“It was bad luck, pure and simple. We were almost at the village when we passed a man on the road. He looked like he needed help, and I would have stopped to help him, but Andrew was suspicious, and rightly so. He kept us moving, but there were two others, and they ambushed us.”
“Ye talk mighty highly of the commoner.” Lady Drechten was looking the other way, so Juliana could not read the expression on her face.
“I would talk highly of anyone who would put their life before mine.”
The answer seemed to satisfy the Lady for now. “How did he come tae be injured?”
“We tried to outrun them. Andrew would have stopped to fight, but his only concern was delivering me to Laird Lochenbrew. He knew that if we stopped, I would be in danger, but they managed to throw him from his horse. Andrew told me to run, and I tried, but one of the bandits caught up to me. Andrew had the other two beat, but stopped when the leader put a blade to my throat.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Juliana detected some concern from the woman and found that there was perhaps some good nature within.
“They stabbed Andrew in the stomach, that is how he got the wound. They sent his horse running, mine too, and took me with them,” said Juliana.
There was more concern on Lady Drechten’s face, and Juliana wanted to go to the woman, be embraced by her new family.
“I do not know how he caught up to us,” continued Juliana, “but he found us when the bandits stopped to eat. I think that they believed Andrew dead by the side of the road. He ambushed two bandits in the woods, and stabbed the leader when he moved the blade from my throat to wave it at the trees.”
“A blade was at yer throat a second time?” asked Lady Drechten with more concern.
“It was,” said Juliana, bolstered in her storytelling. “As soon as the blade was removed, Andrew struck and stabbed the bandit leader twice, killing him before any harm could be done.”
“And, the other two?”
“I do not know. He lost consciousness not long after that.”
“Dae me one favor.” It was an order and not a request.
“Anything,” said Juliana.
“Dinnae tell my brother about bein’ taken by bandits, nor having a blade put tae yer throat. If he asks, we’ll tell him that Andrew was wounded in the initial fight, and leave it at that. He has a worse temper on him than I dae, and I cannae deal with his temper right now.”
Juliana could see now that the concern was not for her, but for her own well-being than anything else. Juliana withdrew herself emotionally from her new family, and she was not even a part of it yet.
Juliana knew that she had to ask. She took a deep breath and spoke. “Is he still alive? I only wish to thank him for saving my life before I marry your brother. I did not get to thank him on the way to the Castle.”
“What?” asked Lady Drechten. “Who?”
“Andrew.”
“He will be fine,” said Lady Drechten with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Juliana felt her heart warm once more. She had expected safety and security in the Castle, but she did not feel it. She had felt more safety on the open road with Andrew, even with the bandits around. She had not been in the Castle very long, but it did not feel like home for her. She knew that this would not be her home, but the Castle she would live in would be close to this one, and some of her family was here.
Still, she could not help but compare the beauty of the Highlands with the feeling she had now, and her mind raced to compare everyone that she met with Andrew.
She was ecstatic that he was still alive.
Now, she feared the arrival of Laird Lochenbrew. She had not spent long with Lady Drechten, but she did not like her. She was not ready for the arrival of her brother, the man who had a worse temper than she did. She felt that she had already been treated badly in her time in the Highlands.
She was an outsider here and had not been made to feel welcome by any place or anyone. All except for Andrew. When she compared the other Scots that she had met with Andrew, they all fell short. She wished that her mistake at the start had not been a mistake. If only Andrew was the Laird, then everything would be fine; she could feel it.
Juliana did not think that it would take much for Andrew’s life to be different, not with his character. He was kind and caring, along with being strong and stoic. He was a protector, and he was nurturing too. If he had been given a little more in life, he could be a Laird too.
She knew that Andrew had never known his mother, and his father had died when he was barely a young man. The time after that had been spent with Laird Lochenbrew around, a man who was looked down upon by his own sister. If life had treated him fairer, Andrew could be the Laird that she was marrying, and everything would be fine.
“Are ye listenin’ tae me?” asked Lady Drechten.
Juliana looked from the window to the Lady; her thoughts had been elsewhere, and she had missed what had been said.
“I am sorry,” said Juliana. “I am tired after my ordeal.”
“Yer ordeal,” said Lady Drechten with a small smile on her face. “Ye better get used tae it up here. Life is real up here, not like down in yer English villages. It disnae matter. I was asking if ye stopped anywhere else, I need tae know how long my men will be gone recovering yer baggage.”
The way that she said it made Juliana feel like it was an ordeal for the Lady to send someone out. She was not sending people to recover bags, she was sending them to recover Laird Lochenbrew’s men. Juliana knew better than to argue the point.
“We did stop one other time for lunch,” admitted Juliana.
“How long was this lunch?” Lady Drechten was becoming impatient.
“No, it was not long, we only stopped briefly,” Juliana lied. The images came flooding to her head, the swim in the lake, the forbidden kiss, the truth that had come out. Her face reddened, she could feel it. She wanted to turn away, but that would be more a show of guilt. She felt Lady Drechten’s eyes boring into her, and was sure that she knew.
Juliana tried to change the subject. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Of course, my dear,” said Lady Drechten. Her face was dripping with false pretense. “Ye’re family, after all.”
Juliana did not feel like she was with her family. The Lady had only been cold toward her, and she was afraid to meet with Laird Lochenbrew. She wondered if she could run away once she was married and her family had money. No, she knew that she could not. Once she was married, she would be committed, and to turn her back on that would be to dishonor a sacred bond and bring misfortune on her family.
She could not change her future now. Part of her wished that she had taken Andrew up on his offer, and had run away with him when she had the chance, but she knew that she never would. It frustrated her more than anything else ever could.
“Laird Lochenbrew will come for ye soon,” added Lady Drechten. It felt like a warning more than a simple piece of information.
Juliana sighed. She had to prepare herself for the inevitable, but there was something that she had to do first. Lady Drechten would not be pleased if she asked to see Andrew. No, she would have to wait and try to find him, if only to see him one more time. She did not know when her future husband would arrive but knew that the Castle was close by, so it could be as early as the next day. If she was going to see Andrew, it would have to be tonight.
“Ye’re welcome tae stay here until he comes,” said Lady Drechten. “Please stay in yer room. The Castle is large, and we dinnae want ye gettin’ lost.”
Again the simple statement came across differently. Where most people would say this naturally and with concern for the guest, Juliana could only hear it as a warning. She nodded toward Lady Drechten and tried to put a smile on her face.
“If ye need anythin’, there is a bell. Pull on the rope by the bed, and someone will come tae tend tae ye,” said Lady Drechten. “I’ll have them send some more food up soon for ye.”
“Thank you
again.” She was thankful that she was alive after what she had been through and that they had taken care of Andrew. She had a room and some food, she could hardly expect more. Soon, she would be living in her own castle, and that would come with benefits too.
Lady Drechten left the room, and Juliana felt less alone than when the woman had been in there with her. She did not care for the Laird’s arrival, she only cared now about seeing Andrew. If Lady Drechten was right, she was not sure if she would see the Highlander once they left Drechten Castle.
Juliana looked at the tray in front of her, the food partially eaten, but did not feel hungry anymore. She left the table and went back to the bed. She did not know if she was tired or not. There was a multitude of mixed emotions running through her, and she could not pick out any of them.
The bed was comfortable, and she did not hear the knocking at first. When it got louder, she woke from her slumber and saw the door open a crack. Through the window, she could see that the sky was darkening, but there was still some blue in the blackening sky. The same maid peeked her head around the door, and Juliana motioned for her to come in.
The tray on the table was replaced with another one, this one laden with a meager amount of cheese, fruit, and a slice of bland meat. Juliana thanked the maid for bringing her more food, and there was no talking this time. The maid simply placed the tray and retrieved the other one. A candle was lit on the table, and the maid left, closing the door behind her. Juliana watched the shadows dance and flicker across the walls.
She got out of bed and went over to the tray. The food looked appetizing, but she did not feel any hunger. She only felt one thing, for one man. Looking out of the window, she could see the sun setting past the trees, a sliver of blue in the distance that was slowly extinguished before blackness reigned.
Juliana waited. She did not want to fall back asleep for fear that she would sleep through the night. She paced the room, checking the window from time to time, but there were only trees there. She wondered if there were any bandits hiding down there in the woods.
She sniffed at the food at one point, and, while it made her mouth water, she did not try any of it. There were butterflies in her stomach, and she did not think that they could handle anything to disrupt them.
When the stars were sparkling in the sky, and the moon was full, bright, and pregnant with possibilities, Juliana finally made her move. She looked down at her clothes and wished that she had asked for some other clothes, darker ones, but what she had would have to do.
She took the candle from the table, which was sat in a small brass dish with a handle on one side. She carefully opened the door and looked out. She did not see or hear anything. Her heart beat, and she took a deep breath.
With a firm step, Juliana snuck out into the darkness of the Castle on a mission to find Andrew.
14
Search And You Will Find
Juliana smiled to herself as she wandered along the long corridor from her room.
Well, if the Lady wants to treat me like a child, then a child I will be.
She knew that she was being insolent, sneaking out of the room to get up to mischief. At the end of the passage, she held back the candle to better peek around and into the darkness.
There was no one there, nor was there any light. She listened intently, but could not hear anything. She knew that most of the people in the Castle would be asleep, but some would still be about, mostly the guards.
I cannot risk running into anyone out here under the cover of darkness. What would they make of an English girl sneaking around their castle?
She crept carefully around the corner, taking each step one at a time, and looking before planting her feet to make sure that she did not trip or step on something. Her pace was slow going, but she was determined to take all night if she had to. There was only one problem, she had no idea where the infirmary was. She was sure that Lady Drechten was correct when she had said that the Castle was a large place.
There were some things that Juliana could be sure of. If the infirmary was to treat people who were sick or wounded, then it would not be on one of the upper floors, it would not make sense to have people go all the way up if they were in need of help. She was sure that the infirmary was on the ground floor, and that is where she would start.
Juliana searched the long corridors and did not find any people in them. She quickly found some stairs and made her way down them. There was some light at the bottom of the stairway, but a quick look showed her that there were torches lit on the walls, and someone would likely frequent the place soon.
Now that she was down on the ground floor, she could see that there was a lot more light. She blew out her candle, hoping that she would not need it again, and placed it on a table. She moved around, checking for other people, and searched the ground floor of the Castle. At one point, a guard passed in front of a doorway ahead of her, but he did not turn or see her.
There are more people down here, I can hear them. The sounds are welcoming and comforting, but I must be more careful.
Juliana tried her best to stay away from where the noises were coming from. She looked in the rooms that she could see into, but she did not dare open the doors that were closed. She found herself stood at the edge of the large courtyard that she had been escorted through.
There were more people here, some guards, and some people in common clothes. She did not know what most of them were doing up at this hour. What she did notice was a man with a bandaged head. He was coming from an archway across the courtyard, and the bandages looked fresh. Juliana fixed her eyes on the place that he had come from and knew what she had to do.
She did not want to try and get there by going around the long way where there were fewer people, she worried that she would get lost and not be able to find it. No, she knew that she had to cross the courtyard. Without even thinking, she started to walk. She held her head high and strode with all the confidence that she could muster.
Juliana could not see any other women out so late and worried that someone would stop her, but her confidence was her shield. She even nodded to one of the guards on her trek across the courtyard and received a nod in return. When she reached the other side, she let out a large gasp, having held her breath the entire time. She walked through the arch and did not look back.
I cannot believe that I just did that!
She found the infirmary through the arch. The infirmary was contained in a large room and a small enclave sat within the arch, a simple desk residing there. In the infirmary, she could see rows of beds laid out, half of them filled with people. There was also a light snaking its way through the room, lighting the faces of those in the beds. Juliana could not see Andrew’s face but knew that he was in there somewhere.
The candle, moving around the room, was being held by a lady dressed almost exclusively in black. Juliana had not thought about that. She had not expected anyone to be in the room with Andrew, instead imagining a small room with one bed and a door that she could close behind her. The small room that she was stood in was a few feet wider on each side than the door to the larger room, and Juliana pressed herself to the wall as the lady approached.
The light from the candle filled the small room, and Juliana could see every brick in the walls. She pressed herself against the cold stone and wanted to close her eyes as if that would make her invisible. The light intensified, and the pale yellow of the walls flickered and moved, making them look alive.
Be still my beating heart, I am sure that your perpetual drumming can be heard by everyone.
The woman followed the flickering soon after and passed through the room, upright and stern. Juliana pressed her head back against the wall, and kept her eyes fixed on the lady who could ruin everything. The light clothes had made her more concealed here than dark clothes would have.
Juliana waited as the light flickered and danced before the illumination died out, and the room was plunged into darkness. Juliana quickly slipped into the lar
ger room, not knowing when someone would return. There were some large openings on one wall, and the moonlight filtered in, pale glows on the floor where it hit. It was enough light to see the shapes of the beds and people within, but not enough to see faces.
I have to go closer.
She went from bed to bed. She searched eight beds before finding the one with Andrew. Her heart was filled with joy as she saw the angled cheeks and furrowed brow. He was sleeping, but he was breathing.
She fell to her knees on the cold floor and prayed beside the bed. She took Andrew’s hand and bowed her head, closing her eyes and thanking whoever would listen for watching over Andrew. When she opened her eyes, Andrew was awake and staring at her.
“Juliana,” whispered Andrew. There was a smile on his face, but he looked to be in pain.
Consumed By The Lost Highlander (Steamy Scottish Historical Romance) Page 13
