The second time they made love, not long after the first, had been a frenzied, sweaty, pulsating experience that made the roof of her mouth tickle. Her friends had been right; there was more than one way to cook a chicken!
The third time came about just before dawn and some of the things Findley did to her she was certain the church would frown upon even between married people! They were more than just sinful, they were downright wicked, but in a thoroughly blissful sort of way! It required removing the shackle from Findley’s wrist and attaching it to Maggy’s other wrist. Once he had her secured to the bed, he was able to fulfil a fantasy that had been playing in his mind for days. Maggy was sure the carnal pleasure they’d experience was against the king’s laws, mayhap the laws of nature as well. But she didn’t care. It had been far too delicious an experience to worry over.
For the first time in her life she felt what it was like to be loved by a man who truly cared about her. Not the power, lands or money she could provide, but her, as a woman.
He took great care with her wants, needs, and desires. All the night long Findley had put Maggy’s pleasures first, had been quite adamant about it actually, which made the experience all the more special.
For the first time in his life, Findley knew what it meant to give himself wholly and completely to a woman. Their love-making had gone far beyond just having his physical needs met; she had touched his heart in a way no woman had ever done before.
As Maggy slept peacefully beside him, her head resting on his chest, Findley made plans. No matter how dire she thought her situation might be, he would somehow find a way for them to be together. If he had to go to the king and beg for special license, he would. They were destined to be together and he’d not let anyone or anything stand in their way.
There was no way he could let her go. Not now, not ever. As he drifted off to sleep, he felt at peace for the first time since he was a child. Completely and utterly at peace. Little did he know that sense of peace would be short-lived.
~~~
They woke to the sound of a knock at the door. Maggy pulled the sheet up to cover her naked body while Findley slipped on his trews before going to the door. Wee William burst through without waiting for an invitation. He looked worried.
“What is it, William?” Findley asked
“Robert and Andrew,” he said before realizing Maggy and Findley were no longer shackled. He glanced at Maggy before turning to Findley.
“What of them?” Findley ignored the surprised look Wee William held and was positive he was not going to like the answer.
“They’re gone!” Wee William’s expression changed from surprise to anger.
“What do ye mean they’re gone?” Maggy said as she sat up in the bed. Worry flooded her heart as guilt set in. If she hadn’t been with Findley last night then…then what? The boys would still be missing.
“When I went to wake them to break their fast, they were gone. I’ve looked everywhere but I canna find them,” he told her.
“And Liam and Collin?” Maggy asked as Findley brought her clothes to her.
“They’re well,” Wee William told her. “Patrick is with them. They say they know no’ where Robert and Andrew went.”
Maggy knew her boys. One didn’t make a move without the other four knowing about it. Aye, Liam and Collin probably knew exactly where their brothers were.
She cast a perturbed look at Wee William, twirled her finger in the air by way of ordering him to turn around. Wee William blushed, blinked and turned to face the door. He couldn’t resist smiling. He was glad that Findley and Maggy had finally come to their good senses.
“Where is Richard?” Findley asked as he pulled his tunic over his head.
“He still searches for the lads, hoping they went to find a privy and may have gotten lost,” Wee William told him. “The fog be as thick as soup right now. It’s quite possible they’ve lost their way in it.”
Maggy was standing by the bed now, pulling on her dress. “Wait until I get me hands on them!” Maggy said as she thrust her arms into the sleeves.
“I’m sure they’re well, lass,” Findley offered as he strapped on his belt and sword. “I’m sure they’ve not gone far.” He cast a look at Wee William. Findley was worried, but was trying to keep Maggy calm.
“I pray for their sakes that yer right, Findley,” she huffed as she tied the laces on the front of her dress. She slipped on her boots and headed toward the door. “I’ll question Liam and Collin,” she said, as she walked by them and they quickly followed her.
As they walked down the hallway Wee William whispered down at Findley. “Am I to gather by yer lack of shackles that the lass has released ye?” he couldn’t stop the smile from forming.
“Nay,” Findley said as he bounded down the stairs. “Shackles or no, I still be shackled to her, and she to me.”
Wee William smiled broadly. “Then she’s agreed to marry ye?”
Maggy was but a few steps ahead of them as they walked to the end of the hallway.
“No’ exactly,” Findley told him. “There’s much to tell ye, Wee William, but it will have to wait. We need to find the boys.”
Wee William let the subject drop as they followed Maggy into the room. From the two terrified sets of eyes that stared up at the fiery lass, Wee William was glad for a moment that Maggy wasn’t his mum. If there were a secret to be kept, he doubted he would have been able to hold on to it for more than a minute before her penetrating and angry eyes broke his spirit.
“Collin! Liam!” she said as she thrust her hands on her hips. “Tell me now and dunna think of lyin’ to me for I swear there’ll be no skin left on yer hides if ye do!”
The boys shot to their feet, eyes as large as saucers as their mum loomed over them. Normally she was a very patient mother, kind, and as generous as she could be. Both boys could tell that now was not the time to test her patience.
“Where are Robert and Andrew?” she asked, using a tone of voice that only a mother was capable of using.
Their eyes were wide and filled with fear. Whenever their mum used that tone of voice, they knew they were in jeopardy of being skinned alive. The boys answered in unison. “They’ve gone to get Ian back!”
Wee William stared at them, dumbfounded. He had asked the boys repeatedly if they knew where their brothers had gone. And the answer had been the same each time, ‘We dunnae.’
Their mum walks in and has her answer after asking the question but once. She was a fierce thing!
Maggy didn’t blink. She didn’t come apart or fall into a weeping heap or melt into histrionics. She pursed her lips and spoke to her sons. “Get yerselves dressed now,” she ordered before turning to Wee William and Findley. “As soon as they’re dressed, we’ll take them to Aishlinn and Duncan. I’ll let no more of me sons get lost to the Buchannans this day,” she pushed passed the two men and raced back to her room. Findley ordered Wee William to stay with the boys and try to find out what else they knew before he raced after Maggy.
She was throwing garments into her bag and mumbling under her breath.
“Maggy,” he began softly. “I’m sure they can’t have gotten far.”
Maggy spun on her heals to face him, her hands balled into fists. “Findley, I swear to you, if I’ve lost more of me sons to Malcolm Buchannan, I shall kill the bastard with me bare hands!”
Findley went to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Wheest, lass,” he whispered. “We’ll find the boys.”
“What if the Buchannans have them?” she fought back tears of anguish as well as anger. She knew she could not survive losing more sons.
“We’ll get them back, Maggy, I swear it,” his lips mumbled into her hair and planted a kiss on the top of her head. His love for her seemed to be growing with each beat of his heart. There was nothing that he would not do for her, nothing he wouldn’t give in order to bring back her beautiful smile and the sparkle of her eyes.
“Maggy,” he said as he pulled her aw
ay. Lifting her chin so that he could look into those beautiful eyes, he felt his heart seize when he saw the pain in them. “Please, will ye now agree to go back with Duncan and Aishlinn?”
How many days had she been hell-bent on helping to get her son back? How many years had she spent being independent, taking care of her small clan? How many nights had she lay awake and prayed for someone just like Findley to walk in to her life, sweep her off her feet and tell her all would be well? A man who would love her, adore her but still allow her be herself.
Aye, she loved being independent but with it came more responsibility than one person could bear. She’d shouldered it all alone, with no one to talk to, no one to share her dreams or with which to build a life.
She felt as though she had failed and failed miserably. She had let them all down; her people that were killed protecting her, and now her sons.
“I’ve let them all down, Findley,” she wept in his arms. “My people are all dead because of me. My son has been kidnapped by a madman, and now possibly two more have fallen into his hands. I was so determined to take care of them all, to be independent, and to do it all alone, but I failed them. I failed them all!”
“Lass, you did what ye had to do,” he kissed the top of her head again and drew her closer. “I dunnae another who could have done what ye’ve done and not gone mad from it.”
“Had I just agreed to marry Malcolm,” she began before he stopped her by pulling her away.
“Nay! Do no’ ever say it! Had ye married Malcolm then ye could never have loved me or I you!”
Her green eyes glistened as the tears fell from them, down her cheeks and chin. She loved him, wholly and passionately. She shuddered at the thought of being bound to Malcolm Buchannan. The image of the nasty, repugnant man made her stomach roil and lurch. Nay, she could never have been with a man like that.
“But my decision cost my people their lives, Findley! They’re all dead because of me!”
He shook his head. “Nay lass, they’re dead at the hands of a mad man. Do ye no’ think that once he got whatever it is he wanted from ye that he’d have no thought to killin’ ye or yer sons? Think on it, Maggy! Ye may not have saved them all, but ye did save yer sons.”
Maggy choked on tears and tried to speak but the words were stuck in her throat. There was more he did not know, much more, but she could not get the words out.
“Maggy, ye ken I’m right,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Maggy, please, if ye love me at all, ye’ll go back to Gregor with Duncan and Aishlinn,” he kissed her cheeks and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “Maggy, I’ll no’ be able to go into battle if I must worry over yer safety. I canna fight like I must if I worry ye’ll be injured, or worse. Please, Maggy, I beg of ye. Go to Gregor.”
Until she had made love with him last night, the only thing she had left in the world to fight for, were her sons. Could she hold on to a glimmer of hope that she now had more to fight for? Another reason to live besides her boys?
In the deepest recess of her heart she knew that she and Findley would never be allowed to be together. There were too many forces, all more powerful than the two of them, that would keep them apart.
The thought of Findley wounded or killed as he tried to free her son from Malcolm Buchannan twisted her stomach into knots. After all these years there was finally someone who worried over her. As she looked into his dark brown eyes that pleaded with her to listen to reason, she knew he was right. If she insisted on going to Aberdeen with him, he would not be able to concentrate as he would need to. He’d be far too worried about her to do what he must.
“Aye, I’ll go back with them,” she nodded her head as more tears trickled down her cheeks. At least she could keep her other two sons out of the reach of the Buchannans and she could delay any marriage that Laird Brockton might try to force on her.
A big swoosh of air escaped Findley’s lungs as his shoulders relaxed with relief and embraced her so tightly she could barely breath. “Och! Thank ye, lass!” he said as he began kissing the top of her head. “I’ll get our Ian back, I promise ye! And when I return to Gregor we’ll be married.”
Our Ian. He hadn’t simply claimed her, he was claiming her sons. Maggy took in a deep breath as she pushed away from him. She knew that a battle against Malcolm Buchannan, the most reviled and hated man in all of Scotland, would be far easier than trying to gain permission for her and Findley to marry.
“Aye, I’ll marry ye, Findley,” she said as she forced a smile. She couldn’t have him go into battle thinking anything else. If he knew that she at least wanted to marry him, he could carry that with him. She would let him take hope with him. She loved him too much to deny him that.
~~~
They didn’t bother sitting to break their fast. Patrick had gotten them bannocks, dried beef and fresh apples to eat along the way.
Wee William led them out of the inn. He held Collin’s hand while Patrick and Findley walked on either side of Maggy and Liam. She held on tightly to her son’s hand as he munched on a hunk of bread.
The sun had not yet begun to rise as they stepped out onto the street and into the dense, heavy fog. The men were glad for the cover of darkness and the protection the fog afforded them. If they could not see more than a few feet in front of them, then no one would be able to see them.
Duncan and Aishlinn were staying at an inn just three blocks from their own. Findley felt confident as they made their way down the dark streets heading north, that in a matter of a few minutes, Maggy and the boys would finally be heading toward freedom and safety.
“Findley,” Wee Williams deep voice came from a few steps ahead. “If ye take Collin, then I’ll go ready our horses.”
Findley thought it made good sense. “Aye,” he said. “The sooner we’re away from this place, the better I’ll feel.”
They stopped for a brief moment so that Wee William could put Collin’s small hand into Findley’s. He bent down to one knee to speak to the boy. “We’re goin’ to go get all yer brothers and bring them back to ye. Now, can ye take good care of yer mum, lad?”
Collin nodded his head. “Aye, I will if ye promise me ye’ll bring Malcolm Buchannan’s head in a basket to me.”
The men chuckled and Wee William rubbed the top of the boy’s head. “I’m glad yer on my side in this!”
Next, he said goodbye to Liam and Maggy, giving the small boy a hug and the same instructions to guard and protect his mum. He stood and put a hand on Maggy’s shoulder. “If Findley dusna marry ye, then I will, lassie!” he said with a smile and a wink.
Maggy laughed, gave him a hug and prayed for his safe return. Moments later, Wee William disappeared into the fog.
Liam was pleading with Maggy to allow him to walk with Findley and Collin. Because she could not shake the sense that they were being watched, she believed the boys would be better protected with Findley. She gave a nod of her head and gave him over to Findley.
They walked another two blocks with relative ease considering the thick blanket of fog that surrounded them. As they stopped to cross at the corner, Findley stepped out onto the street with the boys. Maggy was about to follow when she heard the sound of a wagon coming toward them. Patrick pulled her back to stand beside him and they paused to allow it to pass.
When she realized there was more than one wagon, she called to Findley who was by now safely on the other side of the street.
“Findley, we’re here! There be wagons comin’!”
Findley called back to stay close to Patrick and he waited with his nerves on edge for the wagons to pass. They moved far too slowly for his liking.
Four wagons passed by, all moving slowly because of the dense fog. Findley could barely see the wagons let alone Maggy or Patrick. He cursed the wagons and the fog as he kept his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of trouble.
When the last wagon passed and it appeared no more were coming, he let out a sigh of relief. He waited for Patrick to bring Maggy across.
“Patrick!” he called out into the foggy early morning.
When no answer came, fear and dread seized his heart. He ran across the street pulling the boys with him as he shouted for Patrick. He received no answer.
When he reached the other side, he found Patrick lying on the ground moaning. As he knelt beside him, Findley saw blood trickling down the side of Patrick’s head. Findley noticed his sword was still in its scabbard indicating he had been caught unaware.
“Patrick! Patrick, wake up!” he said as he shook Patrick’s shoulders. Patrick moaned and mumbled incoherently.
He called Maggy’s name once, then waited, hoping to hear her voice call back to him. He could hear nothing but the sound of his own heart beat as it rushed in his ears.
Liam and Collin stood just a step away, holding each other’s hand. Tears were welling in their eyes. “Where’s our mum?” Liam asked, visibly shaken.
From the ground, Patrick moved and tried to sit, but was unable. The pain in his head was intense. He grabbed Findley’s sleeve and pulled him closer.
His words were slurred, his voice hoarse. “They got her, Findley. I’m sorry!”
~~~
Maggy had been standing on the corner waiting for the wagons to pass as she clung to Patrick’s arm. Suddenly she heard a dull thud, then felt Patrick’s grip loosen as he fell to the ground beside her. Before she could move to help him, she was grabbed tightly around her waist, lifted into the air before she felt the cold blade of a dagger as it pressed against her throat.
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