Consumed By The Lost Highlander (Steamy Scottish Historical Romance)

by Maddie MacKenna

“I am. Just tell the Lady that Miss Petrey is here with Andrew MacLohl, and they need immediate help. I can explain everything to her, but if we do not get him to the infirmary, then he is going to die. If that happens, I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are punished for not helping the man who saved me.”

  “We cannae just,” started Arthur.

  “I’ll go,” interjected William. “We cannae take the chance. Worst that can happen is that we help someone in need, but we get tae keep our jobs. If she is lyin’ tae us, then we’ll get a shoutin’ from Lady Drechten, but we’ve had that before and lived through it.”

  “All right.” Arthur was thinking about how best to keep the peace. “Go and alert the Lady. I’ll get this man down from the horse and see if he is still alive. But, we dae nothin’ until Lady Drechten tells us tae.”

  “Go!” shouted Juliana in a panic.

  William ran off through the Castle gates and into the Castle. Juliana watched as the guard helped Andrew down from the horse and laid him out on the ground. She wanted to help him but did not have the strength. As Andrew was laid flat on the dirt, it did not look like there was any helping him. His eyes were closed, and there was a lot of blood on his shirt.

  Juliana wondered about the Lady. Andrew had mentioned her by name as they had approached the Castle, but that was because she knew him, and was the sister of Laird Lochenbrew, yet she also seemed to be the one in charge. She had a little knowledge of life in Scotland from the books that she had read, both educational and fantastical, but she did not think that women ran the castles. She wondered if there was a Laird here too.

  Juliana crouched down and placed her hand to Andrew’s chest. She was not sure at first, there was no movement from him, but it came after a moment, and she breathed a sigh of relief. His chest moved up and down, but it was slow and labored, and there was a gap before it happened again.

  “Will he be fine?” asked Juliana. There was a deep look of concern on her face.

  “I dinnae know,” said Arthur. “I’ve seen worse that have lived, but ye can never tell with wounds. I had a brother that had a wee wound from a dagger, and he…ye dinnae want me goin’ on like this. They’re fine people in the infirmary, if they cannae dae anythin’, then…I’ll just keep quiet over here.”

  Juliana sat crouched on the ground with her hand on Andrew’s and waited for the other guard to return. He did so, not long after, and another man was with him. The way they walked back through the Castle gates annoyed her. They walked at a quicker pace, but they did not run, and a man was dying.

  The man who came with William was Francis, the leader of the guards. He wore cleaner clothes than the other two guards, but the clothes were much the same, tartan trews with lots of greens, and creamy grey shirts, though Francis’ was white. He had a bushy beard and a stern expression on his face as if he was annoyed that he had been taken from more important things to deal with this dying man.

  “Take him tae the infirmary,” ordered Francis.

  “Be careful,” said Juliana as Arthur and William lifted Andrew from the ground. She watched the two men carry him in through the Castle gates and walked after them.

  “Ye’re tae come with me.” Francis spoke with an air of authority.

  “I need to make sure that he does not die,” said Juliana.

  “I have me orders. For yer own safety, ye’re tae be taken tae a room. Ye’ll be comfortable there, Miss.”

  “I do not want to go to a room, I want to go with Andrew.” Juliana looked around wildly, trying to figure out where he had been taken.

  “Aye, but ye’ll come with me,” said Francis with more conviction.

  “Do you know who I am?” asked Juliana.

  “I dae.” The word came with indifference. “I know who ye are goin’ tae be, but that disnae mean anythin’ here. I take me orders from Lady Drechten, and she has instructed me tae ensure yer safety by takin’ ye tae a room where ye’ll be more comfortable. So, dae ye want me tae take ye there, or will ye come with me?”

  “Lead the way,” said Juliana with a resigned sigh. She knew that it was for the best. Her emotions had overcome her, and it would not look right if she went with Andrew to the infirmary to watch over him until he recovered. She had to be more careful now, especially in the company of her soon-to-be sister-in-law.

  They walked through the Castle gates, and Juliana got her first look at the inside of a Scottish castle. The exterior had its beauty, and the interior did too. Where the outside was plain and uncluttered, the inside was the opposite.

  There were still the grey stone walls, darkened over time, though not as dulled as the exterior, it was hard to pay attention to that with all of the people around. From the other side of the Castle walls, the sounds had been muffled, but they were cacophonous as Juliana stepped into the midst of castle life.

  All around her, people moved in all directions. The inner courtyard was expansive, and there was so much going on that she had to stop and take a real look. On one side, there was a large market, people selling vegetables, clothing, trinkets, and cooking utensils. She did not know how big the village of Drechten was, but she did presume that the market facilitated all of the people there.

  There were also men training with swords. She knew that Andrew had trained with a sword from a young age, but she could not see anyone as young as that training today. She could not help but compare the men to Andrew. When the bandit leader had ridden her down and brought her back to where Andrew was fighting, she had seen him in action.

  None of the men being trained were as adept with a blade as Andrew was. She was not even sure that those who were training the men would be able to defeat Andrew in battle. It had been a joyous moment to watch him, the Highland warrior, as he had defeated the two bandits at the same time. He would have defeated all three if she had not been caught.

  Juliana looked around for any sight of the infirmary, but she was sure that it would be hidden somewhere deep within the Castle. She worried about him. If he had been by himself, the men might have attacked, but he would have beaten them. It was because of her that he was close to death. No matter how bad his injury had looked, Juliana was sure that he was going to be fine.

  A clank of metal caught her attention as they walked past a blacksmith shop. It was a small one, and there would be more in the Castle, but Juliana wondered if Andrew had looked like that, beating down on the metal with a large hammer to shape it. The blacksmith in the shop looked up for a moment and met Juliana’s gaze before going back to work.

  Francis pushed on Juliana’s arm to move her through the crowds. He had other places to be, and escorting an English lass through the Castle was the least of his worries.

  Juliana hurried her step and moved from the courtyard to the inside of the Castle. The sounds hushed once more as a thick wall stopped the voices from flowing, and she felt as if she had entered a different world. As they moved through the corridors, she tried to keep track of where they were going, but there were too many corridors and doors that she soon lost all sense of direction.

  There were ornate carvings and decorations on the interior walls, obviously added a long time after the Castle was built, and there was the recurring representation of a stag, which she presumed was the emblem of the Drechten clan. She noticed it in tapestries, busts, and wood carvings, along with it being on banners and flags.

  After navigating the long stone passages, Francis stood in front of a door and opened it, there was a simple bedroom within.

  “Ye’ll be safe here for now.” Francis motioned to the empty room.

  “I do not need to be safe,” said Juliana.

  “Someone will bring ye some food, and anythin’ else that ye need”

  “Thank you,” said Juliana, resigning herself to her current fate. She knew that the man was only doing his job. The leader of the guards nodded and left her there. Her immediate thought was to sneak out of the room and go find Andrew, but she was not under lock and key. She was
a guest at the Castle and an honored one, she hoped.

  When everything calmed down, she would be able to make her demands and get what she wanted. Again, she hoped that this was true. Was she in any position to make demands? And, if she demanded to see Andrew, would that draw attention to something that should remain hidden? She resigned herself to waiting for a chance to talk with Lady Drechten.

  Juliana walked around the small room. There was a small opening in the wall, and she was able to see out. She could see trees out of the window, and she was slightly above the tree line. She could not see any houses from the village nor the road into the Castle, so she could not discern the exact position of the room. The window was not big enough to climb through, not that she had any inclination of escaping out of the room.

  She went back to the bed and lay down on top of the blankets. She had finally realized how tired and fatigued she had been. Her bones ached as they finally found softness beneath them. She let out a low moan as her body let go of the tension within it, and her mind purged the thoughts and feelings that had been bound up within.

  There was a knock at the door shortly after, and Juliana sat up in her bed. “Come in”

  The door opened, and a maid stood there with a tray of food.

  “They told me tae bring this tae ye, Miss,” said the maid.

  “Put it on the table, please.” There were a small table and chair on the wall opposite the window. The maid placed the tray on the table and walked to the door to leave, before turning and looking at Juliana with some curiosity.

  “I’m sorry for askin’, Miss, but is it true? Did ye ride all the way from England and were attacked by bandits?”

  “Yes, it is true.” Juliana had been excited by bandits before the journey, but her impression of them had changed considerably. They no longer held excitement.

  “And, ye are here tae marry Laird Lochenbrew, Miss?” asked the maid.

  “That is also true. My! Word does get around quickly.”

  “I’m sorry, I didnae mean tae listen tae rumors, but ye know how it is in a castle, Miss.”

  Juliana thought about it. “I am afraid that I do not, but I shall soon learn. Thank you for the food.”

  “Ye’re welcome, Miss.” The maid bowed her head slightly and left the room, closing the door behind her.

  Juliana did not think that she would be hungry, she had eaten with Andrew not long ago, but her stomach had other ideas, and grumbled tumultuously as the aroma of the food wafted around the room. Juliana went to the table and found a bowl of watery stew, with lumps of meat, potatoes, and turnips. There was a lump of bread there too, and some water.

  She dipped the bread into the liquid and took a bite. The stew did not look like much, but it did have a lot of taste to it. Juliana sat down and ate the stew ferociously. Another knock came at the door soon after, but this person did not wait for an answer.

  When the door opened, Juliana knew immediately that it was Lady Drechten.

  “Lady Drechten.” Juliana stood and curtsied. She wondered if she should hold out here to shake the Lady’s hand.

  “Miss Petrey.” There was a slight nod. “Please, sit down.”

  “Is Andrew alive?” asked Juliana in a rush.

  There was a look of astonishment on Lady Drechten’s face. “What worries me more, is how he almost got ye killed. Laird Lochenbrew isnae goin’ tae be pleased.”

  13

  An Unpleasant Welcome

  Juliana could only sit there in stunned silence as Lady Drechten walked into the room and closed the door behind her. She commanded attention, towering above Juliana, and would have stood a few inches above her if Juliana was standing up. She did not dare stand just yet.

  Lady Drechten walked over to the window and looked out, as Juliana had done, before striding over to the bed and sitting down on the edge of it. Juliana swiveled in her chair so that she was facing toward the bed and the Lady.

  Lady Drechten had a stern face. Juliana could see beauty there, and was sure that the woman in front of her had been alluring in her youth but, much like the Castle, time had taken its toll and weathered the facade. The woman had creases and wrinkles across her brow, and down around her eyes, lines caused by turbulence more than laughter.

  She was immaculately dressed too, wearing a white cotton dress that ran from her neck to her ankles, embellished by stripes of tartan at the sleeves, hem, and waist. The dress stuck to the Lady, showing that she had a full figure and a strong body.

  Her hair was tight and black, thick but brushed neatly. There was a pin in the back, holding up some of the hair in a tight bun. The dress ran the full length of her arms, and the Lady wore gloves, covering her dainty hands. She also wore a brooch on her chest, a carved stag with a red gem for an eye. The entire spectacle was one of wealth, and that gave Juliana hope for her family.

  Lady Drechten brushed her dress with her gloved hands, smoothing out the creases as the dress fell in place, and placed her palms face down on the bed, one on each side of her. Everything that the Lady did, looked like it was one with purpose, every tiny movement was made to show that she was in charge. Juliana wondered if perhaps she was the one who was in charge of the castle and clan.

  “What were ye doin’ on the road tae Drechten?” asked Lady Drechten.

  “He was protecting me,” replied Juliana. She could not help but feel that she was a small child being spoken to by an adult. “He took us that way because it was safer.”

  “We’re miles away from Lochenbrew Castle. Why would he take ye this way and not that? Was he deserting’ his duty?” This time there was even more venom in her voice, if that was possible.

  “He would never desert his duty. You have no idea.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” The tension in Lady Drechten’s face was more apparent.

  “Nothing.” The response came instantly.

  “Secrets and lies,” said Lady Drechten. “Where were ye runnin’ off tae?”

  “We were not running off to anywhere,” There were tears coming to her eyes now as the Lady interrogated her. “Andrew saved my life. When the carriage broke down, we went for help, and that’s when the bandits attacked.”

  “Tell me what happened tae the carriage.” Her voice had more of calmness to it now.

  “The wheel broke. I think that it hit a rock or something, but it smashed completely, and we could not go on in it. We left two men behind with it and went for help.”

  “Don’t ye think that the broken carriage would have been the first thing that ye told me about?” asked Lady Drechten.

  “It slipped my mind,” replied Juliana, a little ashamed that it had. “What, with the attack and everything.” She did not elaborate on what the ‘everything’ was.

  “Where is the carriage? Dae ye at least know that?” asked Lady Drechten.

  “I am not sure. We did not come far, so it must be close.”

  “Dinnae worry, we’ll find it.” There was disappointment and frustration in the Lady’s voice. “As soon as I’m done with ye, I’ll send some men tae help, if only for my brother’s sake.”

  The way that she was speaking, Juliana felt just like a child who had misbehaved, and not the woman who was going to marry the Lady’s brother. She should have remembered about the carriage, and mentally kicked herself for forgetting it, but there had been other things on her mind.

  “Is your brother here?” asked Juliana shyly.

  “I’ll send word tae him,” said Lady Drechten, matter-of-factly. “What happened after the carriage wheel broke?”

  “The other two men tried to fix it, but there was nothing that could be done. They could not leave me waiting there, so Andrew volunteered to take me to the nearest village.”

  “Which is Drechten, but ye didnae come from the North, ye came from the South. Why would ye take the long way around?”

  “Andrew said that it would be safer.” Juliana’s hands clasped together. She had not stopped to think about it, perhaps Andrew
had lied about that part.

  “Safer,” scoffed Lady Drechten. “Look how that turned out.”

  “Was it not the safer route?” asked Juliana.

  “Well, I suppose that it is,” conceded Lady Drechten grudgingly, “but longer too. He didnae seem too worried about the men and the carriage.”

  “He was only thinking of my safety, and I am sure that your brother will appreciate that.” Juliana felt butterflies in her stomach as she dared to challenge her.

  “Aye, he might’ve if ye had both gotten here in one piece,” said Lady Drechten.

  “If it were not for Andrew, we would not have gotten here at all.” That much was true.

  “How did ye come tae be attacked by bandits, anyhow?” Lady Drechten pushed for more answers.