Highland Vengeance

by Saydee Bennett

  “I wish you were meeting my wife on better terms King James. I am afraid my problem with Malcolm MacKay has now become everyone’s problem,” Camden replied.

  “Yes, it is unfortunate that the man is baiting you to kill him but by the looks of you and your men, I am sure you will have no problems in doing so. So far, my soldiers have not been able to capture the man and punish him for what he has done in the lowlands. I want to hear from you directly what took place at the MacKay holding.”

  Olivia was hardly paying any attention to what they were talking about because she was still thinking about what the king had just said. Camden had begged King James to be able to marry her. That time seemed so long ago to her, when they had only known one another for mere moments before they were married. She was thinking of how much her life had changed in such a short time and she was grateful to God for every minute of it.

  “Perhaps we could excuse the women so that they may reunite while I fill you in on all that has happened since we last spoke,” Camden said.

  “Yes, that seems appropriate,” the king agreed.

  As Princess Margaret and Olivia went to the solar room next to the large keep, Camden had Liam and Stephan follow her to stand guard by his wife. King James watched as the men left to protect Lady Sinclair and he knew that the Highland laird must be worried about his wife.

  “Do you think that my soldiers cannot look after our wives?” The king asked.

  “Do not take offense but I only trust my men and you do not know of what the MacKay bastard is capable of.”

  “Please fill me and do not leave any part out.”

  The men discussed both battles and Olivia’s brush with death. The king watched as the emotion played across Camden’s face when he described almost losing Olivia. King James was impressed with Lady Sinclair’s skills and the stories of her bravery. He told Camden that he would love to witness her battle with a sword one day. After recounting the details of Malcolm’s treachery, Laird Sinclair told the king that they were taking Olivia to England to stay with her brother while they hunted down Malcolm. King James gave his full approval for the Highland warriors to bring the criminal to justice and in Camden’s mind that meant death.

  Olivia and her younger cousin, Princess Margaret had a polite conversation and it became apparent to Lady Sinclair that the English royal had grown up rather quickly. Olivia knew that she too, had matured since her marriage to Camden and all that she had been through since. The two of them playing together as young girls in the palace was a distant memory now for them both. Princess Margaret was jealous when her cousin told her of all that had happened. The young Scottish queen enjoyed hearing the exciting tale of Olivia’s bravery and survival of the past several weeks.

  The Highlanders were invited to join the royal couple for a feast that evening and the massive warriors welcomed the large spread. Camden’s soldiers had their fill of warm food and Olivia tried hard to keep a straight face as she watched the king gawk at how much the men consumed. She was used to seeing her husband and his guard eat more in one sitting than most did all day. King James offered each of them private sleeping chambers for the night but Camden refused to have his men split up. Laird Sinclair, his wife and the five soldiers slept on the floor by the hearth in the keep. Being in Edinburgh made Camden more cautious of his surroundings knowing that Malcolm could be nearby. As she tried to get comfortable on the hard stone floor, Olivia squirmed against her husband.

  “Go to sleep wife,” Laird Sinclair said gruffly.

  “I am trying to but I think the ground outside is softer than this solid floor.”

  “M’lady would you like my plaid to sleep on?” Liam asked.

  Olivia knew the soldiers were close by but she did not know they were listening to every word she said. She quickly became embarrassed for whining about her comfort and the countess did not want the men to think she had become weak.

  “Liam, it is polite of you to offer your plaid for an ordinary woman but would you dare offer it to your laird?” She asked.

  “No m’lady,” he replied.

  “I did not think so. I will only forgive you this one time for thinking of my comfort Liam, next time I shall beat you to a bloody mess.”

  Camden could have sworn he heard each one of his men chuckling quietly while his wife huffed in fury. He pulled Olivia closer to him and tucked her head under chin. The laird held her in his arms so that she was almost completely off the hard ground and tried to make her as comfortable as possible.

  “You certainly are no ordinary woman,” Camden said softly.

  All five of the fierce Highland warriors said, “Aye” out loud to agree with their laird. There was no one like Olivia anywhere else. Laird Sinclair never fully fell into a deep sleep for he wanted to keep his senses aware of all that surrounded him. Camden listened to Olivia as her breathing deepened and she became lost in her dream world. She whispered words that had no logic and it was hard for Camden to understand what his wife’s visions were about. Once she was safely in England, Laird Sinclair would find Malcolm and make sure that his wife never had to see him in her nightmares again.

  In the early morning hours, Olivia was the last to mount her horse after hugging her cousin goodbye and the group said farewell to the Scottish royalty. The Highlanders made their way through the city of Edinburgh and Camden realized that the looks from the lowlanders would never change. They always seem to stare with their mouths open and a glazed look in their eyes at the sight of the massive warriors. Laird Sinclair was grateful for the power he held over them because it was better to have them terrified of him rather than not afraid at all.

  It took another two full days of riding before the group reached the border of the Lansington estate. Olivia had led the way once they reached England and the closer they became, the more excited the countess was to see her family. She let the men know when they were on her brother’s property and Camden was shocked to see how beautiful the terrain was, even towards the end of winter. Olivia slowed her mount to trotting pace and then stopped as the group broke through the dense forest. The sight before her was wonderful as the valley opened up and Lansington Castle came into view. Laird Sinclair was not surprised at the large holding and the small village that surrounded it, for he assumed a royal duke would have such an estate. He was shocked though that his humble wife had grown up there. She truly had no belief in extravagance and Camden loved that about her.

  “You are going to like my family even though they are English,” Olivia announced to everyone.

  “If they are like you m’lady, I am sure we will,” Keith replied.

  Olivia laughed loudly. “Actually they are nothing like me but you will still like them,” she smiled.

  “Alright wife, lead the way,” Camden nodded with a smile.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Highlanders received a wonderful welcome from the Duke and Duchess of Lansington. A crowd of people surrounded Olivia as she jumped from her horse in the courtyard of the beautiful castle. Camden assumed that the large man with the same eyes as Olivia was her brother Garrison. He watched as the siblings hugged one another and from the smile on his wife’s face, it was easy to see how much she loved her brother. Laird Sinclair immediately dismounted and headed towards the duke, extending his hand for new brother-in-law’s welcome. The two muscular men clasped hands and Camden was comforted by Garrison’s warm smile. The laird immediately felt a certain trust for the man he just met and Camden was grateful to him for raising Olivia so well.

  “I am Garrison, it is good to meet you. I guess I owe you an apology for sending my temper-mental sister off to the Highlands. I hope you have not asked her to be obedient,” the duke laughed.

  Camden smiled at the man teasing his wife and thought that Garrison must have been a saint for dealing with his sister’s feisty spirit his whole life. He saw the fury on his wife’s face and knew that her brother’s remarks had irritated her.

  “Actually no apology is necess
ary. It is I who owe you my thanks for letting this rare treasure come into my life and do not worry, I learned quickly that she would not obey,” he replied with a smirk.

  Olivia smiled at her husband and his words seemed to make her forget the taunting words from her brother.

  “So then you are my same old Livy! I hoped you wouldn’t change for a man. My wife is dying to see you.”

  “Where is Ella?”

  “She is in the garden with the children,” Garrison answered.

  Olivia turned and received more welcomes from those that were there to greet her. The Sinclair guards had gotten off their horses and watched as their laird’s wife was engulfed by many well wishers. They noticed in particular one older woman that was weepy at the sight of Lady Sinclair and they were not sure whether she was happy or sad at Olivia’s arrival.

  Laird Sinclair introduced his guard to Garrison and the duke was impressed with the warriors that protected his sister. He was not surprised that Olivia fit in with these men and Garrison thought this must be her dream come true. As everyone began to follow Olivia around to the gardens, Camden nodded to Garrison and asked him to stay for a moment.

  “There are some things I need to tell you about, that have happened to your sister.”

  Garrison’s smile immediately changed to a scowl. “What is the matter?”

  “She is in danger and that is why I have brought her here to stay with you until I can get rid of the problem,” Camden explained.

  “I want to know everything, come with me and we will talk privately,” the duke insisted.

  Camden nodded and then sent his men to stay by Olivia to watch for anything out of the ordinary. They were not familiar with their surroundings but they did know what Malcolm looked like and they would watch carefully for him. Garrison led the Highland warrior into his private study and then listened to every gruesome detail of what had transpired over the past several months, starting with the first attack on the Sinclairs the night of the wedding. The duke marveled at Olivia’s courageous acts of bravery but in truth, he was not at all surprised at what she had accomplished. He could clearly see how much the Highland laird loved Olivia without needing any vocal expression. Garrison was sure that his sister must love this man for all that she went through for him.

  The duke offered his army to Camden but the warrior would not accept the use of an English army. He tried not to offend Garrison by explaining that it would be greatly difficult to find Malcolm with a giant English army by his side. Camden would rather track the man silently and take care of the villain himself. The highland laird just asked for one favor from the duke and that was to keep Olivia safe and protected while he was gone. Garrison of course, agreed and promised to watch over her until the Highlanders returned.

  “Garrison, do you remember what message you gave to the king for me?” Camden asked.

  “I am afraid I don’t remember.”

  “It was sound advice about your sister and I wish to remind you of that now.”

  “What was that?” the duke asked.

  “She never stays where you put her,” Camden said with a huge grin.

  The highland warriors followed Olivia to the large beautiful garden behind the home. They watched as stewards starting to light giant torches and they saw two children, a young boy and girl, running towards Lady Sinclair. Olivia squeezed her niece and nephew tightly and searched all over for her sister-in-law, Ella. When she saw the beautiful golden-haired duchess, Olivia was shocked at the size of her pregnant stomach. Camden’s wife must have been off on her estimation of when the baby was due for the petite woman looked ready to burst.

  “Ella, I have missed you. You look wonderful and ready to have to have that baby any day,” Olivia smiled as she hugged Ella.

  “Actually I believe I still have at least a month and half before the babe should arrive. Did you not get my letter?”

  “I am afraid I did not receive it before we left the Highlands,” Olivia replied.

  “Why then have you come so soon? It does not matter really, because you never need a reason to visit. I have so much I want to speak with you about. I am sorry I did not attend your wedding, I didn’t even know about it until after it had taken place. Garrison was in big trouble for that,” Ella rushed on. “So how is married life? Is your husband treating you well? Who are the giant men surrounding you? What is Scotland like and did you receive the things I sent to you?”

  Olivia laughed at all her sister’s questions and she hugged the small woman again.

  “I will tell you everything but first you must sit down.”

  “Oh yes, shall we go inside? It is getting rather cold outside and I would not want you to catch a chill,” Ella said politely.

  The Sinclair warriors all chuckled at what the English version of cold was. Even Olivia thought the weather was fairly warm compared to the frozen world she had just come from. The visitors followed Ella into the large keep of the castle and the older woman the warriors had seen earlier crying over Lady Sinclair, came into the room with a tray of hot tea for the guests.

  “It is so glad to have you here m’lady,” the stout woman said.

  “Thank you Margaret, it is good to see all of you. Do you happen to know where my husband and brother are?” Olivia asked.

  “I will find out for you right away.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Please, all of you be seated and relax,” Ella said as she managed to sit down without effort even though her tiny frame barely held the baby she carried.

  “Ella, this is Liam, Stephan, Keith, Calum and Travis. They are my husband’s elite guard of warriors and they are the finest soldiers in all of Scotland,” Olivia said proudly and then turned to the men. “This is my sister-in-law, Ella, the Royal Duchess of Lansington.”

  The large men each bowed slightly to Ella to show her respect and then took a seat in the different chairs around the room. As Olivia watched the warriors struggle to get comfortable in the small wing-backed chairs and she realized the scene was almost exactly like the nightmares she had early. Lady Sinclair frantically began looking around the room for Camden, and for Malcolm. She knew it was not possible for the evil man to be there but Olivia had a sick feeling anyway.

  Liam was the first to notice her distress and was immediately by her side, followed by the other Sinclair warriors.

  “What is it m’lady? Is something wrong?” Liam asked.

  “It is nothing, I just have a nervous feeling about something,” she whispered.

  “You look as if you have seen a ghost m’lady, are you sure everything is alright?” Keith asked.

  When Camden and Garrison came into the keep and saw the soldiers surrounding Olivia, the Highland laird raced to her side and began questioning everyone.

  “What is going here?” He demanded.

  “We do not know m’laird,” Travis tried to explain.

  “I am fine my laird, it just felt as though what I had seen in my dream was coming to life. Everything was pleasant at first but then Malcolm appeared.”

  “Who is Malcolm,” Ella asked.

  “It is a long a story my love and I will fill you in tonight,” Garrison said calmly to his wife.

  Camden pulled Olivia to her feet and held her tightly. “He is not here and you do not need to worry.”

  “I am not worried my laird truly, I am fine. I could handle the bastard myself if I needed to so why would I be worried with the finest Highland warriors circling around me?” His wife said with a smile.

  “Well I see your language has not improved Livy?” Garrison laughed.

  “I learned every damn word from you big brother.”

  The duke squeezed Olivia’s hand and then nodded to Camden. He was certainly grateful that his sister had learned the survival skills of his soldiers and Garrison was more than indebted to the Highland laird who saved her life. The duke planned to meet with Camden and his warriors in library later that night to discuss Olivia’s protection. Garrison als
o wanted to introduce his commanding soldiers, Aaron and Paul to the Highlanders and let them know what was happening. After enjoying a fine meal together, Olivia said goodnight to her family and then the duke’s butler, Weathersby showed Laird and Lady Sinclair to the large guest chamber where the royal family stayed during their visits. Weathersby then took the five other men to rooms close by as instructed by the duke.

  Camden explained to his wife that he wanted to speak with his warriors and Olivia agreed to wait patiently in her chamber for her husband to come back. Within moments of leaving her there in the chamber, Camden knew his wife had never agreed to anything before so he was sure she would not sit idly by and wait. The Highland laird stood just outside the door and watched it slowly open before Olivia tried to sneak out.

  “If you are not going to wait in the chamber then I want you with me,” Camden ordered.

  “I was just…”

  “Come with me wife, I am meeting with your brother.”

  “Whatever for?”

  “Your security,” Camden admitted.

  “Oh hell, I guess I am back to being treated like a child. Follow me and let us get this over with,” Olivia muttered.

  Camden smiled behind her and then grinned ever bigger when his wife ran into the five Sinclair warriors waiting for him down the corridor.

  “Well I should not be surprised that you five are in on this midnight rendezvous with my brother. I should whip you all for keeping a secret from me,” Olivia complained.

  “Aye, m’lady,” the soldiers replied in unison while trying to hide their grins.

  The giant men followed their laird and his wife through the maze of hallways and down a giant curved staircase to the main entry of the castle. Camden noticed how the massive home was covered in art and tapestries on every wall. The wooden furniture was ornately carved and the entire holding had a rich and elegant feel about it. Garrison was certainly not surprised when his sister entered the library followed by the bronzed Highland men, she always wanted to be in on the action. The duke smiled at his sister and then nodded to his new brother-in-law.