They were at the top of the tower, the crofts spread out below, hugging the wall which ran around the yard. She could see several figures moving around and guards on patrol. From the window, the view looked out over the moorlands, the moon and stars casting a pale milky light over the heathers.
“Where are we?” Elaine asked, turning back to Finlay, who had settled himself down in the chair and stretched out his feet.
“We shall discover more about that in the mornin’, I think. But wherever we are, it seems we are safe for now, and we must rest a little before we decide what next to dae,” Finlay replied.
Elaine nodded, watching as he yawned and folded his arms; she sat down on the bed, though she did not lie down for a moment, hoping instead that he might come to lie next to her.
“Ye daenae have to sleep in the chair, ye know,” she said, and he looked up at her in surprise.
“I thought perhaps …” he began, but she shook her head.
“I would like it if you lay next to me,” she said, beckoning him to her side.
He rose from the chair, cautiously coming to sit next to her, before lying down and sighing.
“I am sorry to feel so tired,” he said, but she shook her head.
“I am exhausted,” she said, and Finlay nodded, his eyes closed.
“Then snuff out the candle, and we shall sleep. Things will seem better in the mornin’, I am sure. At the very least, it seems we have a friend in the chief,” he said, his voice sounding reassuring and comforting after all they had been through together.
He rolled onto his side, putting his arm over her, and she blew out the candle, plunging them into darkness. Finlay was soon asleep, snoring gently, but Elaine remained awake a little longer, pondering all that had been, feeling his strong arms around her, the safety she had long craved.
It seemed remarkable to think that they been so close to disaster and then rescued by a man who was acquainted with both of their fathers. But she wondered just what the chief would make of them. Would he really let them go so easily? Both she and Finlay were prizes worthy of keeping, and she could only imagine what price might be placed upon them or what promises they might be forced to make.
Soon though, Elaine felt her eyes growing heavy and sleep coming over her. Exhaustion had set in, and she was grateful now for the comfort of a bed and the warmth of the blankets she pulled over her. An owl hooted in some far-off trees, and a shout came from below as the guards changed their duty, but Elaine was asleep, her dreams filled with visions of the mysterious Maggie McClean and just what might have happened had they remained at her mercies.
Chapter Fourteen
When Elaine awoke, she found Finlay already on his feet, the curtain pulled back, and sunlight streaming into the room. She rolled onto her side, her body still aching from the pains of yesterday’s march, and sat up on the bed.
“I let ye sleep a little; ye looked so peaceful there,” Finlay said, and Elaine blushed.
“Ye should have woken me. I was only dreamin’ a little,” she said, though she was grateful for the rest.
“There is much activity down below. It seems our new friends returned with quite a prize last night,” Finlay said, and Elaine got up and went to the window.
Down below, around a dozen men stood bound together by the entrance to the tower. They were being guarded by a troop of the chief’s men, led by the man named John, and it seemed there was much excitement among the people of Muirkirk, not least over the cart of supplies which lay next to where the men were being guarded.
“They took everythin’ those bandits had,” Elaine said, laughing as she spoke.
“They look a sad group of men. I wonder what this chief intends to dae with them,” Finlay said, shaking his head and turning away from the window.
“And what he intends to dae with us,” Elaine replied.
At that moment, the turning of a key in the lock signaled that they were about to discover their fate. Two guards appeared at the door, one bearing a tray with porridge and a small pail of milk.
“Ye may eat somethin’ now, then the chief will see ye,” the guard said, and the tray was laid on the washstand.
Elaine suddenly felt ravenously hungry, for she had eaten only stale bread since leaving Kilchurn, and her stomach felt painfully empty.
“The hospitality of the chief is greatly appreciated,” Finlay said, and the guard nodded.
“Well, compared to our other guests, ye are both far more welcome,” he said.
The two guards stood outside the door while Elaine and Finlay ate their breakfast. There was honey on the porridge, and the milk was fresh and cold. Elaine felt her strength soon returning, and she thanked the guards upon their return, hoping that the generosity of the chief would extend to allowing them to be on their way.
“What is to become of us?” Finlay asked as the guards led them along the corridor and down the stairs toward the great hall.
“That is up to the chief to decide. He makes the decisions at Muirkirk,” the guard replied.
In the great hall, they found the chief finishing a similar breakfast to their own. As they entered, he looked up and smiled, beckoning them over and urging them to sit.
“I trust ye passed a tolerable night?” he said, and both Elaine and Finlay nodded.
“Aye, for which we are grateful,” Finlay replied.
“I see ye have more of a tongue in yer head now, lad. Nay more allowin’ yer woman to speak for ye,” he said.
“I speak for myself; I am nay one’s woman,” Elaine replied.
“Ye have yer father’s heart, I can see that,” the chief replied, “but if ye arnae this man’s woman, then why are the two of ye together?”
Elaine glanced at Finlay, and between them, they recounted the full story of how Elaine had come to be resident at Kilchurn and why she and Finlay had ended up together, captured by the bandits.
“And where they were takin’ us, we daenae know,” Finlay concluded, “because we daenae know where this place even is.”
The chief laughed, and the other men gathered at the table, smiled, and whispered among themselves.
“Ye are further from home than ye think perhaps, far in the north. These lands remain disputed; few would lay claim to them, except for me,” the chief said.
“And yet ye seem to survive here,” Finlay said.
“Aye, because my men are loyal and strong. We fight for our preservation and for our own cause, nay for the highest bidder. We keep ourselves to ourselves. Muirkirk is far enough from anyone else nae to be troubled, though when we are, I promise ye, my men are ready to fight,” the chief replied.
“We mean ye nay harm, and if what ye have said about our fathers is true, then we are yer friends,” Finlay replied.
“For which I am grateful, though I could so easily have had ye killed last night,” the chief replied, his eyes narrowing before he began to laugh.
Elaine nodded, glancing at Finlay, who let out a sigh of relief.
“Then we are grateful for yer hospitality but must ask one further favor of ye,” he said.
“Ye may name it,” the chief replied.
“Food and supplies, directions to Kilchurn and the horse which belonged to Maggie McClean to take us there. And in return, ye shall have our thanks and the assurance of our friendship,” Finlay said.
The chief thought for a moment, and Elaine watched as he pondered Finlay’s request.
“Tis’ a reasonable request, though it seems that the Laird of the MacCallums is the one who needs friends at this time. Yer clan is scattered, Kilchurn taken by an unknown force, and yer prospects seem bleak. But ye have my friendship Finlay MacCallum for tis’ always said that a wise man has his eye to the future and the present. Perhaps one day I shall have cause to call upon ye, and then ye shall remember my kindness now,” he replied.
Finlay nodded, thanking the chief profusely for his kindness and assuring him that it would be repaid in kind.
“And when my f
ather hears of this, I am sure he will wish to reward ye too,” Elaine said.
“Send my greetin’ to yer father, one warrior to another,” the chief replied, and he rose from his chair and escorted them from the great hall.
Out in front of the tower, the bandits were still bound together, though there was no sign of Maggie McClean.
“Dae ye think she perished in the pool?” Elaine asked, and the chief shook his head.
“I think she is too clever for that, nay, we have nae heard the last of her until she is strung up on some lonely battlement, and that is a day I long to see,” he replied.
Orders were issued that the horse was to be brought and supplies given to Elaine and Finlay ready for their journey.
“And from here, where dae we ride?” Finlay asked as they looked out over the vast and empty moorlands stretching to all points of the compass.
“Ye wish to return to Kilchurn? The easiest way is through the territory of the MacDonalds, though I cannae guarantee what welcome ye shall receive at their hands,” the chief said, pointing out over the heathers.
“It was to the MacDonalds I was going when I first encountered the woman on the path north,” Finlay said, looking surprised.
“Then ye have traveled further than ye thought; we are close to their territory,” the chief replied.
“The MacDonalds have sought peace with us, tis’ they who wished to summon me north,” Finlay said, and the chief looked at him in surprise.
“Or lure ye into a trap,” he said.
“Ye think that Maggie McClean is in the pay of the MacDonalds?” Elaine asked, and the chief pondered for a moment.
“There is every chance of it, lass, aye. Be on yer guard. I can offer ye little protection one ye step through my gates, nor would I wish to risk angerin’ my neighbors in such a way. Ye have my friendship, but that is all, I cannae risk my men and the safety of this hall for those I barely know,” he said.
“We understand,” Finlay replied, “ye have already done much to help us, and for that, we shall remain grateful.”
The horse had now been prepared. It still had Maggie McClean’s saddlebags strapped over its back, and now a new one was added, containing fresh food and supplies for their journey.
“We are grateful to ye for what ye have done to help us,” Elaine said, as they thanked the chief.
“I have done little, but I am glad to have been of help. My debts to yer fathers are now settled, that much I can say,” he replied, as Finlay helped Elaine onto the horse’s back.
“We shall nae forget yer kindness, chief,” he said, reaching out and shaking the chief by the hand.
“God speed to ye and may good fortune be yers in that which ye seek,” he replied, as Elaine and Finlay rode off through the gates of Muirkirk.
“Men like that are nae easily found,” Finlay said, as they rode out onto the moorland.
“We have been fortunate, Finlay,” Elaine replied, and Finlay nodded.
“Aye, but there is far more hardship to come, lass. We must return to Kilchurn and discover what treachery awaits us. I must know who tis’ that sent that woman after us and what it was, they intended to dae with us. Our fortune lay in the chief and his men, had it nae been for them, then we would still be captives and our fate now given us,” he said, urging the horse off along the moorland path.
“Then let us hope our fortunes have changed,” Elaine replied, clinging onto Finlay, as they rode off into the unknown.
* * *
They rode for much of the morning, keeping to side paths and wooded dykes, anywhere to find cover from prying eyes and watchers on the way. When the sun was at its midpoint, they stopped by a stream in a copse of trees, the horse glad of the rest, and Finlay helped Elaine down to the ground, rummaging in the saddlebags for something to eat.
“The chief has given us fresh bread, cheese, apples, and what smells like a cake made with honey,” he said, smiling at Elaine, who had gone to the stream to drink.
“They were most generous people. We were fortunate to come across them,” she said, her hands cupped together into the water.
Finlay watched as she splashed water on her face, the sunlight catching its sparkle as she looked around. She really was ever so beautiful, and even the ordeals of the past few days had done nothing to lessen that beauty; if anything, Finlay’s feelings toward her had only grown stronger.
“Fortunate that they decided to attack the bandits,” he said, coming to sit with her by the stream.
“I am glad of somethin’ to eat. But what about the woman’s saddlebag? What does Maggie McClean carry there?” Elaine asked, and Finlay smiled.
He had not even considered what might be in the woman’s saddlebag, and he got up again, going to the horse and taking the bag from its back. Returning to Elaine’s side, he opened it and tipped the contents onto the ground. There was a small dagger with an intricately carved handle, a flask of what was presumably whiskey, a purse of coins, and a rolled-up letter tied at both ends by a red ribbon.
“And what dae we have here?” Finlay said, pulling the ribbons off and unrolling the letter to read.
As he read, Finlay let out a startled cry and handed the letter to Elaine, who shook her head in disbelief.
“But this is treachery, yer uncle’s hand is in this?” she said, staring at Finlay wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
“Of all the wickedness,” Finlay said.
The letter detailed a plot, the first part of which had already been grimly accomplished. It was Finlay’s uncle who had paid for the services of Maggie McClean and her men. She was to kidnap Finlay upon the road and keep him captive until such time as Kilchurn could be taken. Elaine, too, was to be taken captive in a raid made to look like an attack upon the castle. In confusion, it would be Finlay’s uncle who would emerge as the savior of the clan, the rumor that Finlay was dead being enough to secure him as Laird.
“But it seems his plan has failed,” Elaine said, and Finlay nodded, glancing around him nervously.
He had thought their escape would be a triumphant return, but now he knew he could trust no one if his uncle had behaved so treacherously. If they rode back to Kilchurn, then they would almost certainly be killed, if not imprisoned and sent away into exile. His uncle would already have secured his place as Laird and master of the clan, and he would be quick to act if Finlay attempted to prevent his plan from succeeding.
“It has only failed because we are free. He will still have made himself Laird, of that I am certain,” Finlay replied.
“Then we are in danger of our lives,” Elaine replied, and Finlay nodded.
“Aye, lass, and news will soon reach my uncle of what has occurred. I have nay doubt that he paid Maggie McClean handsomely for her trouble, and when he discovers that she has failed, he will fly into a rage. We are nae safe; that much is certain,” he replied.
They sat in silence for a moment, and Finlay pondered what they were to do next. He had been so intent upon returning to Kilchurn that it had not crossed his mind to think that the danger they faced might have come firstly from there. He had never liked his uncle, but to discover this treachery was beyond belief.
The sun was hot in the sky above, the afternoon drawing on. Finlay knew they could not just sit by the stream and await their fate, but he had no plan as to what next they might do. They could not return to Kilchurn, not with the threat of his uncle hanging over them, and he knew of no one he could trust to help them.
“What are we to dae, Finlay?” Elaine asked, turning to him and looking at him with fear in her eyes.
“There is little we can dae, lass. We have nay army at our back, nor can we trust anyone we meet upon our way. My uncle will send others to search for us, of that I am certain. I have said before that these moorland ways are dangerous and that there are any number of bandits and outlaws along the way who would gladly see us captured in return for the price upon our heads,” he replied.
“Dae ye think the chief would have handed u
s over if he had known of the price on our heads?” Elaine asked, and Finlay shook his head.
“I daenae know, lass. He seemed a good man, but his only thought was to protect his people. If my uncle had threatened him or if the price was right, then there is nay tellin’ what he might have done. One thing is certain, we cannae go back there now,” Finlay said, and Elaine nodded.
“Then we are all alone and have nay one to turn to,” she said, brushing a tear from her eyes.
“Daenae give up hope, I will nae see harm come to ye, Elaine, I promise ye,” Finlay said, and instinctively he put his arm around her and held her close to him.
Highlander’s Forbidden Desire: Wanting her was forbidden, having her was his ruin... Page 16
