, then he and Ram led them upriver along the bank of the Dee. For now, Valentina and Raven were content to follow where their men led.

  “The river narrows about two miles from here. I warrant that would be the easiest place tae cross. Yer acres start where the Dee widens and deepens,” Ram explained.

  When they reached the place Ram had described, they herded the mares across with little trouble, but the moment Tina's Barbary got her dainty hooves in the water, she turned skittish and began to sidestep. Ram laughed at his wife. “Ye're out of practice.”

  “That's because I've been shackled to your bed, making babies for you, Douglas!” Indigo turned around and headed back, and in an effort to stay her, Tina's lovely amethyst-hued riding dress became splashed with muddy water.

  “Mayhap ye're too heavy fer such a dainty mount.” Ram was enjoying himself. “Why don't ye climb down and lead her across?”

  Tina did just that. She loved the Barbary far too much to risk her long, slim legs. She cared nothing for the ruined boots and dress, and when she reached the far bank where her husband sat laughing, she was ready to join the game. “You are an uncouth, uncivilized swine, Ram Douglas. You need touching up with a riding crop.” She jumped into the saddle and tore after him.

  “Catch me if ye can,” Ram called over his shoulder.

  Sully, surefooted as ever, brought Raven across the river without incident, and she rode up beside her husband. “You would never guess she was the mother of twins.”

  “They enjoy baiting each other. Ram knows damned well the Barbary will catch him.”

  “But he also knows Tina won't beat him with her riding crop.”

  “It wouldn't be the first time she's taken her whip to him; how do you think he got that scar on his cheek?”

  Raven shuddered. She completely understood the passion a woman could unleash when a man she loved drove her to it. The mares had begun to wander, cropping the rich green grass beside the water, so Raven helped Heath herd them together and they set off up a great incline. They seemed to climb forever, then finally they saw Tina and Ram awaiting them at the top of the dale.

  When they arrived at the peak, they saw that the land sloped down into a long, lush valley, and below them to their right, the River Dee widened out into a loch. “This is it,” Heath said, not needing to be told he was on his own land.

  “What a magnificent view.” A lump came into Raven's throat, for she knew this was the first land that Heath had ever owned, and she could only guess at the deep emotions he must be feeling as he watched his mares break into a gallop and thunder downhill into the valley.

  Suddenly, Valentina bent over double with laughter. “I don't believe it!” She turned to her husband with a triumphant look on her face. “This is Kennedy land! This is the land that you and Angus cheated my father out of as part of my dowry! And now it has come full circle back to the Kennedys! This is the way it was originally: Douglas land on the far side of the Dee, and Kennedy land on this side.”

  “Where do your hundred acres end?” Raven asked Heath.

  “They don't,” Tina asserted. “Kennedy land stretches from here to the Atlantic Ocean, and from Port Patrick all the way up to Ayr. We own half of Kirkcudbright, all of Wigtown, and all of Galloway!”

  Raven stared out across the landscape in wonder. It was difficult for her to comprehend that one family could own land as far as the eye could see, and then beyond, all the way to the sea. She was suddenly overcome with a burning anger. If Heath's father owned all this land, why in the name of God had he never been able to spare a few acres for his firstborn son?

  Heath saw her eyes flood with tears, and read her mind. “I was too proud to ask, Raven,” he said softly. “Be happy for me, love.”

  Raven dashed the tears from her eyes and bestowed a radiant smile upon him. “I'll race you!” She thundered down into the lush valley, and Heath followed her, whooping with joy. When he caught up with her, he dismounted in a flash and lifted her into his arms. Raven had already lost her fancy hat, and by the time Heath had finished swinging her in circles and they sprawled to the ground, the pale peach riding dress was in total ruin.

  They picked out the best place to build the stable to shelter the mares over the long winter months and selected the spot where their own modest shieling would go. The building materials of stone and timber were plentiful and Ram promised manpower from Douglas, but Heath and Raven had no illusions and knew they would have to start out small until the herd doubled, and doubled again.

  On the way back to Castle Douglas, the men took their wives up before them in the saddle. The riderless horses followed. With Raven nestled in his arms, Heath was happier than he had ever been in his life. He didn't have much to offer her beyond his love and protection, but she had made it abundantly clear that this was enough by actually marrying him twice. No man breathing could ask for more. “Enjoy the next few days and let them pamper the bride-to-be. I'll be back in lots of time for the wedding with all the Kennedys in tow.” He kissed her tenderly. “Always remember that I love and adore you.”

  * * *

  When Heath arrived at the Kennedy Tower Castle, he could hardly believe the welcome he received. Meggie flew into his arms and kissed him as tears of love and gratitude streamed down her cheeks. “Donal refuses to tell me what he suffered while imprisoned in Carlisle, and that proves how terrible it was.”

  “I wasn't there five minutes when Raven Carleton, the girl I love, helped me to escape. Valentina is planning a wedding for us on Sunday in Douglas Chapel, after the twins are christened. I hope you and Raven will be friends, Meggie.”

  “You are marrying Raven?” Beth cried, overjoyed. “Father is negotiating a betrothal for me with her brother, Heron. Oh, Heath, please use your influence with the Carletons and persuade them to accept me as their daughter-in-law!”

  “Sweeting, I have no influence with the Carletons. I warrant they hate me for stealing their daughter.” When Beth laughed as if he were jesting, Heath wished he could make her understand.

  Rob Kennedy entered the hall with his wife, Elizabeth. The father and son exchanged a quick glance that spoke a thousand words. Heath saw relief, and pride, and love on his father's face, and he was happy that his father looked so much better than the last ti
me he had seen him.

  Lady Kennedy stepped forward and placed her hand on Heath's arm. “Would you walk with me?”

  It was the first time his father's wife had ever touched him; one of the few times she had even acknowledged his existence. Though Heath did not want her thanks, he had too much self-respect to act boorishly toward her. With her hand on his arm they walked apart from the others down the long hall.

  “Because I was jealous of your mother, I treated you with aversion, abhorrence, rancor, and even hatred. I objected to your very existence. Yet you have repaid me with my son's life.”

  Heath rejected her thanks by making it clear he had not done it for her. “Lady Kennedy, Donal was taken prisoner because of bad blood between me and the Dacres. It was my responsibility to gain his freedom … and it cost me so little.”

  “Heath Kennedy, if it had cost you your life, you would have paid it. I have a confession to make.” She bent toward him. “I would give all I have if you were my son.”

  Heath was astounded that Elizabeth had opened her heart to him; he had always believed that she had no heart. Her words had meant to compliment him, and his pride prompted him to compliment her in return. “My father is looking so much better. I know I have you to thank for it, and I am most grateful.”

  She looked at him coyly. “Most grateful, no doubt, that I have taken him off your hands!”

  “Why, Lady Kennedy, you have a sarcastic wit!” Heath smiled with appreciation.

  “Where do you think Tina gets it from? Call me Elizabeth.”

  Heath roared with laughter, for never in the memory of man had there been a more disparate mother and daughter!

  “Thank God, ye can laugh again.” Donal had walked down the hall to meet him. “Thank God my … our family can laugh again.” Elizabeth Kennedy left them alone to talk. “Words are not enough; 'tis deeds that count, as ye showed me. I will try tae be a true brother tae ye, from now on.”