Highland Destiny

by Oliver, Marina

  'If I married a Highland chieftain the clan would lose its independence and become part of another clan, and so they would prefer John for that reason. It was one thought in my father's mind when he arranged the marriage with Patrick. My relatives would howl in dismay, of course, but the ordinary people love me and would be delighted that they would see a love match. It would be on my part, but can I be utterly certain of John?'

  'What do you mean?'

  'How could I be certain he loved me? I know he has great regard for me, and from what you say I begin to hope it is more than that, but I must be sure! You see, he is so noble, he might feel obliged to accept, so as not to hurt me, were I to propose to him!'

  'I doubt if he would do that even if he did not love you,' Blanche tried to reassure her friend. 'You worry over nothing.'

  'But he may love someone else? Is there anyone?' she asked slowly.

  'No, and so far as I know there never has been. If he has contrived to hide from you his love it must be because, thinking marriage impossible, he has tried to push it from his mind.'

  'I wish there was a way to be sure!' Fiona exclaimed in agony. 'I am too proud to beg him, and would feel too humiliated if he agreed without loving me. Has he ever hinted at the idea?'

  'Not directly, but being John he would not. He does not show his feelings too openly.'

  *

  Fiona rode on in silence while Blanche, full of pity for her friend and her brother, was busy planning ways in which she could herself act as an intermediary. But all these plans were dismissed from her mind as they watched the men in front of them form up, and then spread out on their approach to the town. They heard the shout of triumph rise from two hundred throats as the men of Duncan Campbell's clan poured hurriedly out of the gateway, bereft now of its gate, and prepare to face the far smaller number of attackers.

  From the castle itself came a fusillade of shots as the defenders, seeing deliverance at hand, defied their besiegers and attempted to catch them between two fires.

  Implacably John, his men, and those who had accompanied Colin marched forwards.

  The men without horses formed a solid wedge of infantry in the middle of the line, and their mounted comrades rode on either wing. Before the Campbells had time to form the cavalry on the left, led by Alexander, charged along the bank of the loch, breaking into a canter and sweeping round in a graceful curve to gallop alongside the walls of the town, thundering down onto the disorganised beseigers turned defenders.

  As they swung round to face this menace, a volley of musket shot crashed into their ranks from John and his men in the centre, and many of those that were left whole turned to flee from the loch and the town, and straight into the charge of the other wing of cavalry.

  Duncan's men were not all craven, though the unexpectedness of the attack and its force had thoroughly demoralised them. As a small group stood fast together and cried out angrily to their comrades, many of the confused men rallied again and returned to the fight. After such a charge Fiona's men had little opportunity to form up again, and the battle developed into hand to hand fighting as the Macdonalds sought to capture the enemy, who wanted only to escape from the trap they were in. A few of them, realising they had been outmanoeuvred by the surprise, saw a chance of escape and broke out of the mêlée, running as fast as they could for the shelter of the forest. Only a few were mounted, for the attack had been too sudden to permit them to lead their horses from the town, but one of these, a broad shouldered, powerful looking figure, suddenly broke away from the fight and galloped away, his spurs cruelly raking his horse's flanks.

  ' 'Tis Black Duncan, after him!' The cry rose from so many throats Fiona and Blanche heard it even over the tumult of the fighting further back.

  He had a good start, and once into the shelter of the trees might yet escape. His pursuers, John amongst them, were far behind.

  'Head him off!' Fiona ordered swiftly, and her men, who had been fretting at their inability to join in the battle waging before them, needed no further urging. They set off, streaming towards the flying figure as he headed for the refuge of the trees to the side of them. Fiona, heedless of her own safety, forgetting all in the need to prevent the escape of this man who had dared to attack her people, rode after them, and Blanche with her.

  Espying this new danger, Duncan swerved in an attempt to avoid the men pounding towards him, but they were too close and had soon surrounded him and dragged him from his horse. Spluttering curses, he stood there glaring venomously at Fiona, who had reached the group with Blanche just behind her. She was about to speak when her name was called, and she turned to see John ride up to her.

  'In God's name what do you here?' he demanded furiously. 'I gave orders – '

  'John, you are wounded!' she cried, and slid from her horse's back to run towards him.

  Holding his left arm, which was bleeding profusely, away from him, he dismounted stiffly and took a step towards her. Blanche, slightly behind Fiona, saw a movement from the corner of her eye as Duncan, attention momentarily distracted from him, drew a pistol from its holster and raised it to aim. She screamed a warning a second before the pistol was fired and gasped as Fiona, running towards John, fell to the ground. John leapt across the small gap separating them and dropped down beside her.

  'My love, are you hurt?' he asked in an anguished tone. 'Fiona, my dearest one!'

  After what seemed an eternity to John she opened her eyes, and a sweet smile curved her lips as she looked up at him.

  'I but tripped on a tussock and winded myself,' she said with a faint laugh. Then she noticed the blood on the sleeve of his coat and sat up swiftly. 'You are hurt!'

  She threw a glance over her shoulder and gave swift instructions to her men.

  'Secure the Black Campbell, I will deal with the fiend later. Fetch help for Sir John, quickly. Make haste, I say!'

  She did not look closely at them, her whole attention being concentrated on the task of easing off John's coat, and did not realise one of the men, reacting to the firing of the pistol beside him, had turned and driven his dirk into Duncan Campbell's heart. Blanche saw their looks of astonishment as the prisoner they held sagged and collapsed to the ground, and she quietly went across to them and suggested they remove him, and explain what had occurred later when Lady Fiona was more at leisure to attend them. Nodding thankfully they agreed, and looking about them saw the battle was virtually over, only a few isolated struggles still taking place.

  The remnants of Duncan's army were soon rounded up, and the townsmen, released from their enforced vigil in the church, set to with a will to dig a grave for the ones that had perished. The church became a hospital, and the wounded, mostly Campbells, were carried in to be tended by the women who had been driven by them to take refuge in the castle.

  John's wound was not serious enough to incommode him once it was bound up, and despite Fiona's urging he insisted on remaining on the field to direct the clearing up. Meekly she accepted his order to take charge in the castle and remounted her horse to ride in what proved to be a triumphal progress through the town.

  *

  The castle cooks were busily preparing a banquet to celebrate the victory and the children, catching the exhilaration of their elders and wild with pent-up emotion after days of fear, were busy gathering a huge pile of rubbish and wood to build a bonfire in the church square.

  Fiona sent for John as soon as it was reported to her he had returned to the castle.

  'Did you mean what you said when you thought I was hurt?' she asked shyly.

  'I must beg your pardon, I ought not to have said such things,' he answered with difficulty, keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

  She smiled. 'I am glad I fell, glad Duncan tried to shoot me, for you revealed your heart. John, I must marry, but I will marry a man I love and who loves me. Do you love me enough to share my tasks?'

  His look answered her, and with a glad cry she went into his arms. Much later she recalled she ought to be prepa
ring for the banquet.

  'I shall announce our betrothal tonight, before you begin to think of all the disadvantages,' she said gaily.

  'Your family, ought they not to be consulted?'

  'I will inform them, but not consult with them,' she said firmly. 'I am their chieftain and shall do as I wish. Besides, Colin has departed already to return to Katriona, and there is only Alex here. The others have had no care of me.'

  'You are too fierce, my love!' he chided gently, and as he pulled her towards him she melted, soft and submissive as she held up her face for his kisses.

  Blanche and Lady Emrey were told beforehand and gave their wholehearted approval. Alexander, having been in the thick of the fighting without suffering a scratch, had been with the clansmen until just before the banquet began, and joined Fiona and the Emreys as they were about to enter the great hall. Fiona stopped, drew him slightly to one side and told him her news. Blanche watched anxiously to see how he would take this destruction of his own hopes.

  'Wish me happy, cousin?' Fiona asked him, a challenging look in her eyes.

  'I have not always appreciated Sir John, my love, but I think he can master you!' he said, and laughed at the look of indignation that crossed her face. 'Marry him soon so he can have the task, thankless as it is, of guarding you!'

  'I will do so,' she replied softly, and passed into the hall with John.

  When the announcement was made, the wild cheering rang all through the castle, and the word spread faster than fire down the hillside into the town.

  Soon the castle gates were besieged by the townsfolk calling for their chieftain and the popular Sir John. There was no doubt as to the view of her clan.

  Fiona and John went hand in hand to walk in the town, to light the great bonfire, and to receive the warm congratulations of the people. Lady Emrey, whose leg was still painful, retired to bed and Blanche went to help her. As she emerged later from her mother's room Alexander rose from the windowseat where he had been waiting.

  *

  'The best view of the celebrations is from the tower,' he said, holding out his hand.

  As if she had no will of her own Blanche allowed him to lead her up onto the tower. Far below them the streets were ablaze with torches and flares, and lesser bonfires had been started as well as the great one before the church, so the town looked as if it had been visited by an army of gigantic glowworms. They could see the people dancing in the streets and squares, and the singing was borne up to them on the breeze.

  Blanche looked further away from the castle. Beyond the lights of the town, the fields and the forests loomed darkly, with the only brightness the silvery twisting loch winding away towards the sea, between the rough, afforested hills. Suddenly she thought of the man who was coming to carry her away from all this, and a silent tear fell onto her hand. How could she bear to go back to England, away from this land and these people she had grown to love so well, even though it meant returning to her old home.

  'Are you sad for your brother? Surely not!' Alexander's voice startled her. She had not realised he had been watching her. Embarrassed, she turned her face away, but he took her chin in his hand and forced her to turn her tear-stained face up to him.

  'What is it?' he asked, and without conscious thought Blanche stammered she did not wish to leave the castle.

  'I shall miss it so!' she said with a catch in her voice.

  'But you will not be far away, and can visit your mother and John and Fiona frequently,' he said bracingly.

  She stared at him, frowning slightly.

  'England is a long way,' she whispered.

  'You can visit there too, if you so desire it.'

  'Visit? But I shall be living there!'

  'What do you mean? Surely your mother does not plan to return now?'

  'No!' she said desperately. 'Roger Grant lives there.'

  'And who might Roger Grant be?'

  'The man I am going to marry,' she answered dully.

  Alexander gave a shout of laughter, and she looked up at him angrily.

  'I can see no cause for merriment,' she said furiously, and turned to run towards the door of the tower. But he was after her in a single stride, caught her and forced her to turn and face him.

  'Have you ever met this man? Do you love him?' he demanded, and helpless in his grip she shook her head.

  'It is being arranged,' she managed to say.

  'Then it can be disarranged, for you are not leaving Scotland. You are going to marry me.'

  Bemused, she stared up at him, thinking possibly he was unhinged over his disappointment that he would not now marry Fiona, or had some plan of revenge on John through her. Then a strange emotion seemed to overwhelm her, there was a tingling in her limbs, and his face seemed to be coming nearer, his eyes devouring her.

  'I – I do not understand,' she whispered in a trembling voice.

  He chuckled. 'Surely you know what marriage is, my lovely one? Or shall I explain? It usually begins when I pull you close to me, my arms imprisoning you so that however much you resist, you cannot escape. Then there is a kiss, timid and afraid of a rebuff, like this. Later the lovers grow more expert, and the kisses are more like this. Yes you learn fast, my beloved. You begin to return the embraces, your arms about my neck, so, and becoming more daring, your arms cling to me more fervently, more surely. That is right, my darling. You respond to me, not because it is an arranged marriage and your duty, but because you love your husband with all your heart, as he loves you. I do not think I need explain any more to you!'

  There were no more words as he clasped her to him, and Blanche, ceasing to wonder how this thing had happened, how this love she had not dared admit even to herself was, miraculously, returned, submitted joyfully to his caresses.

  'I thought you wanted Fiona,' she whispered, a long time afterwards. 'I thought you meant to rule her clan.'

  'I often thought of it while I was away fighting,' he admitted. 'It seemed sensible. But then I did not know you existed, and once I had set eyes on you there was no other remotely possible course of action. I do not often confess to being incapable of controlling my actions, but since I have met you I have had one main objective, to make you my wife. I could not, even if I wished, fight against that. It is our destiny, and I suspect it is the same for John and Fiona.'

  She smiled at him shyly. 'They are deep in love,' she said, almost apologetically.

  He regarded her with amusement. 'If he had not loved her, do you think I would have permitted their betrothal?' he asked, laughing, and she laughed joyfully back at him.

  'I would have liked to have seen you trying to restrain Fiona once she was determined to do something,' she replied teasingly.

  'She will be an excellent chieftain, and John will be able to guide and help her. She will do what he wishes, despite herself, just as I fear you will be able to rule me, my enchantress!'

  'It must be a dream!' she said suddenly. 'I shall wake and find it all vanished!'

  Gently he kissed her again. 'No, my sweet love. It is reality, a reality better far than any dream.'

  THE END

  ###

  Marina Oliver has written over 60 novels, and has converted most of them to Ebooks. Others have been or are being published as Ebooks by other publishers.

  For the latest information please see Marina's web site:

  http://www.marina-oliver.net

  More of Marina's Civil War novels – all now available as Ebooks:

  Her Captive Cavalier.

  By Marina Oliver

  Determined not to allow a band of roaming Cavaliers to enter her home, Caro threatens their leader with a pistol. When he ignores her challenge she shuts her eyes and fires.

  Compelled to nurse him when her shot grazes his head, she gradually realises she must protect him from his enemies.

  But that is not enough. His enemies become hers, and to escape them she has to trust herself to his protection.

  *

  Sibylla and th
e Privateer.

  By Marina Oliver

  Sibylla is in love, but Randolph demands secrecy.

  Then she discovers he is plotting against her brother Gerard, a Royalist hoping to restore King Charles II of England to the throne.

  Once she learns his secret motive, Randolph means to silence her, but chance and Josselin, the French Privateer intervene.

  Together Sibylla and Josselin have to save Gerard from danger and the King from his enemies. Have they time?

  *