Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 1 (Anna, Rachel & Charlet)

by Marti Talbott

Catherin sighed, “I want that too.”

  “If you leave, where will you go?”

  “I do not know. I will never go back to that place of torment and unhappiness.”

  “Neither will I.” Anna leaned over and put her head on her mother’s shoulder.

  Catherin hugged her daughter, but didn‘t seem willing to take her eyes off the men. “How will we escape?”

  “We?” Kevin muttered.

  “It will not be easy,” Anna admitted. She sat back up, pulled a hand full of grass out of the ground and let the blades slowly slip through her fingers. “They watch every move I make. It is for my protection, my husband says, but it is far more protection than I care to have. I am not at all sure I could endure a whole life of it.”

  “Have the men held you down?”

  “Not yet.”

  Justin didn’t want to hear what that meant, but he stayed where he was just the same.

  Kevin knew exactly what it meant. He took a deep breath and let it out. No wonder she was terrified. He heard someone walk up behind him and turned to look. Holding Rachel in her arms, Athena didn’t stop. Instead, she took the child to her mother, exchanged a few whispers with the women and came back.

  Athena stood in front of Kevin with her arms folded and watched his eyes. “They want to leave. Let them go.”

  “How can I, she is my wife and it is not safe for them out there alone.”

  “Anna was brought here against her will and for days you have imprisoned her. Her mother has been locked away for two years. Do you really think you can keep them?”

  “There must be a way to convince them we will not harm them.”

  “Kevin, I rode beside Catherin all the way back and told her everything I could think of about us.”

  “She did not believe you?”

  “I doubt she even heard me. She is free, but she is not really free until she is allowed to make her own decisions.”

  “She can make her own decisions here.”

  Athena closed her eyes and slowly opened them again. “Kevin, what does a horse do when you first take off his bridle and set him free?”

  “He runs,” Justin answered.

  “Aye, Catherin wants to run too. It is all she can think about. You can talk, but she does not hear your words.”

  “I can not let Anna go, I love her.”

  “Then show her how much you love her by letting her go. They must know they are free to leave whenever they want.”

  “Athena is right, Kevin. It pains me to say it, but she is right. We have to let them go.” Justin looked at Catherin one last time and then walked with Athena back across the bridge.

  Anna and her mother stood up and watched Kevin for a moment, but when he didn’t make a move, Anna snapped her fingers and the stallion walked to her. She swung up on his back, took Rachel and then gave her mother a hand up. For a long moment, Anna just sat there looking at him until finally, she mumbled something to the horse. Threcher turned, walked away from Kevin and disappeared into the forest.

  Kevin stood there for another hour waiting, but Anna didn’t come back and his heart was actually hurting. He’d never felt that kind of pain before and didn‘t think he would survive it. A thousand thoughts were going through his mind. The women hadn’t taken a thing with them; they’d not even eaten their evening meal. Anna had no bow and arrows and no dagger. How would they live?

  By the end of the next hour, Katie finally walked out to him. She lifted his arm and forced him to put it around her. “Anna started stealing things. We might not have realized what she was doing, but one of the men noticed her hips were wider leaving than they were coming back. Her horse out ran her guard five times in the last two days. She has hidden things in the forest somewhere.”

  “She planned this?”

  “Not this exactly, but she would have gone soon anyway. At least they are not totally without. She has a bow and arrows, two daggers and three plaids that I know of. They will be fine.”

  “Does she know how to sneak up on her prey?”

  “She can split an apple in half with an arrow and from a considerable distance.” Katie hugged her brother. “Anna didn’t seem interested in doing anything except walk every inch of the grounds. I think now she was trying to find a way out in case you...”

  “In case I tried to force her into my bed.” He closed his eyes. “She told her mother she loves me. Was she lying?”

  “Nay, but she said loving you hurt too much. That was when you were gone and she was worried about you.”

  “Now she is gone and I am worried. She is right, love hurts too much.”

  “Come inside, all we can do is pray love will bring Anna back.”

  CHAPTER IX

  She didn’t come back. A week passed and when each night came, Kevin stood in the window of the bed chamber he hoped to share with her, watching the meadow until he finally crawled into bed. Then another week passed and another.

  He realized he was acting like a soppy teenager instead of a twenty-six-year old man and he had to force himself to concentrate on his responsibilities. Each time a messenger or another laird came, he silently prayed for word of her. There was no word of her. How was it possible she managed to keep so well hidden in Scotland? It was the horse, he realized and he remembered to be grateful they had such a good protector.

  A hundred times, he made up his mind to send men out to look for her, but Athena and Katie always talked him out of it. Besides, they could have left Scotland and be in the heart of England by now. Did Anna have aunts and uncles they could go to? He admitted he had no idea. In fact, he knew very little about his wife. All they really talked about was her father.

  He thought about how happy she was to see him when he came home, and about the first time he could really hold her and kiss her. But those few minutes went by too quickly. What haunted him the most was the feel of her when she laid her injured head on his chest and listened to his heart. She stayed there for a long time and it was still vivid in his mind. Half of the time he damned that memory and the other half he believed it was the only reason his heart kept beating.

  Justin wasn’t handling it much better and sometimes Kevin spotted him leaning against a tree at the edge of the meadow. There were details of men assigned to hunt, fish and cut wood, but each time they went out, they came back -- without Anna.

  Anna sat in the warm afternoon sun on a large rock wearing traditional English clothing and hugging Kevin’s neatly folded plaid. Threcher grazed while Rachel picked wild flowers in the small clearing.

  “I have never loved a man,” Catherin said, sitting next to her daughter on the same rock.

  “It is not altogether pleasant; missing Kevin takes all my strength. I am not as brave as I thought.”

  “I think about Justin sometimes.”

  “Do you?” Anna smiled. “Justin is a good man.”

  “I trusted him, but I do not know why. Rachel loves him and wanted to be constantly with him when we rode to the MacGreagors.”

  “Did he mind?”

  “He did not seem to. She fell asleep on his shoulder and he often kissed her cheek. I have never seen a man do that before.” Catherin giggled. “I wanted him to kiss my cheek too.”

  “And let you fall asleep on his shoulder?”

  Catherin laughed. “Aye.”

  “On a horse?”

  Catherin couldn’t stop laughing long enough to answer and nodded instead. At length, she took several deep breaths to calm herself. “It feels so good to laugh. I swear I will never let anyone take the laughter away again.”

  “Nor will I.”

  Her dark memories started to fog her mind, but Catherin pushed them away, “Justin tried to teach me how to carve wood and he did not yell when I made a mistake.”

  “All lads yell, even Harold.”

  “Justin did not. He is a thoughtful man. His English is not good, but he does not speak until he is sure of what to say.”

  “I believe you like him.”


  “I believe I do too. But...” Catherin started to leap up when Rachel fell, but the child laughed and Catherin relaxed.

  “We are afraid they will hold us down.”

  “Aye. If Athena were here, she would tell us the truth. The King said she broke a man‘s arm.”

  “Did she? I would like to learn how to do that.”

  “So would I. Do you think they would let Rachel and I live with Athena?” Catherin asked.

  “Perhaps. Would you rather have a cottage of your own?”

  “I would indeed. I wonder if your husband would let me.”

  “I think my husband would let you do whatever you want. He let us leave and did not chase us. I thought he would. If he had, I would have hated him for it.”

  “Perhaps he is wise as well as handsome. But the wall, Anna. I can not live again inside a wall.”

  Kevin sat on the bed, unlaced one of his shoes and took it off. He was exhausted but just like all the other nights, he didn’t want to sleep without at least knowing she was alive. He looked around the room. Everything was exactly the same as it had been before he rode out that day to make Anna his wife. She changed nothing and now there was little evidence she had ever been there. The scarf Mary made for her hair and the clothing she wore to ride her horse the day she left were still there. But Katie put those away so he wouldn‘t have to see them. Sometimes he touched his mother’s hand mirror just because she had touched it. No one spoke of Anna now, not even Katie and he admitted there wasn‘t much left to say.

  She was his for just a moment, quick to come and even quicker to pass away. He tried to think what he could have done differently. He shouldn’t have made her stay inside the wall and if she came back, he vowed he would never do it again. He would see that the bridge remained down all day and raised only at night or when there was certain danger. He didn’t like the idea of not having a guard with her, but he was willing to ask her what she wanted when she came back...if she came back.

  He pulled off his other shoe, stretched out on the same bed she once slept in and stared at nothing at all. She was gone, she might not ever come back and he had to find a way to live with it.

  Kevin closed his eyes and whispered, “Come back to me, Anna MacGreagor.”

  When he glanced out the window just after sunrise, Kevin spotted a man sleeping in the middle of the meadow. Harold! How in the hell had he forgotten about Harold? Kevin wasn’t completely dressed. One shoe was on, the other was not, and he couldn’t have cared less. He went flying down the stairs and out the door, yelling for Justin on the way. He could hardly wait until the drawbridge was lowered so he could get out. Then he ran into the meadow with Justin, Thomas and Clymer right behind him.

  By then, Harold heard the bridge lowered and was standing up to greet them. For a moment, he wasn’t sure Kevin was going to stop before he ran him down, and the other three looked like they would trample him as well. When they finally did stop, he stroked the side of his beard. “I have begun to worry about you MacGreagors. I have been in and out of your hold three times since I got here.”

  “How?” Thomas demanded.

  That was the last thing on Kevin’s mind. “Have you seen Anna? Is she well? Do you know where she is?”

  Harold smiled. “A little worried about her, are you?”

  “Worried? I have nearly lost my mind.”

  “Well now,” Harold began, walking slowly away with the men following close behind. He knelt down, picked up a rock and started to examine it. “They showed up on my doorstep a few weeks ago. I do not mind telling you I was surprised to see them. What do you suppose they wanted to do?”

  “I have no idea,” answered Kevin.

  “They wanted to burn that hell house they called home.”

  “And did they?”

  “Aye, they burned it two days running. The first day it didn’t burn completely, so they lit it again. Then they shouted their rage and called Stoneham a few names I have never heard before. I believe some names were in your fine language. After that, they danced, drank wine and celebrated.”

  “Are they still there?”

  “No.” Harold turned his back and walked to another stone. Again, the Highlanders followed.

  “Where are they?”

  “Just wait, I am getting to it. They were worried about the servants, so I helped find good positions for them. Next they wanted to swim. They swam every day for two weeks straight and they stayed in the water until they were wrinkled from head to toe. Watching those two swim is a thing of beauty.”

  It was Justin who questioned him next. “Did they laugh? I love it when Catherin laughs.”

  “Did they? They could hardly stop laughing. They cried too. They cried so hard they broke my heart and gave themselves a vile headache -- which made them laugh again. They were helping each other heal, you see.”

  Again Harold walked a little closer to the trees before he continued. “Laird MacGreagor, Anna said to say thank you for not coming after her. She feared you would and she needed this time with her mother. I could tell you stories...oh well, we best not get into that.”

  “Is she coming back?”

  “I will not say just yet. You see, Anna had to wait until her mother figured out where to go and what to do. With her husband dead, she has no one to tend her or any family to turn to but Anna.”

  “Does she not understand we will gladly care for her?” Justin asked.

  “I can not rightly say what Catherin understands.” He turned then and looked directly at Kevin.” They need a door in the wall. They can swim the moat, but they need to be able to go out whenever their fear overcomes them. Do you agree?”

  For the first time in weeks, Kevin felt there was hope. “He quickly nodded. “We will begin it today.”

  “Good. Put it as close to the forest as possible so they can slip into the woods before any enemy sees them. If you are not aware of how to hide a door in a wall, I will assist you. I have three of my own. Next, Catherin wants a cottage where she can raise Rachel in peace. She wants to learn to protect herself and how to cook. She wants Athena to teach her. I think it would be good for both of Stoneham’s wives.”

  “Done!” Justin said.

  “Anna says your people will not let her learn how to do anything and she feels useless. Can you correct this problem?”

  Kevin quickly nodded, “I can and I will.” He could feel her before he saw her, and held his breath as he slowly turned to look behind him. She was standing next to her mother with Threcher on the other side.

  Rachel started to squirm, so Catherin let her down and when she ran to him, Justin caught the child, swung her up high and then kissed her cheek. “I am so happy to see you, Lassie.” He lifted her high again and made Rachel giggle. He hoped, but he hadn’t expected it when Catherin walked to him. “I am happy to see you as well.”

  “I want...I mean, Anna said...I…,” Catherin couldn’t seem to get it out and looked to him for help.

  “I will not deny you.”

  His words gave her the courage she needed. “I want to hear your heart.”

  He set Rachel down and opened his arms. She was hesitant, but she timidly moved into his arms and put her ear to his chest. He wasn’t sure if he should, but he softly wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t stay long, but it was enough for both of them. It was a beginning.

  “I will build you a cottage anywhere you like.” Justin picked Rachel back up and turned them toward the Keep. “Athena will be glad to see you and she will...”

  Thomas and Clymer each grabbed one of Harold’s arms and began to walk him toward the bridge. Each demanded to know exactly how he got in this time.

  But Kevin hadn’t taken his eyes off his wife. He knew she was terrified, so he waited. When she finally looked at him, he thought of his shoe problem. He smiled, pointed to the foot with the shoe and then to the one without.

  She returned his smile, but she was trembling when she slowly started toward him. Where had all
her courage gone? She was still a good ten feet away when she stopped.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “Do you?”

  “I have loved you for years.”

  She nervously giggled and then she grew deadly serious. “I must know...”

  “Anything, you may ask me anything.”

  “Are you going to have your lads hold me down?”

  “Anna, my lads would never do such a thing. They would rather cut out my heart.” He wanted to reach out to her so badly it hurt. Still, he waited. “Did your father‘s lads hold you down?”

  “No, just my mother. I saw it start once, but when she screamed I ran away. I have been so ashamed of not helping her.” A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away.

  “Would you like me to hold you?” Suddenly, she ran into his arms. He wanted to comfort her, but she wanted to be kissed, so he lowered his lips to hers and remembered to be gentle and loving.

  In the window of the keep, Katie sighed. “At last.”

  It was another two weeks of long walks, talking, laughing and kissing before Anna began to feel more comfortable. She wanted to know every detail of what would happen when she came into his bedchamber and he didn’t hold back a single thing. Sometimes he explained two different ways until he was sure she understood. When he told her again that she would find pleasure in it, she rolled her eyes.

  Then at last, she opened the door to his bedchamber in the middle of the night and went in to his waiting arms.

  -end-

  RACHEL

  Rachel had a dark secret and even she didn’t know what it was. She was seventeen, determined to become as good a warrior as any Highlander and was firmly against taking a husband. Connor had other ideas. He loved Rachel and when a rival clan took her, he thought he would lose his mind. How would he ever get her back and if he did, would her dark secret separate them forever?

  CHAPTER I

  She knelt down behind a tree and waited. Her prey was a Highlander, a giant of a man and a fearsome warrior. Rachel wasn’t all that big at seventeen, but she was quick, cunning and rarely missed her mark with a bow and arrow. She always carried at least one dagger and she wasn’t afraid to use it, but today she planned to topple the giant with her bare hands. If she succeeded, her joy would be complete.