My Laird's Castle

by Bess McBride

  Elinor’s jaw dropped, and my shoulders slumped.

  “I’m sorry, Elinor. What a terrible way to announce it. I just think the less people who know where Colin is, the better off he’ll be.”

  “So, it is congratulations to ye,” she said as if she couldn’t decide.

  “Many felicitations,” the captain said. “I am not surprised.” His smile was warm and sincere. As I said, I trusted him with everything, including my own life, but not Colin’s.

  “Thank you, Elinor. Thank you, Captain Jones.”

  “You must call me Stephen at some point. I have already convinced Elinor to do so.”

  I nodded with a grin. “Stephen then.”

  Elinor, who had been standing, pulled another chair to the side of the bed.

  “What will ye tell the soldiers when they come, Stephen?” she asked.

  “Three days?” he asked me. “I think I could say he has gone to Glasgow.”

  “No!” I said sharply.

  Stephen’s eyes flew to mine.

  “Ah! Not Glasgow then. Perhaps Edinburgh.”

  “That would be fine,” I said cautiously.

  “Did Colin have any particular excuse he wished me to express for his absence?”

  I shrugged. “Not really. I think he was leaving that up to you. When he first left, he said to tell you that he had gone to buy some sheep.”

  Stephen laughed. “Sheep! Yes, of course. We shall say that. Though I know he has plenty of sheep in the hills. I have met his obstinate shepherd, Malcolm, before.”

  I smiled but said nothing, not even giving away that I too had met Malcolm, lest Stephen guess that’s where Colin and the ragtag band of Jacobites had been hiding.

  I rose. “I’d better get cleaned up before they get here.”

  Elinor rose, picking up a book she’d probably been reading to Stephen. “Yes, I think that best. Ye have mud in yer hair. A hot bath is what ye need. Do ye need help?”

  “No, I’m fine. Mrs. Agnew is having a bath drawn for me. I’ll be good as new in no time.”

  “And then ye must have something to eat,” Elinor said. “Ye look fair peaked.”

  “I will,” I said with a nod, suddenly tired, and I left the room.

  Mrs. Agnew had indeed filled my tub, and I slid into it, reveling in the heat of the water. It wasn’t quite as good as being in Colin’s arms, but it would have to do.

  I didn’t see the extra pitcher of hot water that Sarah usually brought, so I washed my hair with the lavender soap and dunked my head into the water before I scrubbed the mud off the rest of me.

  I had never stayed in the castle without Colin, and it really didn’t feel like home without him. I missed him terribly and worried about him more.

  I didn’t dillydally in the bath but cleaned up and climbed out. I dressed in a brown silk dress that Mrs. Agnew had laid out, and combed my hair, catching it up in a bun at the back of my head. Then I hurried down to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

  George intercepted me, and in a rare exchange of words, he said he would bring my food to the great room. I told him there was no need, that I could eat in the kitchen, but he vetoed that idea.

  Knowing myself defeated, I made my way to the great room, empty beyond belief without Colin, and I sat down in my usual place at the table while George brought me a hot bowl of stew and some bread.

  “I trust the laird is well?” he asked as he bowed.

  “He is, George,” I said with a nod, surprised he even asked.

  “We were worried,” he said.

  “Yes.”

  “I will leave ye to eat then.” He turned away to leave.

  “George,” I called out to his back. He turned around.

  “You know more soldiers will be here soon, don’t you?”

  “Aye, madam. I have heard. Will they find anyone?”

  I shook my head. “No, but Lord Anderson has gone to Edinburgh to buy sheep.”

  One of George’s white bushy eyebrows shot up.

  “To Edinburgh, madam? But Glasgow is closer. Why would he—”

  I eyed him pointedly.

  “Yes, madam. Edinburgh.”

  Yes, George. Edinburgh. He will be back in a few days. Maybe three, maybe more.”

  “Very good,” he said. He turned and left the room, and I dug into Mrs. Renwick’s delicious stew.

  I had just tossed the last piece of bread into my mouth, when I heard the jingling of horse livery. I jumped up to look out the window.

  Two English officers on horseback led a group of about twenty soldiers into the drive. So, they were here already!

  “Have courage, Beth,” someone said behind me.

  I whirled around. Stephen stood there, fully dressed and looking splendid, if a little stooped with his hand pressed against his side.

  Elinor followed him into the great room. I nodded and turned back to the window.

  The officers dismounted and disappeared from view as they headed for the front door, presumably. Sure enough, several loud raps on the door signaled their request to enter, and within minutes, George led them into the great room. They removed their hats and bowed. Elinor curtseyed in return. I tried a dip.

  “Captain Jones!” One of the officers, a tall, slender silver-haired man, spoke. “You are upright. We heard you were surely at death’s door.”

  “I am quite well, as you see, Major Swift,” Stephen said with a stiff bow. “It was merely a scratch.” He turned to the younger dark-haired man. “Good day, Captain Whistler. Gentlemen, I am afraid my sergeant was too hasty in sending for reinforcements. The Jacobites are nothing more than three old men and a few boys, nothing we cannot deal with.”

  “Have you captured them?” Major Swift asked, lifting a thick eyebrow.

  “Not yet, but I was on point of venturing out tomorrow to apprehend them.”

  “May we sit?” Major Swift asked, directing his glance to Elinor and me.

  “Yes, please do,” Elinor said, springing forward. “George, some refreshment, please.” The butler left the room.

  “Major Aaron Swift,” the older man introduced himself to Elinor and me with a bow. “And this is Captain Nigel Whistler.” The captain bowed as well.

  “This is Lady Elinor Anderson, cousin to Lord Anderson, and Mistress Pratt, Lord Anderson’s betrothed.”

  As frightened as I was, I almost melted at Stephen’s last words. Me—a betrothed, a bride to be.

  Elinor bobbed another curtsey and took a seat. I followed her lead and dipped again before seating myself beside her and across from the officers. Stephen sat and kept his face passive, though I could see he was in pain. A bead of sweat formed on his brow.

  “Where is Lord Anderson?” Major Swift asked, looking around the room with pale-blue eyes as if to discover Colin.

  “Lord Anderson has journeyed to Edinburgh. He will return in several days,” Stephen said.

  “Edinburgh?” Major Swift said. “And left his ladies in the company of an English officer?” He drew his eyebrows together. “How odd!”

  “He can be eccentric, but the ladies did not care to travel in the wet weather, and so they stayed.”

  “We could not leave the captain unattended with only the servants to see to him,” Elinor offered.

  “How very solicitous of you, Lady Elinor,” Captain Whistler said. His attraction to Elinor was apparent in the appreciative regard of his dark-brown eyes.

  Elinor smiled faintly and nodded, her cheeks turning rosy.

  “And of course, Lord Anderson asked me to look after the ladies in his absence,” Stephen offered. I thought I heard an unusual note of firmness in his voice as he looked at the handsome young captain. It appeared Stephen did not like the look in Captain Whistler’s eyes.

  “That is quite a request for a man who has been wounded,” Major Swift said. “And what does Lord Anderson do in Edinburgh?”

  My hackles were up, and I was on the verge of saying that was the laird’s business, but Stephen interc
eded. Thank goodness!

  “He has gone to buy sheep. It is the future of the Highlands, is it not?”

  Major Swift nodded. “It would appear so. There are some who believe it a much more productive use of the land.”

  Stephen kept his face passive. I knew the clearances were coming over the next fifty to one hundred years, so I had nothing to offer. Elinor’s cheeks burned brightly.

  “Yes, as you say,” Stephen said pleasantly.

  George returned with tea and some stronger beverage. Stephen reached for the whisky, and I imagined he needed it for pain. I jumped up to pour it for him, and offered it to the officers. They each accepted, sipping the whisky appreciatively.

  “Alas, we do not enjoy such fine whisky in England,” Major Swift said. He looked at Stephen. “I trust Sergeant Hall will see my men settled for the evening?”

  “Yes, of course he will attend to them, although they have to sleep in the dungeon.” Stephen looked at Elinor and me with a grin.

  Captain Whistler choked on his whisky.

  “Surely not!”

  Stephen laughed outright. “It is a castle, after all, gentlemen, and the dungeons are the only available rooms for the soldiers unless we wish to house them in the stables. Rest easy. The men are not locked in, and Lord Anderson has kindly provided heat and bedding for them down there. That is probably more than past occupants have enjoyed.”

  A smile spread across Major Swift’s face, but Captain Whistler did not look as if he found the situation similarly amusing.

  “Well, dungeons notwithstanding, I do not think you are fit to set out on an expedition tomorrow, Captain Jones,” Major Swift said. “Captain Whistler and I will undertake the mission to rout out the rebels at first light.”

  I couldn’t help it. I gasped, turning all eyes on me.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Supper that night was ghastly, and I didn’t mean the food. I was so worried about the pending search for the rebels that I couldn’t focus on Major Swift’s endless questions about America, especially America in the seventeen hundreds.

  “I have never heard of Montana, Massachusetts,” he pressed. “You say it is south of Boston? I have been to Boston, a fine city, but I did not hear of a settlement called Montana.”

  I shook my head wearily. What did it matter where I’m from, I wanted to scream. What was going to happen to Colin? To those old men and boys? Stephen had distracted attention away from me earlier in the day when I had gasped, by insisting that he could handle the search, but Major Swift had been firm that he and Captain Whistler would at least accompany him. Stephen could do nothing else but agree.

  “It’s a small village, hardly on a map, maybe a hundred people or so. Most people haven’t heard of it,” I said. “Surely thirty soldiers and three officers are a considerable force to hunt a few old men and boys,” I said.

  “It does seem a large force, does it not?” Major Swift said with an even smile. “But Captain Jones and his men were put upon in the course of their official duties, and we cannot allow that sort of behavior to continue. I understand that this particular group of rebels is comprised of nothing more than a few tenants and their grandsons, but we must set the example. One would have thought the Jacobite defeat at Culloden would have convinced the Scots that the Crown would not tolerate rebellion, but there remain some who resist our efforts to tame the Highlands.”

  “Tame the Highlands?” I couldn’t help repeating. I instantly regretted my words. I was in way over my head, and I had no idea what I was talking about. I knew I should keep my mouth shut. This wasn’t like chatting with some soldier in an airport at home, but more like talking to a law enforcement official...the Secret Service or the FBI. I had to be careful what I said.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stephen watching me carefully, and I adjusted my grimace to a pleasant smile.

  “Yes, Mistress Pratt, tame the Highlands. This area is historically rife with clan feuding, which has done nothing more than foster hostilities resulting in great loss of life amongst the Scots. And led them to more than one rebellion against the Crown. It must be tamed.”

  I said nothing in response. My mind flitted, searching for things that I could do, but there was nothing. I had already warned Colin the soldiers were coming. I could only hope that he and the motley band of rebels were long gone.

  Supper ended after an interminable amount of time, and I retired to my room. I wanted to talk to Stephen before he left in the morning, but Major Swift and Captain Whistler had been housed on the same floor, and I didn’t dare go tapping on Stephen’s door to talk to him.

  As it happened, he came tapping on my door shortly after supper, and I let him in.

  “It is most improper for me to be in your room, Beth, but I felt I must speak with you before I left in the morning. You appeared to be quite distraught at supper. Did Major Swift quiz you regarding Colin’s whereabouts?”

  “He ‘quizzed’ me about everything, but especially where I’m from in the States. I was just too worried to answer him properly, and I kept forgetting what I was supposed to say.”

  As I forgot at that moment, and I realized my mistake when I saw Stephen tilt his head inquiringly.

  “What you were supposed to say? Do you mean about your origins?”

  I’d revealed so much to Stephen over the past day that I forgot he didn’t know I was from the future. Nor did Elinor. I swallowed hard and stared at him, my cheeks flushed.

  “We could probably talk about that another time,” I said cautiously. “What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

  Stephen stared at me a moment longer before answering.

  “I will distract them. Neither Major Swift nor Captain Whistler knows this region as well as I, and they will not know that I am leading them astray. They will not even have the pleasure of meeting the irascible Malcolm.”

  “Can you do that safely? I don’t want to see you get into trouble either. What about your men? Won’t they say anything?”

  He smiled and shook his head. “My men are extremely loyal to me. Sergeant Hall understands his mistake and will not repeat it. However, I will lead the officers to the site of the attack. They are not likely to wish to search further, especially if the rain continues steadily. As you know, the climb into the hills is arduous, and from what I gather, neither Major Swift nor Captain Whistler is fond of traipsing through the heather. They prefer the comforts of London.”

  I nodded, unable to imagine the mud imbedded in the officers’ immaculate uniforms.

  “Thank you, Stephen, for all that you’re doing.”

  He nodded and turned for the door. “Perhaps I will discover the truth of your origin someday, Beth. Even Major Swift did not believe there was a village named Montana in Massachusetts.” He grinned and slipped out.

  The following morning, I jumped out of bed early, hoping to see them off. Without a proper clock, I had no idea what time it was, but I could see a hint of gray out of the slit called a window in my room.

  I trotted downstairs and found all three officers, having breakfasted, on the point of leaving. Like a good little castle mistress, I stood there at the door and waved them off. Well, I didn’t really lift a hand to wave, but I watched as they disappeared around the back of the house. When they disappeared from view, I ran to the back door and out into the garden to watch them begin their ascent.

  A light rain fell on the expedition. Both Major Swift and Captain Whistler, on foot, seemed to balk at the idea of hiking into the hills, and I hoped they would decline to go. But after a few moments, they followed their men. Stephen had taken the lead.

  I returned to the house, a bit damp from the sprinkling, and I made my way to the great room for a cup of something warm to drink. Too keyed up to eat, I told George I would be happy with some tea.

  I alternately sat, paced, sat and stared out the window toward the front of the castle while I drank my tea.

  Elinor came into the room.

  “Have they gone?”
she asked anxiously. “I wanted to see Stephen off.”

  I nodded.

  “Yes, they left about half an hour ago. I thought Major Swift and Captain Whistler weren’t going to go once they saw how steep the hill was, but they went.”

  “I canna tell ye how anxious I am for Colin’s safety,” Elinor said.

  “Me too,” I said.

  “When did ye two decide to marry?” she asked.

  I realized that this was the first time Elinor and I had spoken privately since she discovered we were engaged. I hoped the conversation wouldn’t take a sour note.

  “He asked me to marry him yesterday. There’s been so much going on that it feels like a year ago.”

  “Aye, I ken what ye mean,” she said with a nod.

  “I’m so sorry, Elinor,” I said softly. “I really do love him, if that helps.”

  “Aye, I can see that ye do,” she said with a half smile. “I am verra fond of Colin, but I dinna ken if I love him as ye do. It is clear to me that he is besotted with ye, and I do wish ye a bonnie marriage.”

  “If we manage to get married,” I said, thinking of Colin and hoping he didn’t get caught helping the rebels, either in the hills or in Glasgow.

  “What do ye mean, if we manage to get married?” Colin said in a low voice. I whirled around with a cry and ran into his arms as he stood in the doorway, wet and disheveled.

  “What happened?” I asked breathlessly. “Are you back? I thought it would take days. There are a ton of soldiers here. They’ve gone to find the rebels, but they’ll be back all too soon!”

  Colin held me tight. I heard his chuckle.

  “Breathe, woman. Ye are fair ranting. I am only back for a moment. I ken there are many soldiers, about thirty now, I would say. I saw them in the hills and hid until they had passed. Donald, one of the auld men, sickened, and I half carried him down the hill for Mrs. Renwick to tend to. He canna make the journey, and I couldna leave him for the soldiers to find. The others are waiting for me to return.”

  “Return?” Elinor cried out. “Och! Surely not!”

  “Yes, I must. I will leave Donald here. If the English ask about him, say that he works in the stables. I can hide one misguided Jacobite on the castle grounds, but not all eight of them.”