by Mac Flynn
I pursed my lips, but stood and alighted-without the use of his hand-from the carriage. The large front door of the inn opened and a man of great girth hurried out with more speed than I would have guessed him possible. He opened his arms and smiled at the stranger who rode with me.
"Mr. McKenna, what a pleasant surprise it was to receive news of your coming!" the man greeted the stranger. The innkeeper grasped the man's hand and gave it a strong shake. "I hope business in London was pleasant."
"Quite pleasant, Mr. Meriwether," the stranger, McKenna, replied.
The innkeeper looked past McKenna and at me. His eyes widened. "And who is this lovely creature with you?"
"A friend who is sorely in need of a warm fire and good food," McKenna answered.
Mr. Meriwether stepped aside and swept his arm towards the open door. "Of course, Mr. McKenna, of course. How foolish of me to keep you out in the cold like this. Come inside and I shall have soup brought to you at once."
"And we wish for a corner table," McKenna added as we were led towards the door.
"Of course, Mr. McKenna, whatever you need," Mr. Meriwether Assured him.
We stepped into the warm of the great room that occupied most of the front of the building. The open beams over our heads were blackened by countless fires in the large hearth on the opposite wall and to the left of the door. Thick wooden tables stood around the room, but we were led to the far corner where stood a table and benches that created a booth.
I would have attempted escape, but two of the livery servants followed us inside and did not leave our sides until we were seated. A serving woman brought dishes and glasses filled with soup and the best wine the inn could offer. All the while our host stood by ever-smiling at us.
"Is there anything else you will be wanting?" Mr. Meriwether asked us.
"Only two adjoining rooms prepared for us and some solitude," McKenna replied.
Our host bowed his head. "Of course, and if you should need anything further-"
"We will summon you," McKenna promised.
Mr. Meriwether left us and my companion picked up his glass. A smile graced his lips as he watched our host wobble away.
"A charming enough fellow, and you won't find better food in all the inns of London," he assured me.
"I would we rather be in one of those than here," I snapped at him.
He sighed and set his glass on the table. "You are most persistent, my lady."
"I am nothing of yours, and do not wish to be," I countered.
McKenna swirled the contents of his glass and his eyes watched the wine spin in circles. "What if I were to tell you you are destined to be the bride of a great laird?"
I furrowed my brow. "I would call you mad."
He stopped his swirling and chuckled. "Then think me mad, for that is the life Fate has granted you."
I stood and his eyes flickered up to follow me like those of a hawk on its prey. "First you kidnap me and then you mock me with your words. I will have no more of this and will holler for our host should you choose not to release me."
A dark shadow passed over his brow and he slowly stood to his feet. "I must warn you that your word does not hold weight here, my lady, and you will find no friendly quarter here."
I bunched my hands into fists and raised my voice so my words bounced off the old beams. "Stop calling me that!" I ordered him.
My cry brought our host from the rear rooms. He hurried over to us and looked from McKenna to me and back. "Is there some trouble with the food?" he asked us.
I whirled around to face him and startled him so he stumbled backwards. "I will be blunt and tell you that this scoundrel-" I raised my arm and pointed a finger at McKenna, "-has kidnapped me and intends to carry me to his master as an unwilling bride."
Meriwether blinked at me before he turned to McKenna. "Mr. McKenna, what does this mean?"
McKenna smiled. "It means we have supped enough and must retire. The lady is obviously tired from the long journey." He stepped towards me to grasp my shoulders, but I slipped out of his reach.
"I am no such thing, and I will not be consoled until I am returned to my home in London!" I insisted.
"Mr. Meriwether, would you please help me restrain the young woman before she hurts herself?" McKenna pleaded. "She is obviously not well."
I glared at him. "I am perfectly in my mind and-" My arguing was interrupted when McKenna made another grab at me.
I slipped away from him as before, but Meriwether now played the game and I could not escape them both. Meriwether grabbed my arms and held me still as McKenna pulled a handkerchief from his vest pocket.
"Forgive me, my lady, but this must be done," he insisted.
"Let me go! Let me hrm-" Any further words were stifled by the cloth.
The familiar repugnant odor filled my nostrils, and in a minute I again knew nothing.
CHAPTER 4
My awakening was not as before. I awoke many times, but never enough to be sensible of where I was. McKenna was always there, though, and I recall being fed spoonfuls of soup at various stops. After the feeding the cloth was again placed over my face, and I knew nothing until the next stop. Time sped past my sleeping self and the next I fully awoke was an early evening.
There was the familiar bounce of the carriage, but what jarred me from my induced slumber was rather the slowing of the horses. My eyes fluttered open as the road smoothed. McKenna sat opposite me.
"Good evening again," he greeted me. I shifted in my seat and tried to slide away, but I hadn't the strength to move but an inch. "I fear you gave me little choice but to incapacitate you," he commented.
"Monster. . ." I murmured.
He bowed his head. "I accept the reproach, but might we set aside our past arguments and look out the windows?"
"What does that matter to me?" I choked out.
He opened all the windows and gestured to the landscape which we passed. "Because we are home."
I followed his hand and gazed out the window. The landscape was an elegant mix of wilderness and man's triumph over nature. The carriage traveled down a gray graveled driveway with a prim edging. Beyond the edging was a lawn whitened by deep snow, and trees graced the lawn in long, neat rows.
Past the lawn and over the fields, however, was a wilderness of forest. The tall, thin pine-wood trees were closely planted together, and wild shrubs and grass grew at their bases. A few trails led into the depths of the trees, and over the canopy I glimpsed tall, snow-peaked mountains. The forest led up the slopes and stopped just short of the crowns. The same view could be had out the opposite carriage window.
I was greeted with the sight of a majestic castle of stone before us. Its shape was rectangular with battlements perched on the top and each of the four corners was rounded with circular towers. The center of the castle was occupied by a large courtyard that I could barely glimpse from the road. Narrow windows dotted the towers, but the rest of the walls of the castle were covered in larger windows that were draped with curtains. A pair of stairs of fine white stone that were positioned at the front and opposite each other led up to the front doors. To the left of the castle was a large, peaked stable of newer antiquity but no less use of stone in its walls.
The carriage rolled up to the stairs on the right and stopped so that the right door faced the stairs. The livery servant opened the door and McKenna stepped out. He leaned in and helped me out. I was as weak as a lamb and could not manage a fight. He set me on the snow-covered gravel just as the doors opened.
A man in elegant dress but with a rough coat of wool stepped out. He was handsome with his dark brown hair and piercing brown eyes. I guessed his age at just shy of thirty, and his bearing hinted at much riding. His stride was confident and his step quick as he moved to join us at the bottom of the stairs. We stopped before him and he perused my haggled appearance before he looked to McKenna.
"Is this she?" he asked the man.
McKenna bowed his head. "She is, my laird."
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I tried to pull my arm free of McKenna's grip, but he held tight. Still, I glared at the proud, handsome man who stood before me.
"If you are the lord who ordered my kidnapping then I am nothing to you," I told him.
A smile graced his beautiful lips, and for the first time I noticed a distinct scent come from his person. It was the same scent from the incense burner.
"I see she makes up in spirit what she lacks in dress," he commented.
"She was rather unwilling to follow, so we hadn't time to stop for a change of clothes, my laird," McKenna spoke up.
The lord raised his hand but continued to study me with a strange twinkle in his eyes. "I am much pleased with this choice. Bring her inside."
The man stepped aside for us to pass up the stairs. McKenna tried to pull me forward, but I twisted my arm that lay in his grasp and managed to break free. I turned and raced down the gravel driveway. My chance at freedom was fleeting, however, as a strong hand wrapped itself around my arm. I turned and thrashed in the hold of the lord, but his grip was unbreakable.
"I can see what you mean, McKenna," the lord commented. "She is certainly a handful."
"Let me go! Let go!" I demanded.
"As you wish," he replied. He released me so suddenly that I was caught off balance and fell backwards onto the snowy ground. The lord stood over me and chuckled. "You look the part of a fine snow angel," he teased.
"I would rather be the Devil to you," I snapped.
"I would have that if you would be so hot in my bed chambers," he returned.
I blushed at his brazen words. "You. . .you monster!" I gasped.
"But one who will not hurt you," he swore. He leaned down and held his hand out to me. "Will you behave now or will you catch your death of cold?" he asked me.
I spat into his hand. "I would rather die," I snapped.
His smile never faded from his lips as he shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot allow a beautiful flower such as yourself to wither, and as the old saying goes, 'tis easier to ask for forgiveness than to plead for permission.'"
The lord stooped down and swept me into his arms. I rolled into his warm chest and pressed my hands against him. The heat from his body and the overwhelming scent of his cedar-tree scent was intoxicating. I felt myself fall into a warm blanket of comfort that only the sound of his voice broke.
"Tell the kitchen staff to ready the food. Their new mistress is here and is no doubt hungry," the lord commanded McKenna.
McKenna bowed and entered the castle through a set of wooden doors set into the front of the wide stairs. The lord turned his attention to me, and the smile on his lips vexed me. I renewed my thrashing.
"Let me down!" I ordered him.
He chuckled and climbed the snow-covered stairs without missing a step. "Not until we have your care-worn feet on firmer, and warmer, ground, my lady."
"I am no lady to you!" I snapped.
He outright laughed at my proclamation. "No, I should warrant not, but a diamond may be rough on the outside that is beautiful on the inside."
"Nor am I a diamond! I am a human, and have no right to be treated in such a way as this!" I protested.
"Then I shall treat you as my guest," he suggested as we stepped through the open doors at the landing that graced the top of the stairs.
The doors were shut behind us by two well-dressed servants in bright red uniforms. He set me down and I stumbled away from him. I opened my mouth to submit more protests to his unwilling ears, but my words stuck in my throat as I looked at the grandeur around me.
The room in which we stood was a large hall filled with elegantly painted, full portraits and thick, wide tapestries. The floor beneath my feet was of polished stone and was well-carpeted with thick rugs. The rock walls were whitewashed to a clean white and many small objects of antiquity such as weapons hung beside the tapestries and portraits. There were two arched doorways on either side side of the hall, and a wide, tall stone staircase graced the rear wall. A balcony twenty feet above me traveled around all four sides of the room and had a passage on either side that traveled into the upper depths of the castle.
The awe-inducing sense of wealth struck me dumb. I turned in a circle and gaped at the wonders around me. The lord stepped up to within two feet of me, but did not try to attack me as he'd done before. A servant took his coat and he stood attired in his fine silk blouse and dark pants.
"Do you like it?" he wondered.
I gathered my wits about me and cleared my throat. "It is no matter. I will not remain here," I insisted.
"Then be my guest for a while," he pleaded. He swept his hand towards the rear door to his left and my right. "An early supper has been prepared, and there is a room ready for you upstairs."
I shook my head. "I have no desire to partake any further of your 'hospitality' and only wish to go home."
He dropped his arm and shook his head. "That cannot be done. A storm has been sighted and it would not be wise to travel in such wintry conditions."
"Do you expect me to believe you after you have kidnapped me?" I challenged him.
The lord turned away from me and walked over to the door. One of the servants still stood on hand, and at a glance from the lord the colorful man opened the door. The lord stepped outside and gestured to the west.
"See for yourself," he returned.
I saw this as another chance to leave, or at least have my worst suspicions of this terrible man confirmed, so I walked over to him. We both stood on the broad landing, and we were allowed a clear view of the western skies above the trees. The sun set in that direction, but you could not tell it from the large, black clouds that rose above the craggy mountains. Beneath them was a blanket of gray fog that dropped over the forest and swiftly approached us.
"McKenna was not a breath too early in bringing you here. That will overtake us within the hour," the lord commented.
I rallied my spirits and scoffed. "Tis but a storm. It shan't last long," I argued.
The lord studied my face for a moment before he spoke. "The highlands are a very different place from your London. Weather that lasts but a day along the Thames clings to these old forests for a month," he warned me.
I frowned. "And this is for a month?" I guessed.
He shook his head. "No, but though the storm lasts a night the roads are the worse for it for a week."
"Then I am to be a prisoner here for a week?" I asked him.
The lord pursed his lips. "The storm may not last so long, but if at the end of the storm you still believe so then I will return you to London, and with just compensation for your troubles."
"You swear to keep your word?" I questioned him.
He bowed his head. "On my family's honor."
I furrowed my brow and looked away from him. "Then show me this fine supper of which you boast and then please take me to my room," I ordered him.
The lord smiled and offered me his arm. "Then may I have the honor of escorting you, my lady?"
I forsook his arm and instead wrapped my arms around my chilled self. "You may merely lead me there," I replied.
His smile did not waver, though he did bow his head. "As you wish."
CHAPTER 5
The lord led me inside and through the open doors that stood on the rear left in the entrance hall. The doors led into a large dining hall that stretched to the far wall that abutted the courtyard. Large windows gave me my first good glimpse of the yard, and I saw it was an open space surrounded on three sides where the snow was trampled by many feet. The side opposite the front of the house was empty, and I glimpsed some tall bushes across the lawn.
The center of the room was occupied by the long, thick oak table, and its chairs numbered two dozen and four. There was a great hearth in the center of the left wall, and a warm fire crackled in its belly. Two plates with glasses were set at the end of the table closest to the entrance, and opposite where we stood was a small entrance door where servants came and went. The lord led me o
ver to the table and pulled out the chair on the right of that which stood at the head.
I hesitated and eyed him with suspicion.
"Though you believe that I am not one, may I at least play the part of a gentleman?" he pleaded.
I pursed my lips, but took a seat in the chair and he pushed me close to the table. Something out of the corner of my eyes caught my attention, and I looked to my right. There was nothing but the lit hearth at the end of the room, but I swore I had seen something of a different, white, color flicker in that direction.
The lord took his seat at the head of the table and two servants entered. One carried a jug of wine, and another held a platter of various meats. The platter was set between us with a two-pronged fork for easy picking, and the wine was poured into our glasses. The lord's eyes flickered to them, and they bowed and exited. We were left alone with only the crackling fire to break the silence between us.
The lord grasped his glass and studied me for a moment. "McKenna had written to me of your looks, but I fear he has been most unkind to you," he commented.
"I care not for his opinion of me," I retorted.
The lord chuckled. "No, I suppose you do not, though I wonder at your general opinion of lairds."
I lifted my head and glared at him. "If they are all as you are then I believe them all to be pigs."
He leaned back in his chair and his humor did not leave him. "Perhaps our poor start is due to your not knowing me better, nor I even your name. What is it?"
"Since I shall be gone in a week than is should be of little concern to you," I replied.
"But if we are to be acquaintances, even for a short time, I should wish to call you something," he persisted.
I took the fork in hand and skewered a large piece of meat. "Then call me what you would," I absently suggested.
"What of 'Beloved?'" he put forth.
The fork in my hand froze halfway to my plate and I looked to him with a scowl. "I would say not."
He chuckled. "Then if you wish to call me anything other than Beloved I must know your name."
The piece of meat reached my plate and I scowled at the food. "Abigail. . ." I murmured.
"Pardon?" he asked me.
