But then maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t read her reaction. Because the worst thing he’d said had nothing to do with her being desirable or attractive. It had to do with someone else completely.
Someone Captain Robert Henderson was betrothed to.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Shauna had not appeared for the feast that night and nor had Bridget, although Abigail sat beside Shane at the high table. Robert assumed Bridget was tending to Brodie who’d looked exhausted by the time the MacLeans had left, but Robert wondered if Ian had confined Shauna to her room for the outburst earlier.
He didn’t get a chance to ask Ian since the MacDonald brothers had decided to issue a friendly challenge to the MacLeod men over who had more prowess with a sword and a large contingent had gone into the bailey to find out. Because of his injury, he didn’t participate, which was probably good since he couldn’t keep a coherent thought in his head other than how soft and delicate Shauna’s palm had felt to his lips. Only knowing her brother and cousin were still in the room had kept Robert from kissing the inside of her wrist and trailing his tongue up the inner side of her arm. He’d hoped to sit with her at the feast, only she had not been there.
Perhaps the Fates were protecting him. Or perhaps, they were tempting him.
Whatever motive such beings might have, he’d not been able to get Shauna out of his head, so he’d risen early this morning to go for a walk, hoping the chill air would clear his brain. The castle sat high on a craggy hill. The winding, jutted road leading down was lost in the mist that hovered like silvery gossamer silk over Loch Shiel. Robert decided to take the foot path that led in the other direction toward the trees. Bridget had mentioned an old crone lived near a glade. Perhaps if he found her, she could provide some herbs since his shoulder hurt like hell.
As he entered the woods, following what looked like a deer trail, he became aware of how different the sounds were from the sea he was used to. No creaking of wooden boards beneath his feet or harsh flapping of sails before they were sheeted. No water rhythmically slapping the hull of the ship as the bow rose and fell in swells. Here, the ground was solid. Dried, dead leaves and twigs crunched under his boots. Instead of gulls screeching overhead, he heard songbirds welcoming the dawn. The hush of the forest was almost as alluring as the call of the sea.
Robert found the cottage in the glade without too much trouble, but when he knocked on the door no one answered. He waited, then peered inside a window. The place looked lived in, but empty at the moment. As he turned to leave, he was startled to see a young girl standing not far away. A hooded cape partially covered her face, but the child looked familiar. Robert shook his head. The pain in his shoulder or his lack of sleep must be getting to him. He didn’t know any children, let alone one in the middle of a forest in Scotland.
“What are you doing out here by yourself?” he asked.
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she moved closer, studying him with eyes the shade of evergreens. “Ye are looking for the crone?”
“I…yes. Do you know where she is?”
“She is nae here.”
Robert knew that much. He’d seen the empty hut. But what was a small child doing wandering around the woods by herself? “Do you live nearby?”
“Aye.”
Briefly, he wondered if he’d seen her at the public house in Arisaig, since she gave the same short answers as the barkeep had done. Then he shook his head again. Arisaig was a good day’s ride from here.
She giggled. “Ye look like me great shaggy hound when ye shake your head like that.”
He supposed that was a compliment. Robert needed to get back, but he didn’t like leaving a child out here by herself, even if she did live close. “Where is your dog then?”
He’d barely gotten the words out of his mouth when he heard rustling behind him. Turning, he stilled his movements quickly. The snowy-white beast standing not six feet away from him was the size of a small horse. Although it didn’t snarl, its pinkish ears stood at attention and its eyes glowed like burgundy wine. “Your dog?”
“Aye.”
Well, he wouldn’t have to worry about the child being protected then. “Would you mind calling it?”
The child giggled again and clapped her hands. “Come, wee Bitsy.”
Bitsy seemed a strange name for such a huge animal, but the dog immediately wagged its tail, went to its mistress and sat down beside her. “I will be getting back then.” Robert said as he began to walk away, being sure to keep his movements slow and steady in case Bitsy misunderstood.
“Wait!”
He stopped and turned. The dog didn’t move as the little girl ran up to him.
“Ye should have this,” she said, holding out her closed hand.
Robert turned his palm upward and she dropped a brownish stone with a yellow streak into his hand. “Thank you. It’s very pretty.”
“A faerie lives inside it.”
Robert smiled. “A faerie?”
“Aye,” she said, not returning his smile. “She will take ye where ye need to go.”
Back to Ian’s? He really wasn’t lost. But she was looking at him so somberly he didn’t have the heart to say so. “Thank you.”
“Keep it close to ye, aye?”
It seemed a strange request, but children’s imaginations often ran wild. His had at her age. Robert nodded. “I will.”
“Then I will be gone.” She smiled and skipped back to the shaggy beast already waiting for her at the edge of the glade. Just before they disappeared behind the trees, her hood fell back, revealing gold-streaked brown hair that reminded Robert of the stone she’d just given him. And then he remembered.
She looked just like the child in Edinburgh who’d sold him the salmon.
Robert was relieved when he got back to the castle to find Shauna and Abigail in the room off the kitchens where they usually had breakfast. He decided they’d both think him crazy if he tried to explain what had just happened in the woods.
He helped himself to porridge and sausage kept warm on the sideboard and sat down across from Shauna. “Did you not feel well last eve?”
She concentrated on buttering a scone. “I felt fine.”
“You were not at the meal.”
Not looking up, she shrugged. “I thought it better to stay away.”
“Why? Because you spoke your mind yesterday?” Robert asked.
She shook her head and took a bite.
“I hope your brother didn’t chastise you.”
Abigail intervened. “Ian understood. Shane told him based on what he’d observed that he did not think Owen and Shauna would suit either. So while some feathers may have been ruffled, Shauna did the right thing.”
“I agree. It’s both practical and efficient to say it blunt and be done with it.” Robert thought he saw Shauna wince, but he wasn’t sure since her head was bent. “Not many women dare to say what they really think.”
She made a strangled sound and stood abruptly. “Excuse me.”
Robert frowned as he watched her hurry away and then turned to Abigail. “Is she all right? Are you sure someone didn’t say something to her yesterday?”
Abigail gave him a long look before she gathered her plate and fork and stood. “I do not think anyone said anything directly to her, but then perhaps you should ask.”
He stared after Abigail as she left the room too. What in the hell did she mean by that?
Shauna had been tempted to stay at Glenfinnan when Shane announced they were ready to return to Edinburgh two days later. Although it was now early March, she knew Robert still had a few things left to do on the New Orleans before he could set sail and she didn’t think she could face him—let alone work with him—knowing he was betrothed. Why hadn’t he told her?
Abigail had suggested maybe she should just ask him, but Shauna wa
s too embarrassed to let him know she cared. In addition to capable and sensible, he also thought her practical and efficient. Those were all terms she would be proud of if someone were praising her skills at the office or even in running a household. They were not terms of endearment men used when they found women physically desirable and attractive. Considering how she’d nearly melted like churned butter left in the sun when Robert had kissed her palm, she had no doubt of her feelings for him. For his part, he probably had thought nothing of it, considering there was a woman waiting for him.
Shauna lifted her chin. Robert might as well add stubborn to the list, for in the end, her tenaciousness won out. She was now on the way to Edinburgh because she did want to find out about the betrothal. She just wasn’t going to ask.
“I think Robert was glad to find out he had so many brothers,” Abigail said as the carriage lurched along the rutted track past Loch Shiel.
“And right braw brothers they are,” Kyla offered from her seat beside Abigail. “I couldnae decide which was best looking.”
“I am sure you did your best to be pleasant to all of them,” Abigail said.
Kyla looked at her, apparently not sure if Abigail was making a jest. “Well,” she said, her voice more prim than Shauna had ever heard. “’Twould be impolite nae to act kindly toward them.”
Abigail’s eyes twinkled behind her spectacles. “That it would. And I think Ian and Shane did a fine job of making them welcome.” She glanced at Shauna. “I heard Robert say he would like to spend more time getting to know his brothers.”
Shauna didn’t reply, but she knew Abigail alluded to the conversation they’d had yesterday about Robert. After Shauna told Abigail what she’d overheard, Abigail had replied that he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get back to the States, but with Kyla in the carriage, they had to be careful what was said.
“’Twould have been nice if the lot had ridden with us to Edinburgh,” Kyla said in a wistful tone.
“I think we have enough of an escort,” Abigail answered.
“I should say so,” Shauna said. In addition to Shane, Robert and the three footmen, Ian had sent an additional six men to escort them as far as Glasgow, after which the road was well-traveled. Unfortunately, Owen had decided to join the group at the last minute. He hadn’t spoken to her, but he’d told Shane he wanted to proceed with the kelp exportation. Even though Shauna would have preferred Owen remain home, she knew he wanted to save face by joining them as if nothing had been said. And Ian, having remarkably refrained from lecturing her for her outburst, had given her a no-nonsense look that told her not to interfere. Shauna understood the need to smooth things over. At least she no longer needed to act like she was considering Owen’s suit. She hoped he had the good sense not to pursue it either. She knew she was interchangeable with any other Scottish woman who would present an advantage to Owen, but Shauna wouldn’t put it past him to keep trying simply to salvage his pride. He had always enjoyed bedeviling her, and being back in Edinburgh would give him the opportunity. She’d just have to avoid him as much as she could.
But Robert was another matter. She should avoid him as well, but even hearing him say he was betrothed had done little to douse the flame that burned in her mind when she thought about her breasts pressed against his bare, muscular back while bandaging him. It might be wrong, but she wanted to experience that feeling again.
Lord help her. She was playing with fire.
Robert didn’t think a journey had ever taken so long as he rode beside the MacLeods and MacLean on the way to Edinburgh. The six days they spent on the road seemed a lot longer than his weeks at sea ever had, but perhaps that was because a treasure sat in the carriage up ahead. A treasure he couldn’t touch. At least, not yet.
While most of his brothers had engaged in the friendly skirmish in the bailey, he’d had a chance to tell Alasdair about his problems with Jane and how he’d been coerced into the betrothal. His half-brother had shrugged and said such a compromising situation wouldn’t hold water in a Scotland bucket. Furthermore, he’d suggested since Robert now had a Scottish family, perhaps he should make his permanent residence here and get to know his father—and take a Scottish wife.
A Scottish wife. Robert felt like he’d had an epiphany. The door to his cage had been opened. No matter what society dictated, there was no honor in marrying someone he cared nothing about and whom he doubted cared one whit about him. Love was what mattered. He’d seen it with each of the MacLeod men. From how Joanna spoke of his father, Robert was quite sure there was love between them as well. Although Robert had been fighting the idea for all the wrong reasons, he knew he loved Shauna. He needed to make things right between them.
The idea of marrying Shauna had taken seed and blossomed over the last few days. Robert still wanted—needed—to clear his name in America. He could always decide not to live there though. He felt sure the English-bred, aristocratic Jane would not want to live in the Highlands. She preferred fashion and society gatherings, which was what had endeared her to his mother. He had been a fool to allow Jane to trap him, but now the trap door had been opened. He would write his brother—and his mother as well, as she was Jane’s guardian—once he got back to Edinburgh and explain things to them. He didn’t care if all of New Orleans called him a scapegrace or blackguard. Jane wouldn’t be blamed…if she were found.
Then he would be free to court Shauna MacLeod.
Shauna was not surprised to see Colette enter the dock office the Wednesday morning after they’d arrived back. Shane had gone to the piers yesterday and news always traveled fast along the waterfront.
“Where is everyone?” Colette asked as she set her satchel down on the table in the corner and moved some invoices to the counter.
Shauna tried not to grimace. Since she, Albert and David were already at work, the everyone Colette meant was Robert. David saved Shauna from answering.
“Everyone is here,” he said, picking up the stack of papers and returning them to the table.
“I sit at this table to sketch,” Colette said as she slid the papers aside and gave David a smile. “I am sure you understand.”
“I need this area to work.”
Colette looked astonished. Shauna bit her cheek to keep from laughing. David was a nice-looking young man but not given to flirting. Since Shane had kept giving him his wages while he was injured, he had become fiercely loyal to the shipping line.
“But…” Colette began as the door opened again and Robert walked in. Instantly, she went to him. “Captain Henderson, I am so glad you are back. I wanted to finish my sketches today, but it seems I have no place to sit.”
A look of annoyance flickered in Robert’s eyes and then was gone. “I’m sorry, Mademoiselle Frazier, but I’ve no time to pose today.”
Her lower lip protruded just a bit. “Perhaps tomorrow then?”
“I’m afraid not. I’ve got to finish my ship’s repairs. She’s been out of the water for too long as it is.”
Shauna sucked in a breath. So Robert was preparing to leave. The admission should not come as a shock. He’d already been here over two months and spring approached. He was probably as anxious to see his intended as she was to see him. Abigail had been wrong about his not wanting to get back to the States.
“How long will your repairs take?” she asked.
“With luck, I should be through by the end of the week,” Robert answered. He paused as if to say more, then looked at Colette and seemed to change his mind and turned to Albert. “Is Shane around?”
Albert shook his head. “While ye have been gone, some looting’s been done along the wharf. Shane went to see the magistrate.”
“Damage to either the Border Lass or Sea Lassie?”
“Minimal. Donald MacFie, the quarter-master, stays on board the Lass. He ran two of them off.”
Robert frowned. “They weren’t caught or reco
gnized?”
“Nae. Donald said he’d never seen either one of them before.”
“Any other ships affected?”
“Not in port,” Albert replied, “but there have been rumors about a small brig flying no flag seen off Berwick.”
Robert raised a brow. “Pirates?”
Albert shrugged. “I doona ken. No incoming ship has reported any problems.”
“Did anyone get a name?”
“Aye. The Dragon. ’Tis nae been seen around here though.”
“I will talk to Shane about it tonight,” Robert said. “I would like to borrow David for the morning, if you can spare him.”
“Aye,” Albert replied. “The lad can use the experience aboard a ship as well as in the office.”
“It appears ye can use my table after all,” David told Colette as he moved the papers to Albert’s desk and then added, “For today.”
Colette gave David a cool look and opened her satchel to take out the sketches she’d already done. She spread them out as she sat down and then smiled at Robert. “I can work on these for now.”
He glanced over them. “It appears you have enough to keep you busy.”
Colette spent some time shuffling her sketches around after Robert left, then she gathered them together and stood. “I just remembered that Papa and I have another appointment this morning. Perhaps I can return tomorrow.”
Shauna repressed a smile. With Robert working on his ship, Colette probably wouldn’t be back on Thursday, but then Shauna wouldn’t be here either since it was her day to visit the charitable home.
But Friday was another day. If Robert was planning to launch the New Orleans this weekend, Friday might be her last chance to see him.
“Are you sure the bitch is back?” Wesley asked Nicholas the next morning as they waited in the rented carriage down the road and out of sight of the charitable home. “I am getting tired of paying rent for this thing.”
Rogue of the High Seas Page 19