His Bonnie Highland Temptation (The Clan Sinclair Book 2)

by Celeste Barclay

  “Dinna fash. I ken our arrangement. That doesnae mean that I canna enjoy her presence a little before we arrive home.”

  Home? Robert said this. Home must mean the Mackzenies. Why would he take me there? Even ma father wouldnae condone taking me from the Sinclairs. He was only too glad to be done with me to ever welcome me back.

  Siùsan tried to understand what she had just learned. With a pounding headache, she just could not seem to think past her own questions.

  They rode well into the night until it simply became too dangerous to continue. The horses could no longer see their way. There was too great a risk that one could stumble and go lame. When they set up camp, Siùsan was dumped so near the fire that she had to scoot back to keep from being singed. Her hands were not untied, and she felt like a rabbit nibbling on the two oatcakes and piece of dried meat that she was given. By this time, she was exhausted from being awake for almost an entire day. She could barely keep her eyes open, but she twisted her hands enough to be able to pinch the inside of her wrists everytime she felt herself beginning to drift off. The sting was just enough to keep her alert. She knew she had a dirk tucked into each boot and one in the small pocket sewn into her skirts, but she had not had an opportunity to use any of them. She had not packed as many as when she travelled alone. The firelight shone on her clearly, so she could not try to sever her bindings until the men had all settled in to sleep.

  She almost groaned aloud when Sir James tied a long piece of rope to the bindings at her wrists and another one to the bindings at her feet. Robert approached and picked up the rope attached to her feet while Sir James kept the one attached to her arms. They each sat on one side of her. No one had to explain that these ropes were leashes and if she moved at all during the night, either or both would know. She had no chance to escape even if she could get to her dirks. The movement would alert the men to her attempt. She really and truly was stuck.

  ~~~

  It took the Sinclairs almost four days to pick up on the trail of the party that had stolen Siùsan. It rained lightly the morning before allowing Magnus to spot fain tracks that had been covered. Magnus was an excellent tracker and could see the smallest indentations and disturbances that no one else ever noticed. The Gunns and Mackzenies had tried to cover their tracks. They discovered there were more of them than Callum had originally thought. Callum had initially seen only five men, two of which were Sir James Gunn and Robert Mackenzie. Now they knew that Siùsan travelled with close to a score of men. That was double what Callum had brought. He was not overly concerned by the odds since the Sinclairs were well trained and had more at stake than the Gunns or Mackenzies. Callum only worried about what might happen to Siùsan if she were caught in the middle of a battle.

  “Those tracks are at least a day old. We seem to be gaining on them, but we arenae likely to overtake them. I suspect that they are travelling long into the night before making camp. I havenae picked up any sign of a fire since the first night. I dinna think they are even lighting one. I ken we lost some time going to the Gunns but not enough for them to get that far ahead unless they are riding almost twenty hours a day.” Magnus explained.

  “I ken what ye’re saying. I dinna ken how they have done it without any of their horses going lame. I want to push harder and ride longer, but I dinna want to risk injury to any of the horses. I just canna stand the thought of her being with those men. Ma mind willna stop imagining all that could be done to her.” Callum looked at the ground and shook his head. He wanted to ride ahead and leave the others to catch up when they could, but he knew that would be the height of foolishness. If he was set upon or was injured because of his impatience, it would only slow them down further. He remembered the results of his last bout of impetutiousness. His arm ached when it rained.

  “We canna be more than a day behind them even if they are riding longer than we are. We will catch up to them. If their desire is to get her land, then they willna harm her,” Tavish reasoned.

  “Nae. I dinna think that’s it. They ken her father wouldnae pay a ransom or at least not much of one. They havenae tried to kill me and make her a widow. I think they have done this to punish us which means they will sorely mistreat her given any chance.”

  “Perhaps they expect a ransom from us or the MacLeods.” Tavish responded. “We are still in Sutherland territory. We can make a choice: we continue as we are and cross Ross land or we head west and stop at the MacLeods. Perhaps Siùsan’s grandfather would assist us. At the very least, I think he would want to ken we were travelling to see him when she was stolen. Da made it sound as though the MacLeod would want to see his granddaughter.”

  “I dinna ken for sure that the MacLeod wants to see Siùsan. He hasnae done so yet, and Siùsan is over a score years old. I dinna want to waste any more time than we already have.”

  “Callum, we arenae going to catch them before they reach the Mackenzie keep. Once they make it there, they will have any number of places to hide her and any number of people to help them. Clearly, some of the Mackenzie men are willing to assist Robert or at the least they will have Gunns there to assist. I think we need to seek the MacLeod’s help,” Tavish reasoned.

  “Tavish is right. We are not enough to take the keep if need be. I canna see how the MacLeod couldnae help. Siùsan never made mention that she thought the MacLeod wouldnae want to see her. Just the opposite. That’s the whole point of why we were on the road.”

  “Vera well. To the MacLeods then the Mackenzies. I just pray ye are right and we havenae just sentenced Siùsan to more abuse.”

  With that, the Sinclairs adjusted their route and headed to the MacLeod stronghold. It took them another day and a half of hard riding to reach the MacLeods. They were exhausted, dirty, and hungry when they approached the keep. They were met by three men who rode out of the woods just as they crested the last downhill stretch before reaching the keep.

  “Sinclairs? Ye’re a ways from home. What are ye doing on MacLeod land?” asked one of the patrols.

  “We would see yer laird about a family matter.” Callum refused to give away any more information until he spoke to Laird MacLeod and he knew how he felt about Siùsan.

  “And what family matter would that be?” pressed the MacLeod warrior.

  “One that isnae yer business and is for the laird’s ears only.” Callum was beginning to lose the very last shred of patience that he had.

  “I am Michail MacLeod the laird’s oldest grandson. I would ken what ye want with ma grandfather before I let ye go.”

  “If we meant any of ye harm, do ye think we would have ridden out in the open for ye to see? It’s about yer cousin, Siùsan Mackenzie.”

  “What could ye have to talk to him about her. She’s been dead for over a score of years. She was a stillborn when her mother died after falling from her horse.”

  Callum exchanged a look with his brothers. He was sure the shock on their faces was mirrored on his.

  “Nae. Yer cousin is vera much alive. She’s ma wife.”

  Michail gave each of the Sinclairs a thorough look over before nodding his head.

  “Come.”

  The Sinclairs were escorted by the three men and led into the bailey.

  “Grandda! Ye best come out here sharpish!” Michail called as soon as he was able to make his way up the stairs to the entrance of the keep.

  “What are ye bellowing about? Why are ye back already?” Laird Thormud MacLeod stopped short when he saw the Sinclair contingent in his bailey. The laird was a large man and had the same hair and eye color as Siùsan. There was no doubt whose granddaughter she was.

  “Grandda, the Sinclairs claim to be here about Siùsan Mackenzie. They claim she is alive and married to this one,” Michail pointed to Callum.

  Callum stepped forward no longer waiting for Michail to conduct introductions or for the laird to ask questions that would not progress their search.

  “I am Callum MacLeod, the oldest son of Laird Liam Sinclair. I married yer gr
anddaughter, Siùsan Mackenzie, just over a moon ago. Her father and mine arranged the marriage. At Siùsan’s request, we were travelling to visit ye. She wanted to meet her mother’s kin. While camped one night, Sir James Gunn and Robert Mackenzie drugged our supper, how we dinna ken, and stole Siùsan while we slept. We have been to the Gunn keep. She isnae there. We have come to ask for yer assistance. We believe she is back at the Mackenzie keep. There are but a baker’s dozen of us, not nearly enough if the Mackenzies resist. Will ye help?”

  Laird MacLeod’s eyes had grown larger and larger with each word that Callum uttered. He shook his head.

  “This canna be. Ma granddaughter died at birth when ma own daughter died from falling off a horse. The old Mackzenie laird and his son, ma daughter’s husband, assured me that neither had survived.”

  “Laird MacLeod, I can promise ye that it is yer granddaughter who is ma wife. Besides the fact that she has yer hair color and eyes, she told me that the dirk she carries has a carved rose in it because that was her mother’s name. She showed it to me and there is a ruby set in the center. She’d been told by the woman who raised her that if anyone doubted she was her mother’s daughter, that would be proof. It’s the only thing of her mother’s that she has.”

  “Dear God above. I ken exactly what ye are talking aboot. I had that dirk made and carved the rose maself for when she turned six and ten. If yer wife is in fact ma granddaughter, why didna the Mackenzies tell me she existed and that she has grown into an adult woman?”

  “I dinna ken. I believe it’s because her father has tried to remove any memory of his late wife. That includes Siùsan. She was raised by a woman in their village until she was ten summers. Then she moved into the keep serving as more of a maid than laird’s daughter. She served her stopmother, Lady Elizabeth Gunn, and her two half brothers. Ma da arranged the marriage and told me that Siùsan’s mother was a close friend of ma mother.”

  “Come inside and we shall talk. It is true that the two lasses were extremely close up until Rose died.” The men walked into the Great Hall. Laird MacLeod waved an arm in the direction of the dais. He was ghostly white and distracted as he took in all that had been told to him. “She was on her way here to meet me?”

  “Aye. Siùsan and I had a bit of a rocky start to our betrothal. She wanted to come here when she didna want to marry me. We reconciled, and I promised her that we would travel to ye together.”

  “I canna believe I have a granddaughter.” Laird MacLeod kept muttering to himself and shaking his head.

  A middle-aged couple entered the Great Hall together and paused when they saw guests. As they approached the raised platform that held the laird’s family’s table, Callum saw that they man strongly resembled the laird.

  “Torrian, this is Callum Sinclair and his brothers.” The MacLeod looked at Tavish and Magnus who had not yet been introduced. “They have come with news about Rose – and your neice.”

  Torrian MacLeod’s eyebrows shot up to the fringe of his hair. It would have been comical if the situation had not been so serious.

  “Father, ye ken that Rose didna have any living children.”

  “Apparently, that isnae the case. Mackenzie lied to me when he rushed to marry that Gunn woman. I kenned his father did not approve of their marriage and wanted the Gunn woman to be his daughter by marriage. Rose’s husband turned out to be spineless in the face of his father’s demands. Turns out, Siùsan, that’s her name, has married Callum Sinclair, here, and has been abducted by a Gunn and a Mackenzie.” The aging laird looked at least five years older than he had when Callum first laid eyes on him only moments ago.

  “Merciful Father! Was it James Gunn who ran off with her?” The woman who had been silently observing finally spoke. “He is ma cousin. I am Catriona MacLeod, but I was born a Gunn. I heard several years ago that there was a young Mackenzie woman that James wanted to marry but she was far too young, and the father would not agree to pay a dowry. If it was a Gunn, I would not be surprised if it was James. He held a grudge if he felt he had been wronged, even as a wean.”

  All eyes had swung to Catriona MacLeod. She stepped back behind her husband who took her hand. She was clearly a shy woman and not used to speaking up.

  “Yer other cousin, Lady Elizabeth, married Siùsan’s father immediately after Rose’s death. Did ye ken that?” Callum asked.

  “Aye. It was only three moons after Torrian and I were wed. I feared that I would be sent back to the Gunns because of their part in Rose’s death.”

  At this Laird MacLeod looked up and gave a wistful smile to Catriona.

  “Cat, I never kenned that is how ye felt. We would never have sent ye back. Ye have been a blessing to me and to this clan ever since ye arrived and especially when we lost Rose.” Catriona smiled shyly and moved closer to Torrian when he wrapped his arm around her. Callum had a pang of jealousy watching the older couple. He wondered if he would ever get Siùsan back, so they could grow older together just as Torrian and Catriona were.

  “Callum, and I assume these are yer brothers, ye are welcome to spend the night here. Eat, bathe, sleep, and on the morrow, I will lend ye as many of ma men as ye want. I ride with ye to fetch ma granddaughter.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The men gathered in the bailey the next morning before the sun rose. Torrian MacLeod had argued that his father should remain at the keep. Laird MacLeod insisted that Torrian, his tanaiste and heir, remain behind. The MacLeod stated decisively that he had a score to settle with the Mackenzies that was apparently very long overdue. Torrian had relented when Michail said he would accompany his grandfather. Just as the first rays began to peak over the horizon, the Sinclairs rode out with Laird and Michail MacLeod and accompanied by two scores of warriors. As a lesser clan, they did not have more men to spare if any were to stay behind and defend the keep.

  Laird Thormud MacLeod rode at the head of the group alongside Callum. Callum snook a peak at the aging laird and could clearly see what the man must have been in his prime. It was clear to anyone who looked that the man could still swing a broadsword and would be fierce if pushed into battle. Callum breathed a silent breath of relief that the MacLeods had so easily and readily agreed to ride out with him. He was thankful that he had remembered the dirk that Siùsan had shown him one night when he had felt it in her kirtle as he undressed her. The carving had been unusual and when Callum made mention of it, Siùsan explained that it was the only thing that she had that had been her mother’s. She said she never went anywhere without it.

  As the day wore on, Callum felt his nerves fraying even more. He had thought he had reached the end of his patience several times during this journey but, somehow, he managed to keep going. He had to for Siùsan’s sake. It will be almost a fortnight by the time we reach the Mackenzies. What the bloody hell will they have done to her by then? I swear if any of those bluidy bastards have defiled her, I will rip their ballocks off and shove them down their throats then rip their cocks off and shove them up their arses. I just want ma wife back, damnit. Callum tried to slow his breathing as his anger began to boil over yet again.

  “Son, ye must remain calm. Ye willna be any help to any of us, especially Siùsan, if ye let yer rage get the better of ye.” The MacLeod spoke for Callum’s ears only. “I ken that ye must be out of yer mind with worry and anger. I ken how I feel, and she is a granddaughter I havenae even met. I can only imagine how ye feel. Ye must keep yer wits aboot ye if we’re to find her.”

  “I ken it. I will be fine by the time that we get to her. I just canna stop worrying about how she fairs. I promised her that I would be with her the entire way then I failed her in the worst possible way.”

  “If yer Siùsan is anything like ma Rose, she doesnae blame ye in the least. This wasnae yer fault anymore than it was hers. Do ye blame her for being kidnapped?”

  “Of course nae. Why would I?”

  “Exactly. She didna ask for this to happen just like ye didna. Neither of ye could have fores
een this, so neither of ye could have prevented it. We will right this wrong and end this for good.” The MacLeod had kept his eyes directed forwards during their entire conversation. Now he turned to Callum and offered him a grandfatherly smile.

  They rode on in silence. There was not much to say amongst the men during the ten days that it took to reach the Mackenzie land. Two days before they reached the Mackenzie keep Magnus picked up the remnants of their trail. He estimated that they were only two or three days ahead of them.

  Sitting around the campfire, the Sinclair brothers had time to strategize with Thormud and Michail MacLeod. Callum’s suspicions that the MacLeod had once been a great warrior were proven true when he listened to the advice that the older man offered. They agreed that Callum and Tavish, along with Thormud and a handful of MacLeod warriors, would enter the keep from the front gate just after sunset. Magnus would attempt to enter from the postern gate. If he was able to unlock it, then five of the Sinclair men would follow him and five would remain hidden in the woods with all the horses. The Sinclairs would enter through the kitchens and make a sweep of the kitchens and dungeon. Meanwhile, Michail would follow Magnus through the postern gate and take half of the MacLeods to sweep the bailey and outbuildings. The other half of the MacLeods would ride through the village to search. There was to be no violence if it could be helped. None of the Sinclairs or MacLeods were to initiate a fight and would only use their swords if they had to defend themselves.

  When they arrived at the Makenzie keep the sun was nearly setting. They rested and waited just on the other side of the last hill that separated them from the keep. They were out of sight of the guards who lined the wall. Magnus had not seen any indication that there were patrols in the area. They had not seen anything even when they crossed into Mackenzie territory. Tavish had remarked on how lax the Mackenzies seemed with their security. Callum agreed and noted that it was no great surprise then that Robert Mackenzie had been able to ride out with his clansmen.