In Pursuit of a Scottish Lady (Moonstone Magic Book 2)

by Hunt, Brenda

  Bennings eyes grew wide with disbelief. Hugh smiled. He had seen the duke a couple of times return to Stoneybrook or Mannery House in London. Once, he had not even recognized him.

  “Mr. Harman, I would like some breakfast myself. Could you have your dear wife prepare some I can take with me and then I will settle my bill. Also, where can I purchase a very good horse?” Harman looked at the duke in confusion.

  “My driver and my valet are to go on ahead, and I am following later. I am not wanting anyone to know, I am the Duke of Worthingston. I have a place I would like to check on but I don’t want anyone to know I am there.”

  “Very good, your grace,” replied Harman. Sometimes, he did not understand these noble folks.

  Worth broke his fast and saw Bennings and Hugh off. Bennings complained about leaving him behind but Worth reassured him, he would see him soon.

  Harmon had him meet with the local blacksmith. He was more than willing to sell him this huge dapple gray someone had left with him months ago as payment. The blacksmith was glad to be rid of the horse for his upkeep cost him money. Worth made friends immediately with the horse. The blacksmith told him his name was Gray. So much for his previous owner’s inventiveness, thought Worth. But, he was exactly what Worth was looking for

  Having settled the bill with the innkeeper and the blacksmith, Worth rode off to the spot where he was robbed. He began his search for his highwayman, or highwaywoman, as he truly believed. Having given the area a good look around, he headed off in the direction his highwaymen had gone. It had not been hard to find their trail.

  Chapter 2

  Ah, there are moments for us here, when seeing

  Life’s inequalities, and woe, and care,

  The burdens laid upon our mortal being

  Seem heavier than the human heart can bear.

  Phoebe Cary

  The duo rode steady through the night, slowing every hour or so to allow the horses to rest. For nearly five hours, they rode, neither talking. Finally, in the early morning hours, the outline of the keep came into view. They entered the barn, both riders and horses glad to be home. The younger of the two, slowly slipped down from the black hessian, laid a weary head against the hessian withers, and sighed deeply, her breath causing condensation in the cold air. She was so cold. It seemed to have penetrated every part of her body. Her fingers were so numb she wondered how she had even held on these last few miles.

  The older man turned and said, “Lass, A’ll see to the horses. Ye go up to the house. Ma will still be up awaitin’ us.” He gazed at the young lass that stood already taking the saddle off her horse. He could see she was cold and completely worn out.

  “No, Rab, I will see to Athena.” She grabbed the saddle and nearly collapsed under its weight.

  Rab quickly grabbed it from her hands. “Lass, A have it.”

  Lilias McGowan nodded and watched wearily, as Rab easily took the saddle from her arms. The big burly Scot had taken care of her for as long as she could remember. He was very simple in his beliefs and manners, but she never doubted his devotion to her family. Now, it was just Rab and his mother, Elsbeth, here at Glendenning taking care of herself and her twin siblings, Aiden and Alysa.

  Since her father’s death over two years ago, things had been difficult. But last summer, Mother’s half- brother Edward Brikley had showed up. He had stayed nearly two weeks and when he left, mother’s jewels left with him along with anything of any worth from Glendenning. Supposedly, he was setting it up in London for her and the twins to live there. She was adamant about not going. Actually, she was adamant about not going anywhere with Edward.

  She shuddered at the thought of Edward. He had left them with nothing. Well not exactly, she had hidden several silver pieces in the dungeons. It had cost her dearly. She pushed that memory to the far recesses of her mind. But the pieces had only lasted so long.

  She had been forced to act as she had tonight. It had been their second time. She had been scared to death each time, but especially tonight. Tonight, they had gone far, into unfamiliar area. But it had proven to be profitable.

  She took the small bag and opened it. There were three gold guineas, six crowns and about a dozen shillings. It was in fact, more than she first believed. It would probably get them through thru till summer, if she was very frugal. But then she had been very frugal for such a long time. It was second nature to her now.

  “Hoo much did we get lass?” asked Rab after he had put the horses up.

  Lilias smiled. “Enough to last us unitl beginning of summer. Maybe by then I will have figured out something else.”

  “Aye, lass. T’is not good we do this.” Rab worried about the wee lass. This was too much for her to deal with. He was not very smart, but he was smart enough to know, this was not good for her. She did not like this, neither did he, but he would be there at her side always, to protect her.

  He followed her into the keep. Elsbeth sat in her rocker by the fireplace sound asleep. She woke up immediately when she heard them come in.

  “Thank ye good Lord for bringin’ them home safely,” she replied. “Come sit by the fire and warm yerselves. Did ye get what---------”

  Lilias nodded and emptied the bag on the table. A handful of coins fell on the table.

  All three looked at the pile of coins in awe. Lilias hand shook when she put the coins back in the bag. It suddenly occurred to her exactly what she had done. She had robbed someone. What if this person needed these coins as she did? She had just taken his hope.

  “Ye best hide it, m’lady in case that Edward comes back like he said he would,” suggested Elsbeth. “And dinnae tell us so we can tell him we dinnae know.” Elsbeth had not liked Edward from his arrival but more so after what he had done to Lilias.

  Lilias nodded. She grabbed the coins and put them back in the bag.

  “Ye go get some sleep, the both of ye. A’ll see to the twins when they wake up. Ye get some rest. We canna go into town when ye wake up.” Elsbeth shooed Lilias up to her bed and once she had left the room turned to her son.

  “Ye took a long time?” she asked.

  “Aye, Ma. We went fur to make sure we wadna be followed. We werna, but we cannae keep deein’ this Ma.”

  “A no, son. But A just dinnae no what else we can do.” Elsbeth was worried about her son and about Lilias, especially Lilias. She is the laird’s daughter. She had been there the day Lilias was born and had seen to her welfare ever since. But things had changed after the laird died and the dire financial troubles of the keep became known.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Lilias walked wearily into her bedroom. She reached behind her bed to the small loose board on the wall. She pulled the board loose and placed the bag of coins in it and replaced the board. She had found that hiding place as a child and often hid her childhood treasures there. No one knew about it.

  She quickly undressed from the black jacket and pants she wore. She would put it back in father’s wardrobe in the morning. She smiled wryly, it was already morning. She dressed in her warmest woolen nightshift, climbed into her bed and pulled the covers about her. She was so cold. She had been so very cold all night long. It wasn’t just the weather but the after effects of what she had done that made her shiver uncontrollably. She curled into the fetal position, her fingers clutched the moonstone necklace at her neck for solace and cried herself to sleep.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Lilias woke up to the sound of “Shhhh. She’s still sleeping. Do you think she’s dead?” Lilias smiled. She recognized Alysa’s voice.

  Aiden’s voice whispered loudly. “Don’t be a silly goose, Ali. Lili’s just sleeping.”

  “But Aiden, Lili never sleeps late.”

  Lilias could hear the worry in her voice. Alysa was her worrier. Aiden, her twin brother, was the leader and the laird of the keep at the age of eight. Sometimes, she felt he was old beyond his age and took the responsibility of being the laird very seriously, too seriously. He was just a child.
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  Lilias opened her eyes a mere crack and watched as they as they slowly crept closer to her bed. They were the reason she did what she did. She was their older sister. She felt her responsibility just as seriously as her younger brother, more so, because she knew how desperate their predicament was.

  She waited till they were at her bedside, leaning over her, trying very hard to be quiet.

  “Gotcha,” she said, as she grabbed each of them and pulled them into her bed.

  Alysa screamed in fright, Aiden screamed startled. Both started laughing when they saw Lili was smiling.

  “See, I told she wasn’t dead, just sleeping” stated Aiden to his twin Alysa.

  “You scared us, Lili,” and turned to her twin, “I knew she was not dead.”

  “No, you did not” argued Aiden.

  “I am not dead and do not argue,” replied Lilias as she sat up. “If you are both good and allow me to get up and get dressed, I will see if Rab can drive us into Hawick to do a little shopping.”

  Lilias watched their faces beam with joy. This is how it should be. They should not, neither one of them, be worrying about having shoes to wear or more important food on the table. If it meant her having to do what she did last night again, she would. She would do whatever it took, to keep them here in their home.

  “Honest?” asked Aiden suddenly, looking at Lili strangely.

  “Yes,” answered Lili. “Now off you both go, so I may dress. Aiden, please go down and tell Rab we are going into town and tell him to get the wagon ready. Now off with you.” Lili hurried to get Aiden busy, before he began asking too many questions. She felt he was beginning to become suspicious. He was a smart lad and she wondered how much longer, she could continue to fool him.

  Aiden nodded but gave her a narrowed eyed look. “Come, Ali.” He took his sister hand and left Lili’s room.

  Lili sighed in relief. She went about her toilet in quick work. She dressed in her thick brown wool dress. It had been her mother’s at one time. In fact, all of her clothes had been her mother’s at one time. She and Elsbeth had altered them to fit her. She was much thinner than her mother. Besides there had been no money for new clothes. She took the brush to her unruly hair. It curled naturally and tangled so easily. She hated the color, even though her father said it reminded him of a dark sunset touched by the sun. He said it was just like his mother’s hair. But she did not like it. She would have rather have the golden brown the twins had. No, she had to be cursed with this red hair of hers.

  After putting on her stout leather boots, she pulled the covers over her bed as she did every morning and straightened her room. From behind her bed in its hiding place, Lili removed the bag of coins from last night. She removed a couple and placed them in the hidden pocket of her dress. She touched the moonstone of her necklace. It was the only piece of jewelry she had been able to hide from Edward. It was her talisman.

  The black clothes she had worn the night before, she pulled from under her bed. In her father’s room, she placed them in the bottom of his wardrobe. She hoped, no prayed she would not have to repeat her actions of last night, but she was afraid, if they were to survive, she would in all likelihood, be forced to go out again. No, she would worry about that, when the time came. For the moment, she had enough coin for them to survive until summer.

  She walked down into the great room. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace. Elsbeth was cooking some mutton stew. They had been living on mutton now for weeks. What used to be herds of sheep was now just more than a handful. There would be very little wool to sell this spring. Another thing to worry about thought, Lili. But at least they had mutton to eat. The three cows still left were their provider of milk and butter.

  “Good morning, Elsbeth.”

  Elsbeth smiled. “Tis nearly noon, my lady.”

  Lili smiled. “It appears, I have been rather lazy this morning. Alysa thought I had died since I had not awakened at my usual earliness.”

  “Ach, her and Lord Aiden were most curious. A held back for as long as A could. A told them ye had gone out to tend to a sick neighbor. When Aiden asked who, A dinnae answer,” explained Elsbeth.

  “Yes, he is beginning to be suspicious,” answered Lili. “We will have to take greater care with him.”

  Elsbeth nodded as she brought a bowl of gruel to the table in front of Lili.

  Lili sat quietly and ate her breakfast. She watched as Elsbeth went about her duties. Elsbeth had been born at the keep. Her mother had been the stewardess of the keep. When her mother died, Elsbeth took her mother’s place. She had so many abilities, cooking, medicines, keeping track of everything that went on at the keep. She often surprised Lili with her knowledge.

  When Lili’s mother died shortly after the twins were born, Elsbeth had become mother to all three of them. Lili had only been ten at the time. Lili truly looked at Elsbeth. She was thin but strong as an ox. Her hair was nearly completely white now. There were lines in her face that she had never truly noticed. But the clear amber eyes of hers still held the love in them Lili had known all her life. Those eyes of Elsbeth saw everything as well, sometimes thought Lili, too much.

  Lili often wondered how she and the twins would have survived the past two years since her father death without Elsbeth and her son Rab. They were her family now. Rab was Elsbeth only son. Elsbeth never said who Rab’s father was. Rab was rather slow in thinking but he was amazing dealing with the horses. It was he that thought of hiding Athena when Edward had showed up. As thin as Elsbeth was, Rab was stout with light brown eyes dark curly hair. A gentler soul did not walk this earth. He was devoted to her and the twins. He would do whatever it took to protect them including riding at her side, as she played the highwayman.

  Lili sighed. This was her family. She would do whatever it took to keep them all together, to keep Glendenning alive until Aiden could inherit.

  The twins came running in.

  “The wagon is ready, Lili,” said Aiden.

  “Rab is waiting,” said Alysa.

  Lili looked to Elsbeth.

  “No, A’ll not be coming with ye today. But we need some flour, sugar, salt, tea, coffee if ye can afford it,” listed Elsbeth.

  Lili nodded and walked out the door with the twins in tow.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The twins ran in with Lili close behind them,

  “We got new boots, Elsbeth,” said the twins in unison. They raised their feet to show her.

  “Ach, that is very fine lookin’ boots.” Elsbeth looked over their heads to Lili in question.

  Lili nodded. “The cobbler had some that fit. Theirs were falling apart. We still have much of the winter left.”

  Elsbeth nodded and watched as her son brought in some much needed supplies. She had a difficult time accepting how they were forced to live. She worried so about Lili, about what she may be forced to do in order for them to survive. Lili had been forced to give up so much already.

  “Ach, perhaps spring will be comin’ early this year,” said Elsbeth, knowing a long winter would be difficult for them to survive even with the coin my lady had managed to obtain during last night’s endeavors. “Food be on the table for ye. Tis the last of the bread. Tomorrow A will be able bake some more bread with the flour ye have brought.”

  Aiden sat down at the table and when Elsbeth placed a bowl of mutton stew in front of him made a face. “Mutton stew again. Ughh!”

  Lili looked at him sternly. But deep down, she felt just like him. It was all they had to eat, but at least they had something to eat. With the added supplies she had bought today, they would be able to add a little variety, not much but at least a little.

  “Tomorrow, I will go down to the river and fish,” stated Aiden forcefully.

  Lili turned in a heartbeat to face him. “You will not. The river is dangerous and you will not go there.” Lili saw the mutinous look on his face. Aiden had become more demanding since Edward had visited. It was as though he had suddenly decided, he was the man of th
e keep. He was only eight years old. Lili softened and explained, “I will take you in a couple of days, I promise. Just not tomorrow.”

  Aiden eyes looked at her as though deciding whether she was telling him the truth. Lili had become very protective of him and Alysa ever since Uncle Edward had come. He did not like Uncle Edward. He had made Lili cry. Next time Uncle Edward came, he would not let him make Lili cry. He would stop him.

  Aiden nodded his acceptance.

  “Can I come, too?” asked Alysa. She was not about to be left behind.

  Lili sighed. “Yes, when we go.”

  She did not like fishing by the river. It was dangerous especially during the winter months. So far the winter had not been a hard one, but there were still a couple of months for them to survive.

  Fresh fish would be a pleasant change for certain but was it worth the chance. She would think about it and maybe tomorrow check the river. She looked to Rab who nodded. He would check the river for her.

  “Enough of this talk of fishing,” said Elsbeth. “T’is time for all to sit and eat.”

  Lili sat at the head of the table as she had done since her father’s death. Aiden and Alysa sat at her right, Elsbeth and Rab at her left. She nodded to Alysa and she said the short prayer over their meal as it was her turn to do so.

  Chapter 3

  Through hollow lands and hilly lands

  I will find out where she has gone;……

  The Song of Wandering Angus

  W.B. Yeats

  Worth had been on the trail for two days. He had lost the trail yesterday afternoon at the river’s edge. He had thoughts of crossing the river but had found no safe place to cross. He had continued on, in the direction he felt they had headed. He was certain he would come across something that would tell him, he was on the right course. He felt it in his gut. He trusted his gut. It had led him in the right direction too many times. He followed the river’s edge hoping to pick up the trail again.