His Highland Prize (The Clan Sinclair Book 3)

by Celeste Barclay

  Brighde could not hear anymore since the women continued on and a loud crack of thunder blotted out any other sounds. She did need to hear any more. Every one of her fears had just been confirmed. The members of the Sinclair clan resented her being there. She was a danger to them, and everyone not only knew it but talked about it. She had already made up her mind before she entered the kitchens with her basket of eggs. She quietly put them into the larder where she pulled two loaves of bread, some dried meat, and oilcloth wrapped cheese from the shelves. She pulled a length of her arisaid out to make room to tuck the food within. She looked around and found a barrel of apples, so she grabbed several of them to add to her stash. She found a waterskin hanging from a hook near the door. She shook it and found it was empty. With the amount of rain that was coming down, she was not worried about finding water.

  She slipped back out of the kitchen and made her way to the postern gate. She looked around to see if anyone was watching her, and then she looked up to see which way the guardsmen were looking. She watched for a moment and could not believe her luck.

  They are just changing shifts! They dinna seem to be looking out towards the loch. If I can get there without being seen, then I should be able to slip out to the woods. I dinna dare try to take a horse. I canna steal something so valuable, and I definitely willnae make it far without someone noticing a woman riding away from the keep. I arrived in a gale, and I leave in one. Fitting.

  She ducked through the door in the wall and looked quickly over her shoulder. When she moved forward, and when no one sounded the alarm, she dashed towards the path that led to the loch. She reached the water’s edge and hugged the shore as she skirted around the lake. When she was lined up even with a break in the trees, she looked back at the wall again. The men on the wall walk were little more than dots with the rain limiting anyone’s visibility. She ran as hard and as fast as she could to make it to the woods. When she entered the woods, she slowed but only slightly. She had developed a dislike of the dark ever since she had traveled through the nights to escape her father. She forced herself to take a deep breath and slow her heartbeat. The woods were unusually dark for this time of day, and while she was thankful for the storm that allowed her to slip away from the keep so easily, she now cursed it for leaving her feeling disoriented among the trees. As she moved further into the trees, she made sure that she kept the castle within her sights to her right. She was having to double back slightly, but the distance from the postern gate to the tree line had been too far to try to cross without being spotted. She was grateful that she had put on boots this morning instead of slippers. Something in the back of her mind had said they were a better choice even if she had not planned to go outdoors. She pulled the cowl of her arisaid tighter. She wished she had the cloak that still hung in the armoire, but the plaid would have to do. The muted colors helped her to blend in. She thanked God over and over that the Sinclairs favored greens and blues over yellows, reds, and blacks like many of the Lowland clans. When she came even with the farthest end of the castle, she paused to look at it.

  I am doing the right thing. I ken I am. I just wish it wasna the right thing to do. I dinna want to leave. I dinna want to lose Alex, but I canna stay. I am a danger to his people, and they hate me for it. They ken I am the reason why they’re being forced to prepare for an attack that willnae happen if I canna be found there. I dinna want to marry de Soules, but I will if it’s what it takes to keep Alex and the rest of his family safe and to keep his clan from growing angry at them. Goodbye, Alex. I love ye.

  Brighde looked one last time at the castle before she began running again.

  Chapter Sixteen

  A

  lex!”

  The banging on the door pulled Alex from his dark thoughts. He looked towards the window and realized that several hours had passed since Mairghread had left. He had spent the time reading but often lapsing in dark thoughts about a certain blonde who was inordinately stubborn. One moment he wanted to shake her and the next, he wanted to carry her away and spend every waking moment making love to her.

  The door swung open, and Magnus rushed in.

  “Alex, there’s a problem. Neither Mairghread nor Siùsan can find Brighde. The last anyone saw of her was when she returned from gathering eggs. She went into the larder to put them away, but no one saw her slip out. Elspeth went to look for her thinking that she may have gone out to fetch more, but she found Morag and Bethea gossiping about her. They were saying vicious things aboot Brighde being the cause of the clan’s troubles. When Elspeth confronted them, she asked if they walked past the chicken coop recently. They said they had, having nay idea that they just admitted that Brighde probably heard them. We think she’s run, Alex.”

  Magnus had barely finished before Alex was tearing from the room. He bolted through the Great Hall not even bothering to look within the keep. If his sister and sister by marriage had not found her inside the castle, she was not there. He ran to the gardens and checked there. He looked around the bailey. There was barely a dry spot to be seen with mud and puddles covering all visible ground. He tried to see if there were any footprints that he could make out.

  Alex pushed his sopping hair from his eyes and looked back at the gate which was lowered halfway. With few people coming and going in the storm, the gate did not need to be open all the way. He knew the guards would not have let her leave alone, and had she tried to leave with anyone, he would have been summoned. That left only the postern gate. He ran to the back wall caring little for the muddy water that was splashing up his legs. When he got to the door in the curtain wall, he could see a pair of footprints that had not been disturbed by the rain. He pushed open the door and found a matching pair. He scanned the land ahead of him and could not see a single soul out in the rain. He pulled the door shut and spun on his heels to head to the stables. He saddled Naomh and yelled for the gate to be opened wide enough for him to pass. He gave no thought to inform his family of his intentions, instead, he was singularly focused on finding the woman who drove him to the brink of madness and despair all while making him fall further and further in love with her every day.

  Alex followed the path to the loch, but there was nothing to see. There were no footprints, and nothing looked like it had been disturbed by anything other than the weather. He rode up the ridge to look out over the beach below. There was nothing there. Not even the seals were on the sand. He looked to the sea cave but knew immediately that she would not have gone there. The waves were angry and churning against the rocks. She never would have survived, and he knew she wished to escape not to perish.

  If she isnae found soon, she may vera well perish anyway. What could those auld biddies have said that would be enough to drive her away in yet another storm? Just how desperate does she feel that she had to leave and take naught with her. She doesnae even have that cloak. I dinna even ken if she has an arisaid. Where are you going, mo ghaol? Mayhap if I had actually told her she’s ma love instead of hoping she understood, she would believe me when I said I would protect her, and I would come after her. She canna have been gone too long, so she canna be that far ahead of me especially since she’s on foot. I just canna tell which direction she headed with nothing to track.

  Alex pulled his horse around and scanned the landscape in front of him. He decided she must have made for the forest as a shelter from being seen and from the weather. He spurred Naomh into a gallop until he reached the woods. He had to slow his horse as he wound through the trees and avoided being knocked out of the saddle by low hanging branches. He headed west but allowed his path to take him south before heading north and then back south again. He rode in a huge “w” to try and cover as much of the forest as he could. He knew she must have some sense of direction if she had made it all the way to the Sinclairs but being in the woods made it easy to get disoriented.

  He spent nearly two hours searching before seeing something white flash in the distance. At first, he was not sure what he saw, but when i
t moved again, he knew he would recognize her hair anywhere. It was the beacon he needed to find his way home.

  ~~~

  Brighde was out of breath and tiring. She had rolled her ankle badly over an hour ago but did not dare slow down. Each step shot shards of pain up her leg all the way to her hip. She was to the point of hobbling rather than running when she heard trees rustling behind her. She peaked back and could only make the faint outline of a man on horseback. She had no way of knowing if he was friend or foe.

  Dinna kid yerself. Ye’ve run from him. Ye dinna have any friends left.

  She forced herself to run again as she tried to hide behind trees and branches. She could not afford to slow down even though she could barely catch her breath, and it felt like a dirk was being sliced through her chest.

  Suddenly, there was a rustling up ahead. She pushed her dripping hair from her eyes and tried to see where the noise had come from. She did not see any other horses or anyone on foot, but she still heard the rustling. She took another step and froze with a scream dying on her lips. Less than a hundred yards in front of her was a very large and very angry boar.

  Didna Alex warn me aboot this? He tempted fate. I am going to be gored to death, and when—nay—if I’m ever found, he will only have ‘I told ye so’ to say over ma grave.

  Brighde could not move. She was petrified that if she tried to escape, it would only make her appear to be a more interesting and appetizing find for the animal. She tried to quieten her breathing, but she had been running so hard that she could not completely silence her wheezing breath.

  The boar stamped its hoof and pawed the ground. It shook its head, and the tusks shone even though it was dark within the forest. She could see the steam coming from its snout each time it snorted.

  She began to slowly inch backward but had barely taken three steps when the boar squealed and began to charge. She did not want to turn her back, but she also knew she would not stand a chance of escape if she tried to take any more steps going backward. She began to pivot when an arm shot out and wrapped around her waist. She was yanked from the ground and tossed across strong thighs as a very real and very sharp sword swung over her head. She felt the impact as it reverberated through Alex’s body and heard the scream before Alex pulled back. She looked to her right and saw the bloody sword being lifted over her.

  Without a word, Alex kicked his horse into a canter and moved them far enough away from the dead animal that he did not worry about wolves or other boars finding them. When he finally drew to a stop, he pulled Brighde upright and sat her across his lap. All he could do was look at her because he did not know what else to do. He felt anger, relief, fear, and loss all churned through him like the tempest that had been blowing all day. When Brighde threw her arms around his waist and collapsed forwards in tears, he did not immediately return her embrace. He was too stunned, but when he felt her pull away, he wrapped her in his arms and pressed his mouth to hers. He could not stop. He could not tell if she was breathing life into him, or if it was the other way around. He wanted to taste every single inch of her while berating her for risking her life. He wanted to thrust deep inside of her to claim her once and for all as his while shaking her for scaring him so badly. Since he could not do any of those, he poured everything into his kiss which she returned with equal fervor.

  Brighde squirmed in Alex’s lap because she could not get close enough. She wanted to crawl inside his clothes to be skin to skin with him. Even that did not seem like it would be enough. She was desperate to be connected to him and to show him her love. She did not want to say the words, at least not now, not after she ran away. She was not convinced that he would believe her.

  “Alex,” she breathed out on a sigh.

  “Brie,” he moaned as he fisted her hair into his hand while his other one ran over her checking her for injuries.

  “I amnae hurt. Ye saved me. Again.”

  “Always,” he breathed.

  She leaned back to look at the man that she knew she would always love. She was shocked at his appearance. He looked like he had been weathered by time since she saw him that morning. He looked exhausted and harried. The day had taken a toll on him too. His eyes were bloodshot, and the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth drooped now making them resemble wrinkles more than proof of a happy life. She ran her hands over his cheeks and reveled in the rough feeling of the stubble. She drew a finger down between his eyes and over the bridge of his nose before using two fingers to smooth out the furrows in his brow. Watching him, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. He groaned and pulled her close. The passion fired again between them until a crack of lightning followed by thunder was so loud that they knew it was too close to remain in that spot.

  “I ken of a cave not too far from here. Ye made it not too far from the base of Ben Morven. We can shelter there until the rain ends, and I can get ye safely back to Dunbeath.”

  “Alex, I amnae going back. I canna.”

  “How do ye think I kenned to look for ye? I ken ye overheard Morag and Bethea talking. I can only imagine what those two auld harpies had to say. What ye dinna ken is if the clan could force them out, they would. Those two women have been the source of more marital discord than even an unfaithful husband or wife could bring upon themselves. They are notoriously harsh gossips who like to create problems where none exist. I’m sure Bethea complained that her husband, Andrew, was going to have to do too much work, and she was deeply aggrieved by it. Truth be told, he’s a lazy sod and hides from her in the armory. His laziness is only overlooked because nae mon envies him having to go home to such a shew. Morag makes Bethea look kind in comparison. Morag has the sharpest tongue I have ever heard. She would flay someone alive simply for being polite if she wasna in the mood to hear it. Da canna bring himself to send them away because they’re nearly old enough to be his mother, but he has made it so they live in the village. I’m surprised they were within the walls today. It could only have been to stir trouble.”

  “But Alex, ye didna hear what they said. Even if the threat from the Gunns wasna real, yer clan thinks I’m yer leman. They think I’m a whore.”

  Brighde was shaking by the time she was done. Alex could feel the tension in her body and that she was soaked through. He had to find the cave and build her a fire before he could convince her that she was wrong in her thinking.

  They rode for nearly another half an hour before they came to a small cave tucked away. If they had not been looking for it, they would have ridden past. Alex helped Brighde dismount and placed her just inside the entrance before he searched thoroughly. He made quick work of unsaddling his horse and brought it inside. There was not much he could do to curry Naomh, so he did what he could to brush off the water with his hands.

  Once he had brought Naomh into the entrance of the cave, he turned to look at Brighde. She had moved further inside and was looking around. She quickly found the stack of wood that sat towards the back of the cave. She looked over her shoulder as she heard Alex approach.

  “It’s left for travelers seeking cover like we are. I’ll have to replenish it before we leave in the morn.”

  “In the morn? We must stay here all night?” Her bravery flagged at the thought of staying in the dim and damp cave. “What if this is something’s home? A wildcat or wolf pack.”

  “Nae thing lives here but probably a few spiders. Harmless ones at that. If the rain stops tonight, it’ll still be too dark to ride back safely. Ye are soaked through and freezing. I dinna want ye sick again.”

  Alex set about making the fire. He was relieved to find Brighde unharmed and to have her with him again, but he was not through being both hurt and angry that she had so little faith in him. Still.

  Once the fire was going, he pulled his spare plaid from his saddle bag. He handed it to her and went to stand to look out of the entrance. Brighde stared at his back for a long moment before she began to peel her gown off herself. It was pasted to her, and it was a struggle, but Al
ex made it clear he was not inclined to help. She took off her chemise as well and quickly laid out all her clothes near the fire. She wrapped the plaid around her. Fortunately, Alex’s height meant that he needed more material than the average man. She was able to cover herself from her neck down to her ankles.

  “Alex, ye’re soaked through too. What are ye going to do if I have yer spare plaid?”

  Alex looked back at her, and she was surprised to see the distance and reserve in his eyes. He shook his head and turned to walk back to the fire. Brighde had not noticed that he had pulled some dried beef from his saddlebag. He handed her a couple of pieces before he pulled his leine from under his plaid. He took it off and laid it near her clothes. He sat silently before the fire, chewing on his meat and staring into the distance. Brighde did not know what to make of his silence. She knew he was not normally the brooding type, but she seemed to bring it out in him. Since there were clothes laid out on one side of the fire, there was not much choice but to sit close to him. She lowered herself to the ground, careful not to touch him. Once she was seated, she felt his arm wrap around her waist as he pulled her against him. He still stared off into space, but his warmth was a welcome reprieve from the bone-chilling numbness she felt. She remained rigid for only a heartbeat before she leaned against him and breathed in his unique scent. His presence calmed her, and she felt a sense of peace again that she only ever had when he was near.

  Alex ran his hand up and down Brighde’s back in hopes that it would warm her. He knew that as her blood started moving properly through her, she would be in quite a bit of pain as her limbs tingled.

  Who am I kidding? I ken she needs to be warmed, but I need to touch her more. The fire would do the trick, but I canna keep ma hands from her. I just need to be near her, to ken she’s truly safe and with me. I dinna ken what to do with her. If she doesnae want to be with me, then I canna and willna force her. I just wish she wanted me as much as I want her. How much I want to make a life with her.