Highland Master

by Howell, Hannah

  “I cannae tell ye, and please dinnae press me to do so. That, too, is written here. And I truly believe the mon would ken if I told someone. I dinnae ken how it is, but he does seem to learn far too much about what is happening round here. I think there may be someone telling him things, and I shall find out who when this is done. It could be a traitor or it could be just some foolish lass telling things to a lover, who then runs back to Sir John. For now, I just need to find a way to slip out of here, collect three women from the village, and go to meet him.” She frowned. “Although I doubt he himself will be waiting for me at this place. He will let some hirelings make the exchange, in case our men are near or following me. Better those hirelings suffer than he does. That would be his way.”

  Arianna cursed softly and rubbed her hands over her face. “Can ye slip out? All the Banuilt men are here and preparing to keep a verra close eye on ye. They intend to shut this place up verra tightly.”

  “I ken it and, aye, I can slip out. I found ways when I first came here.” She shrugged when Arianna frowned at her. “My father was a mon who was quick with his fists if ye angered him, and I learned ways to ne’er be easily found. The moment I came here with Boyd I looked for ways to ne’er be found here, to get away and hide if I needed to. I ne’er really needed to, as Boyd wasnae a mon who got angry or used his fists on a woman.” She grimaced. “He wasnae so kind with his words, however, though the criticisms were always spoken in a gentle, almost fatherly voice.”

  “I ken weel how words can destroy. So ye can get out, but can ye get a few women to slip away with ye without anyone kenning it?”

  “I believe so. The men are all here right now, preparing to make sure I dinnae leave and that all is readied to protect all of us if the need arises. There will be few men in the village, and I ken how to slip into Joan’s house. Boyd didnae approve of my friendship with her, so I made certain he didnae ken just how often I visited her. There are ponies there as weel that we can use. It willnae be easy, but it can be done, especially if I do it now while everyone is busy readying themselves for trouble.”

  “Then go, and quickly. Aye, go before I think too much on how angry Brett will be when he finds out ye have gone to meet that mon.”

  “I am sorry ye will have to face him, but I suspicion it willnae be too bad. Brian willnae let it be.”

  “Go now, Tri, and be verra careful. Ye are dealing with a madmon.”

  Triona nodded and left the great hall. It was going to be difficult to get out of Banuilt, but she had to try. The men were very busy trying to lock her in, and might not think she would even consider leaving. She only hoped that, for once, luck would be with her. She did not want her child left in Sir John’s hands any longer than was absolutely necessary.

  Brett stared down at the ground, wondering why he was finding it so difficult to fix his mind on the hunt. Something was gnawing at him, making his thoughts veer from what he needed to do. Then his confused thoughts began to clear and he cursed, the swirl of ideas, suspicions, and worries settling into one clear revelation. Fear for both Triona and Ella crowded his heart and mind and he fought it back. If what he now believed was true, he was going to need a clear head, and fear did not allow for such a thing.

  “We need to go back to Banuilt,” he told Brian, who rode beside him, reining in when Brett suddenly did.

  “Why? The trail leads this way,” Brian said.

  “I ken it, although I begin to think Sir John has learned how to lay a false trail. It would explain why we have hunted for him for so long and nay caught him. We are too good to be failing this badly. Fell victim to our own arrogance, probably. We just didnae expect him to be as good as he is at eluding us. But that isnae what troubles me now. Nay, I think we need to go back because this is just what he wanted us to do.”

  As the others noticed that they had stopped and began to gather around, Brian shook his head. “I am nay understanding ye. Of course the mon has to ken that we would hunt him down. We have been doing that for most of the time we have been here, save when we were looking for the Banuilt men. And this time he has stolen a child.”

  “Aye, we are hunting him, which means Triona is nay being watched by us. Aye, I ken the Banuilt men have gone to watch for any trouble and keep the women and children safe, but they will need a wee bit of time to get ready to do that—to gather together at Banuilt, arm themselves, and secure it against anyone who might try to get in. This isnae what was expected, and some of them are still nay at full strength and willnae be for a while. Unless someone thought to put a guard on Triona from the moment we rode off, I suspicion she will be alone a time or two ere the true watch on her and the others begins. Aye, she may even have been alone during the time she was returning from the fields.”

  “And they may nay ken just what a woman is capable of when her bairn is in danger.” Brian cursed. “Ye think he planned this. Planned for us to ride out to hunt him and has already sent her word as to where to meet him.”

  “I do. The mon probably wrote the letter even before Ella was taken, telling Triona where to meet him, and put it in the hand of some hireling who was ready to slip it to her at any moment that was provided to him. One mon with the right skills would nay be seen amongst the confusion that the loss of Ella caused. He kenned that for just a brief time the men of Banuilt would be busy preparing to protect the women and bairns, and she could slip away if told where to meet him.”

  “So we return to Banuilt and do what? Shut the lass up in the dungeons?”

  “’Tis a thought,” Brett muttered, even as he turned his mount to begin the ride back to Banuilt. “She is terrified for the safety of wee Ella. She willnae think of anything but doing what must be done to get that child out of that mon’s hands.” He looked at his men. “Harcourt, Callum, I want ye to go to the village.”

  “To see if we can catch the lass?” asked Harcourt.

  “If I am right, she is already gone, but if ye happen to see her, make verra certain she cannae slip away from ye. Nay, I am sending ye there because I think we may be able to pick up the mon’s trail near the village. If nay his, then Triona’s. She cannae just walk out of the manor, so she will have to slip into the village, out of sight of the guard at the manor, and then head to the meeting place.”

  “And there will be signs that she has done so even if the men havenae noticed yet,” said Callum. “We will find a trail for ye.”

  Harcourt nodded and rode off toward the village, Callum close at his heels. Brett prayed they would be lucky enough to catch Triona before she went to meet Sir John, but he did not hold out much hope for that. He now felt certain that the word about where and when to meet with Sir John had been given to Triona at some time during her journey in from the fields. If Sir John had carefully planned all of this, the man would make certain that she had to act quickly. And she would. Even as he spurred his mount toward Banuilt, Brett was certain he would not find her there.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “She did what?”

  Arianna fought down the urge to step back from all the fury Brett did nothing to hide. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her husband move to stand beside her and glare at Brett. The rage her cousin revealed interested her even as it made her uneasy. It confirmed her opinion that Brett felt far more than lust for Triona. No man could be so angry or afraid if the woman concerned was no more than a lover he could easily walk away from. She hoped he would be smart enough to understand what he could have with the woman if he would just find the courage to reach for it.

  “She got word about where to meet Sir John and when,” Arianna replied. “She then went to meet him just as he asked.”

  “I told her nay to give him what he wanted.”

  “Aye, and ye should nay be so surprised that she didnae heed your command. The mon has her bairn, Cousin, and she cannae e’en fool herself into thinking he wouldnae hurt that wee lass if her mother ignores his orders. Considering all else the mon has done, the way he cared nothing for how
his prisoners fared or how what he did here could have starved women and children, I didnae think he would hesitate to kill that bonnie child, either.”

  “This will give him all he wanted, all of Banuilt in his grasp.” And Triona in his bed, his mind whispered, but Brett pushed that thought away, knowing it could easily drive him to do something rash.

  “And just how long do ye think he would hold it? E’en if Triona or one of his people didnae end his miserable life, his own liege laird has condemned him. The mon just isnae thinking clearly if he feels his scheme will work. E’en if he gets her married to him before ye find him, that will nay change his liege laird’s mind, nay after all he has done.”

  Brett tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling of the great hall as he took several deep breaths to calm himself. He knew some of his fury came from his inability to find Sir John and kill him. The hunt for the man had become a tedious, enraging, and futile waste of time. It was maddening that the man continued to be so successful at hiding. Brett had to believe that there was some cunning criminal past in the man’s life that explained Sir John’s uncommon skill. If he had not been so eager to kill the man, he would take the time to find out what that past was.

  Although it was tenuous, Brett decided his grip on calm was strong enough to allow him to speak to Arianna again. “Did she tell ye where she was to go to meet him?”

  “Nay. She dared nay. She feared it would put Ella in danger.” Arianna sighed. “I didnae press her because she asked me nay to and I kenned she wouldnae give me e’en the smallest of hints. She also reminded me that the mon has shown an uncanny ability to ken everything that is going on here. Something she intends to look into later. And she said it wouldnae matter anyway, as she verra much doubted it would be any more than a place to trade her for Ella, a trade that will be made by hirelings.”

  “Just in case we are actually close enough to stop it, the mon would want to be as far out of our reach as possible. It would have given us a place to start, a place where we might find a trail to follow, however.”

  “Then ye can ask the women she took with her when they return to Banuilt with Ella.”

  “She took others with her?”

  “Aye, three. They are to collect wee Ella and get her safely back home. The mon obviously had enough sense to realize such consideration for the child’s safe return would work to get Triona to do as he asked. She did wonder why he thought it needed three women to do that but decided it just revealed his ignorance about how one cares for a child.”

  “True, they could help, but as we wait for the women to return, Sir John has time to get Triona far away from here,” he snapped. “I suspicion he had the sense to ken that, too.”

  “Brett,” Brian warned, putting his arm around Arianna.

  Brett held up his hands and then dragged them through his hair. “Pardon, Arianna. ’Tis just that the hunt for this mon has near to driven me mad. E’en Harcourt, who is as skilled a tracker as ye could e’er find, cannae sniff out a clear trail. Now Sir John has Triona, who has always been the prize he sought. And, aye, he cannae hold what he gains, as he is a condemned mon, nay better than the meanest of outlaws, but to take it back from him will cost blood, and Triona will be right in the middle of that danger.”

  And the man would waste no time in consummating the forced marriage, Brett thought, and gritted his teeth against the urge to bellow out his fury. Triona was a lot stronger than even she realized, but no woman could survive that sort of violation without scars. He knew he had to push the thought of his Triona being hurt in such a way out of his mind, and keep it out of there, or he would be useless to her.

  “We will find her, Brett,” Arianna said. “And if he hurts her or that child, every mon, woman, and child at Banuilt will be his sworn enemy. I have seen that, despite their liege laird’s doubts, everyone here sees Triona as their laird, and she has their loyalty and love. As does that wee lass. And since Sir John has already turned near all of his own people against him, and his liege laird as weel, there is nowhere he can rest easy. Nay, nor can he hire enough swords to guard his back, for he is already a condemned mon. ’Tis little help, I ken it, but ’tis something to keep in mind, aye?”

  “Aye, it is.” Brett kissed her cheek. “It may mean a lot of people are at the ready to kill him but, e’en more important, it means there will be a lot of people ready to aid Triona.” He sighed. “Now we can only wait until the women return with Ella.”

  “We can do that in the village,” said Brian. “Harcourt and Callum may have found something by now.”

  “Aye. It would be nice if luck was on our side for once.”

  “This is madness,” muttered Joan as she rode her pony up next to Triona’s.

  “This is for my bairn,” Triona said. “I have no other choice in this and I think ye ken it.”

  “Och, I ken it weel enough. I would do the same.” Joan lightly brushed her hand over her belly. “I am thinking I will soon have a fuller knowledge of what ye are suffering now.”

  “Joan? Ye are with child? Wheesht, how can ye tell so soon? Aiden hasnae been home all that long.”

  “True, but weak as he was, he was capable of celebrating his freedom,” she drawled. “I am nay sure I am with child just yet, but everything within me says it is true. ’Tis a feeling in my heart and mind, one I truly believe my body will confirm within a fortnight.”

  “Then ye shouldnae have come with me. This could be dangerous.”

  “Nay, this is where I must be. And I dinnae think it will be dangerous for any of us. The mon doesnae want Ella. He doesnae want we women, either. He wants ye. He will think himself weel rid of the burden of the child when he hands her over to us. I have but one fear.”

  “Oh, aye? What is it?” Triona could think of far too many things to fear at the moment, including the chance that she was leading three women straight into the heart of danger.

  “How does the mon think to keep us women from telling anyone where we left ye?”

  Fear surged through Triona’s body and she needed a few minutes to beat it down. “There are many ways. I doubt he means to stay in the place where this trade is going to be made. And I think he would have told me to come alone if he feared ye would be any threat to him. Nay, I believe he means to hand over Ella, grab me, and flee. He only told me to bring women to collect Ella because he kenned I would need that assurance of her safety, and he thinks us all too dimwitted and useless, save to serve men. Probably why he thinks it needs three of ye to take one wee lass home. He only sees a mon as a threat.”

  Joan slowly nodded. “I suspicion ye said most of that to convince yourself, but I think ye are right all the same. The mon simply willnae worry that we poor foolish women could e’er be a threat to him.” She pointed to a small cairn that had marked the far northern edge of Banuilt land for more years than any knew. “And there is where we will discover if ye are right.”

  They did not have to wait long. Triona suspected the five men who rode up to them had been watching for them. She saw no sign of her daughter or Sir John, but before she could demand to know where Ella was, four of the men rode up beside her and each of her women and thrust strips of dark cloth at them.

  “Put them on and then we will go and fetch your whelp,” said the big, black-bearded man watching the others.

  Silently cursing, Triona tied the cloth over her eyes, knowing her women were doing the same. Rough hands tugged at it as the man beside her made certain that she was truly blinded. She did not like this but could see no way to avoid it. The simple trade she had expected had suddenly become more complicated and dangerous. As a jerk on the reins started her pony moving, she prayed that she had not brought her women to their deaths.

  It was no surprise to her that Sir John was not the first one she would meet, although she had hoped otherwise. The man would stay safely out of reach to be certain there was no one behind her ready to attack him. There was still a chance he would be where the trade would actually be ma
de, but she was beginning to doubt that as well. He had revealed a marked preference for his own people and his hirelings to do most of the work and take most of the risks.

  The ride was rough, and she was forced to cling tightly to her pony’s mane to stay in the saddle. It was mercifully short, however. Just about the time she thought she would cry out if her bottom bounced on the saddle one more time, the journey ended. When the horses stopped and the cloth was taken from her eyes, she had to blink several times before she could see clearly. Her heart sank when she did not recognize the place. Nor did she see Sir John, only two more men as rough as the ones leading the ponies.

  “Mama!”

  Ignoring the curses of the man holding her pony’s reins, Triona dismounted and ran to catch her daughter up in her arms when the child darted out from behind one of the men. She then kneeled down and looked the child all over, and much of her fear eased when she found no wounds. There was a red mark on Ella’s cheek, which told her someone had slapped the little girl, however. It took Triona a moment to quell her anger over that, knowing it would serve no purpose to let it show. She kissed Ella’s bruised cheek.

  “Have ye come to take me home?” asked Ella, glancing warily at the five men guarding them. “I didnae like being taken away. It was my turn to be the scary monster.”

  “I ken it, love. Ye can play the game the next time we go to the fields.”

  “Give her over to the women now,” ordered the bearded man. “We cannae sit here any longer.”

  Those words made Triona determined to eke out every minute she could, even as she doubted it would be much more than a few. If the men feared pursuit, she wished to give those hunting for her as much of an advantage as she could. Standing up, she picked Ella up and walked over to Joan.

  “I didnae like the mon who came before ye did, Mama,” said Ella as Triona settled her in the saddle in front of Joan. “It was Sir John Grant, and he gave me that mean look again. I told him ye were going to come and cut him into wee pieces and feed him to the ravens, and he slapped me.”