Finally, Miran found an opening and backhanded the maid so hard it hurt her own hand. “If ye ever touch me again…” Fury blurred her eyes, so did tears.
Cadha dropped the switch, discoloration rising on her pale skin, along her jawline.
“Get out!” Miran growled.
The maid dinna move from her spot, still rubbing her jaw. “Let me make something clear, mistress. If ye speak of this to anyone or try to dismiss me from yer service, I will tell Laird Jamie and Lady Helen ye attacked me when I tried to speak reason to ye about bedding that heathen captain. And believe me, no one will be able to deny the way ye both carry on—shameless, wanton girl!”
Miran frantically tried to come up with a reply, an admonishment that would give her an advantage over Cadha. But at the moment, her arms and back hurt too much and she needed sleep. “Get out. And if ye show yer face in this tent tonight, I will kill ye.” She reached for the switch on the ground and snapped it in half, tossing it at Cadha’s feet.
The maid fled her presence, leaving Miran feeling drained of all energy and hopelessly confused.
*
It had been a productive day. Not only had Craig Kinnear’s father been open to the idea of his son serving in Jamie’s ranks, the idea of moving up the wedding date pleased him to no end. Kai and his men rode back to camp with their spirits high and appetites that would rival a bear’s.
But when Kai arrived in camp, something was very wrong. Miran’s maids were standing guard outside her tent along with several of his men.
“What happened here?” he hissed.
“Sir,” Dedra risked speaking first. “I canna wake Lady Miran, and Cadha has gone missing.”
“Step aside,” he ordered, nearly running the women over as he pushed through the canvas flap and found Miran asleep on her bed.
She was cocooned in furs, so he rolled her onto her back and gazed upon her pretty face with deep concern. He checked for fever, pressing the back of his hand against her forehead and cheek. She felt normal.
“Is she…”
Kai looked over his shoulder at the four maids who stood behind him, each looking worried.
“No fever. She is merely in deep sleep, I think.” He gave her a gentle shake. “Miran.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and she appeared as if she did not know where she was.
“C-captain?” she whispered. “I thirst.”
Kai snapped his fingers, and a cup of water was shoved into his hand. He held it to her lips. “Slow.”
Miran took a steady sip. “Thank ye.”
“Are you ill?” he asked.
“Nay.”
He didn’t believe her entirely, for she was much too pale and her eyes were red. “Where is Cadha?”
Miran scooted out of his grasp, able to sit up on her own. “I doona know.”
“She has gone missing. And these women were unable to wake you.” He wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders, and she winced, sliding out of reach.
“I-I am tired, Kai,” she said.
Nay. He knew her demeanor, had never seen her so sallow-faced and weak. But he would not press her for answers in front of her maids. As for Cadha, he would have a team search for her extensively. The maid must be connected to Miran’s condition…for he did not like that woman.
“Dedra,” Kai said as he stood.
“Sir?” She curtsied.
“Watch over yer mistress. Ye are now the head maid. Understood?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“And you three.” He eyed each servant. “Do not leave this tent unless I give you permission. Take turns sleeping. Two of you must remain awake at all times. I will post men outside the tent, along all four sides to protect you.”
“Do ye think someone kidnapped, Cadha?” Dedra risked asking.
He considered it. “Tis possible. But until we know for sure, better to take heed.”
He stormed out of the shelter, darkness descending inside him. Kai possessed strong instincts that had kept him alive through the bloodiest battles.
“Captain Kai?” Colin asked. “Is Lady Miran safe?”
“She is well enough,” he hissed. “What fool was left in charge of this camp while we were gone?”
“Kenneth.”
“Bring the man to my tent, Colin. And post four men around the lady’s tent. No one is to go in or come out without my approval.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kai did a cursory check around the encampment, questioning all of the guards. None had seen or heard anything from Cadha, which only served to deepen Kai’s suspicion of the older woman. People didn’t just disappear. There were no signs of an attack. Nothing was missing. The horses were all accounted for.
First, however, he’d deal with Kenneth.
Chapter Eleven
Kai arrived in his tent and disrobed, using cold water left over in a pitcher to wash his body before he changed into a clean tunic and breeches. Then he donned his tartan, while concentrating on the issue at hand. Cadha. He took her disappearance personally, for he was responsible for the lives of everyone under his command. What would Jamie say? Until now, he had an unblemished record of service. Aye, he’d lost men in battle—which always stayed with him—their faces and names forever fixed in his mind and heart.
But this…
He paced, dreading the possible outcome. Perhaps they’d find her body somewhere mauled by a wild beast—or worse, she’d been taken and raped, left for dead, freezing to death all alone.
“Captain Kai?” Kenneth called from outside the tent. “Permission to come inside.”
“Aye, enter.”
The experienced soldier stepped inside, his shoulder-length hair tied back in a queue and wearing a grim expression. He immediately took up a position in front of Kai, standing at attention.
“Cadha the maid is missing,” Kai said.
The soldier met his intense gaze. “Aye, Colin has informed me of the situation.”
“We have a small encampment. How did you lose track of one woman so easily?”
“I doona know, sir. The last I saw, she intended to take a nap in the women’s quarters. We were surprised when Lady Miran arrived without ye, so I attended to her needs first, questioning Bodmond. I feared the unpredictable lady had run away from ye.”
Kai could not fault him for thinking such a thing, for he had warned all of his men she was prone to bouts of irrational thoughts and actions and might get herself into trouble. He grunted in acknowledgement. “Even so, Kenneth, did ye not assign anyone to watch the women’s tent?”
Kenneth shook his head. “Everyone was gathered about the fire when Lady Miran rode in.”
“Except for Cadha?”
“Twas not too long before the lady arrived that the maid announced her intention to rest. I dinna think it out of place, for the maid is older than the others, and it is unusually cold today.”
All acceptable explanations. Obviously, the soldier had done nothing wrong. Maybe Cadha had needed to relieve herself and wandered too far into the woods and gotten lost, the best scenario he could hope for. “Tell me,” he started. “Chamber pots were provided for the women?”
Kenneth glanced at Kai in near disgust. “I-I…”
“Chamber pots…”
Was the man blushing like a woman?
“Aye, sir,” Kenneth managed to say. “Several were provided.”
Good. Twas a necessary detail Kai had made sure to mention as their supplies were packed, for he did not want to be bothered in the middle of the night with women who needed to piss—which always seemed to happen at the most inopportune times and at a greater frequency compared to men.
“Send out two teams to search a wide area around the camp. The rest of the men will stay here.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“You are dismissed.”
Kenneth bowed and departed.
After Kai finished dressing, he struck out on his own, searching for footprints in the snow, a torn piece o
f material, anything that would suggest Cadha had passed by. Aye, he found boot prints, but they were too large for a woman and likely belonged to his men. Still, he tramped deeper into the woods, but after what seemed hours of going in every direction, he found nothing.
Frustrated, wet, and hungry, he returned to camp.
He took a seat near the fire, and one of his men brought him a trencher containing bread and smoked fish. Colin joined him.
“I am sorry to report we found no signs of the woman.”
The wind had picked up and dark clouds loomed, threatening more snow. Kai worried if Cadha got caught in the elements, she would surely perish. “I had no luck, either. Tis like she never existed.” And truly, the circumstances around her disappearance confounded him the more he thought about it.
It left him with no choice but to press Miran for answers. The way she had acted before, the way she looked, told him everything he needed to know. And when he had gently touched her shoulder, she’d winced in pain. A growl rumbled through him.
“Sir?” Colin threw him a sideways glance.
“Ignore the sound of my anger,” Kai said. “I was deep in thought.”
“I understand.”
Kai admired the lad, knowing if Colin continued to demonstrate excellent capabilities, including discretion, he would advance in rank quickly. Helping build a new clan had benefits and disadvantages. Every choice Kai made on behalf of Laird Jamie would affect Clan MacKay’s future. That’s why he was critical about everything, maybe too serious at times. What if the woman had simply walked away, decided she no longer wished to serve?
“Are we still leaving tomorrow?” Colin asked.
“Aye. After we visit the village. I want to inquire about Cadha there.”
Colin swallowed the last of his food and stood, offering to take Kai’s trencher for him. Kai handed it over.
“Meet me at the women’s tent as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir.”
He did not alert the women that he was about to enter their quarters, he simply stepped inside and was pleased to see all the women awake.
“Good eve,” Dedra greeted him.
“Dedra, ladies.”
They bobbed curtsies.
“Go and eat,” Kai commanded. “I will stay with your mistress. Where is she?”
“I’m behind the screen,” Miran’s voice sounded from the far corner. “Changing my gown.”
He looked in that direction and could see her shapely silhouette through the screen, illuminated by a brazier. He rubbed his jaw and turned away, better not to gape at her.
The maids left the tent, leaving them alone.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of another visit from you, Captain Kai?”
Her voice had the slightest warble and sounded too cheerful, forced, even.
“Need you even ask?” Surely she knew why he would check on her.
“Tis but a formality,” she said.
“There should be no formalities between us, Miran, not now.”
“I disagree.” She peered around the side of the screen. “After what happened between us, which I know must never happen again, we should follow even stricter protocol.”
He frowned and took a step closer, greatly tempted to yank her from behind that flimsy barrier, pull her into his arms, and kiss her again and again, showing her how very wrong she was. Forbidden touches were the best kind—especially with Miran. “Nonsense,” he said, stopping himself from responding too irrationally, remembering Silas’s advice. Let her come to him. “You were unresponsive when I returned from the farm, Miran.”
She appeared in the open then, wearing a green wool dress and leather boots, her hair plaited. She waved her hand dismissively. “Have ye never been exhausted?”
“Aye, nearly too weak to drag myself off my horse. But I did.”
“Then ye understand.”
“Maybe too well,” he said. “Cadha is missing.”
“Missing or gone?” She met him at the center of the tent and elected to sit on a chair.
Twas a curious question. “Do you know what happened to your maid?”
She averted her gaze. The first sign of a lie to follow. “Nay.”
He did not believe her. “Promise me you speak truth.”
She met his gaze. “I solemnly swear.”
Bloody hell. He wanted to trust everything she said. “When I touched you before, you cringed in pain, Miran. Explain that to me.”
All color drained from her face. “Easily done, sir. Too much time in the saddle. I had a crick in my back.”
The lady was very sharp-minded, she had a quick answer for everything. “A crick?”
“Just here,” she said turning about and rubbing her hand over her the small of her lovely back.
Such a cool liar. But he would not judge her yet, for there might be a just reason she was keeping the truth from him. “Miran.”
“Aye?”
“I did not touch your back, twas your shoulders.”
She stood and moved to the closest brazier, her back to him, and rubbed her arms. “Why are ye being so persistent?”
“Because someone under my care has gone missing, and I believe you know what happened.”
The accusation made her spin around. “Are ye calling me a liar?”
“If the name fits.”
“Jesu!”
“You have no right to be angry with me, Miran.”
She sighed. “Why do we always argue? About everything?” She shivered.
His first instinct was to warm her in his arms, but she’d only admonish him for touching her. And he knew why they argued, and longed to tell her—because they had so much pent up passion between them, if they did not find a way to release it, someone would suffer. He was suffering already.
“Pride,” he offered.
“Pride?” she repeated. “That seems a likely excuse.”
“If you know me at all, Miran, you know I never make excuses. Right or wrong, I always speak honestly.”
“Aye,” she admitted. “As frustrating as I find it, ye are superior when it comes to the truth. Even Laird Jamie has withheld details he thought might hurt me.”
“And are you doing the same now?”
Silence fell between them.
“Miran?” He took two more steps toward her.
No answer.
“Miran? What are you hiding from me?” Before she could stop him, he ran his hand up her back and over her left shoulder.
She cried out and shrunk away. “Doona touch me!”
“Miran,” he said more commandingly, worry etched on his face. “This is not a request. Slip your gown off your shoulder so I may see it. If you do not do so willingly, I will be forced to do it for you.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and he felt like a heartless tyrant for having to make such a threat. All he wanted to do was hold her, touch her, and kiss away the pain. Shite! “I would never hurt you. Never.” His voice cracked with emotion.
“Doona try to lessen the severity of what ye said by pretending to care for me, Captain. Ye are twice my size and as strong as an ox. I have no choice. If I wish to retain even a sliver of dignity, I must do as ye ask.”
She unlaced her bodice with shaky hands, and slowly pulled the sleeve down, revealing a milky white shoulder with angry red welts across it.
By everything sacred, he would destroy whoever had done this to her. Torture them. Kill them. Send them to Hell. “Who is responsible for this?” He started toward her but she held up her hand to stop him.
She tugged the material back up her shoulder and turned around, giving him the most cutting look. “I have nothing more to say. Now, please go.”
Chapter Twelve
As soon as Kai left, she collapsed, finally allowing herself to cry, to purge her soul of years of silent pain. She still mourned the loss of the mother she never really knew, the death of her father, the suffering she’d endured all these years of not feeling as if she belonged anywher
e, and the beating she had received from Cadha. Twas that which had broken her spirit. And she felt useless and weak for not being able to thwart Cadha’s attack. The woman was at least twice her age but so strong.
As another violent sob escaped her lips, the darkest thought crossed her mind. What if she wandered into the snow-covered mountains and simply never came back? Twould be a better fate than living with pain…
As if he had heard her, Kai burst into the tent, rushing to her side and lifting her off the ground. He cradled her tightly against his big warm body and found her bed, sitting on the edge of the furs.
“Miran,” he whispered. “Why are you weeping?”
She curled into his warmth, clinging to his strong arms, her face buried in his chest. If only she could tell him how much he meant to her, that she desperately wanted him to hold her, to love her, to share his confidence and strength with her, to lift her up from the depths of her own despair. To chase away all her suffering and teach her how to embrace joy again. There had been a time, even after her father died, when she had been able to smile from within. Happy memories had sustained her.
What had happened? What had come over her?
Him.
She gazed up at Kai.
She’d always wanted him, from the first time she’d met him. He’d teased her, though, turning his attention to other women, for he considered her nothing more than a girl. But he had been so wrong!
“Did you hear me, lass?”
He called her lass.
She nodded. “I heard ye.”
“Did the old bitch do this to you?”
“Aye.”
She felt his heartbeat hammering and his body went rigid beneath her. He gritted his teeth. “Did she say why?”
“She demanded to know where I was and why I hadn’t found a way to warn her I was with ye. She accused me of being a wanton lass, and told me if my family wouldna beat me, she would.”
“What else?”
She sniffled and sucked in a ragged breath. “She threatened me, told me if I told anyone what she had done, she would tell Jamie and Helen, and anyone else who would listen, that I bedded ye.”
His breathing quieted as he looked off into the distance.
Highlands Forever (Books 1–3) Page 44
