The Highlander's Outlaw Bride
Page 21
Chapter 31
Brianna searched the shadows and hidden areas among the trees. A ray of sunlight split the gloom, glinting off red-gold hair. She started forward, the rebuke dying on her lips as she saw the lad’s wide eyes and the strong arm lying firmly across his neck. Jamie and his captor took one step forward from the shadows.
“Auld Willie?” A wave of dizziness swept over her, and a cold sweat broke out over her body.
“Wheesht, lass. Dinnae fash yerself. It happens so fast. Ye will scarce be aware.” He sighed tiredly. “’Tis the waiting that is the worst.”
“What are ye doing?”
“It has been harder than I thought to make things right.”
“What things, Uncle? What isnae right?”
“’Twas not yer da’s fault he was born first. But Wyndham should have been mine.” He stepped closer and Brianna noted the strained look of his face, the way his eyes darted from one place to another, unable to rest, unable to find peace. Madness.
“Wyndham has always been yer home,” she protested gently, shoving the rising panic deep inside her.
“The running of it should have been mine! Yer da was never the leader I would have been.” He waved a hand about wildly in agitation. “For the past five years he has done naught but sit and stare at the fire in a drunken stupor, seeing naught but a dead wife!”
“He was a good leader. He will be again.”
“Nae, lass. His time is over. With ye and Jamie out of the way, Wyndham will come to me as it should.”
“And then what, Uncle?” Brianna demanded, anger overtaking her fear. “Who will it fall to after ye are gone?”
Auld Willie looked around the glen, bewilderment on his face. “Geordie…”
“Geordie is dead, Uncle.” Brianna took a cautious step toward the old man. “He is dead and ye never even acknowledged him as yer son.”
She pushed him, nudged him one step closer to madness. Unleash yer anger on me, auld man. Let Jamie go.
Auld Willie’s face darkened. “Ye dinnae know what ye say, lass,” he snarled. “His mother tried to play me false, but I dinnae fall for it.”
“So, he wasnae yer son? He was no blood kin of yers?”
His mood changed abruptly. “Aye. He was my son.” His voice fell softly, finally admitting aloud what he had lost. He let Jamie slip from his grasp and turned away. Brianna motioned wildly for Jamie to run, but he stared at her in shock, rooted to the ground.
Please run, Jamie! She took a step forward, shooing Jamie into the woods with her hands, and he leapt as though sprung from a trap and darted behind a tree, out of harm’s way.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she faced her uncle.
“Auld Willie?”
He turned his sorrowing gaze to her. “Ye were supposed to be easy to get rid of. I dinnae want to do it myself. Ye have always been special to me. But we couldnae let Wyndham go as yer dowry.”
“Wyndham is Jamie’s, Uncle.”
“Yer brother is sickly. Ye would have inherited Wyndham. We couldnae risk it.”
“Who is we?”
“I only wanted Wyndham. Malcolm wanted Morven. But Conn came home, and the two of ye were to wed. We couldnae let that happen. With ye both gone, we would have had what we wanted.”
“Wyndham is Jamie’s inheritance!”
“Not if he is dead!”
The vehemence in Auld Willie’s voice stunned Brianna, and she reeled from the hatred spewing forth. He advanced on her, words pouring from his lips amid the spittle of rage. “Because of Jamie, I had nothing to offer my own son!”
He lunged at her, and her feet failed her. She scarcely cleared one step before he grabbed her, knocking her to the ground. She rolled awkwardly, fighting him as they locked together, her strength no match for his. He rolled atop her, her arms beneath his knees as he pinned her to the ground. His breath wheezed in his chest, his weight numbing her arms.
“Ye were always a stubborn lass.” He pulled a dagger from its sheath at his waist and held it at her throat. “’Tis time to end this.”
A ferocious growl rolled like thunder across the small glen. Leaves rustled in a tempest as Tam launched himself at Auld Willie, a length of broken tether dangling from his collar. Brianna twisted to the side as the force of the dog’s attack struck Auld Willie on the side. He cried out, grabbing at her for balance, and the blade of the dagger bit into her shoulder. He fell heavily to the ground beside her and she rolled away, blotting out the searing pain as the dagger jolted from the wound, blood trailing hot down her arm. She scrambled to her feet amid a swirl of skirts and an angry dog who danced between her and Auld Willie, barking furiously.
Auld Willie ignored Tam and reached for her, tearing at her gown as he dragged her back to him. Her feet slipped on the slick, damp leaves and she landed hard. Rolling to her back, she clawed at her uncle’s face. Tam landed with a roar on Auld Willie’s back, and he gave a shout, reaching behind him to ward off the dog’s attack. Brianna shoved him aside, hands fumbling in the leaves for the fallen dagger.
* * *
Conn drew his horse to a halt. Beside him, Gillis gasped.
“Mon Dieu!” Bray exclaimed.
Jamie appeared in the path before them, struggling for breath. He fell to his knees, his hands clasping his stomach as he sobbed incoherently.
Conn leapt to the ground, covering the distance between them in three long strides. He grabbed Jamie and shook him.
“Where is yer sister, Jamie?” Images of every imaginable horror snaked through his mind and his voice rasped harsh with worry.
Jamie hiccupped and wriggled in Conn’s grip, pointing down the trail. “She is back there. I was supposed to hide, but I ran away.”
Realizing he frightened the lad, Conn loosened his grasp. “Ye are a brave lad, Jamie. Is she hurt?”
“Auld Willie has her!”
“What do ye mean?”
“He wants to give Wyndham to Geordie—but Geordie is dead!”
Conn glanced over his shoulder to Bray, who had dismounted and stood behind him, listening to Jamie’s tale. “Does this mean anything to ye?”
Bray frowned. “There is a rumor Geordie was his fils illégitime. It is possible he is the one who gave Brianna over to the sheriff. His son’s death could have pushed him into madness.”
Conn turned back to Jamie. “Stay with Gillis.” He rose quickly and mounted his horse. Embarr tossed his head and launched himself down the trail, Bray following close behind.
They reined their horses to a sliding halt next to Maude, Conn’s feet on the ground before Embarr stopped moving. He hurried forward a few steps, searching the road and immediate area for signs of Brianna or Auld Willie. Furious barking sent him racing toward the sound, and he slid down a small embankment, hands flung to the side for balance.
He stumbled to a halt. Auld Willie stood over Brianna, his hands covered in blood. Tam fought frantically against his tether caught in the fork of a slender sapling. The long blade of a sword blinked in Auld Willie’s hands, the tip poised over Brianna’s chest. She twisted to avoid the blow as the blade plunged downward. A spark of light flashed in her hands and Auld Willie stiffened, his arms losing their purpose as his hands loosened, releasing the sword.
He fell to the ground, staring up at the brown and gold canopied sky as snowflakes settled onto his sightless eyes. Brianna lay in the leaves beside him, her breathing harsh. Conn knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms. She cried out and he saw tears spring from her eyes.
“Are ye wounded?” He released her enough to run his palms over her, drawing a quick breath at the large blood-stain over her chest. Laying her carefully back onto the ground, he slipped his plaide from his shoulders, covering her for warmth.
“She has been hurt,” Conn murmured to Bray as he slid through the leaves to his side. “Check the auld man. I believe she pierced his black heart, but make sure, aye?”
He stripped off his shirt and ripped it into strips, ignoring the
icy sting as snowflakes lit on his skin. Pressing a pad of folded cloth to the wound in Brianna’s shoulder, he wrapped a long piece around her chest and arm, holding it in place. Satisfied with the bandage, he lifted her into his arms.
“She has fainted?” Bray asked. Tam, released from his tether, nuzzled Brianna anxiously.
“Not…” Her voice was a soft sigh against Conn’s chest.
“She has lost blood,” Conn replied, his words clipped, tight with fear. “I must get her to Morven!”
Bray helped him to the top of the embankment, and Conn handed Brianna to him only long enough to mount Embarr. He settled her tight against him and spurred the horse to top speed, leaving the others to follow, praying as Brianna’s body went slack in his arms.
* * *
Brianna opened her eyes, blinking against the flickering light, and bit her lip against the pain of consciousness. The warm caress of a hand on her cheek soothed her, and she leaned into the comfort.
“Easy, dearling.”
She turned her focus to the face hovering above hers, storm-dark eyes the only detail she could determine in her hazy vision. Sighing as she recognized Conn’s visage, she closed her eyes again.
“Brianna?”
She responded by lifting her eyebrows, but other movement was beyond her, the ache in her body dragging her into relentless darkness. The reprieve of painless sleep coaxed her into its grasp.
The next time she woke, both her vision and memory returned with agonizing clarity. I left Wyndham… With a moan, she tried to force the rest of the memory away.
“Brianna? Are ye in pain?”
Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes as she shook her head. “Nae. Not so much.”
“Can ye tell me what happened?”
“I dinnae want to remember.” But I do. The man who plotted with us to get our cattle back, the uncle I trusted with my life, betrayed me to the sheriff. Auld Willie tried to kill me and Jamie.
She clenched a fist, the memory of the dagger’s jeweled hilt burning the palm of her hand. She’d found it beneath a layer of leaves and known instantly what it was. And knew just as certainly Auld Willie was dead.
Her head pounded, and she could no longer hold her grief inside. Conn’s arms came about her and she sobbed against his chest. Finally, drained, she took a deep, shuddering breath. He smoothed a strand of hair from her cheek.
“How do ye feel?”
“I hurt.”
“Yer shoulder was a wee bit of a mess, but it is healing. Ye came down with a fever and have been sick for nearly a sennight. But ye have been fever-free for a couple of days now. I am glad to see ye awake.”
“What are ye not telling me?”
“Ye are fine. Ye just need rest.”
She stiffened. “Where is Jamie?”
Conn’s low chuckle partially reassured her. “He is running about with Gillis and that braw dog of yers, driving the lad to distraction with a hundred questions a day. Dinnae worry about him.”
“Rabbie?”
“Bray found him addled from a clout to the head. He needed a few stitches and a bit of rest, but he will be fine.”
“What else?” She felt herself tiring.
“Nothing to fash yerself over. Get some rest.”
Her throat went dry. “The bairn?”
Conn shook his head. “I dinnae know, dearling. Ye have been bleeding, but ye havenae lost the bairn—yet.”
Her breath came in hiccups. Conn tightened his arms about her. “Ye will stay in bed until ye and the bairn are healthy again,” he told her. “Ye have no idea what happened to my heart when I found Jamie in the middle of the road, too winded to speak. He gave me a garbled story about Auld Willie, and when I found ye, I felt my life was about to be over.”
He gently stroked her back as her shudders eased. “Ye had lost so much blood, but ye saved yerself. I have never been so helpless in my life.”
“Hold me.”
Conn stretched out beside her on the bed and held her against his heart. “Coorie doon, dearling. Snuggle down and rest. Ye are safe with me.”
Epilogue
April 1387, Corfin Castle, Morven
The cry of a newborn echoed loudly in the silence of the great hall. Conn bolted from his chair and took the stairs two at a time, his nerves stretched to the breaking point. Behind him, murmurs sifted from the lips of those who’d shared his long wait. Brianna had been in labor for more than a day, and he grew frantic with worry.
Bursting through the doorway of the laird’s bedchamber, ignoring Una’s glare, he strode to the edge of the bed. His eyes searched Brianna’s face before allowing his gaze to settle on the bundle in her arms.
“’Tis a lad,” she told him drowsily, the weariness in her voice tearing at his heart. “I thought we should name him Ian, after yer da.”
A huge grin split his face as he settled beside her on the bed, peering over the tiny bundle who’d caused such an uproar in their lives. Young Ian was, at this moment, asleep, content in his ma’s arms.
“Ye dinnae want to name him after yer father?” Conn asked, touching the tip of a finger to the babe’s satin cheek.
“He is a MacLaurey. I like Ian.”
He leaned over and kissed her softly. “Thank ye for giving me a chance to know my son.” He lifted the bundle from her arms and cuddled the babe against his shoulder. “Coorie doon, my wee lad. Ye are safe with me, my wee laddie.”
Tam entered the room behind him and leapt upon the bed, snuggling close to Brianna, and propped his chin on his paws, a watchful look on his face as the bairn gave a small cry and waved a tiny fist. Jamie hesitated in the doorway, the anxious look on his face breaking into a grin as Conn bid him enter.
“Yer wee cousin bids ye welcome, Jamie, lad. Do ye think ye can give him pointers as he grows up?”
Jamie nodded his head vigorously. “Aye! I will teach him to run and swim and tickle trout in the stream.” He beamed at Conn. “Da showed me how the other day. I havenae caught one, yet, but he did!”
Brianna chuckled tiredly and Conn rose, shooing Jamie and the dog out the door as he placed wee Ian in his cradle. Jamie bounded across the floor, arms windmilling in excitement.
“And I will let him ride my horse when he is bigger. ’Twill be black as night and fire will come from its nose! And ’twill be as tall as the sky—bigger!”
He turned in the doorway, a finger to his lips as he glanced at his sister. “Conn? Dinnae tell Anna, but I am glad wee Ian isnae a girl. Would ye have minded?”
Conn traced the curve of wee Ian’s cheek with his fingertips, a fullness blossoming in his chest he had never felt before. “Nae, Jamie. I wouldnae have minded at all. Ye see, she would have been just like her ma.”
Acknowledgements
During this past year, I am eternally grateful to my critique partners, Dawn Marie Hamilton, Cate Parke, and Derek Dodson, who have endured the changes in my life. I have the utmost respect for your writing, your encouragement and your friendship.
A Note to my Readers
Thank you so much for sharing the journey with me. This is the fourth book in the Highlander’s Bride series. Of all the books, this one connects most with the one before it, though it is not necessary to read them in order—just more fun
The Highlander’s Outlaw Bride is actually the first Highlander book I ever wrote. It was written as a challenge by author-friend, Katherine Bone, after I took a year’s sabbatical from writing and wanted to try something fresh. Katherine suggested I write an historical romance, her own genre, then, a mere three months later, recommended I enter it in the Golden Claddagh Contest, hosted by Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. I can remember telling her, “Gee, Katherine, I just started it. I don’t know…” It did not faze her in the least I had only two months to complete the novel.
I did, and it won its category, proving her to be a very astute and helpful friend, and The Highlander’s Outlaw Bride now takes its place in the series. I sincerely hope you enjoyed
it.
For those of you who follow my Wonderful Wednesday blog and have met Freki, yes, Tam is modeled on her antics as a puppy. Tam is also a fond compilation of memories growing up amid a pack of Collies. In Medieval Scotland, the colley would have more closely resembled the Border Collie than the modern-day Collie, hence the portrait on the book’s cover.
I love to hear from readers! Look for news and fun on my blogs.
Bits ’n Bobs showcases writings from many authors as well as my own books, and writing related interest features.
Wonderful Wednesdays is a personal blog, typically dedicated to the dogs, gardening, and whatever else takes my fancy.
You can find both at http://www.cathymacraeauthor.com
Other Books by Cathy MacRae
The Highlander’s Bride series:
The Highlander’s Accidental Bride (book 1)
http://www.amzn.com/B00BMFPT12
The Highlander’s Reluctant Bride (book 2)
http://www.amzn.com/B00J1PNPPC
The Highlander’s Tempestuous Bride (book 3)
http://www.amzn.com/ B00P89UHME
The Highlander’s Outlaw Bride (book 4)
Kinnons’s Story (working title) (book 5) Available in 2015
…a sneek peek…
Kinnon’s Story
(working title)
by Cathy MacRae
1380, Châteauneuf-de-Randon, France
Kinnon Macrory stared into the face of death.
’Tis nae fair. After all the battles I have survived, to arrive at this. He would have sighed at the injustice of it, but he was, quite frankly, afraid to make an unnecessary move.