“I promise I will never do that again. I thought I could protect myself as good as any man...I was daft.”
It made him laugh. “Aye, you were. Are you more sensible now?”
“Nay.”
“Why not?”
“You have not yet kissed me.”
He looked deep into her eyes. “I love you, Rachel. I will love only you until the day I die.” Then he kissed her, softly at first until he felt her tighten her hold, and then he kissed her the way he dreamed of kissing her from the first time he noticed her.
They held each other for a very long time and kissed again. Then he remembered there was a war and he needed to get back.
But Rachel spotted a pond and wanted to bathe. She didn’t want her mother to see her all dirty. “But you will not look, will you?”
“I will not look until our wedding night.”
“Good.”
When he turned his back, he smiled and wondered if she realized she had just agreed to marry him.
She realized. Her smile was even wider than his and she could hardly contain her excitement. She hurried to strip down, walk into the water neck deep, wash her face then her hair and get out. She shook the dirt out of her clothes and dressed again.
Her hair was wet, but he didn’t mind when she came around and went back into his arms.
She laid her head on his chest and suddenly got serious. “Do not die in this war, Connor. I do not want to live without you.”
“I will not die.”
It was another hour before they turned up the road to the Cameron hold and saw Catherin and Anna sitting with Kevin’s sons in the grass outside. Rachel moved her horse close to Connor’s and let him lift her into his lap. She kissed him passionately, held him tight for a long moment, and then slid down. Then she started to run and didn’t stop until she was in her mother’s arms. When she looked back, her eyes were glued to Connor’s until he turned and rode away, taking her horse with him.
CHAPTER VII
It was five long days before the Fergusons decided to take their chances and fight. They hid behind the darkness of night and slid down ropes on the outside of the wall to the moat. On the other side of the moat, the MacGreagor and Cameron warriors were waiting. When Kevin gave the order, men began to run around the moat lighting torches and soon, the air was filled with the sounds of clashing swords, shouts and the screams of men as they met their deaths.
The MacGreagors were so filled with rage over the slain family and the attack on their home, half the Fergusons didn’t even make it out of the water. The other half was so poorly trained, cutting them down seemed like child’s play. There was little honor in a battle against helpless men and Kevin soon called a halt to the slaughter. He told Justin and Connor to ride around the village and estimate the number of Fergusons now outside. Most were, so he sent several men back through the hidden doors in the wall to lower the bridge.
As soon as the bridge came down Kevin, Justin and Connor started in. Other MacGreagors followed carrying torches and soon the courtyard was well lit, but not one Ferguson warrior dared show himself.
On the keep steps, Laird Ferguson sat cowering with his body tightly curled up and his hands up to protect his head. But when Kevin drew his sword and started up the steps, Ferguson quickly got up and ran back up to the landing. Then he jumped off. But Connor and Justin also had their swords drawn and they were blocking his escape.
Kevin took his time jumping down behind Ferguson. He wanted the man to think about his crime before he died and he was in no hurry to kill him. Finally, Ferguson turned, faced Kevin and drew his sword. Then he let it slip from his hand.
Ferguson’s cowardice further enraged him and fury blazed in Kevin’s eyes. “God condemns the lad who hurts a woman or a child . . . and so do I.” He thrust his sword into the man’s stomach and quickly pulled it out. As soon as Ferguson slumped to his knees, Kevin put a foot on his chest and shoved him to the ground.
Kevin ignored Ferguson’s moan, walked back over the bridge and raised his hand. “Bring all the Fergusons to face me.” Some of his men pushed those in the front toward the bridge while more ran around the outside of the moat to gather the others. It took time to round all of them up but Kevin was in no hurry.
When it was done, fewer than fifty Fergusons stood before him with MacGreagors and Camerons behind the invaders. “Fergusons,” he shouted. “Go home and get your carts. You have until the end of this day to collect your dead. Those you leave behind will be burned. I want the lads who killed Olson, his wife and son. When you bring them to me, we will live in peace.”
Kevin went back across the bridge to the courtyard and kicked Ferguson to see if he was dead. The man moaned and Kevin walked away. “Connor, see how many of ours are dead or injured. Justin, take lads and make sure there are no Fergusons hiding inside.” Once his commands were given, he went to the stables and set all the Ferguson horses free. He wanted nothing left to remind him of this wretched day ever again.
MacGreagors searched every cottage and looked behind every bush inside their hold. They found seventeen Fergusons and sent them out to help remove the dead. The first Ferguson cart that came carried a badly injured man -- the man who committed the murders. Kevin stepped up into the cart, held his sword with both hands and drove it hard through the man’s heart. He stepped down, told the Fergusons to collect the body of their laird and get it off his land. Then he headed to the loch to wash away the blood.
The worst of the day was not yet over. He left Connor in charge and took Justin with him to the Cameron hold to tell two women their husbands were dead. Three other men were wounded, but not seriously and he believed they would live. When they arrived, Kevin and Justin denied themselves the arms of their own families until after they comforted the two widows. Then they went to embrace Anna, Catherin, Rachel and Kevin’s sons.
At the MacGreagor hold, Connor and the MacGreagors dipped buckets into the moat and washed all the blood away. Then they washed themselves. Two men stitched up the wounded and Connor approved when other men began to bring flasks of wine the Fergusons didn’t find and leave them on the steps of the keep. There would be a celebration when the women returned. Fortunately, the Fergusons had not damaged or destroyed too much. Some cleaning was necessary, but it didn’t take that long.
In the evening, the Fergusons took away the last of the dead and rode out of sight.
It was over.
But then, a woman with three younger women, all wearing Ferguson plaids, walked down the road toward the keep. Connor heard the long, low whistle and walked out to the end of the Bridge. It was the same woman who brought the missing boys back. She stopped several yards away and waited until Connor nodded. “I am Catherin’s sister, Sarah, and we are here to ask for sanctuary. Will you give it?”
“We will indeed. I am Connor and I believe we have already met outside the wall. I will soon marry Catherin’s daughter, Rachel.”
Sarah took a relieved breath and smiled. “These are my daughters, Victoria, Ceana and Eppie. Ferguson tried to marry my daughters off against their will. Will your laird do that?”
“Kevin is a good lad and would never do such a thing. Our women will not return until morning, but come, you can stay in Catherin’s cottage until then.” He stood aside so they could pass. The young women who walked behind their mother were each as pleasing as Rachel and he knew several men who would fall all over themselves to make a good impression. He was going to enjoy watching it.
It was early morning when Connor left a guard in place and the rest of the men rode to the Cameron hold to collect their families. They were surprised when they discovered the women had started walking hours earlier and were almost half way home.
Connor got off his horse, held his arms open, and let Rachel run into them. He was so happy to see her, he lifted her off the ground and swung her all the way around twice. Then he kissed her hard. War had a way of making a man appreciate what he had that much more.
&n
bsp; Kevin slapped him on the back. “Much more of that and I will force you to marry her.”
“You will not have to force me.” He kissed Rachel again only this time passionately. It took a while for him to remember he needed to talk to Kevin. “We have visitors. It is Catherin’s sister and her daughters.”
Kevin looked over the heads of the people until he spotted Justin and motioned for him to come closer. Catherin was seated on Justin’s horse and instead of talking to Justin, he smiled up at her, “Your sister has come.” He was rewarded with Catherin’s beautiful smile.
“She is safe?” Catherin asked.
“Aye and her daughters are with her. We intend to keep them.”
“Good.”
Two weeks later, Connor and Rachel stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a Priest and gave their vows to each other in the courtyard where everyone could see. They were dressed the same as on all other days, but Rachel had a ring of flowers on her head and Connor never looked so clean. Rachel had even rubbed flower petals in her hair to make it smell good.
They were married at long last and everyone celebrated. The people danced to the music of a flute, sang songs, drank wine and danced some more. More than a few young men already had eyes for Sarah’s daughters, except Eppie who was too young. Others, including Rachel’s whole family, were inside the great hall laughing, talking, and sampling various meats, sweet tarts and honey bread.
Happy at last, Rachel stood on the landing outside the door, leaned her back against her husband and felt him put his arm around her waist. She loved all the dancing and the music, yet something made her stare at the closed door of the keep.
“Do you want to go in?” Connor asked.
“Nay.” She said it, but she wasn’t sure why. Something was wrong and she didn’t know what. She glanced at the door again and then turned to smile up at him. But an instant later, she was once more staring at the door. Somehow, she felt there was pain behind the door and she never wanted to go through it again. But then, there was also something behind the door she desperately wanted.”
“Rachel, what is it?”
“I do not know.”
She turned in his arms, kissed him and tried to make the feeling go away. Suddenly, a dark memory crossed her mind. She was a little girl sitting on a wooden floor wearing a pink skirt. Her mother sat across from her, but every time her mother moved, a chain made noise on the floor. She lifted her mother’s skirt and saw the chain locked to her mother’s ankle, but then a huge man grabbed her from behind and had her around the waist. He was holding her too tight and she was screaming.
“Dear God,” she breathed.
“What is it?”
She violently shoved Connor away, burst through the door and screamed, “Mother! “
Everyone stopped eating and stared. Her mother was seated at the table next to Justin and when Rachel spotted her, she ran into her arms. She was crying so hard, she could hardly breathe and then she slumped down on her knees. “I remembered.”
“Oh no,” Catherin moaned. She began to cry as well and soon, Anna was kneeling beside her little sister with tears running down her face.
Rachel could hardly speak, “You were...chained...I saw it. A mean man grabbed me...and I was screaming...I wanted to be with you, but he put me in a little room. It was dark and I tried to open the door, but...”
Behind her, Connor looked horrified and so did most of the others.
Catherin wiped her tears away with the back of her hands. “Rachel, look at me.” It took a moment for Catherin to pry Rachel’s arms away and lift her face. “You were too little to open the door. I have prayed every night you would not remember. I wanted your heart free to love a lad the way a woman should -- without fear.” She drew Rachel back to her and held her tenderly. But Rachel’s tears didn’t stop.
At length, Catherin gently pushed Rachel to a sitting position on the floor. She slipped a foot out of her shoe and lifted her skirt until the hideous scar around her ankle was exposed.
Several of the women gasped, but Rachel leaned forward to hug her mother’s leg. “I have never noticed.”
“I know, your mind would not let you notice. But sweetheart, the chain is gone and the scars are old.”
“What happened?”
Catherin hesitated. She feared this day would come and always thought the truth was best, but now she wasn‘t so sure. On the other hand, Rachel’s questions might not stop if they weren‘t honest with her. “Tell her, Anna.”
Rachel helped her mother put her shoe back on and then got up. Anna let Kevin help her up, wiped her eyes with part of her plaid and then wrapped one arm around her husband’s waist. “Rachel, the mean lad you remember was our father.”
“Justin is not my father?”
“He is, in every way a lad can be a good father. But no, he is not your real father. The King of England killed our real father, but not before he suffered. We do not need to know how much he suffered; only that he did.” She stopped then and looked at her mother. “Should I tell her all of it?”
“Aye, her memories may muddle her mind as they do ours and she needs to know what they mean.”
Anna left her husband’s side, urged Rachel to sit in a chair next to their mother and then walked around the table and took a seat across from them.
The music of the flute and the laughter of the people outside drifted in, but the great hall remain silent. No one seemed willing to move, Connor noticed, not even Kevin, and Justin was keeping his eyes held down.
Anna reached across the table and took Rachel’s hands in both or hers. “Our Father called himself Stoneham, but that was not his real name. His real name was MacGreagor and he once lived here. Kevin’s father…” Anna told of all the misery, the beatings, the way her mother was chained to her bed and why she was sent to marry Kevin. It was a horror filled recalling that made tears fill the eyes of some of the women and forced all the men to bow their heads.
Twice, Anna stopped to wipe away her tears, drink the wine one of the women handed her and clear her thoughts. Then she continued and the details got worse before they got better. Connor had never heard of such cruelty, thought he saw a tear roll down Justin’s face and looked at Kevin. Kevin’s arms were folded and his jaws were clenched as though the memories renewed the rage in him. It was the same rage he was beginning to feel.
“He threatened to kill you if I did not marry Kevin, so I did,” Anna was saying. “But we didn’t know where you were. The King’s men finally found you, locked in a closet.”
“Then that is the dark place I remember,” Rachel said. Finally knowing seemed to ease her mind.
“After they found you, Kevin brought the two of you here, but...but we could not stay even though I was Kevin‘s wife. After the torment I caused Mother, there was nothing I would not do to make up for it and she wanted to leave.”
“If she wants, would you leave even now?” Rachel asked.
“Aye, even now.”
“Then I will go too.”
CHAPTER VIII
Connor was stunned. She had just become his wife and he didn’t think he could endure a life of not knowing whether she would still be by his side when he woke up each morning. He wondered how Kevin stood it for thirteen years and had a new admiration for his laird.
Anna continued, “We went back to that house of hell, burned it to the ground and then we found new homes for the servants. Without the servants sneaking food to me, I would have starved to death on more than one occasion.”
Justin glanced at Kevin and Kevin looked surprised. That was another thing neither of them had heard before. He wondered if Catherin knew. She was looking down and when he took her hand, she leaned against him. She hadn’t heard that part either.
Anna’s eyes were somehow brightening with the telling as though a heavy burden was finally lifting off her shoulders. “After that, we tasted true freedom. Mother and I rode horses, swam, hugged you, cried, laughed, and hugged you some more. Hugging you
was a thing our father would never let us do and we kept hugging you until you began to protest when you saw us coming.”
Rachel smiled. “I believe I remember that too. Why did you come back?”
“We came back because this world was a whole different kind of world than the one I grew up in. I did not trust these people and thought all men were the same at first, but I hungered for the kindness and the warmth of the women. Athena was here and we reasoned if Athena was here, perhaps we would be safe. What we wanted most was a good place where you could grow up in peace. So I convinced mother to come back...just for a little while...to see if she would like it.
“Yet this place had a wall just like the one around our manor in England. When Father wouldn’t open the gate so I could go out to ride my horse, I stood for hours trying to will it to open. The feeling of being trapped is...unlike any other. Before we would agree to come back inside the hold, we made Kevin promise to make a secret door in the wall and let us go out whenever we felt the need.”
“I see now, but mother would you really leave Scotland?”
“Do you see this man beside me? It was Justin who unchained me and he has been unchaining my heart ever since. I wake with a smile when I find him next to me and I can not imagine a life without him. Do you understand?”
Rachel thought about it, and then her eyes began to sparkle. “You have decided to stay.”
“Aye.”
“Then I will stay too,” said Anna.
Rachel hugged her mother, “And so will I.”
Anna stood up then, put her hands on her hips and glared at her husband. “Kevin, I hate the place! I want everything changed!”
The smiles on the faces of all three husbands could have warmed a pot of cold mutton stew.
-end-
CHARLET
The King of England asked the Highlander, Kevin MacGreagor, to hide a baby girl and save her life. But sixteen years later, someone discovered where she was. To Blair Cameron fell the duty of protecting Charlet. It was not an easy task; she was furious, headstrong and determined to run from him. Could Blair keep her alive? And if he did, could he keep himself from falling in love with her?
Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 1 (Anna, Rachel & Charlet) Page 17