“I hope you’re right,” Myra said, eyening Duncan suspiciously. “Ellen mentioned that the two of you had grown rather close.”
“Aye.” Duncan smiled warmly. “She’s like a wee star, that one. I never thought anything could distract me from the cause, but suddenly she was in my life and showed me a different way. I wish I dinnae hae tae fight all the time. I know that ye dinnae think highly of me, but I promise ye I think highly of ye daughter and I only want the best for her.”
“You know Duncan, I used to have very firm beliefs, and one of them was that Highlanders were brutish creatures who weren’t capable of showing any kind of kindness or compassion. Recently, though, I’ve had to start questioning everything I know and Ellen certainly seems to be smitten with you. All my life I’ve tried to do what was best for her, but I’m starting to realize that she knows that better than anyone. I think I should start trusting her more.”
Myra fiddled with the manacles, but was struggling with the clasp and the lock. Their conversation was cut short when a clatter of heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the dungeon stairs, and then Alan came into view. The man was tall and ugly, with a narrow face that had a spiteful glare upon it. When he saw Myra and Duncan together he sneered and spat onto the stone floor.
“When my guards told me that you were down here, Myra, I couldn’t believe it! Myra working with a Highlander…and you Duncan, a worthy foe that walked right into my dungeon. I knew that something was wrong when I didn’t see you on the battlefield. I never thought a warrior such as you would be so weakened by sentiment. You’re a fool if you ever think you can take Ellen from me.”
“I already hae,” Duncan said. “I hae her heart, which is something that ye never hae.”
Alan winced. “I don’t care about her heart. Her body will do enough for me, and her holdings.” He gestured with his hand around the dungeon, but seemed to look beyond the stone walls, encompassing all of it.
“You’ll never get away with this!” Myra said.
“Oh Myra, your innocence is really too much. I have the leader of the Highlanders in chains. You’re a grieving widow who has unfortunately lost her mind, and Ellen is a silly girl with fantastical ideas. She will be my wife, whether she likes it or not, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. There is nobody who can stop me now. I have brought my army back into this estate to ensure there are no counterattacks, and yes, I’ve already heard that Ellen is not on the estate. I’m sure she’ll return soon though, and when she does she’ll see who the superior man is, and she’ll correct the error of her ways. But first you must tell me where you Highlanders are hiding so that I might send a message and be done with this once and for all.”
“I’ll never tell ye that, nae even with the threat of death,” Duncan said grimly. His entire body bristled with tension and it took all his willpower to prevent himself from pouncing on the man. The thought of tearing Alan apart with his bare hands was a pleasing one, but it would have been a short fight as Alan had a sword. Duncan was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.
“Not even a threat of death upon her?” Alan said, and in one fluid motion he drew his sword and grabbed Myra by the scruff of her neck. Myra called out in pain and the tip of the sword was pointing to her stomach. With one thrust of his arm, Alan could puncture her guts and give her a painful death.
“I’m sure Ellen would enjoy knowing that you valued the secrecy of your Highland clan over the life of her mother,” Alan said. His mouth curled into a sadistic smile and he pushed the tip of the sword against Myra’s stomach, making her whimper.
Duncan snarled and bristled with impotent rage. There was nothing he could do, and he hung his head.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to attack them. I just want to send a messenger. I know Ellen is with them. It’s the only place she would have gone.”
Duncan looked for another way out, but there wasn’t one. Even though he wasn’t the one holding the sword, he would never have been able to live with himself knowing that he could have done something to prevent it.
“Fine,” he said, and promptly revealed the location of the Highlanders’ hidden base. It made him feel vulnerable and his skin crawled, but to his relief Alan took the sword away. He beckoned to two guards behind him and ordered them to take Duncan and Myra in chains, before he left with swaggering strides. Nausea swam in Duncan’s stomach as he had a sick feeling that he had just sealed his clan’s doom.
“What do we do now?” Myra asked in a small and trembling voice. Her skin was as white as snow and her words were tremulous. The chains around Duncan’s arms clanked and clattered against the floor of the dungeon as he sank down into a sitting position.
“There’s naething we can dae except hope that Ellen can come up with a plan. All our hopes rest on her shoulders,” he said.
14
Ellen was in agony when she returned to the fortress. The Highlanders who waited for her there were expecting some good news, but when they returned without Duncan in tow there were murmurs of discontent and shock. The other Highlanders, the ones who had participated in the battle, had already returned and were in quite some shock as they described to Ellen what had happened. They had been in the middle of fighting when suddenly the English sounded the order to retreat. The English army pulled away, even though the odds of the battle had been too close to call.
Ellen in turn updated them on what she knew, and was annoyed that somehow Alan had been one step ahead of her yet again. He was as cunning as a fox and now she was left not knowing what to do. Without Duncan there, the Highlanders had no leader, and ideas were being tossed back and forth. Some suggested that they should storm the English fortress, while others were quick to point out that they didn’t have the equipment for a siege and they’d lose many men attacking the easily-defensible position. Some others pointed out that it wouldn’t help their cause anyway since as soon as Alan saw them coming, he could just kill Duncan.
Ellen had to think about her mother as well and couldn’t help but feel this was all her fault. How had it become such a mess? Alan would have known by now that Ellen was plotting against him, and she feared what he would do to Myra. Her mind ran ragged with ideas, but no plan seemed suitable. The Highlanders couldn’t come to a consensus either. Their discussions turned into arguments, and these turned into fistfights.
It was a cacophony as everyone lost their minds to chaos and desperation and then, amidst all the clashing of wills, there was a heavy knock upon the fortress door and a cry from an English messenger.
The Highlanders immediately ceased the infighting and gathered their weapons. Ellen marched to the door, with a few Highlanders in tow. They caught up with her and asked if she was sure she wanted to do this. She replied with a firm nod. Before they opened the door, they looked through a small peephole and noticed that there was just one messenger, flanked by two soldiers. Beyond them there was no sign of anyone else, so Ellen opened the door. She recognized the messenger from the estate, although he showed no sign of emotion and delivered the message in a dull monotone.
“The Lord of the estate wishes it to be known that the villainous Duncan, Laird of the Highlands, and the treacherous Myra have been captured. He expects the immediate return of Ellen, otherwise he will kill them both. A response is required now.”
“Dinnae gae, it’s a trap,” Connor hissed. It may well be, Ellen thought, but I can hardly refuse Alan’s wishes when Ma and Duncan’s lives depend on me! Her thoughts ran quickly through her mind and she nodded.
“I will return with you,” she said, her voice shrill and lively. They may be trying to trap her, but she could come up with a trap of her own as well. The dagger was sheathed in her boots, unbeknownst to anyone, and Alan still thought of her as a frail little girl who was scared of the world. In the Highlands she had learned how to fight, and now she was going to put those lessons into action.
“I must bring two Highlander warriors with me, to ensure my safety, and so that they can verify the con
dition of their Laird,” Ellen said. The messenger glanced at the two guards and they nodded, as though this had been expected.
“Unarmed, of course,” the messenger said. Ellen inclined her head.
In a low voice she directed Connor to pick out the two best melee fighters to go with her. He picked himself and another man called Calum, who had been at the battle.
She asked for a moment to gather her things and ready her horse. While she went back inside the fortress she acted quickly, dismissing all the warnings that the Highlanders were giving her. Instead, she had commands of her own to give. She told Duncan’s best men to wait a while after they had left, and then to follow them down to the estate and lie in wait.
“Here’s what I want you to do,” Ellen said. “While I’m with Alan, I want about twenty of you to wait as close to the estate as possible. Then, I want all the rest of you to charge and I want to hear your loudest battlecry. I want the English to think that the entire force of the Highlands is coming down upon them. They’ll have no choice but to send an enemy to meet you, and once they start to pour out of the estate the twenty men that have been waiting will sneak in and battle through the guards. I want the main attack to be so loud and thunderous that the English army won’t notice our other force sneaking into the fortress. Turn back and lead them away as well as you can, and then disperse. Try and flank them and make your way to the fortress, which will now be held by us.” She spoke passionately. Her eyes gleamed as the plan formed in her mind, and she was proud of it. Although she was English, the Highlanders were quick to unite behind her as nobody else was filling the void left by Duncan, and they appreciated the ingenuity of the plan.
But that didn’t mean it was without risk.
“What about yeself?” someone asked her.
Ellen pursed her lips before she answered. She pulled the dagger out from her boot. “I will show Alan that he’s not the only one who can keep secrets. I’ll attack him, free Duncan and my mother, and together we’ll make sure the gates stay open long enough for you to enter.” She spoke with such confidence that in the minds of the Highlanders there was no way it could fail...but despite this bravado she worried that there was something she hadn’t thought of, something she had missed.
She knew she couldn’t take too long otherwise the messenger would know that they were plotting something, so she emerged from the fortress with her horse, and with Connor and Calum by her side. She made a big show of saying farewell to the Highlanders, and then she was on her way yet again.
“I hope ye know what ye’re daeing lass,” Connor muttered under his breath.
“As do I,” Ellen replied.
15
When the envoy arrived at the estate, they were met by guards standing at the entrance.
“We’re going to have to search you for weapons,” they said, and immediately went towards the Highlanders, who were unarmed. Connor growled at the English guards as they inspected his clothing. When one guard approached Ellen she looked offended, but really she was afraid because if they found the dagger her entire plan would have fallen apart before it had even been put into motion. She reared back and looked disgusted at the idea of being searched.
“How dare you besmirch my reputation! I am an English lady and what’s more, I am still betrothed to the Lord of this estate. I will not be treated like some kind of common criminal, and I will certainly not be manhandled by some lowly guard.” Her words were sharp and as vicious as a serpent. The guards glanced at each other and backed away uneasily. Ellen nodded haughtily and walked into the estate with the unarmed Highlanders at her side.
This place was supposed to be her home, but instead it was lined with danger. Alan had bought, or bullied, the loyalty of the guards. The soldiers at his command looked at her with derision and suspicion. The maids and the servants were loyal to her, however, and only they cared about the truth. Ellen’s heart thumped in her chest and she did her best to keep herself composed, but all of that effort was for nothing when she gazed across the courtyard and saw Duncan and Myra in chains, on display for everyone to see. She had no doubt that Alan had put them on show for her benefit, and it made anger fester inside her. She stepped towards them and called out, but was held back. A guard stepped in front of her.
“You’re to see the Lord,” he said, blocking her view of her mother and the man she loved. Yes, she was there to see Alan.
They walked into the house and were led to a small study where Alan was waiting. He dismissed the guards, wanting Ellen for himself. She gestured to Connor and Calum that it was safe to leave her alone with Alan. This was a part of the plan after all. On the desk there was a piece of paper.
“You have caused me no end of trouble Ellen. I didn’t think it would be this difficult. Robin said that you were a handful, but I never expected this. I did intend to marry you and make you suffer for the rest of your life, but I see now that it would be more trouble than it’s worth. So I have an alternative suggestion.” He pointed to the paper. “This is the deed to the estate, the arrangement made with your father. All you need to do is sign it over to me.”
“So it’s true then, all of this was for an estate,” Ellen scoffed. Alan glared at her and slammed his hands down onto the table. Fear jumped inside Ellen.
“You don’t understand do you? You’re just a simple child. An estate is everything! To be anything in this world you have to have land and holdings, you have to have a title, otherwise you’re nothing!” He swept his arm around him in a wide arc. “You have always had it easy. Robin was always the one to get the praise and the treasure. He stayed fighting off small border raids, doing favors for nobles, and he was well-rewarded, oh yes, not like me. No, I went out there in the Highlands, facing more danger than he ever did, and what do I have to show for it? Nothing! People don’t care about anything that happens unless it happens to them. I might as well have been a ghost for all the people who remembered me when I returned.”
“My father remembered you,” Ellen said. Alan’s eyes were wild now.
“Oh yes, he remembered me alright, and when he told me that he was looking to arrange a marriage for you I saw the measure of the man. He laughed, actually laughed! As though I was jesting him. He told me that you were far too good for some common soldier, and it was then that I knew he would never respect me. All I have done in the world, all the good I have done in ridding the land of these barbarians, means nothing in the eyes of civility. So I decided I would have to take it by force. He laughed at me like all the others when I offered myself as a husband.” Alan’s face darkened. “My old friend, laughing at me…” His hand curled into a fist as he seemed to lose himself to a memory. There was something about the way he said it that made Ellen’s blood curdle. She gasped, because she knew the look of a haunted man, a man who had done something desperate.
“You killed him,” she whispered.
Alan’s gaze shot up at her and in that moment she knew the truth, the terrible truth that had been locked inside him from the beginning. He had been the one who murdered her father, and he had blamed it on the Highlanders. And all this time she had been afraid that Duncan had been the one!
“Yes I did,” he said in a heavy voice. “I saw him with his back turned to me. Highlanders swarmed all around us. He had denied me my bride, but if I returned to you and declared that it was his last wish I knew that you would believe me. All you had to do was obey and play the role of the dutiful wife and it would have been easy. I hated doing it. I hated seeing that look on his face, the moment of realization as he saw that I wasn’t there to save him but to kill him.” His expression became vacant and his tone was that of a man who was possessed.
“I buried him myself, near this estate actually. I paid him proper respect and I promised him that I would take care of you.” Then his voice came to life with anger. “But you seem intent on making that promise impossible to keep. So sign this document. Give me this estate. I will tell everyone that you betrayed us for the Highlanders.
Sign it now, or I will kill those you hold dearest.”
Ellen was tempted just to sign the document and leave with Duncan, but this was the man who had killed her father and had done so many other terrible things. She couldn’t let him get away with it. At first she agreed and leaned over the table, ready to sign, but then she pulled out her dagger and pointed it against his throat. The blade pressed against his flesh and a shocked expression came over him. She supposed that utter look of surprise was what her father had looked like moments before he had been murdered.
She twisted around him and pushed him out of the room. He was stronger than her, but wary of fighting her as one errant slip of the dagger would cost him his life. Connor and Calum were outside and helped her escort Alan to the courtyard. His guards gnashed their teeth and gripped the hilts of their swords, but none of them dared attack in case it cost them the life of their leader. Ellen led Alan to the middle of the courtyard and then she heard the sweet sound of a battlecry. The English looked panicked and Alan’s face turned white as a sheet.
“Order your men to go and fight,” Ellen growled. Alan nodded nervously and did as he was told. His army picked up their swords and shields and marched out of the estate, leaving only a handful of guards remaining. As soon as the last English troops had left, the guards closed the gates, but this would not do. Once again Ellen pressed the knife into Alan’s skin and forced him to give the order to open the gates.
“You will pay for this,” he hissed.
“Now you know what it’s like when somebody betrays you,” she said, thinking of her father. The guards opened the gates and then the stealthy Highlanders poured in, slashing with their swords. The English realized it was an ambush, but could not react quickly enough. The estate was filled with screams as Highland warriors streamed in and cut their way through the army. The guards nearest Alan turned angry and came towards Ellen, apparently not caring anymore that their leader was in danger. One of them attacked Connor; the one-armed giant showed great agility to dodge the blow and brought his one good arm around to grab the man by the scruff of the neck. Connor hauled him down and then stamped on his neck, crushing it under his heavy boot. Ellen watched the battle unfurl around her, as though she was in the eye of a storm. The Highlanders were brutal and efficient. Swords clashed and the grey stone was stained with blood. One of Duncan’s allies ran to him and freed Duncan and Myra, putting a sword in Duncan’s hand. Ellen’s heart lifted with joy as she watched him defend her mother, fighting back the English who were so desperate to spill blood.
Duty And Passion In The Highlands: A Scottish Medieval Historical Highlander Collection Page 35