by Kate Forrest
“Let me go!” she cried. His hands instantly released her, and she crawled off Alex’s lap and heaved into the grass.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Alex said. “She’s taken ill.”
“It’s the blood,” Robbie said from behind her.
“Christ!” Alex shouted. The grass rustled around him as he ran down to the beach. Alex dove into the waves, splashing water on his chest and arms, trying to clean off the blood.
Isobel collapsed in the sandy grass and passed out.
****
When Isobel woke, she found herself wrapped up in a plaid lying in the grass. The sun was hot, and she had sweated through her dress. She was no longer by the beach, but instead lay against an old fencerow. She sat up, pushing off the plaid, and took in the rest of her surroundings. There was a small earthen hut carved into the hillside nearby, and Alex and Robbie sat atop of it, gazing out at the sea.
Isobel stretched her arms. The movement must have caught Alex’s eye, for he jumped off the mound and was by her in an instant.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, cupping her chin. He tilted her head slightly side to side, examining her eyes. “Are you dizzy?” He moved his hand down to her shoulder.
“No, I feel fine,” she said. “I think I just panicked. I’ve never seen—” She trailed off, but Alex nodded his head, seeming to understand her meaning.
“I’m sorry I did not shield you from the sight of it,” Alex said, moving his hand gently up and down her arm, as though to comfort her.
“I am well, Alex. Truly,” Isobel assured him.
Alex didn’t say anything but squeezed her arm lightly.
“Where are the Englishmen?” she asked, looking around.
“We took care of it,” Alex said, averting his eyes. He was no longer wearing his war coat. Instead, he was in a plain linen tunic.
Isobel nodded her head. She didn’t want to know more.
“Could you eat?” Alex asked, reaching around her for his bag.
She did not want to eat, but even as she shook her head, her stomach growled in hunger. Her throat and mouth also felt dry.
“Try some,” Alex said. He handed her a few oatcakes.
Judging by the sun, it was late afternoon. Her abductors had given her no food or drink. She did need to keep her strength up. The journey isn’t over yet. Isobel managed to eat two small oatcakes and drank some water. It wasn’t much, but it subdued her hunger and thirst. The whole ordeal—from the kidnapping to the scene on the beach—left her aching head to toe. There was also an ache in her heart: a fear for what might have been if Alex and Robbie hadn’t arrived in time.
“Rest now,” he said. “We’ll leave in a while.”
Isobel wanted to protest; the sun was too warm, and she didn’t need to rest any longer, but it seemed Alex had considered that, for he set to work creating a makeshift tent. Using the fence and some tall sticks, he made a frame and draped a plaid over it. While it couldn’t cover her completely, it would shield her face from the sun.
“There,” Alex said, helping situate her under the cover. “ ’Twill keep you a wee bit cooler.”
Isobel lay down on the ground and found the plaid did help cool her, as most of her body was now in the shade. Only her calves and feet were exposed to the sun, but she didn’t mind. Soon she was fast asleep.
Chapter 20
“You will nae go on with us to Iona?” Alex asked Robbie, as they prepared to part ways. He’d let Isobel rest as long as he could, but they needed to journey on now.
“I’ve left my siblings with your friends, Katherine and Thomas. I must be getting back to them. If Agnes is well enough, we’ll return to Mull within a week.”
“A healer will see to her as soon as you arrive.” Alex hoped he could make good on his promise. After his meeting with the Maclean, he feared whether physicians remained at MacKinnon Keep.
“Are you certain you have a place for us?”
“We need strong warriors, MacDonald. Especially now that the Macleans threaten to take our land. If my father’s weakened state has made them feel we are ripe for the picking, then the might of our men must prove them differently.”
“I’m up for the fight,” Robbie said. “My brother, Murdoch, is eager to join the ranks as well. He’s just seen his fifteenth summer, but he’s good with a blade and even better with a bow and arrow.”
“We’ll be glad to have him,” Alex said. “And my sisters will delight in having new company.”
Robbie nodded. “I think Agnes will enjoy being part of a clan again.”
Alex could not imagine what Robbie had gone through to care for his younger siblings, but clearly he regretted what he’d been unable to give them: Murdoch, proper training to be a warrior; and Agnes, a proper home with friends around her. While Alex could offer the MacDonalds very little, he could offer them those things.
Robbie nodded toward Isobel, who sat perched on a boulder looking out over the sea. She’d woken from her second nap a short time ago. “Will she be all right?” he asked.
“She’s got more iron in her blood than I’ve got in my sword,” Alex said. “She just needs time.”
“You could do worse for a wife,” Robbie said.
Alex frowned.
“That’s a hell of a scowl, MacKinnon.”
“It’s complicated,” Alex finally said.
“Isn’t it always?” Robbie shook his head. “If you still haven’t proposed to her by the time I return, I just may have to kick your arse again.”
“I was distracted, and you damn well know it.”
“As you say,” Robbie said. “Well, I’d best be on my way if I’m to catch a boat back to the mainland today. I will see you and Lady Isobel soon.”
“Safe travels to you and your kin,” Alex said.
Robbie nodded and guided Coira and the merchant’s horse away; he would return Honey to Duart Keep before he journeyed back to Oban.
As Robbie galloped away into the distance, Alex approached Isobel. “I know you have been through a rough go of things, but if you can, we should press on.”
“Of course,” Isobel said. As she turned to face him, the afternoon light illuminated her features. He could look at her face a thousand times, and it would still take his breath away. He wanted to remember her like this forever.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Aye,” he said, putting her appearance to memory. “We’ll ride the horses through the valley and reach Fionnphort this night. From there, ’tis a short boat ride to Iona.” With Isobel’s attackers dead, Alex had claimed their horses and their weapons.
“I didn’t realize how close we were,” Isobel said.
“Aye,” Alex said. He reached to his side and pulled Isobel’s sgian dubh from his belt. “We are fortunate the English were fooled by your knife. I assume they took it thinking it was the Rood.” He handed it back to her.
Isobel took the knife and studied the jeweled case. “When David gifted it to me two summers ago, I did not like it. I found it too ornate. But that very thing made the thieves believe it was the Rood.” She tucked the knife beneath her belt and concealed it under her cloak.
“That blade has aided you several times on this journey. Let us hope you will nae have to use it again.”
Isobel nodded and looked up at him. “Thank you for keeping the Rood safe,” she began. “And for saving me.”
Alex nodded, though inside he was full of regret. If I had been in the room, she wouldn’t have been in danger. The meeting with the Maclean chief had been necessary, but afterward, when he’d gone outside…While he was sitting there taking in the fresh air, she’d been kidnapped. I thought we were safe. A foolish mistake, and it had almost cost Isobel her life.
“Come,” he said. “The sooner the relic is in the hands of Bethoc, the safer you and it will be.”
And the sooner I will have to decide my future. Isobel did not doubt her strength or perseverance. She would find a way to exist in th
is world, just as she had before her life with David and Mattie.
She looked at the man before her. Though their time together was brief, she felt connected to him in an inexplicable way. It would be hard to part from him, but he was right. It was time to see the Rood safely into Bethoc’s hands. Her kidnapping this morning had proved just that.
“Then let us go, Alex, for I am ready for this journey to be at its end.”
****
They rode for several hours, the long spring day giving them sun to travel under, before they saw anyone else in the valley. Alex reached out and reined in Isobel’s mare, bringing both of their horses to an abrupt halt. He saw two riders in the distance.
“Do you recognize them?”
“I can’t be certain,” Alex said. “Follow me. Quickly!”
He guided the horses out of the valley and into a thicket of pines. Alex kept them waiting in silence for several minutes after the riders galloped past.
“The road is not safe. I didnae want to go over the mountains, but I think it will be safer.”
“And the horses?”
“They will do fine through the mountain passes. It will slow our pace though. We will not make it to Iona this day.”
“ ’Tis better to be safe,” Isobel said.
“Agreed,” Alex said. “Come. We will find a place to make camp for the night.”
Chapter 21
When they stopped for the evening, Isobel collected water from a nearby spring as Alex laid a campfire beneath a canopy of Caledonian pines and oak trees. Isobel marveled at their size. The trees were striking, especially the ancient pines. They towered above her head, arching over her as though she was standing in the aisle of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the grandest church in all of Scotland. No matter what other lands she saw, Isobel felt nothing could ever compare to the beauty of the Western Isles.
Isobel joined Alex by the campfire, as he sat preparing their meal. She soaked in the heat from the flames. Though the air was cool that spring eve, Alex said they would have to put out the fire when the sky grew dark.
“I do not want to attract any undue attention,” Alex explained.
“I worry they will keep coming for it,” Isobel said.
“The bishop would not violate the sanctity of the nunnery. No matter how much he craves power.”
“He may not, but he is working with someone,” Isobel said. “I recognized one of those Englishmen from David’s court.”
“Who was he?”
Isobel shook her head. “I cannot remember, but I hope it will come to me.”
“King Stephen’s men have never been to David’s court, have they?” he asked.
“No. They were not part of the English king’s guard.”
“I wonder who the bishop has aligned himself with now,” Alex said.
“Do you think he realizes the Rood is being taken to Iona?”
Alex nodded. “Robbie met with the bishop in Edinburgh, and the bishop suspected that the Rood was for Iona.”
“Then it won’t be safe,” Isobel said. “It cannot stay there.”
“The Lord of the Isles built the nunnery on Iona. He will protect what is his, Isobel. The bishop will not start a feud with the island king.”
Isobel wished she had Alex’s confidence. She did not know the Lord of the Isles or if the bishop feared him. Even if he did, they still had another man to worry over.
Think! Who was that English soldier with in David’s court? Isobel closed her eyes.
“What are you doing?” Alex asked.
“Give me a moment.” Isobel pictured the great hall in Edinburgh Castle. It was a spring day, and many noblemen had gathered to meet with the king. She stood on the outskirts of the room, as she often did, taking in the commotion.
A vision of the English soldier appeared in her mind. He was standing beside another soldier and a finely dressed man, a nobleman. The nobleman waited his turn and was eventually greeted by the king.
“The Duke of Lincoln,” the king’s man announced, as the nobleman bowed to the king.
Isobel’s eyes snapped open.
“I think the English were sent by the Duke of Lincoln,” she said.
“The Duke of Lincoln?” Alex asked. “Why would he help the bishop?”
“I do not know,” Isobel said. “But I am certain that is who the English work for.”
Alex nodded. “I am not familiar with the duke. What do you know of him?”
“Only what I overheard in court, and who knows what truth is in any of it,” Isobel said. “He may be making a move for more power himself.”
“Then we must be on alert,” Alex said. “I will increase the presence of guards at the crossing to Iona and on the isle itself. I will also speak to the prioress about getting more aid from Somerled.”
“Has he a large army?” she asked.
“His warriors are not great in number, but I’ve heard they are the finest in the Isles.”
“Then I will have faith in him, as you do.”
She gazed into the fire, marveling at how much her life had changed in the past twelve days. A month ago, she could not imagine facing the challenges this journey had presented. Yet, with the determination she did not know she possessed, she had faced and overcome those challenges. All with the help of Alex.
She glanced at him. He also gazed into the fire. She was anxious for him. Tomorrow would be his homecoming. After six years, he would be reunited with his people. She could not imagine what went through his mind.
They would both face unknowns when daylight found them, but for the night, they had each other. Make it count, Isobel. You do not know when life will give you a chance at happiness again. She blushed as she recalled the night before in Duart Keep. The way he’d kissed her. It made her feel alive in ways she had not imagined. What would the rest be like?
Isobel continued to study Alex. He sat with his legs bent, his hands joined in front of his knees. She looked at his muscular arms; they seemed to glow in the firelight. She remembered well what it felt like to be in those arms. I could be in those arms again.
She set the mission and her future aside. Tonight, only she and Alex existed.
Alex stared at the fire, watching the flames dance and flicker in the gentle breeze. His stomach was in knots; he did not know what waited for him at MacKinnon Keep. How sick will Father be? Will my sisters welcome me home? How dire will circumstances be for them and the clan? Alex shook his head. It was a waste to think on these things. He would find the answers to his questions soon enough. It did no good to worry. No matter what the circumstances were, he would deal with it.
Alex focused on the dusky sky. They’d need to quell the fire’s flames soon.
“We should rest,” he told Isobel. “I’ll lay the plaids.”
Alex spread the plaids on each side of the fire.
“It’s cool this evening,” Isobel said. “Perhaps we can lay our plaids side by side for warmth.”
The suggestion set Alex’s skin on fire. He was in for a night of torture being so near her, but he nodded in agreement. After he arranged the blankets, placing them side by side, he smothered the flames. The camp was cloaked in hues of gray, and there was a quiet calm around them. It seemed all of nature had bedded down for the evening. Not even the breeze, which had carried the smell of the salty sea but moments ago, reached their camp. The quiet gnawed at Alex. It built his awareness of Isobel’s every movement.
She knelt on her plaid and lay down on her side; the silhouette of her hip beckoned him.
Alex didn’t move.
“Are you joining me?” Isobel asked.
“Aye.” Alex took a deep breath and squared his jaw. One night. I just need to keep my damn hands to myself for one night, and then I will be free of this need.
Alex laid down on his plaid, careful to face away from her. After all they’d been through that day, he did not have the strength left in him to resist her. Fear of losing her to the English had nearly driven him mad.
If she looked at him with those big violet eyes now, he’d do anything she asked. He yearned to kiss her again. She was so passionate. He’d kissed his fair share of lasses, but he’d never felt such a spark before. He hardened at the memory of her sighs of pleasure. And that was just from kissing. Imagine how she’d cry out if I made her come.
“Damn it,” he cursed.
“Is something wrong?” Isobel asked.
“It’s fine. Go to sleep,” he ground out, embarrassed by his weakness. He needed a distraction. He looked out into the woods and tried to count the number of trees in the darkened copse around them. One, two, three…
Isobel stretched, and her bottom pressed up against his own.
“Can you nae get comfortable, lass?”
“The ground is hard,” she replied.
“It’s been hard most nights, and yet you slept.”
“It feels different tonight,” she said.
Alex didn’t know how to respond, so he continued counting the trees. Four, five, six…Isobel slid up against his back, and he immediately tensed. She was pressed against him, head to toe.
“You are warm,” she said, snuggling closer to him.
“Do you want another plaid?”
“No. Your warmth is enough.”
Alex smiled, savoring the feel of Isobel against his back. If only he could make the night last. I will miss this. I will miss her. The admission felt strange. Alex had never missed a woman before. He’d missed his family, his clan, and his home. But never had he missed a woman.
In the next moment, Isobel turned over and touched his arm. She moved her hand up to his shoulder, then over his chest, covering his heart. It stayed there for a few moments, but then her hand glided down his stomach and rested just above the top of his trews.
Alex lay frozen in place as her fingers dived beneath his trews. Remaining above his braies, she outlined his hardened manhood.
She gasped, as if surprised by his state. Alex remained immovable as Isobel slid her hand up and down his length. The pressure of her hand felt good, but it wasn’t enough. He needed to remove the barrier between them. Reaching down with both hands, he undid the ties of his trews and braies.