by H. C. Brown
“Aye, but ye were able to leave the house to meet me.” He dashed a hand through his wet hair. “Ye could have taken the mail coach to a safe place and I would have come for ye. Surely ye ken that or ye would not have asked for me to rescue ye from The Black Turtle.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Dinna ye ken how much danger ye put me in?”
She dropped her hand from the wall and stared at him in disbelief.
“Put you in danger? You? How so may I ask? You are not the one dragged onto a pirate ship and forced to marry against your will—and to a murderer no less.” She refused to wilt under his stare. “And you know full well about the Baron du Court’s reputation because I heard the truth of it from your own lips—I overheard your conversation about how he displays the heads of his enemies on stakes and your suspicions about the deaths of his wives.”
“Och, did ye now? So ye kenned verra well the Baron is nay better than a demon and yet ye thought it fine to go ahead and board The Black Turtle along wi’ the wee gomeral Moreau, aye?” He balled his hands on his hips.
“You—you—beastly man.” She struck him hard across the face. “I had no choice but to do my father’s bidding.”
“Aye, ye did.” He did not flinch, but his green eyes blazed enough to scorch her and his mouth turned up very slightly in one corner as if she had amused him.
Her attention moved to the palm print emblazoned on his cheek. Her outrageous attack on him had unsettled her and she clasped her hands in an attempt to appear in complete control. He must not know how hard her heart thundered in her chest or how badly her knees trembled. With effort, she dropped her voice to a calmer tone. “My father made it perfectly clear my presence was no longer welcome in his home. I had little choice but to comply with his wishes. I had nowhere to go and if I had taken flight to an inn, my father would have given chase. In truth, if you had not rescued me, I thought to ask the Countess D’ Cologne to find me a suitable residence in France but then—”
“The Countess D’ Cologne happens to be du Court’s elderly aunt, so I canna see her offering ye assistance. Dinna ye have any notion of the trouble ye were getting into?”
Ian, his face white to the bone, stepped to her side.
“Nay she did not until she overheard Lord Moreau discussing plans to take her straight to Muzon Castle.” He met his brother’s hard gaze. “I gave her ma word to protect her, aye, and she in return promised to burn ma slave papers.”
“She—What!” Drew rounded on his brother. “Tell me ye have not sold yourself to a Sassenach?”
“I had nay say in the business. When I met The Black Turtle and made enquiries about joining the crew, Captain Jacques laughed at the notion, and had me chained in the hold. The next thing I kenned he had sold me to Lord Moreau. Moreau gave me to Lady Adrianna as a bondservant. She had nothing to do wi’ it so stop screaming at her. Ye are loud enough to wake the dead, and ye are frightening her. She has been through enough. Canna ye see she is barely able to stand?”
“The papers.” Drew opened his hand palm up, toward her. “Now! I canna believe ye would not have destroyed them at once.” The delicious man she had dreamed of had vanished to be replaced by a hardened warrior.
She glared at him. “How dare you, sir!” He loomed over her and fear closed her throat, but she straightened. “I abhor slavery. Dear God! What do you take me for?”
“I dinna ken but unless ye want me to strip ye in front of ma men to find them, I suggest ye do as I say.” Drew towered over her.
She lifted the oilskin and retrieved the documents from her reticule. No sooner had the papers cleared the opening, he closed one large hand around her wrist and shook them from her grasp. Afraid, she stumbled and fell against him. Agony shot up her leg and she gripped the front of his shirt for purchase. He slid one strong arm around her waist and pulled her hard against him, but his countenance remained impassive giving her not one notion of his intentions. Why had she mooned over this man and wanted him above all others? She could plainly see Laird Mackenzie was a cold-hearted smuggler in league with Captain Jacques and not the fine gentleman, she had believed him to be.
Her gaze settled on Angus and noted his flaming red hair. She swallowed hard. The remembrance of reading about the outlawry of Rob Roy in a broadsheet screamed in her mind, good Lord, had she fallen into the den of the famous brigand? Without thought of the repercussions, she opened her mouth and words fell unfretted. “I gather I have fallen into the hands of Rob Roy’s band of reprobates. Was this your plan? Do you intend to hold me for ransom or perhaps sell me into slavery too? That is what people like you and Captain Jacques do, is it not?”
The amused expression on Drew’s face unnerved her. Could he be trying to deceive his men about their previous relationship? She wet her lips and pink flushed the tips of his ears.
“Ye believe ye are insulting me by insinuating I am with Rob Roy, The McGregor?” His green gaze moved over her and the man she loved emerged. “Ye ken nothing about me or ma clan, lass.” He kicked the scattered documents toward Ian “Burn the papers and leave us. You too maid.” He turned back to her and his expression turned to one of tenderness. “I will deal personally wi’ Lady Adrianna.”
More than a little surprised by his change of demeanor, she gave him her best coquettish smile and dropped her lashes. “How personally, Laird Mackenzie?”
“Och, lass, ye ken I needed a deception for ma men.” He pushed her into the shadows, cupped the back of her neck, and lowered his head. “I am sorry for frightening ye. Oh, God, Adrianna, I thought ye were lost to me.”
Overcome with desire, Drew took her mouth and she yielded to him, opening her soft lips and allowing him to explore her mouth. Under his caresses, she melted into his embrace. He sipped and nibbled telling her in his actions what he could not say aloud—not yet. He wanted to be alone with her and make her understand the way of things between them but with twenty men not ten paces away he must hold his tongue for a bit longer.
Her floral scent drove him to distraction and sliding his fingertips into her silken locks, he shook free the pins. She made a soft mewing sound and he reluctantly pulled back to gaze into eyes glazed with lust. “Ye are so beautiful. It seems I have waited a lifetime to hold ye once more. I am sorry ye have had to endure such hardship and I fear there will be more to come. I also had nay choice but to do ma father’s bidding. Ye must believe, I wanted to return to ye straight away, but ma clan relies on me now as their laird.”
“I do understand. Although, I am afraid you are correct I will bring trouble to your clan. Baron du Court will never give up looking for me.” Adrianna sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “Lord Moreau holds a document signed by my father. It is an agreement to a marriage between me and the Baron du Court.” She gripped his shirtfront. “A paper that forces me to marry against my will and one I knew nothing about until I had boarded The Black Turtle.” She drew in a sob and her bottom lip quivered. “My father betrayed me.”
“Aye, he did. It is hard to believe a father capable of such a despicable act.” He cleared his throat. “I thought your father was up to nay good. Lord Rupert overheard your altercation with Lord Balham. Nay doubt your father would have insisted ye wed that weasel too.”
“Yes, Lord Balham endeavored to place me in a compromising position and by doing so believed he could force me to marry him. It would seem my father did not care whom I married.”
“I am at a loss to ken why he prevented me from attending ye.” He pressed a kiss to her unruly curls. “Did he mention me at all?”
Adrianna chewed on her bottom lip as if deciding how to reply.
“No, he did not and I am at a loss to say why he threatened you unless he had reservations about a Scotsman taking up residence in my mother’s house. You see her vast estate will pass into my hands on the day I marry and you must be aware of the … ah … current politics?”
He slid his hands under her oilskin and rubbed her cold back. “Aye, maybe, but why dinna he want
ye around? Did ye cause him embarrassment or have ye done something to shame him?”
“It would seem I am an embarrassment to him in many ways.” She sighed and lowered her long lashes. “We argued about my desire to help the less fortunate and my willingness to work with them has caused him embarrassment.” She trembled against him. “Although I believe he used this excuse to his advantage. You see, my mother died many years ago and he plans to marry again and set up his nursery. I am an only child and he desires a male heir above all things.”
He wanted to kiss away the tears wetting her lashes and comfort her. She trembled in his arms and he pulled her against him. “And Lord Rupert tells me, ye have rejected every gentleman who offered for ye.” He gave her a speculative gaze. “Were ye waiting for me to come along, lass?”
Adrianna glared at him. “I am not a ‘lass.’”
“Och aye, ye are.” Drew’s wide mouth twitched at the corners. “Will ye answer ma question?
Would he ever cease making her knees tremble? “I had hoped to meet someone like you, yes that is true. You see, I decided long ago to marry for love and refused to accept an old smelly man of my father’s choosing.”
“Will it make a difference, now ye ken I am a smuggler?” Drew raised one dark eyebrow.
She swallowed and gaped at him. “That is beside the point. You have never once mentioned you love me.”
“Have I not? Well, I will have to remedy that oversight.” He chuckled and the low, rich sound made her knees weak. “So ma being Le Diable Noir does not disgust ye?”
Her face grew hot and she stared at her feet. “No. Although we do need to discuss this subject at length.” She sighed. “At least you are not a murderer—are you?”
He moved closer and his warm breath brushed her cheek.
“Nay, I am not. Tell me what ye want from me, Adrianna, and ken I will never betray ye.”
She gripped his arm and met his fascinating gaze. Dear Lord, she could fall into his eyes and remain there forever. “I would like to go with you but if it means trouble for your clan then escort me to Inverness and I will find a place to stay.”
“Aye, I want ye by ma side and tell the world ye are mine, but first I must speak to ma men. They dinna ken we met in London or of ma intentions toward ye and because of the current unrest within ma clan, I canna give them the truth of it yet. I care for ye, Adrianna, but I must ask ye to wait for me a little bit longer.”
“I have waited this long and I understand the reluctance of your clan to accept me.” She bit her bottom lip. “I am sure I will gain their favor once they know me better, but I fear my way will be difficult with Baron du Court’s men searching for me.”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Ye are correct Lord Moreau will set out to find ye, and I dinna want him discovering Le Diable Noir is Drew Mackenzie. Although, he will assume ye are traveling with carts heading for Inverness. If he arrives afore we do, likely he will ride out with his men to search for ye on the road. ” His gaze drifted over her from bare feet to the smelly oilskin covering her gown. “Ye will need a disguise. Wear a plain skirt if ye have one and I will give ye ma spare plaid to cover ye head.” He touched her cheek. “Now, will ye allow me to escort ye to the fire so ye may warm yourself and get a bite to eat? I will speak with ye again soon.”
Bereft of his warmth she took his arm, but with each step into the Great Hall, pain burned deep in her leg but she refused to limp or show any signs of distress to his men. Small fires glowed throughout the room sending a waving black forest of shadows against the castle walls. The men turned to stare at her, and not one of them smiled. A shiver of apprehension ran down her back. “Laird Mac—”
“Ye must refer to me as Drew if ye are to make it to Badenoch unnoticed. We will all refer to ye as Adrianna. Using an English title on the road will cause ye undue attention and if we meet anyone, best ye keep hold of your tongue.” He dashed a hand through his hair and sighed wearily. “Now, I suggest ye eat and get some rest as we move out at sunrise.” He turned to face the onlookers. “What are ye all gawking at? Get away wi’ ye.”
Groaning, she carefully lowered her aching body beside Betty. The girl had filled a plate with roast meat and pushed it into her hands.
“My goodness, milady, you are quite flushed. Did Laird Mackenzie offer to treat your wounds?”
She pressed one hand to her boiling forehead. “No, and I did not ask him. As soon as we have a little more privacy I will see to the cuts myself.” She sighed and smiled at Betty. “These are good men and we will be safe under Laird Mackenzie’s protection. We will be leaving for Inverness at daybreak.”
“If you say so, milady.” Betty wrinkled her nose. “I do hope the stink will be less noticeable in the open.”
Adrianna stared at the plate of succulent roast pig but had no appetite. Reluctantly, she forced a few morsels into her mouth and reached for the wineskin. She would need her strength to survive the journey. Fever from the putrefaction of her leg heated her flesh and her vision often blurred around the edges. Without the assistance of a doctor to tend her wounds, she feared her injury might well kill her.
Chapter Six
Drew dragged his saddle to one of the small fires set around the Great Hall and lowered his aching limbs to the cold floor. His heart still raced from kissing her. He snorted. Christ, he had never met a woman with such tenacity. A smile tugged at his lips, God, he admired her spirit. He gazed across the room at her. Not to mention her full, luscious lips and rounded arse.
Angus came to his side, pushed a plate of roast pork into his hands, and raised both red brows in question.
“A Sassenach shrew to be sure.” Angus dropped to the floor beside him. “I dinna think I will be able to stand much more of her squawking.”
Drew reached for his dirk and sighed. The delicious aroma of the succulent dish made his wame rumble. He dug the tip of the blade into the meat, lifted it to his mouth, and sighing chewed with contentment. “Nay, not a shrew, she is verra braw to attempt an escape from The Black Turtle, and then stand toe-to-toe wi’ the likes of me. I admire a strong woman, not so much in muscle, aye, but in their conviction. Although, she is nicely rounded, not skinny like most of the Sassenach women who pick at their food then wonder why they swoon the moment they take more than a few steps. Most are too weak to stand let alone escape by dropping down the side of a ship.” He met Angus’s gaze. “I will tell ye the truth of it. I have met the lass afore, some months ago at a ball in London. If her father had not warned me off, I would have called on her. She is a bonny lassie, aye?”
“She is trouble and if ye canna see that ye are blind. Ye should not have involved the clan in her problems.” Angus narrowed his red brows. “I ken why Lord Beachwood dinna want the likes of ye near her.”
“Och aye, and how would ye ken such a thing?”
“It was Lord Beachwood who offered for your mother and your grandsire sent him away wi’ a flea in his ear.” Angus chuckled. “Then ye showed interest in his daughter and ye the image of your grandsire. It was not ye, he dinna approve of, I believe, he was getting his own justice, ken?”
Unable to believe his ears, Drew stared at Angus in disbelief. To think, Lord Beachwood would make his daughter suffer in order to settle an old score. Arse wipe. “Nay I dinna ken, he had met ma mother.”
“Aye, he did. The idiot got himself turned about on a visit to the Highlands and wandered into Foiseil Castle. Your ma was tending the sick alongside your grandmother and being a surgeon he offered assistance.” He grinned and his blue eyes twinkled. “Ah well, once the Sassenach dandy laid eyes on your ma, and I might add she was nay more than fifteen, he wanted her, aye. Ye Grandsire put up wi’ him pestering her for a wee while then told him, his daughter would marry a Highlander, not a Sassenach weakling and that he had promised her to a the Mackenzie.”
Drew grinned. “Aye, he is nay bigger than a lad of twelve.”
“I would take his threat seriously and kee
p well away from Lady Adrianna. Ian told me she is promised to a baron and it is none of your business if she wants to marry him or not.” Angus waved his dirk to cool the meat pinned to the tip. “Ye have nay notion if Baron du Court is a favorite of King Louis and your interference may prevent our trading with Captain Jacques in the future.”
“Dinna fash yourself, du Court has nay friends and least of all King Louis. Du Court may own The Black Turtle, but Captain Jacques is under orders from Cardinal de Richelieu, the king’s chief minister.” Drew wiggled his eyebrows. “In fact, it is me Louis holds in high regard.”
“Cackle away, but how long do ye think it will take Moreau to come after her? Ma guess is he will come ashore the moment The Black Turtle drops anchor at Inverness. The ship will be there more than a day afore we arrive. Are ye prepared to meet this man in a duel and risk your life for a Sassenach besom because this is a verra likely outcome?” He indicated toward the huddled figures of the women. “The wee Moreau weasel was in charge of her and I doubt verra much he will be planning to return to France wi’ out his master’s bride. The baron would have his head.”
Drew snorted and grinned. “It would be worth the trip to France to see the wee gromeral’s head atop a pike on the baron’s castle ramparts.” He reached for the wineskin, bit out the cork, and raised the opening to his mouth. He drank the rich brew and corking the top met Angus’s intent gaze. Now was not the time to inform his godfather, he cared deeply for Adrianna. “I am going to help her. It is a matter of honor, aye?”
“Aye well, I will have your back nay matter.” Angus raised both brows. “If ye have made up your mind to protect her from du Court ye will have to take her wi’ us to Badenoch.”
“Aye, I will.” He stretched to ease his cramped muscles. “Although, I do not imagine the journey will be easy for a fine lady like her.”