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

by Marti Talbott

  “The King killed him,” said Anna

  “But not before he suffered,” Catherin added.

  “Aye. Do you want to know how much he suffered?”

  “Nay, it is enough to know he did.”

  Rachel had not heard that before and when she started to ask who, Anna shot her a warning look so she remained quiet. They were all three staring at the bush, but none of them really saw it.

  Anna continued, “We went back and burned the house. We saw the servants safe and rode horses. We swam, and hugged Rachel, and cried, and laughed, and nearly drove poor Harold daft. Then we came back, the lads built this cottage and put the door in the wall so we could go out any time we wanted.”

  Catherin said, “I want to go out now.”

  “So do I -- in the worst way. It is the first time we have not been allowed.”

  “Would Kevin stop us?”

  “I think this time he would, but not to punish us, to keep us safe. And not only us, Mother, but all the others. We must not let the enemy know there is a door”

  “I keep telling myself that, but it is not helping.”

  “Would it help if you stayed in the keep for a while? You can see outside the wall from the windows and staying busy has always helped us.”

  “We can not leave Rachel, someone might...”

  “I pity the man who tries.”

  Catherin grinned. “So do I. We have taught her well.”

  “Indeed we have. We have taught her to do things other women would find unthinkable, and she will not hesitate should the need arise.”

  “I miss Athena, she was a good woman. Do you think Thresher will ever come back?”

  Anna closed her eyes for a moment remembering her beloved black stallion. “I think my horse found his true love and is off making colts and living free. I would have it no other way.”

  “Of course they noticed her,” Connor was saying to the council. “She is bonnie, what lad would not notice her?”

  “Aye,” the others agreed.

  Justin stroked his beard. “She does not know she is bonnie.”

  Finlay asked, “How did she get back inside the wall?”

  Gordon said, “She has found a way under it.”

  Kevin ignored them. “I would much rather send a lad, but she is little and can hide in places a lad can not. We have nine hundred thirty-six people, half of them children, depending on us to make the right decision. We must know if they prepare to attack. Rachel avoided the Fergusons last night, but can she do it again?”

  Justin‘s arms were folded and his muscles were tense. “She has risked her life twice already. If anything happens to her, it would kill her mother and Anna.”

  Rachel had never before entered the great hall when the council was in session, and she might not have this day if she hadn’t been concerned about the strange actions of her mother and sister. Through the closed back door, she heard Connor say someone was beautiful. After that, she couldn’t help but listen and realized they were talking about her. She moved closer to the door and heard Justin’s voice. He was against her going out again to spy on the Fergusons and she was not about to let that go unchallenged. She opened the door and stepped in.

  Connor spotted her even before Kevin did. He decided this time he would see if he could read what she was thinking and not interfere.

  “Rachel, what is it?” Kevin asked.

  “They are staring at a bush.”

  Kevin and Justin knew exactly what she was talking about, but Connor and the others looked confused. Rachel walked to her father and stood before him. “They have been there for an hour. If we do not give them relief -- and soon, they will go daft. I do not know why they do it, but their eyes are urgent. They are not even speaking now; they only stare.”

  “Who?” asked Angus.

  “My wife and her mother.” Kevin answered

  Gordon frowned, “War frightens all lasses.”

  Said Justin, “They are not frightened of anything save losing their freedom. When the bridge is up, they can not go out.”

  “But the bridge is up every night, and...” Gordon began.

  Kevin raised his hand to silence them. He turned his back, walked to a far wall, put his right arm high against it and lowered his head to think.

  Justin studied each of the faces in the room. Naturally, he and Kevin remembered what happened thirteen years ago and so did Angus. Clymer died, Thomas was now the laird over the Cameron Clan and he took Katie with him. Gordon was close to Justin’s same age, but didn’t live with the MacGreagors at the time. Finley might have heard something. Rachel knew nothing and he doubted Connor did either. Of course, gossip was a great form of entertainment, but after all this time most of the gossip was just plain wrong.

  Still, none of them had witnessed Anna and Catherin’s distress and could not possibly understand. But Kevin had and Justin imagined Kevin was doing the same thing he was -- swearing under his breath -- that toerag!

  It was several moments before Kevin came back to the table. “There are many others to consider. My wife and her mother will understand their need is not greater.”

  Rachel was appalled. “Kevin, they will go daft and so will I. You need to send someone out and I have a need to go. If you do not let me, I will never belong to the MacGreagors again!”

  Kevin looked wounded. “Rachel, you do not know what you are saying.”

  She turned on him with rage in her eyes. “I know this: you can not keep me in except by force and if you try, I will find a way out even if I have to wait until the war is ended. Once the bridge is down I will leave and I will not come back! What will my mother and sister do then?”

  Justin bowed his head. “They will go with you.”

  Finlay was shocked. “Anna is our Mistress and the people love her. She can not leave us, can she?”

  Kevin’s temper was beginning to rise. “Would you have me keep Anna captive?” He stared into Finlay’s eyes until the man shook his head and looked away. Kevin took a deep breath and made himself relax. “Rachel, why do you have a need to go?”

  She had to think about that. “I do not know. Something...I feel a burning in my heart. It has never happened before, but then, I have never been prevented before.”

  “I see, but what if you are captured?”

  “Mother gave me the blue stone. She has a sister who lives with the Fergusons and told me to say the words you taught her in English, not Gaelic. Her sister will help me.”

  Justin was surprised to hear his wife had a sister living with the Fergusons, but he set that aside for now. “I am still not convinced. The danger increases each day and a lad could defend himself better.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “I have a dagger in my sheath and can strap another to my leg. I can throw a lad as well as Connor and I have another advantage still.”

  Connor finally spoke up, “Aye, she has a way of persuading a lad to do what he should not.” He was almost as surprised he said it as Rachel looked to hear it.

  “That is an advantage a lad does not have,” Kevin admitted. He waited for Justin’s nod, but Justin was still thinking hard about it so Kevin turned his attention back to Rachel. “Do you promise not to take any foolish chances?”

  “I do. Now that I know they are aware of me, I will be very careful.”

  “They are not like us; they will not hesitate to hurt a woman.”

  “I understand.”

  Kevin looked again, but Justin was still thinking. “You will see only if they prepare for war and come right back. Do nothing more.”

  Connor held his breath. Unless Justin denied him, Kevin was actually going to let her go. Then Justin nodded, Kevin nodded to Rachel and Connor closed his eyes.

  Everyone expected Rachel to run out the door. instead, she turned to Connor and curtsied long and slow. “I do not believe you have ever complimented me before. Do not ever do it again!” She stood back up and was once more prevented from kicking him in the shin when Kevin grabbed her
around the waist.

  After she was gone, Kevin turned to Connor. “How long will you need me to protect you from her?”

  Connor was furious. “She only does it around you and only because she knows you will stop her. Perhaps next time you should stand back ready to catch her instead.” With that, Connor left the great hall.

  “That lad wants to kill you,” said Justin.

  “Aye and I do not blame him.” Kevin watched the other men leave and walked to the table for his goblet of wine. He drank until he emptied it and set it back down on the table.

  Justin grabbed the pitcher and refilled both their goblets. “Do you believe our wives would really leave us?”

  “I do. When I first married Anna, I told her it would please me when she makes this her home. She could rearrange the furnishings, order different food or even throw everything out the window. She changed nothing. At first, I thought it was out of respect for my sister, Katie, who ran the household after our parents died. But after Katie married Thomas and went to the Cameron hold, Anna still changed nothing. It is just the same as it was thirteen years ago. My wife has not yet made this her true home.”

  Justin took a sip of wine. “I am not sure I could let them go this time.”

  “Nay, Rachel is right. We can not keep them from leaving. All we can do is cherish every moment they stay.”

  “Catherin sometimes describes her despair as a burning in her heart the same as Rachel did just now. Perhaps she is right, Rachel is remembering.”

  “Rachel is filled with anger. I once had to take a wooden sword out of her hand before she killed one of the boys. And just now, I saw that same rage in her eyes. Perhaps remembering is what she needs.”

  “What if Rachel does not come back?”

  Kevin sat down and laced his fingers behind his neck. “If she does not come back, I do not know what our wives will do. I promised no one would hurt the three of them again and I pray I did not just break that promise.”

  “So do I.”

  Rachel was sitting on her bed again waiting for dark. It would be a while and she was thinking about taking a nap when she heard Connor’s voice. She got up, crept to the window and peeked out. Charlet was sitting on the ground holding her left foot. Rachel smiled and strained to listen.

  “I fell,” Charlet said in a pitiful voice. When Connor knelt down to examine her ankle, Charlet grabbed a lock of hair and waved it under his nose.

  Rachel nearly laughed out loud.

  Connor brushed Charlet’s hand away and felt the bones in her ankle, but nothing felt broken or swollen. He suspected it was a trick and decided to teach her a lesson. “This is very serious. I doubt you will be able to walk for a week, maybe two.”

  Charlet was shocked. Not walking meant she wouldn’t see Connor for a very long time. “‘Tis not that bad.”

  “Nay?”

  She pouted for a moment. “May I ask you a question?”

  “Aye.”

  “Will you marry me?”

  Connor glanced at the window, saw the curtain move a little and knew Rachel was listening. He sat down and crossed his legs. “You will be very becoming when you are older.”

  Without thinking, Charlet sat up and curled both her feet under her. “Do you think so?”

  “I do. Of course, by then I will be a very old man.”

  “How old?”

  “I could well be close to thirty.”

  “That is old.”

  Rachel narrowed her eyes. He told her he was twenty, he was tricking Charlet and she should march right out there and tell her the truth. Rachel suddenly realized she had moved the curtain and looked to see if he noticed. He didn’t.

  “Do you love another?” Charlet was asking.

  Connor had trouble hiding his smile, “I did until today.”

  “Was it Rachel?”

  “Aye, but Rachel never smells like flowers. I believe now I will have to find a bride who does.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. It would be a cold day in hell before she rubbed flower petals in her hair. In fact, she thought she might try something a lot less pleasant the next time she needed to avoid Connor in the forest. She moved away from the window and sat back down on her bed. Flowers indeed. Then a thought occurred to her and she smiled. Perhaps she would suggest all the young women rub flower petals in their hair -- all except her.

  After all the fires were put out and it was dark near the secret door, Rachel went out. Anna and Catherin set aside their need to go out and walked to the keep to pray for her safety instead. Kevin began to walk the paths for some much needed exercise while Justin sat down at the table in his darkened cottage and Connor took up a position on the inside of the wall to wait. It would be another very long night.

  CHAPTER V

  Laird Thomas Cameron wasn’t sure what they would do when he came through the secret passage. The last thing he wanted was to frighten Catherin, but he needed to know how to help the MacGreagors, and the only way to know was to get inside. After he climbed out of the moat, he discovered finding the two smooth stones was not as easy as he thought. It took nearly fifteen minutes to find them and pull the first section of the door out.

  Cautiously, he crept into the short tunnel and stopped. The inside door was closed and Thomas had to remember to speak English, “Catherin?”

  Standing with his back against the wall and his arms folded, Connor thought he heard a voice. He drew his sword and crouched down. Justin heard it too and slipped out of the cottage to help. The voice was coming from inside the wall.

  “Catherin, it is I, Thomas.”

  Relieved, Connor put his sword away and removed the inside door, “You live dangerously.”

  Thomas stepped out and slapped him on the back affectionately, “Go get Kevin.” Connor was quick to obey.

  “Is anything wrong?” asked Justin.

  “That is what I came to find out.”

  Justin smiled and motioned for Thomas to come inside.

  “It is good to see you old friend. What has happened?”

  Not long after Justin finished telling Thomas everything, Connor and Kevin came in. In the dark, they could barely see each other, but Kevin greeted his old friend with a smile, “There is a traitor among us.”

  It was Justin who was the most surprised, “How do you know?”

  “The woman who brought the boys back told us. She is Catherin’s sister.”

  “I did not know Catherin had a sister,” mumbled Thomas.

  “Neither did we,” Justin said.

  Kevin continued, “When Rachel was little she often had smudges of dirt on her face and Justin called her that. In English, the lass called Rachel, ‘Smudges.’ Yet it was dark and the only way she could have known it was Rachel is if someone told her who to expect.”

  Thomas took a deep breath, “Someone has found one of the doors.”

  “Doors?” Connor asked.

  It was Thomas who answered, “Aye, there are three.”

  Justin said, “We are not the only ones who know about the doors.”

  Kevin agreed. “True. All the elders know, but we made them take a vow not to tell. I can think of no one who would break that vow.”

  “Nor can I.” Suddenly, Justin caught his breath, “Dear God, they must know Rachel is out there again.”

  Connor was horrified. “Kevin, you let her go again knowing we have a traitor?”

  “How could we keep her in? You heard her; she would have gone out anyway. At least this way she knows we depend on her to come right back.”

  Thomas squared his shoulders. “The Camerons will watch the doors at night. We will guard them, find your traitor and silence him.”

  “Good. Just make sure they do not keep a lass from coming in. We must have Rachel back.”

  “Have you a plan for winning this war?” Thomas asked.

  Kevin lowered his voice. “I do. We must first...”

  Four hours after Rachel left, Connor slipped through the door in the wall to w
ait for her. She might need his help climbing out of the moat and he would not let her down. It was another night of pitch black with clouds hiding the moon and he was glad. The noise inside the hold was normal and he strained to hear and feel any movement in the water. He stood for awhile, sat for awhile and stood again. Still, she didn’t come back. The minutes seemed endless and he stayed all night until the sky began to lighten. He thought about just staying outside the wall now that the Fergusons knew about the doors. But Kevin wanted everything to look as though the MacGreagors didn’t suspect a traitor, so he reluctantly went back in.

  Where was she? He was starting to feel the hurt in his heart Kevin told him about when Anna left, and he didn’t like it one bit. Now Rachel would have to hide all day until it was dark enough for her to come back. She wouldn’t sleep, she wouldn’t eat, she would be exhausted, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Loving Rachel was beginning to tear him apart.

  Kevin was up all night as well and he was exhausted. Still, the next morning he knew Thomas would appear again on the hill and he wanted his old friend to know. He waited and as soon as Thomas walked his horse into the clearing, Kevin moved to the window. It was dangerous. Standing at the window made him an easy target for any number of Fergusons hiding in the forest with their bows loaded. His movements were swift. He wiped ashes on both sides of his face and then moved away from the window.

  It took him a moment to understand, but then Thomas caught his breath; Smudges had not come back. He guided his horse out of sight, brought his hand up and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He could still remember how he felt when they feared little Rachel was lost forever. The King killed the toerag and Thomas was more than happy to watch, but it took two long days before they found Rachel in that closet the toerag locked her in.

  Thomas remembered seeing the four-year old run into her mother’s arms at last. It was the most wondrous sight he had ever seen. Now Rachel was lost again and the rage in Thomas would not be easily contained.

  It was in his power to command at least four hundred men to look for Rachel. Still, if Thomas did that, the Fergusons would know the Camerons were aware of the impending war and Kevin’s plan wouldn’t work. It was a good plan and Kevin wouldn’t want him to give it away, even for Rachel’s sake.