“Yes?”
“The moment we get her out of here, I am going to marry Grace MacGowan. You have my word on that. We must succeed. I cannot live with any other option,” he confessed.
“Then we will succeed. We will rescue her and you shall marry her. I am confident of it,” Richard encouraged.
Douglas turned to him and smiled. “You are a good friend.”
“And you are a man worth befriending.”
With that, they continued with their planning until a mostly-formed idea had come together. The challenge would come when they tried to put it into action.
“When will we do it?” Richard asked.
“Tomorrow evening. It will have to be evening, just as night is starting to fall. I want to make sure that I am able to get her away into the dark, keep her from being seen.
“Most likely she will be angry with me for not coming to see her today. But I can do nothing else,” he said apologetically, even though she was not there to hear it. He felt deeply saddened by the thought that she might feel abandoned by him not coming to see her.
“Yes, she likely will. But you can explain to her after. It is better for her to be angry for a day than prisoner for a lifetime, and I’ve no doubt she has the sense to agree with that. We should get some rest; we have a long day tomorrow,” Richard said. Douglas could see that he was exhausted.
“That sounds like a good plan. I doubt that I will manage much sleep, but we will do whatever we are able,” he said.
Richard left him and Douglas laid down to rest. The next day would be a day of intensity, stress, and anxiety. It made him unable to get any real sleep, but he had not expected any and that was exactly what happened.
As the sun began to rise, he realized that he had drifted for what must have been at least an hour. It was something anyway. In addition, without at least that small bit of rest, he did not wish to consider how he might respond to things and what mistakes might be made.
He had fought in many battles. Exhaustion was always the first thing he saw that caused mistakes. What if he allowed his exhaustion to cause him to make a mistake?
All of these thoughts just made his rest more difficult. Finally, with the last thing he heard being the other men going to eat breakfast, Douglas drifted into a real sleep.
“Douglas, Douglas wake up!” Richard urged in a harsh whisper.
With a loud grunt, he jolted awake. “What? What is it? What happened?” he asked in fear, lurching his body forward from the bed.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, but you have to wake up. It’s time for lunch and Major Dashfield has called a meeting of the whole company. He has told them all that you’ve yet to return. Have you not seen him since you came back?” he asked.
Douglas thought for a moment. “Well, I went to his house, so I just assumed he knew I was here. I hardly report to the man. He is not my direct superior. Why should I have gone to him?” he asked.
“He may not be your superior, but he considers himself to be and he is doing all he can to create tension for you among the men,” Richard warned.
Douglas sighed and rolled his eyes. He had to make his presence known.
He got ready quickly, changing his clothes and washing his face before he casually strolled out into the fort. Everyone who looked his way seemed surprised. He had seen many of them the night before, but it seemed that Dashfield’s lies had gotten the better of them and they had assumed he’d left again.
Greeting them with an ease and friendliness that he didn’t feel, Douglas finally reached the little brick house that was keeping the major warm at night. He knocked on the door and when it opened to reveal four soldiers, he greeted them all warmly.
“Higgins, great to see you. Were you around when I came last evening? I must have missed you…Edmonds, have you heard anything from your wife? How’s the pregnancy?” He asked personal questions of each of them, assuring them that he not only knew them well, but took an interest and had concern for their well-being.
It was every bit the kind of bonding that Dashfield would never succeed in achieving.
“Send him in,” came a deep voice beyond a door, before Douglas could even ask to see the major.
He took a deep breath and prepared himself to face the creature. Stepping through the door felt like walking to his death. It was rare for Douglas to feel this level of fear and dread, but Major Dashfield had consistently enforced it.
As he entered the drab room, filled with papers and scribbling on the desk, the looming figure of muscle and eyes that seemed to be at odds with one another was standing beside the window.
“So you have come back to us after all,” he said.
“Not to all of you, Major Dashfield. For, as I recall, you were not with us before my departure,” Douglas responded bravely, fighting the pounding of his heart within his chest.
“No, indeed, I was not. I was sent here only after the company of Fort Amswold reported having been consistently abandoned by their general, who would go off on ‘hunts’—as they called them— by himself. Their great concern was what led to my coming here. Nothing else,” he replied.
Douglas looked at him with silent rage. He was being accused of abandoning them all, and that had been nothing of the sort. Nevertheless, he had to keep himself calm. No lack of sleep or fear of this man could overwhelm his emotions. Not today, at least.
“Well then, we are terribly fortunate to have you,” Douglas replied vaguely.
He was also aware that in a room adjacent to them, Grace was probably trying to listen in on the conversation. There was little in the walls to prevent sound dispersion and she knew his voice well.
“Yes, yes you are, and it is better for us all that you do not forget it,” Dashfield replied.
“I shall not, Major Dashfield. I do, however, have one concern I should like to address. It would seem that the men are continuing to be told that I have abandoned them. As you can see, this is not the case. It is true that I have had a great many things to attend to, but abandonment is not at the root,” he said, nonchalantly defending himself.
“Your great many things, were they necessary to keeping you away from those to whom you have a great responsibility?” the rumbling voice asked.
“They were urgent at the time, and I was well aware that I would be able to return swiftly. But yes, they were necessary to attend to. Now you can see that I am back. If you hear only one thing from me, Major Dashfield, hear this,” Douglas began, knowing that Grace would understand the message meant for her.
“I know exactly for whom I am responsible. And those to whom I give my responsibility can always depend upon me. Should I make a promise to care for someone, I will not rest until that promise has been fulfilled.”
“How very noble of you,” the major replied, nearly ripping Douglas apart with the glare of those eyes.
“Might I be excused?” he asked, knowing he was welcome to leave. The major would appreciate his absence more than his presence, certainly.
“Indeed, it would be wise that you leave swiftly. But do stay at the fort. We have much to discuss further at a later time. We have a lot of time. I intend to remain here as long as I believe I am needed,” Major Dashfield said, forming the threat through easy words.
“How fortunate we are…” Douglas replied, making a quick sign of his respect and taking his leave from Dashfield’s presence.
As he walked past the door that he knew led to Grace’s prison, he made a brief comment to the soldier escorting him. “It smells like roses in this spot.”
A stifled laugh was fleetingly heard on the other side of the door and within moments, Douglas had gone from the house.
Richard was outside waiting for him. He quickly came up beside Douglas and walked with him until they were in a place where they might have some privacy. “What happened? What did he say?” Richard asked.
“Just rambling threats that I do not take all that seriously. He is trying to frighten me and in many ways, h
e is successful. But I also know that he is the sort of man who would say these things regardless in order to make me feel less than him,” Douglas replied.
He was bothered by the wounds to his pride made by the beast of a man, but he also gave himself a break in the knowledge that Major Dashfield would terrify any man.
The day wore on slowly, but finally it was time. The light of the sun was fading and the moon was in the sky.
“It’s time,” Douglas said to Richard. His heart was pounding and he had no idea what might be about to come, but he knew that they had to move quickly. Major Dashfield was still working on his target practice.
They had a small window of time between there being enough light for him to finish and it being dark enough for them to get Grace away safely.
Douglas came upon the house and he had Richard managed to get inside before they happened upon the guards.
“Gentlemen!” they greeted. “How good it is to see you. The major has asked us to check in on the prisoner. We might be sending her north to another camp and we are instructed to prepare her in case of that event,” Douglas said.
It was flimsy. He and Richard both knew that. However, Douglas was their general, and the men had spent over a year under his instruction. They were willing to take his word except for the fact that Major Dashfield had terrified them so deeply.
The two soldiers looked at one another and finally decided they would listen to their general’s instructions. After all, he had been with them through all of this war.
“Thank you,” Douglas said, accepting their nods as an answer.
Just as he placed his hand on the door handle, one of the men spoke up in fear.
“General. Please, forgive me. But I think it is best if we wait for the major to return. We need his approval before we do this,” he said.
Douglas felt his heart sink. He and Richard had decided this would mean they had to do battle. Nevertheless, he knew in that instant that he could not put Richard in that type of danger.
“Lieutenant Holloway,” Douglas said. “Please go and find Major Dashfield.”
Richard looked at him in confusion. This was a deviation of the plan. “Are-are you certain we should disturb him now? Rather than await his return?” Richard asked, trying to speak in code for their plan.
Douglas closed his eyes for a moment and looked back up at Richard. “Yes, you ought to go find him.”
Richard hesitantly departed. Douglas assumed he would go and try to distract Major Dashfield, and prevent him from returning home too soon.
The moment he was gone, Douglas turned on the two soldiers and surprised the first with a punch to the jaw that instantly knocked him out.
The other man prepared to fight, but was taken aback by the sudden aggression and betrayal of their general.
He took a swing at Douglas, and Douglas dogged it and scored one right to the man’s gut. He doubled over for a moment, but regained himself and charged at Douglas. Being unprepared for this, Douglas was knocked hard into the wall and felt the air go from his lungs.
He would have to fight dirty. However, he was lucky. A pistol was right by his hand. He took it by the barrel and used his force to shove the butt end into the man’s head swiftly enough that he, too, was unconscious.
Without a moment to spare, Douglas rushed to the door, turned the key he grabbed off the guard, and opened the wood with a creaking sound.
The first thing he noticed was the lack of bars in the open window.
The second thing he noticed was the fact that Grace was gone.
What He Found In The Woods
Grace watched form the woods as Douglas nervously rushed out of the house. She realized he had to have done something foolish.
Lingering nearby was the young lieutenant. Holloway, was it? Richard. Richard Holloway.
“Richard,” she whispered loudly to get his attention. She had easily recognized that these two trusted one another and she had seen him enter the house with Douglas, and leave in such a way that it was clear he was trying to protect his friend.
“Richard,” she said again, a little more loudly.
Richard turned around and saw her shadow moving about. He subtly made his way toward her, hoping none of the other men about the camp would notice his suspicious behavior in talking to a tree.
“What are you doing out here? Douglas is in there trying to rescue you!” he whispered through clenched teeth.
“I already broke free. What nonsense is he doing? Putting himself in danger like that?” she asked with evident irritation.
“Yes, because he loves you and wants to see you free,” Holloway replied.
“Then he ought to come here, because I am free. The question is how long I will remain such. I’ve no horse because they took me mare and I dinnae ken where they’re keeping her,” Grace said.
“I do. And so does he. And he’s right there. Let me go to him,” Richard said, watching his friend make his way to his tent, where he was undoubtedly trying to gather a few things for a journey of escape himself.
Grace watched in anticipation for a full five minutes before she saw the figure of Douglas emerge from his tent and head toward where she gathered must be the stables.
Just as he slowly walked the horse toward her place in the trees, where she saw Richard gesture to her, sudden chaos erupted.
“The prisoner! She’s gone!” yelled a man emerging from the little house.
Grace had stopped keeping an eye on the structure because she was so distracted by Douglas.
“They said it was the general,” cried another.
“Thompson and Renfield are both injured,” reported another man, who was rushing out of the house in that moment.
Douglas knew that it was only a matter of time before he was spotted and they had just alerted the entire camp to his involvement in the incident. He quickly shifted his position to the other side of the mare and walked in the shadows, but a few heads turned toward him.
“General!” came a cry just as he reached Grace.
“On! Now!” he yelled.
Grace and Douglas both mounted quickly and kicked the mare forward at a deathly pace. They sped on when Grace turned and looked back to see that soldiers were being sent after them on horseback.
They would soon be ambushed.
Douglas surged forward even faster and finally she saw that their adversaries were falling behind.
Her mare was strong and sturdy, fully capable of carrying them both, but Grace easily noted when she became exhausted and when they had gone quite far she recognized it.
“Douglas, she needs a rest!” Grace exclaimed into his ear. She saw his dilemma as he wanted to ignore her, but he, too, realized that the mare was fading.
“We have to find safety for the night,” he replied.
“And we will. But she cannae go on much longer.”
Douglas finally relented and slowed the mare to a strong trot.
From there they found a place in the woods far closer to Dunmore. A small brook provided water and, after dismounting, he led the mare over so she could drink. She panted heavily and Grace was concerned for her. It was difficult to see her beast in such a poor state, but she also feared for them.
If the mare was pushed to the point of death, they would be stranded and on foot. She would encourage Douglas to take better care.
Night was half-gone and the exhaustion was reaching Grace as well. She and Douglas took some of the blankets he had loaded onto the mare and laid them on the ground. They wound their bodies together under a tree beside where they had tied her horse and in one another’s arms, they drifted into sleep.
* * *
“Good morning my dove,” Douglas whispered in Grace’s ear as the sun was hanging just to the east of them. They had slept surprisingly late, but Grace was thankful for it.
“Ye let me sleep this long?” she asked in surprise.
“I am afraid I had little choice in the matter, for I too was asleep until a mere
ten minutes or so ago. We had quite the eventful evening,” Douglas replied.
“Aye, we did at that,” Grace replied.
“So are you ready for us to continue on our quest?” Douglas asked her.
“I would. But we should discuss one thing,” she replied.
“Our marriage?” he asked knowingly.
“Aye. Ye ken I want to marry ye right this moment and never be out of yer arms. I want to stay with ye always. To be yer wife and yer lover and everything that comes with that. But-”
“But?” he prodded.
“I cannae do it like this. Running away. Without me family and me friends. Me friends are everything to me. And me family, whatever their flaws, they do love me. It would be a heartbreak to me mother if I should not have her present when I wed,” Grace explained.
Douglas nodded. “I understand. And I assumed you might feel that way once we were free of the camp. I can’t say that I am not sad to be unable to make you my wife immediately. But I do understand. You ought to settle with them. After that, we will have all the time in the world to make our union,” he said.
Grace nodded sadly. The thought of being his wife immediately brought her so much joy, but she couldn’t bear the thought of hurting everyone else who loved her.
They both mounted the mare and this time moved forward at a slower pace. Douglas respected the need to preserve the mare’s strength and her ability to run if they found themselves in a bind.
It would not be long before they would reach Dunmore, and that was a consolation for both of them. Their safety was near at hand.
Within a short time, they had reached the edge of the forest and Grace and Douglas looked at one another, knowing what it meant.
This was yet another goodbye. Only for a short time. However, it was a goodbye nonetheless, one where Grace had to beg her family’s forgiveness for running off. She had to explain to her father that they’d tried to use her as leverage over him.
Loving A Highland Enemy: Ladies of Dunmore Series (A Medieval Scottish Romance Story) Page 17