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

by Marti Talbott

  She picked up a small stone and tossed it away. “What?”

  “I think about having a wife to talk to at night.”

  “What sort of things would you talk about?”

  “Oh, little things like what the children did that made her laugh or which man Charlet has turned her attention to next.”

  That made Rachel smile. “She wants you and will have no other.”

  “Aye, she has said the same to me. By the way, how did you get back inside the wall?”

  Rachel suddenly remembered she was still mad at him. “Did you know it was a horse? Of course you did, you tricked me!”

  He defiantly narrowed his eyes, “Do you mean to say, Rachel MacGreagor, that you did not know it was a horse?”

  She got to her feet. “I...“

  “Of course you did. It is just as I thought. You will use any excuse to get close to me.”

  She couldn’t leave fast enough and didn’t realize her fists were still clenched until she was almost home.

  Connor sighed. The war with Rachel was back on, he guessed.

  It was at last dark enough to slip outside the wall. This time Rachel didn’t have to hold the Ferguson plaids out of the water to keep them from getting wet and swimming the moat was much easier. Just as she promised, she was careful to take the long way around to the loch and then come back toward the keep.

  It was slow going. She held daggers in both hands, expected men to be everywhere and stopped often to see if she could hear them breathe, smell them or feel any movement. She saw no one and moved on to the next hiding place. Again and again, she moved closer to the keep and still she saw no men. If they were there, they were very good at keeping quiet.

  What she could hear was the woman and the boys talking in Gaelic. The six and seven-year old boys were complaining of hunger and wanted to go home. The woman seemed kind and told them as soon as the bridge was down they could eat. The boys were not convinced the bridge was coming down anytime soon.

  Rachel moved closer and located a large rock with bushes near it not too far from the road. She put her daggers away and got ready to catch the boys. Then she took a deep breath and remembered to speak English. “Boys, run to me...keep running...follow the sound of my voice...run this way...hurry.” She could hear them coming, grabbed the oldest boy first and then caught the younger. With lightning speed, she hid them between the bushes and the rock. Then she crouched down beside them and prayed no one could hear the way her thundering heart was beating. “Be very quiet,” she whispered.

  She fully expected to hear warriors coming and held her breath. Instead, she only heard the voice of the woman. The Ferguson woman walked to the edge of the forest and tried to see them, but it was too dark. “Smudges, tell the woman with the blue stone we are well.”

  Kevin couldn’t see her, but heard the woman‘s words and instantly knew what had happened. “Rachel has the boys. Connor, go to Catherin and tell her to show you the secret. You are not to tell anyone about it, do you understand?” In the blink of an eye, Connor was gone.

  “Be very quiet,” Rachel whispered again. She took each by the hand and got ready to take them through the forest. “No matter what, you must not make a sound.” If the boys nodded, she wasn’t able to see them. She decided to take a shorter route and moved them from hiding place to hiding place, stopping each time to watch and listen. But she heard no sounds other than the wind and the normal rustle of small animals.

  Finally they came to the place were the edge of the forest was nearest the moat and the hidden door. She made the oldest boy stay in the trees and took the youngest to the edge of the moat.

  Nothing could have surprised her more than Connor’s voice whispering to her from the water. She didn’t hesitate. Rachel handed the boy down to him, slipped back into the forest and waited. Someone shouted in the courtyard, someone else moaned loudly and she suddenly realized how quiet it had been inside since the Ferguson woman first arrived. To help her, Kevin ordered distractions. A metal pot rolled down the hill, a door slammed and a child cried.

  When she got the older boy to the moat, Connor was there again. He must have handed the younger one to her mother and she looked, but if the door was open, there was no light inside the wall. It was another thing she was glad Kevin thought of. All the children were taught to swim. Still, it was very dark and she would need to make the boy hang on to her so he wouldn‘t end up going the wrong way. instead, she was able to hand him to Connor. As quietly as she could, she slipped into the water and when she swam to the other side, Connor was out, reached down and helped her climb out.

  She was about to follow him in and pull the door closed when she realized he now knew even this secret. She was not pleased, but she might as well show him the rest. She would have enjoyed the look of complete surprise when she took hold of his hand, but it was too dark to see his face. She rose up on tiptoe and whispered, “To enter from the outside, you must know the feel of the stones.” She turned his hand over and placed it first on a rough stone, moved it across to a smooth stone and then a second smooth stone. Abruptly, she let go of his hand.

  There were actually two doors, one on each side of the wall with a three-foot tunnel between them. Both were made of wood with mortar on one side, that held the stones in place. Each had a leather strap affixed to the top and the bottom, making it easy to push out without letting it fall or to pull back in place from inside the wall. Finger holes had been chipped out of the stones allowing the removal of the doors when they were closed. She found the sections heavy and had to slide them, but Connor had no trouble lifting them. To her vexation, that was something he could do much better than she could.

  Once inside the cottage, she kissed her mother’s cheek. “Your sister said to say they are all well.”

  “I am relieved.” Catherin sat on the bed and was starting to get the boys out of their wet clothing.

  Rachel knelt down and wrapped her arms around both boys. “You have been very brave and Kevin will be pleased. Did the Fergusons take you?” Both boys nodded.

  The oldest boy pouted. “We are not supposed to tell.”

  “What did they threaten to do if you told?”

  “Kill all of you.”

  “That will never happen, I promise.” Rachel was out the door in a flash and racing down the path, across the courtyard and up the steps with Connor right behind her. She was about to open the door to the great hall when she paused to look at him. In English she said, “Thank you.”

  In perfect English, he returned, “You are quite welcome.” He smiled and she rolled her eyes.

  She was almost completely out of breath when she reached Kevin and had to wait a moment before she gave her report. “I saw not one warrior in the forest, not one. The boys said the Fergusons took them, but threatened to kill the rest of us if they told.”

  CHAPTER IV

  After two nights of little sleep, morning came far too quickly for Kevin, yet he was up early. Thomas, once a MacGreagor and Kevin’s first in command, was married to Kevin‘s sister, Katie. When the Cameron laird died, the Cameron clan needed a wise, strong man to lead them and since his mother had been a Cameron, Thomas was the natural choice.

  For years, Kevin and Thomas remained good friends and were happy to spend time with each other. It was their habit to meet early on the third morning of the week at the top of the hill beyond the meadow. On this day when Kevin didn’t show up or send someone to explain, Thomas knew something was wrong.

  In the company of his usual guards, Laird Cameron sat on his horse on the rise of the hill and watched the window of Kevin’s bedchamber. Finally, Kevin appeared and Thomas was relieved to see him. Still, when Kevin raised both arms high above his head as though he were stretching, Thomas’ fears were confirmed -- something was wrong.

  Thomas reached an arm out to the south to ask if it was the English. Kevin only lowered his arms. Then Thomas pointed North and Kevin did nothing. Thomas held the land to the west so he knew it
was the Fergusons east of the MacGreagors. “I am not surprised,” Thomas muttered.

  Thomas put his right arm out, bent at the elbow to ask if they had enough food and water. When Kevin bent forward four times, the answer was ‘yes,’ they had enough food and water for four more days. Thomas waited, but when Kevin left the window he had the final answer. Kevin didn’t think they needed his help -- not yet anyway.

  His anger was beginning to build. “Prepare for war,” Thomas commanded. He told two of his men to stay out of sight and watch the MacGreagors. Then he led the rest of them toward home. There was much to do and little time to do it. After dark, he would be back and he would use Catherin’s secret to find out what the devil was going on.

  Rachel didn’t mean to sleep so late, but it was nearly noon before her eyes opened. Her mother and stepfather weren’t home, probably so they wouldn’t wake her and it was very thoughtful of them. She took her time dressing and made a noon meal of bread and honey.

  Then she opened the door and stepped out only to find Connor sitting on a log across the path from her cottage. “What could you possibly want?”

  “I am waiting for an apology.”

  She put her hands on her hips and glared. “Well, far be it for me to interrupt your waiting.” She turned and headed up the path.

  He was quick, but not quick enough to take her hand before she turned. Her back was to him now and he knew better than to grab her from behind. She could and would hurt him -- he had a scar to prove it.

  That occasion was the only time in his life Kevin gave him a stern talking to. Kevin was furious and roared that no man was ever to grab a MacGreagor woman from behind. He was to put his hands behind his back in a non-threatening manner and talk instead. It wasn’t Kevin’s fury that bothered Connor so much; a mere woman managed to damage him and that embarrassed him to the core.

  He wondered for a second, if putting his arm around Rachel from behind that day in the forest frightened her, but he dismissed the thought. Walking behind her now put him at a disadvantage. He couldn’t tell if she had a dagger in her right hand, her left hand, or both. “Rachel, I am missing a dagger.”

  She didn’t bother to turn around. “Perhaps you misplaced it.”

  “Perhaps you have it.”

  “Perhaps I do not”

  “It was my father’s dagger and I want it back.”

  She stopped and turned around. “Oh that’s right, your father died. How did he die again?”

  “You know very well what happened. A Cameron accidentally shot an arrow through his heart.”

  “I remember now.” She started up the path again. Some of the women planted flowers in front of the cottages and without Connor behind her; she might have taken the time to admire them. “We nearly went to war over that. Fortunately, Laird Cameron came to Kevin completely unarmed and offered his life for your father’s. Kevin was very impressed, but I might have killed the lad.”

  “I do not doubt that. Tell me, what other stolen property do you have?”

  For a second time, she stopped, turned around and faced him. “Why would I tell you?”

  “You were willing to brag about it last night.”

  Her ire was steadily rising and she clenched her fists. “I do not brag!”

  He smiled. At least she didn’t have a dagger in either hand.

  His smile made her madder still, but she hid it and released her closed hands. She put them behind her back, smiled and looked up at him. “Did you like holding me yesterday?”

  “Nay.” He hoped to wipe the smirk right off her face. Instead, she had a twinkle in her eye.

  “In that case, I will take care it never happens again.”

  “Oh it will happen again. You can hardly keep from doing it again now.” Just as it looked like she was about to wrap her arms around his neck, he stepped back.

  She laughed. “Why Connor, you are not as stupid as I thought.”

  “Nay, I am not.” This time he was the one to turn around and walk away. “Forget about the dagger. I took it this morning while you slept.” He didn’t look back to see her shock, but he was mindful to notice if she started to attack. She didn’t and he felt very smug indeed.

  Charlet found Rachel sitting on a log in the vegetable garden. Rachel was not overly friendly, Charlet knew, but neither was she rude to any of the younger girls, so Charlet felt comfortable enough to sit down and fold her hands in her lap.

  “Are you lost?”

  “Nay, I was looking for Connor.” She let out a very long sigh. “I love him so.”

  “Connor is in the high council with Kevin.”

  “Oh.” She smoothed the side of her hair, separated part and began nervously twisting it. “Do you love Connor?”

  “Are you daft? I would sooner love Angus.”

  Charlet looked immensely relieved. “Connor is a very handsome lad. I would not blame you for loving him, but I would rather you not.”

  Rachel put a sisterly arm around the young girl’s shoulders. A plan was just beginning to form in her mind. “If you want him, you will have to be very clever.”

  “How so? I thought if you wanted a lad, he would...well, he would see and want you back. There are far more lads than lasses, you know.”

  “I am not practiced, but I doubt it is that easy. Athena said a lass must tempt a lad.”

  “Tempt him how?”

  “Well, she did say one way is to wash your hair and then rub flower petals on it so it smells good.”

  “I see.” Charlet remained deep in thought for a moment. “How do I get close enough for him to smell my hair?”

  That made Rachel wrinkle her brow. It was a problem she had never considered before. “Well, perhaps you could...”

  “What?”

  “I am thinking.”

  “Oh.”

  “I have it. Pretend to fall and hurt your ankle. Perhaps he will carry you home and...”

  “Smell my hair!” With sheer joy, Charlet jumped up and ran down the path toward her cottage.

  “That should keep him busy for a while.”

  Connor wasn’t really listening to the discussion from his seat at the table in the Great Hall. The men were talking about the different methods the Fergusons might choose to defeat them and his mind kept drifting. As he always seemed to be, he was thinking about Rachel. The memory of her being in danger and outside the wall without him was unbearable and he never wanted to feel like that again. At least it was over and she was safe. Now all he had to do was find a way to make her admit she loved him.

  He could pretend he no longer wanted her and give his full attention to another woman. No, he couldn’t do that; he promised never to lie to her. Besides, he couldn’t think of any other woman he wanted to spend that much time with. He might ask her sister what to do, but why would she help him? If Rachel married him, Anna would lose her wager with Kevin. Connor was looking down and biting his lip when he vaguely heard someone say his name. When he finally looked up, Kevin was standing right in front of him.

  “Son, you have let that lass addle your brain.”

  Kevin and his five most trusted men had been in council for hours and Rachel was glad she didn’t have to deal with Connor, who seemed to always be everywhere she went. For a moment, she remembered how it felt to be in his arms. Oh why did she have to think of that! She shuddered and took a different path between the many cottages. Walking always helped her think.

  Earlier, she checked and Connor’s dagger was gone. How did he dare enter her cottage while she slept? She didn’t hear him or even feel his nearness. She had been too tired, but it was no excuse and she scolded herself harshly.

  And how could he be so sure she wouldn’t tell Kevin? The answer to the second question came quickly. If she told on Connor, Kevin would know she stole the dagger to begin with. That would not be good; not good at all. Stealing from other clans was one thing, stealing from a MacGreagor could get her a week of horse cleaning duty. She would remember in the future not t
o do that again.

  The families were busy as usual. Children played, women cooked and men sharpened their swords. Rachel’s mother, she knew, had her wet clothing hanging in front of the stone hearth to dry. Catherin liked to keep busy and normally didn’t give Rachel many chores, so she had nothing much to do.

  She invited some of the women to train with her, but they were too mournful over the slain family. For the first time she could remember, she couldn’t go outside the wall and it bothered her. She didn’t know why.

  Rachel wandered around a while longer and then went home, but Catherin wasn’t inside. The back door was open and soon she spotted her mother standing outside staring at the bush in front of the hidden door. The two people Rachel never snuck up on were her mother and sister. It caused them an enormous amount of terror, so she learned years ago never to do it. She began to loudly hum, walked to her mother and looked at the bush to see if she could discover something amiss. Everything looked the same. “Mother, what is it?”

  “I can not go out.”

  “It is not safe just now.”

  “I know.”

  Rachel put an arm around her mother’s waist and smiled when she noticed her sister coming out to join them. She usually remained quiet when her mother and sister were together because they had some sort of special bond. She didn’t feel left out, but she was always intensely interested in observing the bond.

  “Aren’t the two of you a sight,” Anna said, “standing there looking at a bush.”

  Their mother smiled, turned and hugged Anna. “It has grown much taller.”

  “Much, much taller.”

  Catherin’s expression became confused then. “I have the need to go out.”

  “So do I. But mother, Kevin promised no one would hurt us and he has kept his word these thirteen years.”

  Catherin nodded and put her head on Anna‘s shoulder. “Tell me again.”

  Rachel expected the same story she had heard in English since she was a child, but this time it began differently.