Highland Champion

by Hannah Howell

  “Ye truly didnae expect me to come back?”

  “Why should ye? Aye, and we feared ye had died since ye were so hurt and all on your own. From time to time, we hoped ye were alive and might think of a way to help us. We also hoped Sir Ian would see what a threat Moubray was and want to get rid of him. But, wheesht, we ne’er expected our hell to end in only a few months.”

  Keira felt the guilt she had carried for so long begin to lift from her heart. Joan was saying what everyone else had tried to tell her time and time again. Since Joan had been one of the ones to suffer at Rauf’s hands, however, the woman’s words carried far more weight. Keira could be certain they were the truth, and not simply words of comfort.

  “Your husband is a bonnie lad,” said Joan, “and my Malcolm says he is a good mon, too. Ye have brought us a fine laird.”

  “Oh! Malcolm!” Keira grasped Joan by the hand. “I forgot to speak to Malcolm about his hand.”

  “’Tis a sad thing.” Joan looked around to make sure no one was near enough to overhear her and added, “But ye do ken that it isnae his working hand. It pains him though, and I hope Moubray suffers a thousand torments in hell for that.”

  “I looked at his hand, Joan. I think I can help him. It will probably ne’er be as it was, but I think I can make it better than it is, make it hurt him less.” She grimaced. “Unfortunately, I would have to cause him pain to do so.”

  “What would ye need to do?”

  “Break his fingers, and set them properly.” She nodded when Joan winced. “The pain and the way his hand has become crabbed like that is because the bones didnae heal right. It shouldnae be left too much longer though.”

  Joan nodded. “Do it ere it sets wrong permanent like. Makes sense. I will speak with him, m’lady. A quick pain that could end most of the constant pain sounds a good thing. If he says aye, I will find someone to do the breaking, and then ye can do the setting.”

  “His hand would be near useless for six weeks or so.”

  “’Tis near useless now, and I will be there to help him.”

  Keira took a deep breath to steady her sinking courage. “I ken how ye all suffered here, and, weel, if any of ye find yourself with child and cannae bear to keep the bairn because it will remind ye too much of your torment, bring it to me.”

  “Ye dinnae think the bairn will carry the taint of its sire?”

  “No more than I believe that a raped woman getting with child means she had to be enjoying herself. Nay, just because the mon is a brute and does things so cruel it turns one’s stomach doesnae mean his child will be of the same ilk. Nay, if he doesnae have the raising of that child. I dinnae believe Rauf was mad either, and ’tis odd, but I find that makes it all the more chilling.”

  “I ken what ye mean. He had more a sickness in the soul than in the mind. I will tell the women, but I think there willnae be too many bairns born of this, and e’en fewer who willnae be able to abide the child. Aye, especially when I tell them that what Moubray and his men were was a pack of wild dogs, but a pup can be trained to be a fine companion if treated with a loving hand. S’truth, ’twill be the men who will have the hardest time accepting a bairn born of this time.”

  “M’lady! ’Tis good that ye have come!”

  Turning to see Kester hurrying over to her, Keira started to smile until she saw the worried look upon his face. “What is it, Kester?” she asked as he stumbled up to her, Meggie close at his heels.

  “’Tis Sir Archie,” Kester replied. “He has cracked his head again.”

  “No one told me that he had been wounded during the battle.”

  “A mon or two asked him if he was hurt, and he told them all that it was naught but a scratch, but I think his old wound has been opened. Two of Rauf’s men tried to escape through the room Sir Archie was guarding. One of the women was verra good at helping Sir Archie find his target, and the other mon was dealt with by the others hiding themselves inside Sir Archie’s chambers. But Sir Archie did take a blow to the head ere he dealt with that pig.”

  “Where is he?” she asked as Liam stepped closer to her, listening carefully.

  “In the wee bedchamber we were given when we first came here.”

  “Weel, I wanted to get a good look at that wound, and I thought to open it to clean it. At least I dinnae have to do the opening of it” She looked around at all the work that needed doing. “Is he bleeding badly?”

  “Go take care of the mon,” said Liam before Kester could answer. “I can start dealing with some of the work, although it appears that these ladies dinnae need much direction. Go. Meggie and Kester can help ye get what ye need. And ye may as weel look at who else is wounded at the same time.” When she still hesitated, he gave her a quick kiss. “Ye go and do what ye are so verra good at, and let me survey the damage. I may be just a mon, but I think I can tell what needs cleaning.”

  Keira laughed softly and then went off with Kester and Meggie to help her gather what she would need to tend the wounded. Liam hated to think that any of those who had helped retake Ardgleann were suffering, but he was pleased that Keira would be thoroughly caught up in healing people for a while. He wanted to confer with the women about what damage they had seen and what they felt needed to be done first. As soon as Keira had disappeared, he turned to talk to the women, only to find them all gathered together watching him.

  “’Tis better if ye take an accounting, m’laird,” said Claire. “We didnae have a chance to ken the wee lass verra weel, but we do ken that she has a soft heart, and what that mon did here will grieve her sorely.”

  Joan nodded. “And add to her guilt.” Joan looked at the other women. “Fool lass thinks she failed us by nay getting back here sooner.”

  Liam listened to the women exclaim in surprise, and then Claire looked at him. “Dinnae worry, m’laird. We will soon shake that nonsense from her head. Now, will ye be needing something to tally or write with to record it all?”

  “Aye, something to write with and on would be most helpful,” Liam replied, fighting to contain the delight he felt, for he was certain these women would indeed finally remove the burden of guilt Keira had carried for so long.

  Claire hurried off to get him what he needed, and Joan said, “The kitchens are in no need of work. The men rarely stepped inside the room. We have also scrubbed clean a bedchamber for ye and our lady. There are three women up there now putting it back to rights.”

  “I suspicion Rauf Moubray used the laird’s bedchamber.”

  “Aye, he did, so we have cleaned the lady’s bedchamber for ye. None of the men slept in there as it was used by Rauf’s woman.” Joan nodded to a very fulsome brunette with world-weary brown eyes. “Hattie slept in there. When that demon asked who was the laird’s whore, she bravely stepped forward, kenning that the mon intended to act the laird here. She also taught us a few things that helped us survive, being as she has, weel, dealt with a lot of men in her life.” Joan blushed.

  To Liam’s surprise, Hattie laughed, and the women quickly joined in. “Weel, Hattie, if ye e’er decide ye would like to stop dealing with men, just let me ken it.” He could tell by the widening of Hattie’s eyes that she understood him, and he suspected he would hear from her soon. “Are there any other people who need tending to?”

  “I suspicion our lady will be seeing to that soon,” replied Joan. “Those two big lairds went right down into the dungeons to free the poor souls Rauf had put in there, and most of them will be with the few men wounded in the fight. The truly grim work is done. Those poor souls that pig hung from the walls have finally been put to rest Rauf and his men were stripped of all that was worth anything and were buried in a pit dug by your men and e’en a few of Sir Ian’s who lingered here for a wee while. So did the laird MacKay’s son Adam and his men. They all made quick work of it, and I fed them weel ere they left. When they saw what had been done here, weel, to a mon, the MacLeans and the MacKays were verra pleased that ye had come to rid this land of Moubray.”


  Which meant that he would get no argument from his neighbors for claiming Ardgleann as his own because of his wife’s short marriage to Duncan MacKail, Liam thought. In one stroke, he had won lands and a fine keep and secured allies. It had all gone so well, he was sure it would be quite a while before he fully believed it. Claire returned, and Liam set his mind to making a list of what needed doing and what might need replacing. He was just settling into what had been Duncan MacKail’s ledger room, one thankfully used little by Rauf and his men, when Sigimor, Ewan, and Keira’s brothers joined him.

  “We will be leaving in the morning,” announced Sigimor as he leaned against the heavy worktable at which Liam sat.

  “Ye ken that ye all have my hearty thanks,” said Liam.

  “Aye, but we dinnae need them. This needed doing. Ye gaining this place just sweetens it all a wee bit more.”

  “And we would have come because of Keira,” said Lucas. “We are verra pleased that we didnae have to fight for what was hers all by ourselves.”

  “’Tis bad?” asked Ewan, glancing over the listing Liam had set in front of himself.

  “Nay verra good,” replied Liam. “Ye were right about the feasting. The mon gave nary a thought to what would happen when he and his men had eaten everything. The people managed to save a few cows, sheep, and fowl, but ’twill be a long time ere we can replenish what was sacrificed to his gluttony.”

  “We can help there. A few small contributions from each of us willnae leave any of us suffering, but they will help ye keep the wolves from the door come the winter.”

  “Aye,” agreed Sigimor, and Keira’s brothers nodded. “We all gain from this, and at little cost to ourselves. Ye now have more horses than ye will e’er need or want. Use them to barter with your neighbors for what ye do need.”

  “Ye dinnae want any of them?” asked Liam.

  “Weel, there are one or two I think ye should keep, and I will be seeking stud service or a colt or two if ye do, but no more.” When Liam nodded, Sigimor said, “I will show ye the ones I mean ere I leave this place.”

  “How fares my sister?” asked Artan.

  “It grieves her to see what was done to what is a verra fine keep,” replied Liam, “and, e’en more, what all of the people here have suffered through. Howbeit, that will pass, and if all feel as the women cleaning the great hall do, Keira will finally let go of all that guilt she has clung to for so long.”

  Artan cursed softly. “We all told her she had naught to feel guilty about, but ’tis clear she didnae heed us.”

  “Aye, but then we werenae the ones suffering, were we? Those women telling her to cease being a fool carries far more weight than anything we did or could have said. S’truth, I could almost see the weight of it lift from her whilst she talked with Malcolm’s wife.”

  “Good,” said Sigimor. “Now, tell us if there is aught we and the men can do now. No sense in wasting the chance to put so many strong backs to use.”

  “Aye,” agreed Ewan. “Hard work will also help me decide how to act when I get home to my pregnant wife.”

  “Fiona is with child again?” asked Liam. “I am surprised ye still joined us for this fight.”

  “Had to. I kenned it was why she worked so hard to keep it a secret from me.” Ewan shook his head. “Near everyone at Scarglas kens it, and since not one of them believes she would e’er carry out any of the rather bloodcurdling threats she used to keep them quiet, it wasnae long ere I heard about it. I just have to decide whether I should act surprised or scold her for trying to keep secrets from her laird and husband.”

  Liam laughed along with the others. When they all turned their attention to what work might be done before they left, however, Liam often found his thoughts distracted. As soon as the others left him, he sought out Keira before joining in the work that was being done. Ewan’s announcement that Fiona carried his child made Liam think of Keira, of how she might soon be carrying his son or daughter, and he felt a strong need to see her.

  It was a while before he found her sitting in the lady’s solar. The room looked as if it was another one that had mercifully escaped the taint of Moubray and his men. Keira sat on a cushioned bench near one of the surprisingly large windows. He walked over to her, sat down beside her, and took her hand in his. It was only then that he noticed she was studying a long, thin piece of metal.

  “What is that?” When she held it out to him, he took the piece from her hand and studied it carefully. “It looks a bit like some piece of a flail or what some men might stick in a club to make it a more dangerous weapon.”

  “’Tis exactly what it is,” Keira said. “It was in Sir Archie’s head.”

  “Jesu. It must have been a constant source of pain.”

  “I think so, too, but he insists that it wasnae so verra bad. I also think it may be why his vision was so blurred, but I willnae be certain of that for a wee while yet. The wound did need a lot of cleaning, but that thing was a great surprise. I had to get one of my cousins to pull it out for ’twas stuck in the bone. Sir Archie is sleeping now, but once he wakes, I will ken better if getting that out will help his eyesight improve.”

  “And what of the others ye tended to?”

  “The battle wounds will heal. They werenae so verra bad. The poor souls Rauf had locked away in the dungeons will need some careful tending for a while. Some suffered from beatings, some were torttured, but mostly, they werenae fed much or given enough water. They needed washing ere I could e’en see their wounds.”

  “They survived it. They are clearly strong, and they have the will to live.”

  Keira nodded. “Ah, Liam, they were all so grateful,” she whispered. “They were so verra pleased that I had come back, and in their eyes, I did so more quickly than they would e’er have thought I could.”

  “So will ye now believe me and all the others who have tried to make ye understand that ye have naught to feel guilty about?”

  She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. “Aye, I will. ’Tis odd, but when Joan spoke of how surprised they all were that I had come back at all, let alone in only a few months’ time, ’twas as if unseen hands had lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. And from my heart. Now, it just aches for the lives lost, the pain the living still suffer, and the ill done to a place that was all beauty and peace.”

  “Good. ’Tis as it should be.” Liam looked around, yet again noticing the elegant touches that seemed to run throughout the keep, from a beautiful tapestry upon the wall to the carpet upon the floor. “The MacKails had a taste for fine things, aye?”

  “Aye, they did. A lot of these things are made here, ye ken. A long time ago, the laird here began to gather fine craftsmen into his fold. Since word spreads quickly amongst such people, more came here for ’tis usually a peaceful place, and the land is surprisingly good here. Ye will find wares from Ardgleann at every market. Unlike so many others in this land, Ardgleann is quite a profitable place for all of its people. I think that is why I found it so verra hard to bear that Rauf would come here. All these people wished to do was to make beautiful things. To have such a mon come here seemed an abomination.”

  “Weel, we shall put it to rights, and it will be peaceful again.” He told her of how certain it was that strong alliances had been made with the neighboring clans; of the horses that could be used for barter; and anything else he could think of that could be considered good news, no matter how small.

  Keira smiled as she listened to Liam talk. He was trying so hard to turn her eyes toward all that was good and to keep her from grieving on all that had been hurt or lost. She almost laughed when he sighed heavily and muttered a curse, for she knew it meant he had run out of good news.

  She sat up, took his hands in hers, and gave him a brief kiss. “That all sounds wonderful, and we are most fortunate in our kinsmen. Now, tell me all the bad news.”

  He did, and it was bad, yet Keira realized it was not quite as bad as she had feared. Rauf Moubray and his men had been cr
ude brutes, but it appeared that Rauf had kept the destruction of the finer things in Ardgleann to a minimum. He had wanted to play the laird, and thus he had seen such things as the tapestries, the glass in the windows, and rugs as the trappings of a laird. It had obviously never occurred to him to do his very best to keep the people who made those things alive, if only just to keep his purse full.

  “The worst, aside from those who died, is the loss of so much food and the delay in the planting of the fields,” Keira said when Liam was done. “Howbeit, it appears our kinsmen will save us this year.”

  “As Sigimor and Ewan said, they have gained by this, too. Another laird in the family, more allies, and a stronger bond made with some old ones.”

  “Such practical men,” she teased and stood up. “’Tis time to go to work. If naught else, we need to find a place to sleep.”

  “We already have one. Nay, not the laird’s bedchamber,” he said when he saw the consternation she could not hide. “The lady’s bedchamber. Only Hattie stayed there. Do ye have any trouble with that?”

  “Why? Because she is a whore? Nay.” She smiled faintly. “She was a verra clean whore. I just wonder how she got herself in here.” Her eyes widened as Liam told her what Hattie had done, as well as the offer he had made to the woman. “I hope she accepts that offer. I always got the feeling that she was what she was because there was naught else she could do, or thought she could do. And I think if she does step away from that life now, she will be accepted by the other women. She could have a new life.”

  “I believe she will. If naught else, she seems a clever woman, and she will see all of that for herself.”

  “Shall we get to work then?” She hooked her arm through his.

  Liam kissed her and whispered against her lips. “It will be alright, love.”

  When she stared into his blue-green eyes, Keira could almost believe him.

  CHAPTER 20

  Liam grinned as he stepped into the area where the kitchen gardens were. Keira and Joan were working side by side on their hands and knees, weeding the garden. What made him smile was that each had a cat riding on her back. Keira’s two cats had arrived with the supplies from Scarglas a month ago, and they had quickly become two very spoiled animals. Rauf, it seemed, had loathed cats, and he had had his men kill every one they could find. Most of the dogs had fallen victim to cruel games as well. Only two cats had survived, both females, although one of them was rather old. Lightning was going to be one happy torn when he finally came of age.