Dreams Of The Highlander

by Sarah Hoss

  “I can’t believe I’m seeing it. All of the years I’ve heard the story, Alex, passed down from generation to generation. It almost seemed like a fairy tale, and here it is, in your hands.”

  She glanced up at him, searched his eyes. “Do you remember the last piece of that story I told the gypsy woman?”

  “Aye.” He opened her hand and placed the pearl in it, then closed her fingers around it.

  “Tell me then, Alex, now that the pearls are together, have I found true love?”

  She waited breathlessly for him to answer; said a silent prayer hoping this would end the way she hoped it would.

  He leaned in and gave her a lingering kiss. “Aye, Marlana, I love ye.”

  She through her arms around his neck and laughed and cried and hugged him for all that she was worth. He squeezed her back, laughing himself. Sitting up quickly, she laid her hands on each side of his face.

  “Please tell me how you got it.”

  When he was situated, he pulled her onto his lap.

  “Do ye remember the story ye told me of how yer grandmother’s new husband sold the pearl for money to pay the taxes?”

  She nodded.

  “It was to my grandfather that he sold the pearl. He bought it as an anniversary present to my grandmother. Not very practical, but he always did spoil her and the man was not asking very much for it.”

  He kissed her hands and went on. “Margaret was the first one to get married, so she got our grandmother’s wedding ring. I got the pearl. Hamish got our mother’s ring. If James ever decides to marry, he will get our parent’s home, since he is the eldest.”

  “I know what ye are thinking. I never did get around to giving it to Mairi. It didna seem right, I doona know why, I just didna do it.” He brushed the hair back over her shoulder. “I think I do now.”

  They got out of bed and dressed after making love again. The rumble from her stomach brought them both back to earth.

  “Will you join me in breaking our fast?” He walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

  “Yes, but I have something very important to do first.”

  Turning her around so he could look at her, he kissed the tip of her nose. “What is more important than eating with me?”

  “Only one thing would keep me from your side and that’s talking to the Chief. I have things to do before the wedding. It‘s tomorrow, you know.”

  He winked at her and her heart fluttered.

  “I’m so happy, Alexander.” She darted across the room when he reached for her. If he caught her, it would be another hour before she could get away, and though that image was appealing, there were things that needed done.

  “I’ll meet you for breakfast in a bit.” She left the room with lightness in her step and love in her heart.

  CHAPTER 23

  The castle was a bustle of activity as Marlana skipped down the stairs in that happy-go-lucky way girls do, her heart soared and her mind raced. There were so many things to do in such a short amount of time. How was she going to come up with a wedding dress? She needed to find Margaret, she could help her. Isobel was taking care of the other necessities such as food, the preacher, and music.

  She’d told Alexander she was happy, and it felt good to realize that she meant it. For the first time in a long time, she was completely happy. Things were going to work out. She was going to marry Alexander. She didn’t care anymore that she was here in this century, she was with him, and she would be with him anywhere.

  She was half way down the tight-quartered, winding stairs when she could hear someone coming in the other direction. She stepped into an alcove, waiting for the person coming toward her to pass. She let herself get lost in thought on the happenings of the previous night and the meeting she hoped to have with the Chief.

  She heard the footsteps getting closer and as soon as she saw who it was, she became nervous. Colyn turned the corner and she didn’t want a confrontation with him. The games had been intense. The battle between the two still fresh. They were not just fighting for the right to wed her, this was a personal battle. The last thing she wanted to do was anger him.

  He spotted her as he turned up the stairs. Too bad they didn’t have curtains she could have hid behind. He had an angry look and she took an involuntary step backward, deeper into the corner. This was not the place she wanted to be stuck with him. She was trapped, there was no way she could avoid him. So she smiled, hoping it would ease some of the tension.

  “Hello, Colyn.”

  “Hello is it? Where are ye off to this morning?” He stood a few steps down so they were nose to nose with each other. His eyes black with fury.

  “I’m going to break my fast.” She lied. “Care to join me?” She tried to pass but he stopped her.

  “No,” he bellowed. Colyn glanced around, then turned back to Marlana, this time speaking quieter, but still angry. “I doona want to break my fast with ye.” He reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

  Was he still angry about yesterday or had something else happened? He jerked her toward him, causing her to let out a yelp in pain.

  “I may have lost yesterday to that Macpherson scum, but I will take the prize.”

  She gasped in astonishment. “Like hell you will.” She tried to jerk free of his grasp, but he only tightened his hold. When she went to kick him, he dodged her.

  He was crazy. Her mind was running wild with what he might be planning. His ultimate goal would be to get revenge against Alexander and she would be the bait, of that she was sure.

  Colyn led her through the back stairs and corridors to the rear of the castle, pulling her along the entire way. She tried to fight, get out of his grasp, but he was strong.

  He stopped for a moment, leaned in, and whispered, “If ye make one sound to alert anyone, ye will regret it. If anyone sees us and asks us anything, ye will make it look like we are going out on a friendly walk.” He squeezed her arm again and she knew there would be bruises left.

  She nodded, afraid that her voice would show her fear.

  He peered around, then stepped outside. The moment he let go of her arm, she turned to run away, but he quickly grabbed her, and dragged her back inside. Shutting it, he pivoted on her, anger clearly visible in the dim light.

  “Ye arena very smart, are ye, lass?”

  Fear gripped her and she shrugged her shoulders. “You can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  He laughed, then brought back his arm and punched her in the stomach. She doubled over, slowly dropping to her knees. Her eyes watered instantly and she gasped for breath. The need to vomit was overwhelming. One of her arms circled her waist as if that one movement would make it all go away. She’d never been hit before and it was more than she could imagine. She wondered to herself why he would do such a thing when his hand tangled in her hair and yanked her to her feet.

  He didn’t let go right way, but only tightened his grip and brought her face to his. She stumbled with the movement. Tears littered her lashes.

  “That was for trying to run away. It also willna leave a mark.” His other hand reached up and lightly brushed her cheek. “Canna have this pretty face marked, now can we? If we passed anyone in the yard, they would ask questions.”

  He let go of her hair.

  “Doona try anything like that again.”

  “I’m sorry, I won’t.” A tear slid down her cheek.

  “Now, straighten your dress and take a deep breath. We’re going to try this again.”

  She did as she was told and walked beside him as he led her across the yard to the horses. She kept her face down, watching the ground as she walked. Her mind kept replaying over and over the last few minutes.

  To anyone looking, it seemed like two people going on a ride. Everyone
knew Alexander won the contest and Colyn had been putting on a good show of looking happy, so no one would question what they saw. Everyone would assume she was with him voluntarily. Alexander was at this minute, probably sitting in the dining hall waiting on her, wondering what the Chief and she were talking about, oblivious to the fact that she was leaving. How long before he figured out that she was gone? Would he think she had gone on her own accord; that she had lied to him? Or would he think Colyn had something to do with it? She sent up a silent prayer that Alexander would believe in her and come rescue her.

  Colyn helped her mount and they took off at a trot. She glanced back at Castle Cluny, but quickly turned around when she saw Colyn’s horse come closer to hers. She dared to look at him, then turned to stare straight ahead. The hate in his eyes was frightening.

  Once they were into the trees and out of sight, Colyn’s men showed up. One rode beside her, while the others followed in behind. Iain, it was the only thing she understood since they spoke in Gaelic, talked to Colyn. She imagined he was asking about their plans. His expression was blank as his eyes roamed over her.

  She stared straight ahead, though her eyes roamed the countryside franticly. Searching for what? Secretly, she was hoping Alexander was out there looking for her. Maybe there was some stranger roaming the hillside and would see her and this group and could give info if ever asked about them. She was trying desperately to remember her surroundings. If there was even a remote chance she could escape, she needed to be able to get back, not get lost.

  Trees went past her, birds flew overhead, and life in the woods was unchanged. There wasn’t anything she could pick out to distinguish a path.

  They began riding at a hard pace, wanting to put as much distance between them and the castle as possible.

  She wondered briefly how much time had passed when they came to a stop near a stream. Her bottom felt like it had been riding forever. Her body ached. She wasn’t used to this pace and being tense in the saddle wasn’t helping.

  Everyone around her dismounted, but she stayed in the saddle, waiting for instructions.

  Iain strode over, motioning for her to get down. She did so, all the while looking around at the men in the group. Her legs felt like jelly.

  She recognized everyone from the time they’d stopped at Alexander’s house. It wasn’t hard to remember, considering the only visitors they had were this group and Hamish’s family. There was someone new, though; an older gentleman. He was in the center of the group, handling the food. What was he doing with this group of men? He seemed out of place. His face looked kind, his shoulders slumped. She wondered if he was here willingly.

  She walked over to Colyn. “Excuse me, but I need to, um, relieve myself.” She blushed at having to be so blunt.

  “Aye.” Colyn grabbed her arm and led her into the woods.

  “Doona try to run. I will give ye some privacy, but I’m close enough to know if ye flee.” He roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

  “If ye try, the rest of your breaks will be with me watching. Do ye understand what I’m saying?”

  She nodded. Then he turned and went a few feet away. She quickly did what she had to do behind a bush, then rejoined him. They walked back into the clearing and he told her to get a bite to eat. She was grabbing an oatcake from the older gentleman when a man came riding hard into their site. He dismounted quickly, the horse was still in a skid from the abrupt stop. After talking to Colyn for a moment, they both turned to stare at her. Her heart sank as quickly as the oatcake fell to the ground.

  Colyn walked over to where she stood, a smirk on his face, one of his hands fisted at his side. He never took his eyes off her as he hollered out for Iain, Simon, Alasdair, and Edward. Her stomach rolled and she shifted her feet as she watched his gang of thugs join him.

  The older gentleman left the area to distribute food to the others without having to be told to leave. She watched him as he walked away, wanting to holler out for him to stay. He was the only one that was kind to her or spoke with any hint of civility.

  She turned back toward her captor. This man no longer held a name. Giving him a name gave him closeness to her that he did not deserve. They were no longer friends, weren’t even acquaintances in her eyes. He was a monster and that was how she would see him. Her eyes were wide open now. She wished they’d been that far open when Alexander tried to warn her about him.

  “A summons has been called. They know ye aren’t at the castle. Alexander is tracking us as we speak. I have a plan.”

  “I guess it does no good to tell you that I want no part in this plan of yours?” Marlana stared Colyn down.

  “Nay, ye’ll partake in it and ye will do exactly as I say.”

  “Go to hell.” She spat in his face, which was a really stupid thing to do, but her nerves were strung as tight as a bow.

  He backhanded her, sending her scrawling to the ground. The metallic taste of blood touched her tongue as she ran it along the corner of her mouth. Tears threatened to fall, but she held them at bay. No longer would she cry in front of him. She raised her hand to her cheek.

  Colyn knelt before her. “Doona ever speak to me that way again. I have no problem hurting ye.”

  Has he always held this much hate and anger? Where does it come from?

  “Ye are going to help me get rid of Alexander.”

  Her mind screamed no, but she kept her mouth closed. He held all of the cards. What did he mean; help him get rid of Alexander? She had to get a clear mind and think of a way to save Alexander. She didn’t say anything, just stared him down.

  “Edward, get her mounted on her horse, we leave now.”

  She tried to scoot away from him, but only managed to get dirty. He reached for her and grabbed her by the arm, jerking her to her feet so hard that she went sprawling into him. He was solid as a rock and didn’t budge. She tried to peer back over her shoulder to see what was going on as she was marched unceremoniously to her horse.

  Colyn stood with his men, huddled together, talking. “Iain, Marlana, and I are going to deal with Alexander. I want ye, Simon, to take the rest of the group and head west. We need to get to our lands quickly. We’ll be safe there. We will follow ye after this deed is done.”

  “Are ye sure ye doona need us?”

  “Nay, he will follow us since we are only three. People saw her leave with me willingly. He willna bring a lot of men with him.”

  “Aye, as ye say then.”

  Colyn turned to the rest of the men. “Get ready to mount. I want ye to follow Simon until I meet up with ye.”

  The camp began to bustle with activity. Food was packed away, horses gathered up, and men mounted to head out. She watched them leave and then came back to reality as the reins of her horse were jerked. She stared down at him, the one she grew to hate more and more. The one she feared.

  They rode for a while, coming to the edge of the woods. Iain dismounted and helped her down. Nerves racked her body; her legs a little unsteady. She glanced around and began to rub her arms, trying to dispel the cold feeling that was creeping over her.

  “Iain, check the area, report back.”

  As much as she didn’t like Colyn’s lap dog, she didn’t want Iain to leave either. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone with him. She unconsciously stepped away from him.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I hate him, why else?”

  “I don’t believe that. People hate each other all the time, they don’t go around kidnapping people.”

  He marched up to her, peered into her eyes. “Ye are not a stupid woman, I’ll give ye that.” He walked slow circles around her. “Ye are a beautiful woman, too.” His hand reached out and grabbed some of her hair. He was standing behind her, so she couldn’t see him, but could hear him smell her hair.
She closed her eyes and waited.

  “The Macpherson’s have been a thorn in the side of the Comyn Clan for hundreds of years. Did ye know that the land they sit on used to be ours?”

  “No.”

  “Aye, taken from us by Robert the Bruce and given to them for their loyalty in fighting against us. We have battled ever since.”

  “But what does this have to do with me? What did I ever do to you?” She stood still as he paced around her again. Then he stopped in front of her, his expression unreadable. His face was so close to hers that when he spoke, his breath blew little bits of her hair away from her face.

  “Simple. Ye chose him. It’s because ye want him. I’m tired of playing second fiddle to a Macpherson, especially him,” he yelled, making her lean away.

  He schooled his features, gained his composure as he spoke again. “So, we’re going to change things. Ye are going to tell him ye have chosen me, instead, and ye better be convincing.” He squeezed her arm. “I would hate to have anything happen to him if ye didna.”

  “How do I know you won’t hurt him anyway?”

  “Play your part well and he walks.” He peered over her shoulder when he heard someone walking their way. He nodded once, then pushed her in front of a tree.

  “Ye stand there and tell yer story. I’ll be right beside ye to make sure ye do as ye are told.”

  “Okay, I get it,” she yelled, anger bubbling over in her. How was she supposed to do this? She couldn’t, she didn’t want to tell him that she had chosen another, but she didn’t want him hurt either and she would do anything to protect him. Memories of their night together flashed through her mind like a movie.

  She watched Colyn walk over to whisper to Iain. Her gaze scoured the countryside. Purple heather spread out as far as the eye could see. She sat down cross legged and ran her hand over the fragrant bushes, then softly picked a few. Her heart ached and time seemed to drag by while she waited for Alexander to arrive.