“Then take the last watch,” Donnan said. Brodie nodded, glad that he would stay beside Laurel for most of the night. He knew it was selfish, but he wanted to hold her. Once they ate, Monty slipped from the cave. Brodie explained where to position himself, so Monty would remain hidden but could hear anything that approached before it appeared. He could slip back to the cave and warn the others with no one seeing him. Donnan listened attentively, so he was prepared for his shift. Laurel felt useless as she watched the men discuss how to divide the night’s hours among them.
“Laurie.” Laurel nodded as Brodie waved her over and took her to the cave’s entrance. “Do you see the bush just yonder? If you need privacy, you can go there.”
“Thank you.” She led him to where she’d laid out their bedrolls. Donnan was already snoring lightly, and Laurel marveled at how easily the man had always fallen asleep anywhere. He’d been like that since they were children. Smiling, she laid down with Brodie’s chest against her back. But she rolled over to lay her head on his shoulder and drape her arm over his waist. She needed to hold him as much as he longed to hold her. Brodie stroked her hair as her body relaxed, feeling boneless.
“What’re you thinking aboot?” Brodie wondered aloud.
“Naught in particular. Just glad to be with you. You?”
“The same. I shall make this up to you.”
Laurel lifted her head, her brow furrowed. “You say that as if any of this is your fault. There’s naught to make up to me. You didn’t do aught wrong.”
“I trusted the wrong men with your care.”
“They were your men. You shouldn’t have needed to doubt them. That is their sin, not yours. Michael paid for it with each bump and hit as he fell down Ben More.”
“But you’re a target because of me.”
“Mayhap. Or you’re a target because of me. I ken the MacDougalls would rather put a rift between the Campbells and Rosses than allow an alliance. Mayhap they and the Lamonts continue this because you married me. Mayhap they would have let things go if you’d married someone else.”
“Possibly. But it doesn’t mean I don’t feel guilty.”
“I wish you didn’t, but I ken you do because you take your duty seriously.”
“This isn’t just aboot duty as your husband and as a laird. This is aboot the woman I love being in danger, and I can’t stop it. I can’t protect you the way I want, the way I should.”
“Brodie, cease.” Laurel’s voice was laced with authority, and Brodie’s chin jerked back. “We can want everything under the sun, but we rarely get more than a taste. I’ve known since I was a wean that I would likely marry a laird one day. As I grew aulder, I understood the danger that comes with being a clan’s lady. Whether I married you or some lesser chieftain, I could still be at risk. That isn’t your fault. That is life among Highlanders, and the price we pay for our position. As for what you should or shouldn’t do, cease your blathering. I’m alive and at your side, the only place I want to be. If you didn’t make me feel the way I do, I wouldn’t have been strong enough to survive. I would have given up. You’ve given me more than you realize, and that’s kept me alive.”
“Laurie…” Brodie didn’t know what to say. His wife’s philosophical perspective made simple work of what felt complicated.
“Hush, husband. I was exceedingly comfortable a moment ago. I’d like to go back to that.”
“I am ever your servant, my lady.”
“I shall remind you of that the first time you complain that I harp at you.”
The couple smiled at one another before Laurel yawned. She sighed as she closed her eyes. They lay together in the now dark cave. Laurel wasn’t certain when she fell asleep, but she was unprepared to be disturbed when Brodie shifted from beneath her for his turn at watch. She grumbled but settled back under the plaids they’d shared. Her hand rested where Brodie’s heart had been. The heat he left behind was a slight comfort.
Thirty-One
Brodie rubbed his dry eyes and leaned his head from one side to another, hearing the satisfying pop that released the tension that accumulated while standing guard. He’d had the ideal watch: nothing happened. The sky was lightening from midnight blue to the shade of sapphire. The sun hadn’t risen, but it would soon. He slipped back into the cave and found Monty and Donnan awake and whispering. Laurel continued to slumber, but Brodie noticed her hand roamed over his spot as if she searched for him in her sleep.
“How’s she been?” Brodie whispered.
“Mostly sleeping like the dead, but she grows restless from time to time,” Donnan answered.
“I’m headed out to scout again. If the Lamonts are still nearby, then I want to know if they moved after my last patrol. If I don’t return within two hours, remain here until at least tomorrow morning.” Both men nodded as all three glanced at Laurel once more. “If I don’t return, will you take her to Balnagown?”
With the sun rising rather than setting, Brodie and the other two men understood the risk of Brodie being spotted grew exponentially from the evening before. He needed reassurance that there was a plan for Laurel if he didn’t make it back.
“Aye. At least until we know no danger follows her,” Monty answered. “From there, I swear to take her wishes into consideration. I won’t promise that I can or will grant them, but I won’t ignore them. And I won’t mock them.” Monty’s expression showed the remorse he felt for what he’d previously thought of Laurel’s desires. Brodie’s mouth drew into a thin line, but he nodded.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Don’t you dare leave without saying goodbye.” Laurel rolled over as she looked at the three men. Brodie crossed the cave and knelt before Laurel stood. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. “I love you. I want to tell you that a hundred times a day for the next hundred years.”
“I shall have a hard time hearing you if I’m already saying it. I love you, thistle.” Brodie and Laurel shared a brief but tender kiss before Brodie rose and squeezed her hand. Laurel watched as he walked out of the cave. Then she turned her attention to her brother and friend.
“If he doesn’t come back, you must take me to Kilchurn first. I’d like to inform his family. I pray we can return his body to them if it comes to that. But I pray harder that it doesn’t. I may be Lady Campbell, but if Brodie isn’t Laird Campbell, I will be a stranger in the way. I will go to Balnagown before I ever go to Stirling.” Laurel was resolute, shooting each man an unwavering stare. “I will not marry unless it’s my choice. If Uncle Hamish and Aunt Amelia agree, I’d like a cottage in one of their villages. I’ll be a widow in truth.”
“You’ve thought a great deal in such a short time,” Monty mused.
“You assumed I slept the entire time. I didn’t. It gave me plenty of time to think.”
“And what are your thoughts aboot being at Balnagown, sister?”
“I’d rather not. But I can’t arrive at Sutherland and assume I can make a home there. Father will never allow me to live in a cottage on Ross land. I don’t want the king involved. I’d prefer he forget I existed, so he doesn’t press me to marry again. I doubt I will be so fortunate twice. I also don’t want to remain at Balnagown long enough for Mother and Father to bemoan my presence. A couple days at most.”
“And if we can’t arrange a cottage on Sutherland in a couple of days?” Monty sounded skeptical, and Laurel knew he was right to be.
“It may take sennights, even moons, to convince them. I said I’d like to have a cottage there. If I can’t then I shall find somewhere else.” Laurel shrugged. She knew her wishes were unrealistic and unlikely, but they were what she’d wanted for years. There would be no chance of having them if she didn’t speak them.
“We’ll do all that we can, Laurel. It’s my preference that you stay on Ross land,” Monty admitted. “Somewhere within a day’s ride of Balnagown, so Donnan and I can check on you once in a while. Your hair will always announce from whom you hail, but you’
re still a Ross. You have a home on our land.”
Laurel nodded, not wanting to argue with Monty. She believed he meant it, but it wouldn’t be his decision to make. At least not likely for several more years. Their father was as fit as a mule—sturdy and ornery. Laurel busied herself by folding Brodie’s and her bedrolls. Once the task was complete, Laurel accepted the breeks Monty offered her. She retrieved a leine from Brodie’s satchel. She held it up before her. She would drown in it since it came nearly to her ankles. She had neither the height nor breadth to fill it out. She looked ruefully at the men and winced.
“I need a dirk.”
Laurel set to work cutting down the leine, promising Brodie silently that her first task as Lady Campbell would be to make him a new one. Once it was a more manageable length, she took the clothes into the nook where she and Brodie coupled the day before. As she shed her kirtle, she wished she was doing it for an entirely different reason. She reminded herself that they would have plenty of opportunities once they were home. Rolling Monty’s breeks over several times at the waist and ankles, she wrapped her arisaid around herself and belted the outfit into place. She could only imagine the sight she made, but she felt more confident that she could traverse whatever terrain they faced now that she wasn’t likely to trip over her own clothes.
Laurel, Monty, and Donnan were surprised when Brodie returned within an hour. He chuckled when he saw Laurel’s attire until she held up the remnants of the bottom half of his leine. She offered a semi-apologetic expression before laughing.
“I’ll make you a new one.”
“I may ruin all my leines if it means you’ll make me new ones. They’ll be the finest in all the land,” Brodie proclaimed as he came to stand beside Laurel, wrapping his arm around her waist. “The group to our south is where I last saw them. But the ones to the west are on the move now. Our men are awake and ready to go. I got more responses than last night.”
“Won’t the Lamonts know it’s you, if there’s suddenly all these bird calls and no birds in sight?”
“I have my own call. My men have theirs too. Usually when one of us uses it, the actual birds respond. Those who don’t know what to listen for don’t hear the other responses. But we know what we sound like.” Brodie knew most Highland clans used similar methods, but the meaning of the calls differed from clan to clan, ensuring they remained a secure way to communicate. Brodie watched as Laurel appeared to tuck the information away for later use. He could only imagine what she would come up with.
“Do we go now, bear?”
“Aye. While the sun is still low; otherwise, they’re likely to spot us. Laurie, the path we’re going to take is dangerous. It’s not one I would usually traverse with horses. Do not attempt more than you can manage. Admit if you need help.” Brodie gazed earnestly into Laurel’s hazel eyes. She recognized the worry in his gray ones and wished she could ease it. But she knew neither of them would breathe easily until they were all away from the mountains and the Lamonts.
“I promise.” With that, they left the cave.
While they could, Brodie led with Laurel behind him. Monty and Donnan followed Laurel, one on each side, slightly behind her. Between their hulking bodies and their horses, they shielded Laurel from the enemy to the south. They moved in silence, Brodie gesturing directions as he had the day before. As they moved along ledges and over crags and past steep drops into valleys hundreds of feet below them, Laurel couldn’t imagine hiking through the mountains without Brodie as their guide. They stopped to rest the horses at the top of the sheep path down the mountain. Laurel steeled herself for the descent.
“Tie Teine’s reins off and guide him by the bridle. If you feel yourself sliding, let go. If you pull him with you, he’s likely to crush you. Trust that he’s more sure-footed than you,” Brodie instructed. “If you feel unsteady, grab my belt. Regardless, watch where I step, then step there too. We’ll move slowly.”
“Yes, Brodie.” Laurel drew a deep breath and released it gradually. She followed Brodie’s instructions and adjusted Teine’s reins, whispering in the horse’s ear about how proud she was of him. As though he understood, his massive head nodded. He nudged her shoulder, and she was certain he was telling her to get on with their journey down the mountain. She muttered, “I hear you.”
With her first step, Laurel’s foot almost slid out from beneath her. She righted herself, but her heart raced. She swallowed and locked her gaze onto Brodie’s feet. It only took a moment to realize that he’d offered the best advice he could by telling her how to follow his lead. He moved with the ease of a mountain goat, giving Laurel confidence that they would survive.
Brodie listened to every sound around him. He listened for Laurel’s breathing, her footsteps, the horses, birds overhead, and the sheep in the corrie they walked toward. His eyes darted from the trail to his left, then back to the trail before looking up, then down, and finally to the right. He repeated the pattern over and over. He spotted the first sign of trouble before their enemy spotted them. He held up a fist, and their group came to a stop. His only indicator of what he found was looking to his left. The other three members of their party gazed in the same direction. Shadows danced along the rock face, and they moved toward them.
Brodie signaled them to move on. He’d only stopped, so they were all aware of what they couldn’t avoid. He was determined to reach flat ground before the group of ten Lamonts or before the enemy could reach them. He worried they would cut off the route Brodie planned. There was another way down nearby, but it led to a glen rather than off the mountains. They could hide there, but there was no trail. Not even an animal one. It would be pure luck to make it down, and he doubted all the horses would.
If he’d been alone, he would have risked jogging down the trail they took now. But he couldn’t with the horses in tow and people unfamiliar with their location. He settled for reaching back for Laurel. When her hand met his, he wrapped it around his belt. With her connected to him, he increased their pace. While his gaze could survey their surroundings while he moved downward, he didn’t dare look back while he moved. He had to trust that Monty and Donnan were progressing well too. They were a hundred yards from the base of the mountain when the cry went up. The shadows morphed into men who raced toward them.
Brodie predicted what would happen, but he wouldn’t risk any of the Lamonts surviving their pell-mell descent. He spun around and hefted Laurel over his shoulder. She let go of Teine because she had no choice. Once more, her hand grasped Brodie’s belt. She looked up to see Monty and Donnan had also released their horses. She glanced at the beasts and realized Brodie hadn’t exaggerated that they would be more sure-footed. Monty and Donnan glanced over at their pursuers now and again, but their attention was following the feet in front of them.
Brodie slid over the shale, bending his knees to absorb the impact as he half-ran and half-slipped the last hundred yards. Trusting Monty and Donnan would follow his lead, he glanced back to see they were only steps behind him. He tossed Laurel into the saddle and helped her arrange the reins before vaulting onto Lann. Monty and Donnan followed suit as the first screams echoed through the pass. Laurel twisted to see and watched most of the men plummet down the mountain, their horses careening down with them. She only felt bad for the animals. But a few moved more cautiously and made progress in their pursuit.
They still had nearly a day’s ride as they cut through foothills, careful not to exhaust their mounts. It wasn’t long after they set off on horseback that Campbell and Ross men materialized, riding to catch up to them. Laurel kept count, praying that more would appear. They rode in silence for nearly two hours before Brodie signaled that they would stop to rest the horses. There was no water nearby, but the animals and riders needed a break. Brodie helped Laurel off her horse and nodded when Donnan offered to escort her to a private place. Brodie and Monty met with their men.
The two leaders nodded as they learned the fate of five men. Two Rosses lost their lives falling over
a precipice. One Ross and one Campbell died from arrows to the throat. The Lamonts captured the last man, a Campbell, and ran him through. But he’d given his life so both Ross and Campbell warriors could find safety. Monty and Brodie exchanged a look, both knowing they had many families to inform that their loved one wouldn’t return.
The mixture of Campbells and Rosses were an hour from Kilchurn when a Ross warrior spotted horses riding toward them. Laurel already rode in the center of the pack. She strained to see past the men to her left, but it was futile. She held her breath at the sound of swords being drawn from their scabbards. They rode until, inevitably, they had to stop and face the newest threat.
“Do not leave the center, Laurel. Trust that the men will remain around you, even if gaps form. They’ll shift. They know what to do regardless of their clan,” Brodie commanded. Laurel nodded, already knowing what to do but wanting to assure Brodie that she understood. She caught the concern in his eyes before he masked it. She reached out her hand before he steered his horse away. When she grasped his, she squeezed nodding again. She wanted him to know she wasn’t Eliza. She wouldn’t make the other woman’s fatal error.
“MacFarlanes,” Graham called out. The man’s eyesight amazed her since the riders were still miles from them. The guardsmen lowered their weapons but didn’t sheath them. Laurel squinted against the late morning sun as she tried to discern who led the clan’s warriors.
“Wonderful,” Brodie said, sarcasm lacing his voice. “Andrew Mòr and Andrew Óg.” Mòr usually meant greater or larger, but when used with a name, it signified older or senior. Óg was the opposite. The laird rode with his son. Brodie wasn’t certain if he was pleased to see either of them. Brodie drew away from the circle, Graham at his side. Monty and Donnan maneuvered their mounts a few feet behind the Campbell laird and his second.
A Hellion at the Highland Court: A Rags to Riches Highlander Romance (The Highland Ladies Book 9) Page 25