His Highland Pledge (The Clan Sinclair Book 4)

by Celeste Barclay

  “Stop now, or I will kill him, Deirdre.”

  Magnus glanced up and saw that Deirdre had hold of the reins. He slapped Sealgair’s rump as hard as he could.

  “Ride! Go, Deir! Dinna stop! Go!”

  The horse shot forward, lurching up the sandy bank to firmer land. Magnus turned to the search party and raised his hands in surrender. He was prepared to give himself up now that Deirdre was on her way. He knew his warhorse could outrun any of the other mounts that raced along the beach to reach them.

  “On yer knees, traitor!” Hay spurred his horse past Laird Fraser as he drew his sword. Magnus dropped to his knees, but Hay did not stop. He kept charging with his sword pointing at Magnus’s chest. He was mere feet from Magnus when an arrow whizzed past Magnus and embedded itself into Hay’s shoulder.

  “Dinna think I missed. Kill him, and ye will find yerself buried next to him.”

  Another arrow landed beside Hay’s mount’s hoof. The horse shied away and nearly unseated the livid noble.

  Magnus struggled to turn around. He wanted to groan. He did not know if he should be proud of his wife’s stubbornness. She looked glorious mounted on his enormous horse, arrow nocked, curls blowing in the breeze. She looked like an ancient Greek goddess of the hunt or war. Or if he should be furious that she did not ride away and was risking her life.

  “Come down from there, Deirdre. It’s time to stop playing; your games are over.”

  Deirdre turned her arrow towards her father, his patronizing tone grating on her frazzled nerves.

  “Dinna make me choose, or ye willna like ma choice.”

  She pulled back further on the bowstring. Father and daughter stared each other down. Laird Fraser must have seen something in his daughter he recognized because he nodded. Deirdre lowered her bow but did not take the arrow away. Instead, she rested it on her lap.

  “He rides with me.” She jerked her chin towards Magnus.

  “Absolutely not! You have whored yourself long enough. It is time to behave yourself and end this nonsense.”

  Hay howled with pain as a dirk settled into the hand that rested on his pommel.

  “Dinna think I missed,” Magnus echoed his wife’s words. “Insult her again, and ye’ll find yerself buried under ma horse’s shite.”

  “Enough!”

  Mangus recognized his uncle’s bellowing voice. The man pushed between Hay and Fraser.

  “Lass, ye ride with me. Give the wee beastie a break after working him into a lather. Graham, get ma nephew on a ruddy horse and tie him on. He looks as if he’ll keel over in a strong wind. What the bluidy hell happened to ye anyway?” He finished by looking at his nephew again.

  Magnus shook his head and gritted his teeth. He would ride without assistance. He would not show a single sign of weakness in front of these men. A horse was brought forward, and Magnus ground his teeth together as he forced himself onto the horse in a fluid movement. His plaid gathered over his wound and rubbed painfully. He tried to arrange the wool without being noticed. His luck was surely gone. His uncle dismounted and walked to him. He pushed Magnus’s hand aside and pushed up the plaid.

  “Holy fucking shite!” He let out a string of other curses that Deirdre never heard before. She tucked them away to ask Magnus about later as they seemed highly effective. “What the fucking hell happened to yer leg? How are ye even awake? Do ye have the fever?”

  Hamish studied Magnus’s face more closely. He saw the cracked lips, the grey pallor around Magnus’s mouth and eyes, and the glassiness that had not left Magnus’s eyes. He let out another string of curses

  “What happened?” he asked again, more calmly this time.

  “Someone thought to touch Deir and take her for me. They’re now dead.”

  Hamish looked between Magnus and Deirdre.

  “How many?”

  “Five.”

  “When?”

  Magnus looked to Deirdre and shrugged.

  “Night before last.”

  Hamish walked to Deirdre and rested his hand on the horse’s neck.

  “Did ye close his wound?” Deirdre saw the older man’s throat tighten as he forced out the words.

  “We both did,” she murmured.

  “Thank ye,” he whispered.

  Hamish walked back to Magnus.

  “Yer da will kill ye and string me up by the bollocks,” he ground out.

  Hamish remounted his horse and edged it next to Deirdre. He looked over his shoulder, but Magnus could not see to whom. He knew when he found himself surrounded by lairds Graham, MacDonnell, MacKinnon, Campbell, and Menzies. Magnus understood now why the Highlanders rode after him. It was not to run him to ground but to protect him once he was found.

  Chapter Twenty

  The search turned recovery party took the direct path back to Stirling. No one spoke much during the days on the road. Magnus and Deirdre were never allowed to be near one another. They could only communicate silently. Their looks were easily readable by each other but seemed to baffle the others. Magnus rode with the lairds throughout the day and then slept encircled by them. There was a Highlander, be it a laird or one of their guardsmen, on watch throughout the night. Magnus was sure that this was as much to protect the camp from intruders as it was to be sure none of Hay’s or Fraser’s men murdered him in his sleep. His fever broke at some point during the second day of travel back to court. Now, his leg throbbed with a fierceness that stole his breath at times. He hid his discomfort as much as he could, but he saw Deirdre watching him every time he could look over. She slept with her father’s men surrounding her. Hay silently seethed, drinking far too much whisky every night.

  More than once Hay spouted off after having a few too many swigs. His insults were generally directed to Magnus, but a few times, his loose tongue turned on Deirdre. More than one Highlander had to be held back as they stood to her defense. Fraser tried to keep Hay separate when he behaved like this, but even his fist being driven into the man’s nose one night was not enough to convince the Lowland lord that the less said, the better.

  They rode into Stirling court just as the sun began its final descent. The entire party was exhausted and filthy. Magnus was sure he had ground some of his teeth down to the gums from the nagging and ever-present pain the radiated throughout his entire body. Each jarring step nearly knocking him from his seat. Deirdre was beside herself with worry over what would happen to Magnus once they arrived. She had even thought of ways to try to delay their arrival, but Magnus finally shook his head, and she gave up.

  Magnus was pulled from his horse and pushed through the castle passageways until he found himself standing before the king in an empty Great Hall. The king did not appear as welcoming as he had the last time Magnus arrived at court. Magnus heard Deirdre’s scream as her mother and three of her father’s men dragged her away. Magnus tried to rush to her but found a set of swords crossed before him and two grim royal guards staring at him. He spun back around.

  “Sire, where is ma wife being taken?”

  “Yer wife?” mocked Hay. “She cannot be your wife when she is already contracted to be mine. You abducted my betrothed and defiled her. I would not worry so much about where my betrothed is as to where you will be going.”

  The king sat in silence, looking bored.

  “I will consider this issue, but I am not inclined to do so now. I have other more pressing matters.”

  The king nodded to his guardsmen who led him away. Magnus assumed he would be put under house arrest in his chamber or even a smaller one. Instead, he found himself being led in a direction he knew led to only one place. When the dank air hit his face, and the sound of dripping water greeted his ears, he knew his luck ran dry. He was shoved into a cell that stunk of human waste. He heard the scurrying taps of paws across the stone floor. It was too dark for him to see, so he used his hands to feel about. He stepped on a pile of hay, but the movement released a stench that made him heave. He stepped away and slid his hand along the wall until
he found a somewhat dry spot. He lowered himself to the ground and massaged his aching thigh. There was nothing he could do but wait. He was still confident that the king would not put him to death, not with so many Highlanders still present. Nor would the king risk his father leading an uprising with the potential to spread throughout the Highlands. Instead, he knew he would be left here to rot indefinitely. In the meantime, he had no way of knowing how Deirdre faired. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

  Shite.

  “Uncle Hamish! Uncle Hamish, slow down.”

  Hamish spun around wondering how Magnus could be calling his name, but he was relieved and shocked to see his nephew Tavish jogging towards him.

  “Uncle Hamish, what the devil is going on? I arrived at court three days ago. The king is refusing me an audience, and no one will tell me where Magnus is. I asked for ye, but I was told ye were away. I havenae seen anyone I ken.”

  Hamish looked around and pulled Tavish into a chamber he scanned to be sure was empty.

  “Ye brother has found himself in the king’s dungeon.”

  Tavish’s eyebrows flew to his hairline.

  “Aye. Do ye remember Deirdre Fraser?”

  Tavish’s eyes narrowed, his feet spread apart, and his arms crossed.

  “How could I nae? The lass broke Magnus’s heart. He’s nae been the same since she left him. Dinna tell me she got him thrown in there. The bitch.” Tavish unfolded his arms and turned to the door.

  “I wouldnae let yer brother hear ye speak like that aboot his wife. The last mon to insult her is having his hand seen to by a healer after having a dirk stuck in it.”

  Tavish froze then turned back to his uncle.

  “Wife? Auld mon, I think ye have a tale to tell and dinna dither aboot. Ye best explain this sharpish.”

  Hamish sighed and rubbed his brow. He motioned to the bench near the window. The two men sat on the ridiculously small piece of furniture. It protest as they settled onto it.

  “Ye brother found her soon after his arrival. He had nay idea she was at court. It seems he’s been sending her missives that are always returned to him. He never kenned where she was as she’s been, or was, a lady-in-waiting and traveled with the court. Her father intercepted the missives and never told her aboot them.

  “Magnus saw her leave the Great Hall pursued by a mon. He witnessed the mon push her through the door, so he followed. He prevented this mon, Lord Archibald Hay, from raping her. This is the mon her father arranged for her to marry. I dinna ken all the details, but somewhere between rescuing her and their running away together, they reconciled. Word of their previous relationship,” at this Hamish raised an eyebrow and gave Tavish a pointed look, “began flying aboot like snow in a blizzard. Deirdre was disgraced and dismissed from the queen’s court. Her parents and Hay decided to move everything along, so they could remove her from court and presumably hide her at one of his keeps. She and Magnus fled. Their disappearance was not noticed until that evening when her mother went to fetch her for the wedding. Needless to say, holy hell broke loose as her father and Hay began organizing search parties. The other lairds and I rode out to make sure Magnus came back alive. We just arrived nae an hour past. Tavish, they took yer brother to the dungeon.”

  Tavish took in all that his uncle told him. He was not the least surprised by any of the tale. He knew neither he nor any of his brothers would overlook a woman being mistreated. He also knew Magnus still considered himself married to the lass. He refused to look at any other woman no matter how many times Tavish tried to tempt him or thrust women at him. Tavish just did not know about the unanswered letters. His jaw ticked to discover his brother kept such a secret from him. While Magnus and Mairghread were the closest in age, with Callum and Alex only being a few months further apart, he and Magnus always paired together. They had since they were both old enough to enter the lists. They shared a chamber whenever they traveled and trained first with one another before moving to any other partner. Tavish realized that he was hurt to learn his brother had not entrusted him.

  He didna think I could be trusted. He thought I would tease him or tell others. That ruddy well hurts to realize. Am I that great a disappointment? Do others think I canna be mature enough to be told something in confidence?

  Tavish pushed his focus back to his uncle and tucked those questions away for further consideration at another time.

  “I assume that their reconciliation involved them considering themselves still married?”

  “Ye would have the right of that.”

  “Then I dinna ken how the king doesnae see that there couldnae be a betrothal with another mon. Does the king ken aboot their handfast all those years ago?”

  “Aye, but he doesnae take it seriously.”

  The door to the chamber opened and a page summoned them to the king’s Privy Council chamber.

  “Tavish, it is good to see ye at court. What brings ye here?”

  Tavish looked about the room filled with courtiers. He tried to disguise his disdain and focus on the king, but the mutual dislike that flowed between the Highlanders and Lowlanders was nearly palpable.

  “Sire, thank ye for the welcome. Ma father sent me to check on Magnus. He has been gone longer than expected. We didna ken he found his wife after all this time.”

  The chamber came to a screeching halt as all eyes swung to him. The intrigue was well known to everyone within the castle, noble or servant. The king frowned at Tavish.

  “I am not sure I understand your meaning.”

  “Magnus’s wife. Deirdre. Yer Majesty, do ye nae remember that Magnus and Deirdre handfasted when the MacLeods hosted the Gathering? They slipped off, seems to be a habit I see now, and handfasted. The entire keep was in an uproar when neither were found. They came back into the bailey like two cats that had gotten into the cream. Well, at least one cat in the cream.” Tavish chuckled at his own humor, but when no one else even cracked a smile, he sobered. “Before Magnus and Deirdre could find ma father to tell him, Laird Fraser found them and yanked her from Magnus’s arms. He yelled for his family and clan to pack because they were leaving. Magnus sought me and ma brothers out at the mead tent. We were, uh, being entertained. By the time he could pull us away, word was already swirling around the camp that the Frasers had left. Magnus was beside himself. He didna say over six words at a time for over a year. Apparently, he kept sending missives to the lass, but someone sent them back. From what I understand, he wasna able to find her for the entire seven years they were apart.”

  Tavish turned to stare at Laird Fraser as he continued.

  “It would seem Deirdre’s father purposely kept her location a secret from Magnus to force their handfast to run out. Except they already consummated their handfast. She has always been his wife since neither repudiated the other. Laird Fraser stole ma brother’s wife and kept her a veritable prisoner within yer court, Sire.”

  Tavish watched Laird Fraser’s face turn scarlet, but all he did, in turn, was smirk.

  “Tavish, ye lay quite a heavy claim at my feet. There seems to be more to this tale of woe than I ever realized. When Lady Deirdre petitioned both myself and the queen to return to your brother, we thought her to just be a lovestruck lass who would outgrow her infatuation. It was at her parents’ insistence that her whereabouts were kept from your family. They believed if they had no correspondence, she would move on. When she stopped speaking of the matter, the queen and I thought she no longer held a tendre for Magnus.”

  “By yer leave, Yer Grace, ye seriously underestimated the value of faithfulness among the Sinclair men. If ma brother pledged himself to the lass in any way, it was never for just a year and a day. It was always meant to be a lifetime. Ye ken we dinna stand for infidelity, and Magnus wouldnae ever betray a lass like that. I can vouch that he has been a monk for the past seven years.”

  “Be he a monk or not, that does not change the fact that he had no right to handfast with her in the first place. It was not a marriage. He
was older and defiled her. Since arriving at court, he has disrupted her honest and legitimate betrothal and impending marriage.”

  “Ye would have yer daughter be a bigamist?” Tavish infused shock into his voice, but the scorn was just as obvious. “Ye are a Highlander nay matter what pretentions ye may put on. Ye ken just as well as any other, including the king, a fellow Highlander himself, that a handfast is a marriage if it’s chosen by the couple. It is only a trial when arranged by clan leaders. Ma brother married yer daughter, and ye would risk her soul and excommunication, so ye can, what, gain land, a new title, mayhap gloat to the other lordlings. I shall pray for yer soul and that ye beg the Lord’s forgiveness.”

  Tavish glared at the older man and did not move when his uncle’s hand came to rest on his shoulder.

  “Sire, ye have heard a great deal from ma nephew. He hasnae been here long enough to ken all that has transpired. He hasnae even seen his brother yet. What he tells ye, he does so because it is the truth he has always kenned.”

  The king nodded and looked at Laird Fraser, but before he could speak, Tavish cleared his throat.

  “Sire, nae to state the obvious, but ma brother and sister by marriage have been traveling throughout the Scottish countryside for how many days? Alone? Do ye honestly believe there is a chance they didna claim their marital rights? At the least, they would have handfasted again, and surely they consummated this union.” Tavish cleared his throat. “It’s a mite late to even claim she’s been compromised. I’d say it’s gone a far sight beyond just compromise.”

  Laird Fraser lunged towards Tavish.

  “Ye bluidy Sinclairs think ye have the answer to everything. Ye’re all alike. Ye’re nay better than yer brother, the bastard.”

  “Dinna speak of ma mother like that, or ye may fall asleep but nae wake up.” Tavish ground out. “Considering me as good as any of ma brothers is an honor. They’re the finest men I ken.”