A Wee Highland Predicament

by Ceci Giltenan

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Perhaps to draw me out.”

  “What are ye going to do?”

  Fingal sighed resolutely. “Leave for Brathanead at first light. Once there I’ll send messengers to Lairds Chisholm, Carr, Matheson and yer da. I’ll meet with Laird Grant—with the might of my allies behind me. If he can prove that he has her, she’s unharmed and the story he tells of Lucas rescuing her is true, I’ll pay the ransom and leave him in peace.”

  “And if he can’t?” asked Tomas tentatively.

  “I’ll crush him.”

  Chapter 11

  To Lucas’s great joy, over the next three days, with the additional freedom she’d been given, Ailsa continued to regain more of her happy spirit. The most amazing thing was that as her sunny nature reemerged, it seemed to rub off on everyone she encountered. The fact that she was a hated MacLennan seemed to fade into the background with everyone, just as it had with Silas.

  In fact, aside from himself, the person who was most enamored with her was Silas. Ailsa adored horses and enjoyed going to the stables to see them. But it was her pure affection for Callie on her first visit that won Silas’s heart. Anyone who loved Callie was all right by Silas. But anyone Callie loved, Silas loved too. And Callie loved Ailsa as much as the lass loved her. When they were outside, Callie would follow her around. But Ailsa also loved sitting on the floor of the stable with Callie’s head in her lap, petting her and chatting away happily with Lucas, Silas, and anyone else who happened to be there.

  Even when the weather turned foul again on the fifth day, Ailsa wanted to go to the stables to see Callie. This didn’t bother Lucas in the slightest. She was happiest there and more than anything else he wanted to see her happy.

  He leaned against the stable wall, watching her. Seeing her like this, sitting in hay, cuddling Callie, he was entirely taken by her beauty. He tried to put his finger on what he found so attractive. Aye, she was well formed—slender but possessing womanly curves—but she wasn’t what most people would typically call a great beauty. In the low light, her chestnut hair was a darker auburn color and, as usual, some curls had escaped her braid. The cold, damp air had turned her nose and cheeks pink and the smattering of freckles suggested that she spent more time out of doors than in a solar working tapestries. Perhaps not a classic beauty, but he found her irresistible.

  An image of Moira MacNaughton, porcelain skin, golden hair, and bright blue eyes came to mind. Suddenly the difference was clear. Moira’s beauty was only on the surface. And when it faded with age, as it most certainly would someday, she’d have nothing left.

  Ailsa’s beauty shone from within. Her ability to take joy from small things and give love freely was what he found so desirable. It’s why his clansmen and women could look past the fact that she was a MacLennan. For this reason, she would be beautiful no matter how the ravages of time changed her features.

  Seeing her now, love flowing from her as she gently stroked Callie who lay across her lap, he could imagine her with a child in her arms. His child.

  His child? That could never be.

  Or could it?

  From a practical standpoint, she would be a good match. Not only would she have the sizable dowry William sought, marriage to her could end the hostilities between their clans. What more could William want?

  But William had warned him against her. It wasn’t likely that he’d agree. Lucas just needed to get those thoughts out of his head. He turned his attention back to Ailsa. She was scratching Callie’s ears, her expression as pensive as he expected his own had been.

  “Ailsa, what troubles ye?” Lucas asked.

  She didn’t answer immediately, but leaned down and kissed the top of the dog’s head.

  “Ailsa?” he prodded.

  “I guess…well, Callie really is a wonderful dog and the last few days have been infinitely better having her to love. But I miss my Duff so very much. We were only to have been gone a little more than two weeks. Now it’s been over three weeks since I left Brathanead, I’ve been here twelve days and I have no idea when I’m going home. Has yer brother heard nothing from Fingal?”

  “Not yet.” At least not that William had mentioned. “But the message was sent to Laird MacLennan in Edinburgh so it would take a few days to get there. And then he would probably have to travel home to arrange things. That would take some time too.”

  That was all true, but they really should have heard something by now. For that matter, it was likely that a large contingent of MacLennan warriors would arrive today or tomorrow with the ransom money. And then Ailsa would be gone from him for good.

  The thought that he might never see her again gutted him.

  Lucas didn’t care what William thought of her. He wanted her in his life. He had to at least try to convince his brother to offer a betrothal contract, before the MacLennans showed up at their gates.

  That evening, after supper, Lucas escorted Ailsa to her chamber. In spite of his brother’s aversion to him spending time with her there, not willing for their time together to end, Lucas had played chess or backgammon with her for a while each evening. However, tonight he needed to talk to William.

  When they reached the door of Ailsa’s chamber she asked, “Will ye join me for a game of chess?”

  He took both her hands in his. “Not tonight, sweetling. I have some things to discuss with my brother.”

  She smiled and squeezed his hands. “That’s all right. It has been a lovely day. I’m tired anyway.”

  He laughed. “It’s been a gray, wet, cold day.”

  “Has it?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “Ye know it has.”

  “Aye, but that didn’t really matter. I spent it with ye and that made it lovely indeed.”

  Nothing in heaven or on earth could have stopped Lucas from kissing Ailsa at that moment. Still holding her hands, he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. But that small taste only increased his desire. Letting go of her hands, he cradled her head in his palms and deepened the kiss.

  To his utter delight, she opened her mouth to him, returning his kiss, as lost in the moment as he was.

  “Ahem.”

  Lucas became vaguely aware that they weren’t alone.

  Her guard, Kyle, cleared his throat again. “Sir Lucas, the laird will not like this one bit.”

  Lucas broke the kiss, sighing heavily.

  Color rose in Ailsa’s cheeks and she became flustered. “I…ah…well, goodnight, Lucas.” She stepped away from him, opened the door and disappeared into her chamber.

  Lucas scowled at Kyle. “It was just a kiss.”

  Kyle shrugged. “Ye know yer brother’s orders.”

  Aye, he did and he needed to go talk to William about them right now. He turned and stalked away.

  ~ * ~

  Ailsa shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

  Lucas had kissed her. And while she had daydreamed for years about being kissed by a man she adored, she could never have imagined what it was really like. Even now, she couldn’t possibly describe how it had felt. He had overwhelmed her senses. And she wanted him to kiss her again.

  She glanced around her small chamber and was reminded of the fact that she was not a guest here, but a captive and while not uncomfortable, this was her cell and the man who had kissed her, was the one responsible for putting her here.

  She had spent her first brokenhearted hours in this room loathing him and what he had done, as well as berating herself for falling for him in the first place. But as the days passed, he did more and more to make her comfortable and happy, in spite of her anger with him. And she believed once more that she loved him.

  Some time ago, after she had told Gillian she was in love again—for the countless time—Gillian had asked her what she thought love was.

  Ailsa had sighed and said. “It is an intense passion that blocks out everything else. When two people are in love, they are completely devoted to each other.
They are consumed by love and want to spend every moment of every day together professing their great love for each other.”

  Gillian smiled somewhat indulgently. “And what is this new love of yers built on?”

  At the time Ailsa hadn’t understood the question. “What do ye mean, what’s it built on?”

  “What is the source of this intense passion?

  “Have ye seen him, Gillian? He’s strong and brave and so very handsome. I think he’s the most attractive man I’ve ever seen.”

  Gillian nodded. “I, see. Then I think it’s fair to say yer great love is built on attraction.”

  “Well of course it is.”

  “Ailsa, pet, ye’ve described infatuation. While true love has some of the characteristics of infatuation, there is so much more to it and it must be built on a firmer foundation than mutual attraction.”

  Ailsa had scoffed, “What could be more important than being appealing to each other?”

  “Friendship, respect, selflessness, devotion. Oh, sweetling, the very least important thing is physical appearance. In fact, once ye’ve found all of those other things, appearance means nothing at all. That may draw two people together, but it isn’t enough on its own. Love exists as much in the ordinary as the extraordinary. Sometimes ye feel the strongest love in the littlest of gestures. But the truth is, until ye actually feel it, ye’ll never fully comprehend it.”

  Now Ailsa believed she was finally beginning to understand what Gillian had meant. She was initially attracted to Lucas because he was handsome and had saved her. But after she arrived here—and she'd forgiven him for misleading her—other things grew between them. Friendship…respect…selflessness…devotion. As she thought about what she felt for him, it occurred to her that love was apparent in everything Lucas did for her and had been from the start. What’s more, she could imagine spending her life with him, showing him the same kind of love. She no longer imagined passionate embraces and grand gestures. Although his kiss had been wonderful. Now she dreamed of more. She envisioned a life together, a family, growing old together.

  For a brief moment, Ailsa gave into despair. In spite of their love, how could they possibly have a life together? He was a Grant and she was a MacLennan. But Ailsa had never backed down from a challenge and she believed if what they shared was indeed true love, they would find a way.

  That night, for the first time, she did not fall asleep worrying about when her ransom would be paid, or thinking about how much she missed home. She fell asleep imagining that she lay within the circle of Lucas’s arms once again—loved.

  Chapter 12

  By the time Lucas reached the great hall, William had left.

  “My goodness, ye’ve returned. We haven’t seen ye in the evenings for days,” said Emily.

  Robert frowned. “That’s right, we haven’t. What’s been occupying yer time?”

  Emily turned a disbelieving glare on her husband. “Did ye really just ask that? Are ye daft or blind?”

  “What are ye talking about?” he demanded.

  Nina tsked. “Emily, dear, he is neither. Just a tad unobservant.”

  “Well, is somebody going to fill me in?” roared Robert.

  “I think Emily and Nina are referring to the fact that I have spent some time in the evenings with Ailsa MacLennan. She’s lonely and as I’m the one who brought her here, it’s my fault.”

  “Some time in the evening?” asked Emily. “Ye’ve spent all day, every day, with her.”

  Lucas scowled at her. “What if someone kidnapped ye, Emily? Would ye want to stay locked up alone?”

  “Of course not,” she replied. “And I think it is lovely of ye to keep her spirits up, particularly because ye were the one who kidnapped her.”

  “The Galbraiths kidnapped her. I saved her from them,” Lucas replied irritably.

  “Keep telling yerself that if it eases yer conscious,” said Emily. “The truth is, rescuing her would imply ye delivered her safely home. But ye didn’t. They stole her from Edinburgh castle to gain a ransom and ye stole her from them for the same reason.”

  “God’s teeth, Emily, she’s a MacLennan,” said Robert. “Of course he kept her for ransom. But he saved her from God knows what at the hands of the Galbraiths. Ye make it sound as if he did something wrong.”

  Emily shrugged. “I’ve made no judgement one way or the other. I just believe in calling a fig, a fig. Calling it an apple doesn’t make it one. He only removed her from one dire situation to put her in a slightly less dire situation.”

  Lucas had told himself as much, but he wouldn’t admit that here. He cast an imploring look at Nina. Emily was one of the most opinionated women he’d ever encountered. Robert lost patience with her regularly. But sometimes Nina could be the voice of reason.

  This evening she shook her head. “Emily is right, ye didn’t exactly rescue her. But Robert is right too. She’s a MacLennan, not to mention the fact that she got herself into this whole mess. Of course ye held her for ransom. No Grant in his right mind would have done anything else. And trying to help make this whole situation easier on her shows what a truly kind man ye are. Ye’ll make a fine husband someday. And regarding that, William has been looking at other betrothal options. Laird Carr has several daughters and that would be an excellent alliance.”

  “Laird Carr is a close ally of the MacLennans, he’d never agree to that. Besides, they aren’t a wealthy clan and, as ye said, he has several daughters. William wouldn’t get the dowry he wants.”

  “Well, Laird MacLeod has daughters too—I believe the oldest is called Lissa. She’s still a bit young, but that would be a helpful alliance too and the MacLeods are extremely wealthy.”

  This is the very last thing Lucas wanted to discuss now. “Perhaps. Speaking of William, I wanted to talk to him. Is he in his solar?”

  “Aye, I believe that’s where he went.”

  “Thank ye.” Lucas turned and left the hall without another word.

  The door to William’s solar was ajar. He knocked lightly as he pushed it open. “William, can I talk to ye?”

  William looked up from his ledgers and frowned. “I’m busy.”

  “Please, William, it’s important.”

  He harrumphed. “I said I’m busy. It can’t possibly be important enough to interrupt what I’m doing right now.”

  “But, William—”

  “Nay,” he practically shouted. “We can talk in the morning.”

  “I’ll be guarding Ailsa in the morning.”

  “Well, leave her in her chamber for a while then. Ye spend every waking minute with her anyway. I should have known better than to allow it.

  “If ye’ll just listen to me—”

  “I said nay. I am yer laird.” He emphasized each word. “Why do ye take every opportunity to defy me?”

  “I just want to talk with ye.”

  William waved his hand as if brushing him out the door “I’ve heard enough of this. Leave my solar now.”

  “But—”

  “I said leave. Now.”

  Lucas shook his head in frustration. He didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. The MacLennans might arrive at any moment prepared to pay the ransom and take Ailsa away from him. But there was no point in arguing. He’d have to try to catch William first thing in the morning, before he immersed himself in something else.

  He thought his brother had changed over the years, but this was the William he’d always known. The one who, when frustrated with an argument, resorted to “Because I’m the laird, that’s why.”

  He went to his chamber and stood staring out his window, all of the events of the day swirling in his head. A betrothal with Ailsa would serve both clans well. But he was certain if they waited for Laird MacLennan to pay the ransom before suggesting it, he wouldn’t hear of it.

  Then there was the possibility that Ailsa wouldn’t want to marry him anyway. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way he did.

  Nay she responded so passionately to his k
iss. Ailsa was too forthright a woman to fake affection. However, she might be fond of him, and still not want him for a husband. Then Emily’s blunt words came back to him. “The truth is, rescuing her would imply ye delivered her safely home. But ye didn’t.”

  Emily had also said he’d only removed her from one dire situation to put her in a slightly less dire one.

  Why would Ailsa want to marry him? And why would his brother, who could only see her as a hated MacLennan agree to ask for a betrothal? But even if he did, why would Laird MacLennan agree? Lucas was the man who’d kidnapped her. And no matter how vociferously he tried to convince himself that he’d done what he had to in order to keep her safe, he knew it wasn’t true. He could have taken her home. He brought her to Castle Grant to try to appease his brother and that hadn’t worked either.

  Lucas had fouled things up royally.

  The annoying little voice within him said, ye could take her home.

  Aye, he could. Tomorrow, he could just take her to the stable, saddle Captain, conceal her in some way, and ride through the gates. If they left in the morning, they could be over halfway to Brathanead by the midday meal when they would likely be missed.

  But tomorrow might be too late. Laird MacLennan must surely arrive any day now with the ransom.

  His gaze rested on a portion of the curtain wall that was crumbling and needed repair. Guilt rose like bile within him. The clan needed the ransom money. Still, Lucas firmly believed marrying her was ultimately in the best interest of the clan too. They would gain both her dowry money and an alliance with a well-connected clan that currently was a dangerous enemy. But if William actually traded her for the ransom money, they would further alienate the MacLennans and a betrothal would be impossible

  If he took her home, as he should have from the start, there was at least a chance that Laird MacLennan would consider a betrothal if it was what Ailsa wanted. Of course it was equally possible that when he delivered her to Brathanead, her clansmen would seize him, throw him in their dungeon, and seek a ransom from William.