Auld Willie nodded. “Jamie, lad, run ask Cook to prepare something for yer sister and the men. They look to be famished and in need of her good food. And help set up the tables, like a good lad.”
“I am big now!” Jamie shouted as he ran from the room. “Anna’s home and I am almost as big as her!”
His voice faded from the room and Brianna shook her head fondly at his exaggeration. He’d grown taller, obviously much more of a handful than he’d been when she’d left. He would bear watching, and she frowned as she realized she wouldn’t be around much longer to keep an eye on him. She turned to Auld Willie.
“Could we sit in private?”
He nodded and led her to a corner of the room where a few wooden chairs grouped around a small table to one side of the huge fireplace. They both sat and Gavin joined them.
“Uncle, I have a story to tell ye, but it must wait.” She twisted her fingers and gathered her thoughts. “I was on my way home last night when we were attacked as we made camp a few hours’ ride from here.”
Auld Willie raised an eyebrow. “Do ye know who it was, lass?”
“Nae. It could have been brigands.” Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. “Or someone from Wyndham.”
The old man’s chin jerked, startled. “Wyndham, ye say? Och, lass. What would make ye say such a thing?”
Brianna swallowed and glanced around the room, looking for something, anything at all that would give credence to what she’d been told. Nothing appeared out of place. Rabbie and Duncan entered the hall, Tam on their heels. The pup gamboled over to her and she ruffled his ears.
“I will tell ye later, but I need to know Wyndham is safe.”
“Aye. Wyndham is protected as always.”
“And Jamie? We must keep a close watch on Jamie.”
Auld Willie rose, patting her shoulder comfortingly. “Wheesht, lass. Dinnae haiver so. Ye cannae believe Jamie is in danger.”
“Not only Jamie, but myself as well.” She placed a hand on her uncle’s arm and stared at him, willing him to believe her. “Auld Willie, someone at Wyndham set a trap for us the night we left to gather the cattle. Somehow the sheriff knew we would be out there that night and would have hanged us had I not asked for the king’s mercy.”
“And the sheriff let ye go, just like that?” Clearly agitated, Auld Willie began to pace the floor. Tam cocked his head at the man’s actions. An anxious whine slid from his throat and Brianna glanced at him, surprised. Her next words were for her uncle, though her gaze lingered on the pup.
“Aye, though he had a black heart, for he gave his guards orders to kill us the first night, as soon as we were far enough away to keep his hands clean of the deed. We would surely be dead now had it not been for Ewan and Geordie, who found us and told us of the sheriff’s plans. They got us away, and we stayed in hiding for days before the king returned to Troon and I was able to gain audience with him.”
She stood, her hand outstretched to halt her uncle’s heavy pacing. “We are here and safe now. Dinnae fash yerself. I will help take care of Jamie.”
Auld Willie came to a reluctant stop and faced Brianna with a wry grin. “Och, lass. Ye have been through a hard time. I will double the guards and be sure no harm comes to ye or our wee Jamie.”
Brianna hugged the old man. “I know I am safe here. Thank ye for all ye have done whilst I have been gone. And thank goodness ye were too sick to go with us that night. I know Jamie has been in good hands.” Tam rose to his feet and pushed between them. Brianna laughed.
“This lad was a present from the king. I offered to buy him since Dubh died a few weeks ago. He will make a good drover.”
Auld Willie eyed the dog and patted Brianna’s shoulder awkwardly. “Get some rest. Ye are fair worn out. There will be something for ye to eat when ye wake.”
Brianna kissed his dry cheek gratefully and climbed the stairs to her room and comfort, Tam trotting happily at her heels.
Chapter 16
A low keening sound woke her. Bolting upright, she bounced once on the soft mattress as she struggled from the bed. Her feet hit the floor before she was completely awake, and with bleary eyes, she noted the sun was only a wee bit lower in the sky than when she’d fallen into bed. She stumbled past Tam, curled on the rug next to the hearth, to her window overlooking the front of Wyndham Hall. Two mounted men, leading a horse with a cloaked form tied across its back, paced in a slow procession up the long road. A somber group clustered around them, more people streaming from the Hall to meet them, a few in clusters of what could only be acute grief.
Shaking the wrinkles from her gown, Brianna stopped long enough to pull her slippers on before running from her room and down the winding staircase to the great hall below, Tam slinking about her ankles. She darted out the front door and slid to a stop on the wide front steps, overcome by a sense of dread. Her hands shook, and she clasped them firmly to still them. There was nothing she could do but lift her chin and swallow hard against the awful taste of trepidation rising in the back of her throat. As the riders approached, she recognized Ewan and William. Her eyes slid to the bundle between them.
Oh, God! ’Tis Geordie. She dug her fingernails deep into the palms of her hands, using the pain to keep herself from thinking about the young man who had died defending her.
The procession halted in the open space before the hall. She drew a deep breath and walked the necessary paces to them, one firm step at a time, wishing her da or Auld Willie would appear to take this duty from her. Knowing this fell to her alone.
On silent paws, Tam padded hesitantly forward and sniffed the bundle laid across the horse. With an anxious whine, he disappeared into the crowd.
As if in a dream, she floated with excruciating slowness through time and distance. Sounds from the gathered crowd faded from her hearing, the sight of the people growing dimmer, until her entire reality shrank to no more than herself and the dead soldier before her.
She stood beside Geordie’s horse and laid her hand gently on the plaide-wrapped body. Stiff and cold, the form in no way recalled to her the vibrancy of the youth, and she closed her eyes against the harsh reality of death. In the recesses of her mind she heard his voice, saw his playful antics with Tam, the way he had sought to entertain them in their exile only days before. He had been the youngest of the soldiers gathered for the raids, but he had lacked in neither courage nor ability.
She opened her eyes, startled to find herself surrounded by silent, expectant villagers. She had no idea how long she had stood lost in her thoughts, but she caught sight of Gavin standing just to one side of William. He gave her a reassuring nod. She turned to her clansmen and saw their reliance on her, their grief tempered with the expectations she would always have their best interests at heart, and the knowledge that dying for Wyndham and clan Douglas brought honor. She lifted her head and addressed the gathering as the breeze gently blew her skirts about her legs, and the sky darkened with threatening rain.
“’Tis a mark of the esteem we hold for Geordie Douglas that he is here today. He was chosen for his courage and his honor to be a part of those who have labored to keep our clan and village safe.” Brianna swallowed hard and glanced at the familiar faces around her. “He was a young man who believed in his clan, and who never failed to follow his duty through to the end.”
She stopped, remembering just what his duty had cost him, and it was a long moment before she recovered enough to say the final words.
“Codladh samh, Geordie Douglas. Sleep ye well.” Her throat tightened as grief overcame her. William and Duncan dismounted and led Geordie’s horse away to the cottage he had shared with his grandmother who had raised him. A keening rose in the air again, like ghosts welcoming their brother home.
* * *
Physically exhausted, she made all the right moves throughout the rest of the day, but her mind raced on without respite. Geordie’s death had brought reality home like nothing else could. He had died defending her. Who wanted her dead?
Why? Was there a reiver angry enough with the harassment she and the men had caused? Did someone covet Wyndham? If so, Jamie was also a target.
She could not bear to think of Jamie in danger. When it came time for bed, she insisted she couldn’t be parted from the little brother she had missed so much. Jamie bounded happily up the stairs and slipped into his night shirt with little fuss before climbing into Brianna’s bed, insisting Tam accompany him.
“Tell me a story, Anna!” He bounced on the bed, shrieking with laughter as the young dog batted the furs, growling in mock ferocity.
“Tam, be still! Jamie, dinnae encourage him, or I will make the both of ye sleep in yer proper beds.”
Suitably chastened, Jamie wiggled beneath a blanket and Tam curled beside him.
As tired as she was, she couldn’t help but smile at the pair before her. She settled on the bed beside Jamie.
“Once there were two brothers named—”
“McGillivray!” Jamie shouted, giving the name a rousing roll from his tongue. Tam’s head jerked up, ears perked at the sound. Brianna smoothed Jamie’s hair as she began the story.
“Donald’s brother, Rory, was fond of music and dancing. One night, the brothers were out looking for some sheep that had strayed, when suddenly they saw rays of brilliant light coming from holes in a very large rock—a rock everyone knew was a place where faeries lived.”
She paused, waiting to see if Jamie had drifted off to sleep, but he squirmed under his blanket, far from slumber, his fingers twisting in Tam’s thick fur.
“As they approached the rock, the most wonderful sounds of music and merriment reached their ears, and even though they knew the rock was a place where faeries lived, they crept closer and closer. Finally, Rory suggested they pay the faeries a visit—”
“But Donald said, Nae!” Jamie crowed, twisting emphatically beneath the covers.
Brianna nodded. “Donald said nae. But Rory was unable to resist, and he jumped inside the rock where the faeries lived, leaving Donald all alone.”
“And Donald had to go home and tell his ma and da Rory was gone, aye?” Jamie craned his neck around to look up at his sister. Tam gave his face a vigorous swipe with his tongue and Jamie giggled.
“Aye, and his parents were verra sad. Then one day, a wise man happened by and learned what had happened to Rory McGillivray, and he thought up a plan to get the young man back. Return a year and a day to the place where ye lost yer brother, he said, and, carrying a Rowan cross, enter the rock, boldly and in the name of the Highest, and claim yer brother.”
“And if he doesnae want to come with ye, grab him!” Jamie’s arm shot out, hand fisted as he grabbed the air. Brianna peered at the over-excited lad and wondered if she had chosen the best faerie tale this night. She softened her voice and ran her fingers lovingly through his red-gold curls, causing her mind to dart unbidden to the thick golden hair of the man who would return in two weeks to marry her. She pushed the memory aside and finished the story.
“And so Donald returned a year and a day to the place where the faeries lived. He saw his brother dancing and he ran to Rory and grabbed him by his shirt, insisting he come home immediately.”
Brianna dropped her voice to a hypnotic cadence. “And nothing Donald could say would convince Rory he had been dancing for a year and a day until he saw the calves were now grown, the lambs were now sheep, and the babies were walking around the house.”
“Did he truly dance for a year and a day?” Jamie asked sleepily. Tam flopped on his side and sighed mightily, closing his eyes.
Brianna pulled Jamie’s now-pliant body against her, wrapping him in her arms. “Aye. He truly danced for a year and a day,” she replied as she kissed the top of his head. “And all because he wouldnae listen to his brother’s warnings. I would imagine his feet were sore.”
Jamie snuggled against her and she swallowed against the lump in her throat. She would miss the wee loun once she was married.
Chapter 17
September 1387, Wyndham
“Lass, ye shouldnae be away from the house alone,” Gavin chided as he walked through the doorway into Maude’s stall. Dropping her grooming rag, her mouth an ‘O’ of surprise, Brianna stepped into Maude’s range.
“Oh!” she cried, whirling as Maude nipped her arm. She reeled backward, straight at Gavin. Reflexively, he caught her in his arms. Brianna stiffened, and Gavin released her and took a step backward. Brianna shifted away as well, rubbing the red and blue mark on her arm.
“Hateful beast,” she muttered. But Gavin knew better. Maude was all the comfort Brianna had had when her ma died, all the understanding she sought when her father turned on her in his drunkenness. Brianna loved the mare’s willfulness, and delighted in thwarting her attempts to nip and kick. It was a distinct mark of the state of Brianna’s nerves to see she had fallen to Maude’s mischievous ways and then cursed the mare for it.
“’Twill heal soon and leave a reminder for ye not to turn yer back on the beast.”
Brianna flung him a look capable of splitting stones, and he shrugged his answer. “Ye should have someone with ye if ye leave the hall. Ye dinnae even have young Tam with ye. That mare is a menace, but unlikely to protect ye.”
“I dislike being followed. Tam plays with Jamie.” She glowered at him.
“Nonetheless, as captain I insist on it. Jamie will be watching ye and if ye break the rules, he will, too.”
Brianna flushed, obviously restless and out of sorts. She gave a grunt of reluctant agreement. “Will ye stay until I finish grooming Maude?”
He flopped onto a pile of straw in one corner of the stall, well out of range of both ends of the mare.
Brianna rubbed the mare’s legs with a rag, bringing a shine to the black stockings where mud had earlier marred her coat. “Do ye know what is happening?”
Gavin gazed into the distance, not sure if he was ready to share his thoughts on the situation at Wyndham. He hated to be the one to broach a subject that would only dismay and disillusion her. “Well, I havenae heard from MacLaurey. Though ’tis been but four days since we parted, and I would guess the laird has his hands full dealing with Malcolm.”
Brianna snorted inelegantly at the reminder. “Four days gone leaves only ten until I am to wed. Ten days until I must leave Jamie and Da. Ten left to find who betrayed me to the sheriff. My concern lies with Wyndham.”
“Aye. But I have no facts to give ye.”
Brianna fisted a hand on one hip. “Then give me yer thoughts.”
“I dinnae think ye will like them.”
With exaggerated care, Brianna spread her rag on the top edge of the wall, then turned to give Gavin her full attention. He regarded her in silence. She waited, her tapping foot betraying her fading patience. Finally Gavin gave a single nod.
“’Tis only something I have noticed. Nothing more, and I have shared this with no one.” He paused, carefully forming his words. “Do ye know if Auld Willie ever married?”
The question left Brianna silent for a moment, a confused look on her face. “Nae. In all my years, I have never known him to have more than a passing relationship with any woman. He has always been devoted to me and Jamie, especially since Ma died. We are his family.”
“Ye dinnae know Geordie was Auld Willie’s son?”
Brianna stared at him, aghast. “What? Why would I not know this?”
“He is a peculiar man, yer uncle. He never acknowledged Geordie as his son, though Geordie’s grandmother was only too willing to tell me the story yesterday. Seems her daughter widowed young, and yer uncle took an interest in her. He was her off-and-on lover for several years before she conceived a child, but by then he had tired of her and when she confronted him with the news, he accused her of trying to push another man’s child on him.
“From that time on, he refused to see her, turning his back on her and the child. He told her to find someone else to support her, for he had nothing to offer her or the bairn.”
Br
ianna stared at Gavin, speechless, struggling to come to grips with the fact Auld Willie had sired a child and she had never known. “How could he do that? We should have grown up together, yet he was denied his place in the family because—why?”
Her heart pounded, distressed for the young man now dead and beyond her care. “Nae father would willingly deny his child. Only a madman—” She broke off. “A curse of the family, then?” she whispered. “My da—”
“Nae, Brianna. Lord Brendan was a good da before yer ma died. He loved ye more than life itself, but he wasnae strong enough to face losing Lady Elinor. Had she lived, yer and Jamie’s lives would have been verra different.”
Thoughtful, Brianna nodded. It was true her da had been a very different man when she was young. He taught her to ride, to swim, and to tickle the trout in the streams. He taught her not to cry over a skinned knee and to be brave and strong—so strong she had been able to hold her head up after her husband’s death, amid his father’s curses, and take over Wyndham’s honor when her da fell into a drunken stupor.
She ached for Jamie, who would never know his father as he’d once been, and for Geordie, who’d never known his father at all. Since Ewan and William returned with Geordie’s body, the entire hall had plunged into mourning. Brianna had not seen Auld Willie since then, but had assumed he was busy seeing to Wyndham’s protection. Now she wondered if he’d been out of his rooms at all.
“Has anyone seen him since—since Geordie—” She broke off worriedly, unable to finish the question.
“Nae. He has been in his rooms. And the lass who takes his meals to him reports she leaves the tray outside his door. When she returns for it later, the food is untouched.”
“Untouched?” Brianna frowned. Just what I need—another auld man sickening.
“Aye. But I checked on him this morning.”
The Highlander's Outlaw Bride Page 10