by Barbara Bard
* * *
But Blair had been right. When the heart beat fiercely it was important to listen, and Drew knew that Sarah was important to him. He had never felt more alive, more complete, than in that glade with her. It was almost strange how someone he had only known for a day could make such a profound impact, but she had saved his life, in more ways than one.
* * *
Soon enough they returned to the battlefield. The cries of war greeted their ears long before their eyes ever saw anything. Drew pushed the horse on, not wanting to waste any more time as he knew it could be the difference between life and death for his clansmen.
* * *
The trees thinned and they were soon able to see the battle in all its ugly glory. Bodies lay strewn over the field, the green grass dark, soaked with the blood of thousands of men. There was a heavy stench of death hanging over the field, and although the sun shone just as brightly in the glade there was a heavy sadness about it. The sound of clashing steel rang through the air, breaking the silence, and it was a world away from the solitude they had enjoyed in the glade.
* * *
From a cursory glance, it seemed obvious the Highlanders were winning.
* * *
“What a sight,” Drew said, gazing out at all the dead English. Sarah was silent. He heard her sob. “I'm sorry, lass. I dinnae mean anything by it,” he said, then turned the horse around back to the Scottish camp.
* * *
Drew's return was heralded with a greet cheer. The Highlanders were in good spirits. The wounded were getting treatment and sharing ale, enjoying the victory. They raised their glasses to him as he returned.
* * *
“Blair will be pleased!” Declan said.
* * *
“Is my brother still alive?”
* * *
“Oh yes, fighting like a tempest. And who is this ye hae brought back wi' ye?”
* * *
Drew tossed a look over his shoulder. Suddenly he felt very self-conscious.
* * *
“A lass I met in the woods.”
* * *
“Oh aye, I see why ye hae taken a break from war,” Declan said, winking. The young man had obviously been drinking too much ale. Drew flushed with embarrassment. “And what is your name, lass?”
* * *
“Sarah.”
* * *
Drew cringed as she spoke. Declan's eyes went wide as he heard her English accent. His brow furrowed and his expression changed entirely. He looked at Drew, daggers in his eyes.
* * *
“Are ye as mad as your brother? What are ye hoping tae dae? Cannae ye see what will happen? I thought ye were different, Drew. I thought ye were loyal. Ye talk us out of challenging Blair then at the first sign ye betray us tae. I cannae believe ye would dae this,” Declan said, shocked.
* * *
“It's nae what it looks like. She's a prisoner of war,” he said. The words were out of his mouth before he'd even thought about them. Declan was placated, but he felt great shame in his heart. Sarah gasped. He could feel her pain without even looking. It was as though now that the two of them had made love they were bonded, sharing a heart, sharing a soul.
* * *
Drew quickly left Declan and rode to the main heart of the camp.
* * *
As soon as the horse had steadied Sarah alighted and went to move away. Drew jumped down, bracing the pain in his leg to stop her as quickly as he could. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She looked distraught. Her eyes were red and tears dripped down her cheeks. Drew recoiled in shame.
* * *
“Sarah...” he began.
* * *
“Don't. Don't say anything,” she said, tearing his hand away from her. “I can't believe you'd do this, Drew. If you knew all that I had been through...if you knew what I'd done to get here, and I threw it all away because I thought you loved me. I'm such a fool. I'm such a fool.”
* * *
“Nay, lass, ye are not a fool.”
* * *
“Yes I am. You never loved me. You never meant all those things you said. You're just as bad as I've always believed, as everyone has always said. You're a typical Highlander, taking what you want and then casting things aside. How could you do this, even after I told you what happened to my parents? Now you're going to make a prisoner of me? Well you might as well just kill me. Put me out of my misery. That's all I want anymore. I don't want to live. It hurts too much.”
* * *
Her voice trembled with emotion. The strength and tone of her words caught the attention of everyone around. Drew stood firmly, pressing his lips together.
* * *
“Calm down, lass.”
* * *
“Don't tell me to calm down!” she cried. “How dare you! How dare you treat me this way. I may not be a noble, but that doesn't mean you get to treat me this way. I was a fool to think this was ever going to bring me happiness. We're from two different worlds. I don't belong here. I don't belong with you.”
* * *
In a storm of tears Sarah was ready to leave, ready to storm away from the camp, but Drew couldn't let her. Seeing her like this made him feel small, and despite what it meant for the clan he knew that he wanted to be with her, and have her by his side. He limped up to her and placed a hand on her arm. This time she did not shirk it.
* * *
“I'm sorry, lass. I'm truly sorry from the pit of my heart. I did nae mean what I said. I spoke without thinking. I should hae been more careful with my words. I dinnae want ye tae think that I was lying. What happened between us, everything I said, I meant. I did nae know what love meant before I met ye. Ye saved my life. Ye showed me that I cannae hate all English, and ye opened my eyes to something new. Ye are not a prisoner. I am the prisoner, Sarah. Ye hae my heart.”
* * *
Sarah calmed. Her liquid eyes stared at him. She swallowed down her feelings and exhaled deeply, trying to keep her voice steady and even.
* * *
“Do you speak the truth?” she asked.
* * *
Drew took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. He placed her hands on his heart.
* * *
“I dae,” he said, smiling at her. Sarah's lips twitched into a smile. It was the sweetest sight Drew had ever seen, and he knew in that moment that he wanted to continue making her smile forever.
* * *
Suddenly, Sarah seemed to become aware that all eyes were on her. She bowed her head demurely and wiped the tears from her eyes. There were still many things Drew did not know about her, but one of the things he could tell was that she did not like being the center of attention. Drew cleared his throat and pulled her away to a private tent that had been erected. Before he did so, he told a messenger to run out onto the battlefield and tell Blair that he had returned, and that he was safe and well.
* * *
“I feel so foolish,” Sarah said.
* * *
“I am the fool. I should nae hae said what I did. I did nae mean tae make ye think ye are less than ye are. I will never dae that again.”
* * *
“This is a complicated situation. But I don't understand, what did that man mean when he said that you were as bad as your brother?”
* * *
“Did I nae tell ye? My brother Blair returned with an English lass recently when he was out hunting. Much of the clan did nae like that. There were some who plotted against him. I managed tae stop it, and in truth I did nae approve either. Choosing an English lass disnae look good tae our people, especially when we are in a war.”
* * *
“You mean there's another girl like me here?” Sarah said, her eyes lighting up.
* * *
“Aye, at least, I believe she came with Blair.”
* * *
“What's her name?”
* * *
Drew scratched his beard.
* * *<
br />
“I dinnae know if that's the best idea. People may think the two of ye are plotting. It might be best if ye stay out of sight for a wee while.”
* * *
Sarah stepped forward and looked at Drew pointedly.
* * *
“I am alone here, Drew. If there is another English girl I am going to talk with her because she is the only person who truly knows what I am going through. I am not going to stay out of sight just because your clan doesn't like the thought of me being here. That's treating me like a prisoner, and we've already made it clear that I'm not one of those.”
* * *
She spoke with real fire in her belly, and Drew was impressed.
* * *
“Ye hae changed from when we first met. Then ye would nae speak at all, but now ye are saying what is truly on your mind.”
* * *
“I suppose you must be rubbing off on me,” she teased. Then she grew more serious again. “Please Drew, tell me her name. I wish to speak with her.”
* * *
Drew sighed, knowing that he wasn't able to deny Sarah her request.
* * *
“Her name is Rosemary, although I cannae tell ye where she is in the camp.”
* * *
“Rosemary? Did you say Rosemary?” Sarah asked, her face white as a sheet.
* * *
“Aye,” Drew replied, and before he could ask anything else Sarah was already out of the tent and running through camp screaming Rosemary's name.
19
Sarah couldn't believe that there was a chance Rosemary was here. It seemed almost too good to be true, and although she did not want to raise her hopes too much for fear they would be dashed it made sense. The bandits had said that Rosemary had been with a Highlander. What if it was Blair?
* * *
Now she did not care that all the Highlanders were looking at her. She ran through the camp, shouting Rosemary's name at the top of her voice. The thought of seeing Rosemary again lightened her heart and made her feel as though this place wasn't so alien and harsh after all.
* * *
What Drew said had wounded her, but he'd made up for it and she hoped that she could trust him with her heart, for it was too late to rescind her feelings. Being with him was one thing, but being with the Highlanders was something else entirely. She'd known that it would be difficult, but experiencing it for herself was eye-opening.
* * *
“Rosemary! Rosemary!” she cried, looking this way and that, twisting through the camp. People looked at her strangely, wondering why an English girl was loose among the camp. There was no sign of her yet, and for a moment Sarah was afraid that Rosemary was somewhere else, or even worse, that she had been killed by a stray arrow. It would be just like her to run into battle. Her steps faltered, and her voice grew softer, and then, behind her, she heard movement. Turning, she saw Rosemary emerge from a tent.
* * *
“Rosemary,” she gasped.
* * *
“Sarah?” Rosemary said. The two women looked as astonished as each other. For a moment they were still, processing the thought of being in the presence of each other again, and then they ran forward, wrapping each other up in a warm and tender embrace.
* * *
“I never thought I'd see you again,” Rosemary said.
* * *
“I thought you had been killed,” Sarah said. The two of them hugged for a long time, and their cheeks were wet with tears. Rosemary showed Sarah into her tent and sat down.
* * *
“What are you doing here? Have you come to find me?” Rosemary asked.
* * *
Sarah didn't know where to begin. “No, I'm here with Drew actually.”
* * *
Rosemary's eyebrow arched. “Drew? As in Blair's brother?” Sarah nodded, and couldn't stop herself from smiling.
* * *
“Well this is surprising! Tell me everything,” she said, leaning forward eagerly. Sarah proceeded to tell her about the lie George had told, and how Sarah had pretended to be Rosemary to save herself from being punished. Rosemary listened intently, gasping, a sad expression on her face, especially when Sarah told her of the cruelty of Lord Flynn.
* * *
“I'm so sorry you had to endure that hardship. I never wanted that for you,” Rosemary said.
* * *
“I know, but before I knew it I was caught in the lie and there was no way out.”
* * *
“But then how did you come to be here?” Rosemary asked. Sarah proceeded to tell her about her daring escape and how she was running through the woods when Drew had appeared on horseback. She shyly told Rosemary all about their encounter together, and how the feelings inside her heart had bloomed.
* * *
“It is a wonderful thing!” Rosemary said, clapping her hands.
* * *
“It is?” Sarah asked. “So far I have been met with suspicious glares and I do not feel welcome here at all.”
* * *
“The Highlanders are a proud people and they do not like the thought of their powerful warriors making English girls their women. It is not an easy thing, but it will be much better now that you are here!”
* * *
“Rosemary, please tell me of how you arrived here. I have been dreadfully worried about you ever since that night we made camp. You should never have skulked off like you did. I thought you were dead. If the bandits had not come to Lord Flynn I would have had no idea what happened to you.”
* * *
“Those bandits,” Rosemary scowled. “They stole my locket.”
* * *
Sarah gasped. “The locket. It is still in Lord Flynn's estate! I am so sorry, Rosemary. We left in such a rush that I did not think to retrieve it from my chambers.”
* * *
“Do not trouble yourself too much. It was a memento. I have learned much in my time here, and one thing is that the memories we hold dear are more important than objects. As for how I came to be here, that is quite the story,” Rosemary said, and proceeded to tell Sarah about how she had witnessed the execution performed under the cloak of darkness by Lord Flynn's men, and how she had been chased through the forest with the threat of death snapping at her heels. She talked with great fondness of how she had been rescued by Blair.
* * *
“It has not always been easy, especially since Blair's father died shortly after my arrival and he became laird of the clan, but I belong by his side. No matter what the others say. And now you are here as well. I am so sorry for abandoning you, Sarah. When I saw what Lord Flynn's men were doing to those prisoners, and that they were doing so on his orders I knew that I could not marry him. I never would have wanted you to have that fate either.”
* * *
“Neither one of us has to now,” Sarah said with great relief. “And it was tiring to pretend to be you.”
* * *
“I am sure that it was not that difficult.”
* * *
“It was in the sense that I looked at life from a different perspective. Instead of being a handmaiden I was a lady, and I had to get used to people treating me differently.”
* * *
“There is none of that here. We are all just people,” Rosemary said. “It is quite refreshing really.”
* * *
“But surely you cannot mean to stay here indefinitely? You have a place in English society. Given what has happened I do not think you will have to marry Lord Flynn, but there are other eligible lords who would be honored to have your hand.”
* * *
Rosemary offered a small smile. “I can never return, and I have made my peace with that. I sealed my fate when I ran, as did you.”
* * *
“But I am just a lowly handmaiden.”