Julie wrinkled her brow, “You love this lad?”
“He makes my heart flutter when I see him. I do not know if that is love or not? Do you know?”
Kenna rarely asked her anything and sadly Julie didn‘t have the answer. “Nay, my heart has never fluttered.”
“I once thought I preferred Duff, but now...” She heard the long, slow whistle signaling a new arrival and held her breath. Then she let it out. It was probably another too thin, too old, or too ugly laird wanting to marry Charlet. She was getting tired of the whole mess.
Charlet was still sitting on the rock, her shoes were only a couple of feet away and Blair was out of sight. Her chance had finally arrived. Casual, that’s how she would act. She got up, picked up her shoes and began to wander along the rocky bank of the loch. She stopped, put her shoes on, enjoyed the view and wandered a little farther. Then she skipped a small stone across the water and paused to watch a bird soar through the air.
She was so busy ignoring where Blair might be, she wasn’t aware of the eyes that watched her from behind a large rock. Closer and closer she walked, climbing up on rocks and then jumping down, all the time wondering where Blair put her horse. She glanced toward the trees, but looked away before she realized Blair was there motioning for her to come to him. She glanced again and this time his bow was loaded and he wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was watching something not far from her.
Charlet was terrified. A wild boar could tear her to shreds, a highlander might want her or it could be, God forbid, the English. Her heart raced but she remained outwardly calm. There was no point in trying to run on the rocks, but she could jump from rock to rock as though she suspected nothing.
An arrow suddenly pierced the side of her upper arm. Bridget cried out, grabbed her arm, stepped between the rocks and crouched down as low as she could.
Just as the Englishman let loose his arrow, Blair shot him through the neck. Another man rose up, saw the Highlander and started to run. But Blair reloaded and shot his arrow through the man’s back into his heart. A third man also ran, but he was too far away and chasing him meant not helping Charlet. Blair hurried to her, scooped her into his arms and took her deep into the forest.
“Who were they?”
“English. Be still, I must pull the arrow out. It will hurt but you must be quiet.” He set her down, found a strong twig, made her put it between her teeth and before she could protest, held her arm tight and yanked the arrow out. It came out easily, which meant it had not pierced her bone, but her arm was bleeding profusely. He pulled the strip of plaid off his shoulder, cut it with his dagger, wrapped it tightly around her arm and tied it.
The arrow hurt more coming out than going in and Charlet was glad she had the stick to bite on. Still the tears flowed. Then she realized the last Englishman might be coming back, so she pulled the stick out of her mouth and threw it away. As soon as Blair had her arm bound, she got to her feet.
He was impressed with her courage, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it. Blair had to take her somewhere other than into the cottage where a fire could trap her. He also needed to alert his brother. He led her through the trees toward the cottage and then stopped. Able to see the doorway, he cupped his hands over his mouth and made a piercing noise.
Instantly, the cottage door opened and Blair’s brother stood just inside with his sword drawn. Blair put his hand up to keep him from coming out, then through a series of hand signals, let his brother know there were three, they were English and she was hurt. His brother pointed to his own chest, Blair shook his head and pointed to his own arm. Then he pretended to shoot an arrow.
Blair’s brother signaled something back, but by then Charlet was no longer interested. She wasn’t feeling well and her arm hurt. Before, she was kneeling beside Blair, but then she sat down and held her lower arm. Even being thrown by a horse didn’t hurt this much. She hoped she wouldn’t, but then hoped she would pass out.
Anna had been gone nearly six days and was relieved to see her home in the distance, but when she neared, the bridge was up. Her guard halted. Gordon, Kevin’s third in command, could see no enemy, but the bridge was normally down in the daytime unless there was danger. He hadn’t heard the long, low whistle the guards were supposed to let out when riders approach either, so he signaled for half the guard to take Anna into the forest. Then he cautiously walked his horse forward.
There were no MacGreagor guards on the top of the wall. In fact, there were no signs of MacGreagors at all. He kept going, glancing in all directions and trying to figure out where the danger was. Then he saw them.
In the meadow outside the wall, six men stood with their legs apart and their arms folded. Each had a guard and each wore plaids with different dominant colors. Connor was facing them trying to convince them of something.
Gordon whistled. Connor saw who it was and let out a long, slow whistle of his own. The bridge finally began to come down and as soon as it was in place, Gordon signaled and Anna was ushered inside the wall.
Connor walked across the bridge behind them and motioned for the guard to raise it again.
“What is happening?” Anna asked as Connor helped her off her horse.
“They want to marry Charlet. They kept coming in to look for her and we were forced to raise the bridge.”
“Are they all lairds? I only recognize two of them.”
Connor walked her up the steps to the keep. “Aye, they are from clans I have never heard of. Your husband has been miserable without you.”
“I have been miserable without him.” The people were beginning to gather to welcome her and when she looked, at least a dozen young women had red hair. She couldn’t help but laugh. Then she waved and started to go inside to find Kevin.
But Connor took hold of her hand before she could. “You have a nephew and your sister is fine.”
Anna was thrilled and hugged him. “And are you fine as well?”
“I fear I will recover a bit slower than my wife.”
“Do not worry, the first is the hardest.” She smiled and opened the door.
But instead of Kevin, Kenna was waiting in the great hall. “Am I ever glad to see you. I thought I wanted a husband, but now I see what Charlet meant. The desires of lads are not the fault of lasses.”
“You have grown wiser since I went away.” said Anna. “That is why our husbands must protect us. We...” She looked up and Kevin was watching her from the doorway to their bedchamber. Anna hurried up the stairs, ran down the balcony and into his waiting arms.
Kevin couldn’t seem to release her even after he kissed her and made her melt in his arms. “I will never let you go again, I can not bear it.”
“Nor can I.” She moved away finally and walked to the window. “We have guests, I see.” The six lairds in the meadow were now glaring at each other.
“Kenna has run out of excuses and she feels put upon.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind and put his cheek next to hers. “I do not know what to do.”
“The King did not arrange the marriage.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“I think there might be a way to make them all leave.”
He turned her around and looked into her eyes. “How?”
An hour later, Kevin had the drawbridge lowered. With Kenna in the middle and Connor on the other side, Kevin walked across the bridge and then to the crest of the meadow. He wanted each of the six men to see her beauty and they could hardly keep from gawking at her.
“Which of us does she choose?”
Kenna took a few steps forward and looked each of them over. Then she curtsied and walked back to Kevin. They were ogling her and she was annoyed with their arrogance. Not one of them was Laird Ferguson.
Kevin clasped his hands behind his back and waited for his guests to do the same out of respect. When they did, he began, “An Englishman wants our Charlet.” As soon as they started to grumble, he raised his hand. “She does not want to marry an Englishman, but she has never
seen one and would like to know why he wants her. I would like to know as well. Do the English want a war with us over this woman, handsome though she may be? If she marries a Highlander, will that begin a war? I for one would rather live in peace.” Kevin let his words sink in for a moment.
“We will protect her,” one shouted.
“Aye,” the rest agreed.”
“And so will I.” Kevin shifted his weight. His knees weren’t as strong as they once were and they hurt. “Word of the Englishman’s request for her hand came through the clans. Do any of you know who he is?” None of them nodded.
From this point on, Kevin had to choose his words very carefully. “Whom this lass agrees to marry is not within my power to command, but I will happily encourage a marriage to the lad who brings me the Englishman.”
Charlet didn’t know how long she had been asleep, but when she awoke it was morning, she was in Blair’s lap, slumped against him and once more on a horse.
He felt her stir and was relieved. She hadn’t moved all night and he was worried. In the light of the moon, he managed to get them safely away from his brother’s cottage. His brother got his shoes, one plaid and a flask of wine to him, but no food.
“Do you want to stop?” He felt her nod and halted his horse. They were in a clearing, but at least he could see danger coming before the English got close enough to hurt her again.
She finally sat up. “Are we near water?”
“Nay, but I brought a flask of wine. You will need it for your pain.” He let go of her just long enough to pull the strings of the flask loose from his belt. He removed the wooden stopper and handed it to her. The flask was heavy and she could only use one hand, so he helped her tip it.
It tasted bitter at first, but she was thirsty so she swallowed three times and stopped. She watched him put it away, get off the horse and lift her down. She wasn’t any more sure she could stand on her own than he was, so she didn’t mind at all when he didn’t let go. And when she looked up, he looked disturbed. “What?”
“I did not protect you.”
“Would you like me to yell at you?” She couldn’t help but notice his wonderful smile.
“Can you walk?”
“I think so.” She wanted to hold on to him, but she couldn’t let go of her arm, so she was grateful when he took hold of her uninjured elbow. They walked through the tall grass for a while in silence before she finally said, “I have decided not to marry the Englishman.”
Blair noticed his horse was walking away and followed. Perhaps the horse would lead them to water. “I thought you decided not to marry any lad.”
“Oh I have, but him I have decided against much more than any other. How do you think they found us?”
“A Cameron told them.”
“How do you know it was a Cameron?”
“They are the only ones who know of my brothers. It was a mistake to take you there. I will not make that mistake again.”
“Do you think they are following us?”
“'Tis possible, but I do not think so.” He was pleased when he heard the water, saw his horse stop and bend down to drink. “Come, I need to look at your arm. It stopped bleeding in the night and we should wash it.”
She wiggled her elbow out of his grasp. “I can do it.”
“Nay, I will do it.”
“I am not a child and I do not need…” she quickly looked around and raised her voice. “You did not bring my horse?”
He grabbed her elbow again and made her turn to face him. “I protect you now with my body, you will ride with me and you will not disobey me!”
“Are we back to that? I do not enjoy being told what to do!”
He practically pulled her to the creek, forced her to sit down in the grass and started to untie the bandage around her arm. “I do not enjoy being disobeyed. You make this more difficult than it needs to be, Charlet.”
“Bridget. I am Bridget Cameron, remember?”
He remembered, but all night he kept saying her real name over and over in his mind. He liked it. He liked it very much and he liked her spirit, the color of her hair and the green of her eyes. He just wasn’t about to admit it to her. He also noticed her hostile words did not match her movements. She wasn’t fighting him at all physically. He unwrapped the bandage and she helped by holding her arm out. He glanced at her face and noticed her glare. “What?”
“How do you propose to guard me with your body while I bathe?”
That was something he had not thought about. But her irritation seemed to help her ignore the pain, so he decided to play with her anger. “I intend to bathe with you.”
Her jaw dropped. “You will not!”
“I will not look.”
“Like you did not look before? I do not believe you.” She hadn’t noticed him dip the cloth in the cold water, and when he laid it against her injured arm, she caught her breath.
“I suppose now you are going to cry again.”
“I will not.”
“Good. Your injury will heal and the pain will be better in a day or two.” He noticed a tear run down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.
She lifted her arm and looked over her shoulder to see the wound for herself. The round puncture wound was not much bigger than the tip of her middle finger and she was relieved. The surrounding area was bruised, but that would heal too. Still, it hurt a lot. “I require more wine than you carry.”
“I detest a drunken woman even more than a weeping one. I will give you more when I think you need it.”
“You are the most stubborn, mule-headed, horse’s...”
“Aye, try to remember that.” He submerged the cloth in the water, washed it and wrung it out. “I suggest you drink your fill. It will be a while before we see water again.” He wrapped the bandage back around her arm and tied it.
“Where are we going?”
“You will see.”
Laird Ferguson was back and Kenna was excited, scared, nervous and confused all at the same time. She saw him ride into the courtyard with his guard and managed to dart out of sight before he spotted her. Why had she done that, she wondered. Then she hoped Kevin would send for her. But why would he? Laird Ferguson did not want to marry Charlet, he said so himself.
The other lairds were gone from the meadow and so were their guards. Kenna had been tempted to take Julie through the forest with her so she could go to the Ferguson hold in hopes of at least seeing him from afar. She could always say she wanted to talk to her Uncle. But Kevin might need her, so she gave up on that idea. Now Ferguson was here and she wondered why.
If she could find a place closer to hide, at least she would see him again when he left. But when Kenna backed up, she bumped into Duff. His broken nose was still healing and he had faded black marks under each eye.
“I choose you,” Duff announced.
Kenna rolled her eyes and walked away. “You and half the world.”
Duff shouted after her, “Kevin wants you.”
Don’t run, she reminded herself. A woman does not run, she walks slowly, especially where a man is concerned. Isn’t that what Rachel told her? But her heart was beating fast and she couldn’t remember exactly who told her that. She took her time climbing the steps, but it seemed like there were twenty more than before. Don’t run, she reminded herself again.
She opened the door and walked in, but Kevin was not there. In fact, she was alone with Laird Ferguson and it surprised her. She walked toward him, stopped and curtsied. “Have you killed my laird?”
He smiled. “Kevin remembered something he meant to ask his wife. He is upstairs and will be back in a moment. Are you afraid to be alone with me? I do not mean to frighten you.”
“I would not wish to be in the shoes of a lad who harmed me, Kevin would kill him and not think twice about it. So would Connor.” She was uncomfortable and didn’t know if she should stand there or sit down. She looked up and his eyes were glorious, so she quickly looked away.
“Is
Connor the one who came to get you at the gathering?”
“Aye, he is Kevin’s second in command. I was needed here.”
“Kenna, I have come to ask you to marry me. I know you hardly know me and I am willing to wait for your answer. But I want you to know my intentions. Your uncle speaks highly of you.”
She laughed a nervous little laugh. “My uncle knows me only as a little girl he has seen but a few times.”
“Perhaps you would like to ask him about me. I will send him if it will please you.”
“I want to see him very much. We had no time to talk at the gathering.” She walked to the table and sat down. “What should I ask him about you?”
He followed and took a seat across the table from her. “Whatever you like. Be sure to inquire as to all my faults. I would not have you marry me unaware.”
Kenna wrinkled her brow. “Would you...”
“Go on, you may ask anything you like of me.”
She had to avoid the man’s eyes at all costs. They were driving her daft and this was important. Still, she couldn’t think of a way to ask without offend him so she thought of something else to say. “Lately, I have begun to realize that a lad who admires my beauty does not...what I mean is...do you think you love me?”
“I find you very pleasing, but I confess, I do not yet love you.”
She considered his answer. “Thank you for being honest. I find you pleasing as well, but I do not love you either. The truth be told, I am not sure what love feels like exactly.”
“Nor am I. Perhaps we will learn together. If you are willing, I will come back in two days and ask permission to take a walk with you. Tomorrow I will send your Uncle. Do you agree?”
Kenna nodded. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being so easy to talk to.”
CHAPTER V
It was getting dark and both Blair and Bridget were exhausted. They were back in the thicker forest and the only place to protect them from the approaching rain was under a tree. So Blair stopped, tied his horse and spread the plaid out for her to wrap up in. Then he pulled the flask from his belt and let her drink. The last thing he did was sit down beside her with his back against the tree.
Marti Talbott's Highlander Series 1 (Anna, Rachel & Charlet) Page 22