by Quinn, Paula
As he reached the perimeter of the woods, Struan dismounted and walked the rest of the way. Two horses were tied next to the camp. There was no movement, not even someone keeping watch. He found two people sleeping next to each other. As he moved closer, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He picked up a thick stick from the ground, opting for a club as a weapon instead of his sword.
That’s when he noticed the woman and her thick black hair. Only one lass had those beautiful curls. Keely. He threw his head back and laughed at his luck. He couldna have prayed for a better outcome. She’d come back willingly. But who was her travelling companion?
Hungry to touch her and hear her voice, he accidently stepped on some twigs. The snapping sound alerted the man next to Keely. He shot up, a dirk in his hand.
“Who are you?” the stranger asked.
“Ye’re on Sutherland lands,” Struan said calmly. “Tell me what ye’re doing with my betrothed?”
“You are Struan Sutherland?”
The fact that the stranger knew his name surprised him. “How do ye know me?’
“My name is Petro de’ Medici, I am Laird Alexander MacKay’s secretary.” He reached inside his tunic and produced a missive with the Sutherland seal on it. “Your father invited Lady MacKay to Dunrobin Castle. I am her escort.”
Why did he insist on calling her Lady MacKay? It angered Struan. Keely would be a Sutherland. His wife. “I will tell ye this only once. Keely Oliphant is betrothed to me.”
Keely stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Petro? Who are ye talking to?”
The secretary dinna have a chance to answer, she followed the direction of his gaze.
“Struan?” she asked. “What are ye doing here?”
*
By nightfall, Alex and Broc returned to the keep. Their search hadna turned up anything. Keely was well away by now, and Alex felt crazy and helpless. If anyone got in his way, they’d suffer his wrath. He ascended the stairs into the great hall where many of his soldiers were waiting.
“Milord,” Mathe met him halfway to the high table. “Did ye find her?”
Alex gave him a stern look. If his captain was asking him, then he knew none of the soldiers who’d returned had good news. “Nothing. The heavy rain likely washed away any tracks. My plan is to eat and pack enough supplies to last for a couple of weeks. I willna return again until I find my wife.”
“I will go with ye.”
“Nay, Mathe. Ye must stay here and take care of the clan. I will ask Jamie to put off his trip, and Broc and several Oliphant soldiers will accompany me south.”
“I understand, milord. There is more to tell ye.”
“What?” Alex claimed his seat at the high table and invited the captain to join him.
“I’ve questioned Leah.”
“Does she know anything?”
“The last person she saw Lady Keely with was yer secretary.”
“Where is Petro?”
“Gone, milord.”
“Gone?” Perhaps spending time with Glenna?
“The guards reported he left the keep last night with a woman named Katherine.”
Alex dinna know any maids by that name. He must check. “Bring Leah to me.”
Jamie and Broc sat down with him.
“I rode west, Alex,” Jamie said. “No one has seen her.”
Why did it take Keely leaving again in order for Alex to realize how he truly felt? That he loved and needed her? That he’d never let go of the past—that she’d lived in his heart and mind for the last five years.
Alex had been an arrogant arse and blamed himself for her disappearance. While riding, he’d realized how cruel he’d been to Keely by isolating her, continually reminding her of how she’d betrayed him, denying his feelings, and keeping her under constant watch. What marriage could blossom under such conditions? Yet, she’d never faltered since they’d taken vows. Alex’s insides knotted. He slapped the tabletop out of frustration.
“What is it?” Jamie asked, looking concerned.
“I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
“Aye, ye have,” Jamie said. “But it can be made right.”
“Milord, ye asked to see me?”
Alex looked up and found Leah standing in front of the dais. She curtsied, looking as haggard as he felt.
“Aye, Leah. Is there anything ye can remember that might help us find yer mistress? A place she’s mentioned, someone she’s been spending time with?”
Tears filled the maid’s eyes. “Nay, milord. She dinna feel well the night of the feast and went abovestairs. She asked me not to disturb her.”
Alex turned a questioning look on Broc. “Did she speak with ye?”
“Briefly. Told me she couldna take listening to ye and my da arguing anymore.”
“Laird Alex!” Neil rushed forward.
Alex shot up from his chair expecting bad news. His heart plummeted. “What has happened?”
“We searched the scholar’s chamber and found this.” He held up a missive.
Alex rounded the table. “From who?’
“Yer scholar.”
Alex snatched it from the soldier’s hand and read it quickly.
Alex,
First, I ask for your forgiveness. If I did not think this a worthy cause, I would have never offered to take Lady Keely to Dunrobin Castle. A missive arrived days ago from the earl, accusing Keely of failing to honor her betrothal to Struan Sutherland. Upon speaking with your wife, I am convinced she never accepted such a proposal. The only way to settle this is to speak with the earl and his son in person. I take full responsibility for everything.
Your loyal servant,
Petro de’ Medici
He read it a second and third time to make sure he hadna missed anything. “Fook!” He crumpled the parchment.
“Alex? Where is my sister?” Broc asked.
“Call back the men,” Alex commanded. “Lady Keely has ridden for Dunrobin Castle.”
“I doona understand.” Broc followed Alex outside.
“Read it for yerself.” He shoved the letter into his hand.
“I doona want to read it. I want ye to tell me why.”
“Broc,” Alex said while climbing onto his horse. “There will be time for questions later. Gather our men and ride southward. I willna wait on anyone.”
He rode through the gates like the devil was on his heels.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Keely tried to spit the bit of cloth out of her mouth that the Sutherland guard had gagged her with. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was draped over Struan’s lap. They dinna ride very far, for Struan stopped and she was handed down to a man while Struan dismounted.
“Take her to my tent,” Struan ordered.
She kicked and tried to get away from her captor, but it dinna do any good. He half carried and dragged her inside the shelter, tossing her onto a pallet in the corner.
“There are no rules out here, Lady,” he warned. “If ye doona obey, I will whip ye into submission.”
She stared up at him, memorizing the details of his face.
A few moments later, Struan strutted inside and dismissed the guard. “Ye made it very easy for me, Keely.” He hovered over her with a triumphant look on his handsome face. “Here…” He tugged the gag out of her mouth. “I am sorry for having to treat ye so rough.”
Keely wet her lips and growled at him. “What have ye done with Petro?”
“Why are ye so worried about him?”
“Damn ye, Struan,” she cursed. “Ye left him bleeding on the ground.” When Struan announced he intended to take her back to Dunrobin Castle himself, Petro had attacked. But the scholar was no match for Struan. It only took one blow to the forehead to knock him out.
“All right, lass. I’ll send one of my men to make sure he is still alive. Will that make ye happy?”
“Nothing will make me happy until ye let me go. But I thank ye for doing so. Petro has nothing to do with any of
this.”
“Firth,” he yelled.
A man stuck his head through the flaps of the tent. “Sir?”
“Send one of the guards to the lady’s escort. See that he’s awake and able to travel. Escort him back to the MacKay keep.”
“Aye.”
“Ye see? I am capable of kindness.”
“Why have ye taken me? We were on our way to see yer father, by his invitation.”
Struan laughed wickedly. “If ye’d studied the missive a little closer, ye would have noticed the difference in the lettering. Though I am a talented forger, my father’s script is more severe than my own hand.”
“Ye’re a bloody liar and a savage!”
He laughed again. “I always knew there was a hellion underneath that sweet smile. I look forward to spending more time with that side of ye, Keely Oliphant.”
“Lady MacKay,” she immediately corrected.
“Oliphant,” he said, stalking closer. “Soon to be Sutherland.” There was a flicker of something in his eyes that made her wary of challenging him too much. The look of a desperate man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. She’d caught glimpses of that side of Struan while living at Dunrobin Castle. But out here, away from the comfort and luxury of his home, it frightened her even more.
“Ye canna ignore the fact that I am a married woman.”
“That dinna make a difference when ye ran away from yer first husband, Laird John.”
Keely struggled with the binding on her wrists. “Untie me at once.”
“Nay,” he said. “If ye prove ye willna try to escape, then I will consider it.”
“Ye doona care about me.”
“That is where ye are wrong. I kept my distance out of respect, Keely. But I know ye are no longer a maiden, which changes everything—for the better in my opinion.”
She could feel herself blush.
“How endearing,” he said.
“The shame I feel isna endearing, Struan. It should show ye that I am opposed to anything where ye are concerned.”
He reached for her face, and Keely jerked away. But she could only retreat so far in the confines of the tent. He took another step and crouched down in front of her.
“Ye’ve missed the most important thing,” he declared. “Ye are no longer in the MacKays custody. And whoever and whatever is on Sutherland lands belongs to the earl. And my sire…” This time he caressed her cheek. “Gave ye to me to wife.”
She scoffed at his words. “The earl canna give away what belongs to another man.”
“Damn ye,” he muttered as he traced the arch of her eyebrows with his fingertips. As his hand moved down to her mouth, she waited until his thumb edged along her bottom lip, then bit him hard.
He screamed and shot up, shaking his bloody hand out like it would ease the pain.
Keely spat the piece of skin she’d bitten off on the ground.
“Ye little bitch.” He slapped her face, but Keely dinna feel anything.
Her fear had turned into rage which numbed her senses. And if she ever got her hands free, she’d beat him to a bloody pulp. As long as she fought for her own honor, there was nothing Struan could do to hurt her, even if he raped her.
“I will forgive ye for that bit of violence, Keely. But if ye ever attack me again, ye will be very sorry.”
She believed him.
“We will stay the night in camp. In the morning, I will take ye home. Helen will be overjoyed to have her companion back—her future sister.”
She could scarcely think or speak at the thought of ever stepping inside Dunrobin Castle again. The place represented everything she hated, now. “Does Helen know about any of this?”
“What difference does it make? She’s a woman and will do what she’s told. As will ye.”
“I am sure Helen would disagree.”
He shrugged, and it infuriated her that he could remain so calm.
“Let me explain it in simpler terms, my sweet. Behave, and I shall reward ye. Cause trouble of any kind, and I will show ye how cruel I can be.” To prove his point, he knelt in front of her again, only this time, he dinna touch her face. He lifted the hem of her skirts. “What are ye going to do?”
Keely sucked in a breath, weighing her options quickly. She could kick him, but then he’d beat her.
“Good lass,” he whispered as his hand slipped up her thigh. “Aye—dear God…” He cupped her sex. “This belongs to me now.”
She closed her eyes tight, picturing Alex’s face—pretending it was his hand between her legs, anything to ease the mental agony of knowing Struan was touching her.
“Open yer eyes, woman,” Struan commanded. “I willna take ye on the hard ground for our first time.”
Relief washed over her as she dared to look at him again. “Where will I sleep?”
“In here with me.”
“On the same bed?’
“Aye.”
“Am I expected to sleep with my hands tied behind my back?”
Struan studied her. “That willna make for a restful night for either of us. I will send the guards in to make ye more comfortable.” He started for the opening of the tent.
“Where are ye going?”
“Miss me already?” he asked, flashing his white teeth. “Doona worry, sweet, I will be back soon enough.”
After he left, Keely tried again and again to break free. The chord was too strong and tight, and her wrists burned from the friction.
“Alex,” she whispered aloud. “If ye ever loved me, please find me before it’s too late.”
*
Sometime in the middle of the night, Keely was awakened when someone grabbed her by the ankles and yanked her through the back of the tent. Though she wanted to scream, she dared not to. Whatever this game was, she’d not give Struan the satisfaction of knowing how afraid she truly was.
Once she was outside, she strained to get up, but the cloaked figure towering over her leaned down and covered her mouth. “Not a word, lass.”
Alex? She nodded vigorously and he removed his hand from her mouth. As if she weighed nothing, he scooped her up and carried her out of the camp. Moments later, he set her on her feet and used his knife to cut the cord about her wrists. As soon as she was free, she threw herself at him, and he caught her, holding her tight in his strong, protective arms.
“How did ye find me?”
He held her at arm’s length. “Petro left a missive in his chamber letting me know where ye’d gone.”
“Have ye found Petro yet?”
“What do ye mean, lass?”
“Struan hit him on the head with a club and left him for dead. I had to beg him to send someone to check on him. Struan promised he would see that Petro got home safely.”
Alex frowned. “The man will pay.”
Keely lowered her gaze to the ground, guilt and shame consuming her. “I-I am…”
She dinna have a chance to apologize, for Alex slanted his mouth over hers, swallowing her words. Desperation unraveled inside of her as she clung to her husband for dear life. The fear that she would never get to see him again, feel his arms about her, taste him, love him … it was too much to hold in. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she kissed him back, hoping in her heart that he’d forgive her stupidity, that he’d understand why she’d left again.
“Keely…”
“Alex.”
“There’s little time to sort this out right now. Ye’re safe here. Hide in the trees and doona come out for anyone but me. I must finish what Struan Sutherland has started or this will never end.”
“I understand, milord.”
He tipped her chin up. “I forgive ye, Keely. But there will be recompense for yer actions.”
She nodded, and would accept any punishment he handed down so long as he was the one administering it.
“Take this.” He shoved something solid into her hand and then disappeared into the night.
It was a dagger, sharp and long and deadly. And
she’d use it if she had to. As her husband had commanded, she found a hiding place under a cluster of trees. She held the knife with both hands, too scared to move or even breathe loudly. How her husband managed to find her and get her out of Struan’s tent without getting caught or waking Struan, she’d probably never know. But she owed Alex and God a lifetime of gratitude and obedience. And she’d give it, so long as Alex loved her.
*
Alex entered the Sutherland camp again. This time he dinna try to be quiet, he made all the noise it would take to rouse the drunks from sleep. He wanted to fight and kill every man he could get his hands on. No one stirred from their tents, so he picked up a discarded cup and started banging it against the rocks around the campfire.
“Come out and face me like a man, Struan Sutherland.”
The first signs of dawn lit the sky. All the better, for Alex would look the man directly in the eyes as he buried his sword in Struan’s black heart. To steal a maiden from her father’s house was one thing, but to take a married woman from her husband–that crime carried a death sentence. No king or court in Europe would condemn Alex for having his revenge.
“Struan Sutherland!” he screamed for him again.
Finally, several tent flaps opened, and soldiers filed outside but dinna make a move against him.
“Who are ye?” one of the men asked.
“Laird Alexander MacKay.”
“Jesus Christ,” one of the soldiers muttered. “I told him not to take another man’s woman.”
“I willna fight for him,” another said.
“He kept most of the gold we all worked equally hard to get last time,” the first soldier added. “And now expects us to die for him?” He sized Alex up. “If we doona raise a weapon against ye…”
“I doona care who ye are or where yer loyalties lie,” Alex said. “I have one man on my mind. If ye leave now…”
That’s when Struan appeared on the other side of the fire, his sword at the ready. “How nice of ye to visit, Laird Alex.”
Alex gave him an evil grin. He had never met the man before, but he hated him on first sight. Despised his slithery voice, his skulking face, even the way he held a sword. The way he hid on the other side of the firepit told him all he needed to know about the man’s character. He was a coward. A true bastard in every sense of the word. So he’d die like a man without honor, not on his feet but on his back.