His Highland Pledge (The Clan Sinclair Book 4)

by Celeste Barclay

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Magnus stank. He could smell himself, and he wanted to heave. All he wanted was to find his brother, arrange for a bath, and have his wounds covered in a salve. He wished he could sleep for a sennight, but despite his pain and flagging strength, his need to reach Deirdre surpassed all else. The last thing he wanted was to face Deirdre’s cousin Elizabeth. He tried to be polite but between his injuries and his hygiene, he simply wanted to make it to his chamber alone. Elizabeth seemed to be of another mind.

  “Lord Magnus, please will you wait just a moment? I know this is a most inopportune time, but there is something you must know. Dee could be dangerously ill. As in life-threateningly ill.”

  Magnus halted and spun around to look at the young woman’s distraught face. He realized she was not exaggerating. She was out of breath, and her eyes darted about as she scanned to see if they were alone.

  “When Deirdre arrived here seven years ago, her parents worried that she might be carrying your child. My aunt found some woman in town who gave her a tincture intended to rid Deirdre of a child. She fought against it, but her mother got it down her, and she became violently ill. She bled for days and days then had a raging fever. The healer at the time cared for her, but it was nearly too late. Deirdre was never carrying, but the healer said she had a horrible reaction to the medicinal anyway. The healer warned her parents she was never to have anything like it again, or she might die. I fear what her parents or Hay may give her since they took her.”

  “How do ye ken all of this? And what do ye mean taken?”

  “I was excited when my cousin arrived at court, but she was mysteriously kept out of sight and then became ill, my curiosity got the better of me. I hid behind the wall of her chamber. I opened the door just a crevice and heard everything the day the healer gave her warning. Deirdre was awake and heard too, but I do not think her mother ever found out what Deirdre, or I, discovered.”

  Magnus listened in disbelief to what happened to Deirdre all those years ago, what she endured. His heart ached for her all over again. The separation altered his personality in many ways, but his life was never in danger. Guilt flooded him as once again he struggled to overcome his failures.

  “And taken? What did ye mean by taken?”

  Elizabeth’s face was ghostly and drawn while she recounted the tale of Deirdre’s near-poisoning, but now it grew cherry red with anger.

  “Once again, my aunt and uncle locked her into a chamber, except it wasn’t hers. It was a storage room. When they and Hay were ready for her to leave, they put a sack over her head, so she would not know where they took her. I saw Hay toss her over his saddle onto her stomach and ride away. I did not know where he took her, but, as you learned, she is now at Crichton. If Hay is here, I can only imagine who is caring for her.”

  “I dinna ken if that is a blessing in disguise.”

  “Magnus!” He turned to see his brother approaching with a woman he had met once or twice before. He could not remember for sure. The woman carried a basket over her arm and looked dour compared to how she appeared in the past.

  “Magnus, this is Ceit,” Tavish said when they stopped before Magnus and Elizabeth. “She has knowledge of the healing arts. I asked her to take a look at yer wounds, and she agreed.”

  Magnus tried to smile but grunted instead.

  “I amnae ready yet for ye to tend them.” He looked down at his soiled clothes and filthy skin.

  “I ken. I’ve already had a bath sent to yer chamber. Once ye are presentable, Ceit has a salve for yer back and yer leg.”

  “I dinna mean to be unappreciative, but canna ye just give the salve to ma brother?”

  “Lord Magnus, I need to look to see the extent of the damage. Ye could have an infection starting. If that’s the case, then I must treat it differently than I would just a deep cut. As for yer leg, I need to be sure ye sealed it thoroughly. If it wasna, then I may have to reopen it and cut away the putrid skin.”

  “That was already done before Deirdre branded it shut.”

  “That doesnae mean it is healing.”

  The woman was soft-spoken, and someone could easily mistake her for timid, but the resolve in her eyes made Magnus wonder who she was. She had a burr when she spoke to them, but he was positive he had not heard it previously.

  “Ye’re wondering aboot ma speech. I havenae been at court that vera long. If I concentrate, then I can hide ma accent, but I dinna see a need with ye.” She nodded to Tavish, Magnus, and Elizabeth.

  “Vera well.” Magnus sighed.

  He knew when he was outnumbered, and this was one of those times. The trio followed Magnus to his chambers. At his door, Elizabeth paused.

  “I will fetch some of her belongings. She will need at least fresh clothing.”

  “Thank ye, Elizabeth.”

  “Beth. Dee calls me Beth in private. We are family now.” She hurried away to complete her errand.

  Magnus entered his chamber but blocked the doorway. He turned to look over Ceit’s head at Tavish. He frowned before looking down.

  “I amnae coming in, so dinna fash. I amnae interested in watching a mon bathe.” Tavish’s scowl did not go unnoticed by Magnus, but he was not interested in his brother’s latest conquest. “There is a special soap in there that I would have ye use to clean yer back.”

  She turned to look over her shoulder at Tavish and raised an eyebrow when she saw his scowl. He was looking at his brother, so she did not realize what caused an expression that did not match his usual charm.

  “Ye have to help him.”

  “What?” Both men responded.

  “I havenae needed anyone to bathe me since I was just out of short pants.”

  Ceit looked between them in disbelief.

  “Ye’re brothers. It’s nae like either of ye havenae seen the other in the buff. Ye have the same parts. There is nay way, Magnus, that ye will be able to scrub yer own back. Tavish, help yer brother. Dinna be selfish.”

  Tavish glared down at her, but she was already looking back at Magnus.

  “Unless ye would prefer I summon a maid.”

  “Nay.” Magnus shook his head. He had never enjoyed the notion of someone else bathing him like he was a bairn or feeble.

  On second thought. If it were Deir, I think I could quite enjoy a bath. Especially, if she’s in it with me. And I can use ma tongue to clean her off.

  “Magnus. Stop fantasizing aboot yer wife. Ye can do that on yer horse on the way to fetch her.”

  “Right.”

  Magnus took the basket from Ceit and stepped into the room. Tavish moved around her but paused at Ceit’s soft hand on his arm.

  “Dinna be afraid to be a bit rough. I can see already that his leine has dried into some of the cuts. Ye must get them completely clean. There canna be even a single thread left in one if ye want to prevent infection.”

  Tavish saw the seriousness in her eyes and nodded.

  By the time Magnus finished bathing, Elizabeth returned allowing Ceit to enter the chamber accompanied. The healer made short work of examining Magnus’s wounds and slathered gobs of salve onto his back before wrapping him from armpit to waist in fresh bandages.

  “Magnus, I heard Hay departed the castle half an hour ago. No one knows where he headed, but I would venture a guess. Be careful and hurry.” Elizabeth warned as Ceit worked.

  They exited Magnus’s chambers, and the men turned to leave.

  “Magnus, don’t forget Dee’s things. And Ceit, here are yours. I gathered clothes for you too.”

  “Nay. Absolutely nae. Lass, ye canna come with us. I dinna ken what we are riding into.” Tavish took Ceit by the arm and pulled her away.

  Magnus watched as a heated debate ensued. Despite employing his own Odin stance, Magnus knew his brother’s goose was cooked. He did not oppose to Ceit coming since he feared the condition in which he might find Deirdre, but Tavish seemed adamant she not. It did not take long before Magnus recognized Tavish’s capitula
tion. He dropped his arms and growled. The young woman tapped him on the chest twice and turned to Magnus and Elizabeth. From her blush, she clearly forgot there were others about who saw their familiarity. She set her shoulders and walked over, taking the bundle from Elizabeth.

  “We ride,” Magnus announced.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The three riders pushed their horses as hard as they dared, stopping only when the horses were lathered and panting too hard to continue. Ceit surprised Magnus by how well she held her own. She was a strong woman despite her courtly appearance. She had not stopped to change and rode astride in her ornate gown. She seemed unconcerned and disinterested about its condition. As long as she kept up, Magnus did not care what she wore or how she rode. They picked up Hay’s trail but were never able to catch him despite gaining on him. They arrived at the Hay keep midafternoon of the second day.

  “State yer business,” came the call from the wall walk.

  “I am Magnus Sinclair, and I am here to claim my wife,” he boomed.

  “For the last time, savage. She is not your wife,” came the irate voice of Archibald Hay from the battlement.

  Magnus looked up and saw the man gripping the stones in front of him and wrapping an arm around his middle. Magnus would swear that he could see the man’s knuckles turn white.

  “She is ma wife. Ye ken it, I ken it, the king and God ken it. Ye will release her, or I will kill ye. We arenae at court anymore. I willnae be so compliant for the sake of the king. Return her to me now, or I will take her back by force.”

  Deirdre heard a commotion coming from the bailey below her chamber window. She was shut away for days and was wondering if Hay forgot about her. She prayed he had. She was alone the entire time with a young servant girl bringing her two small meals a day. She saw no one else, not even men training in the lists or servants moving about the bailey. On occasion, she heard voices from outside, but the window angle precluded her from seeing anything.

  “Return her to me now, or I will take her back by force.” Deirdre heard from below.

  Magnus! He’s come. He’s found me, but how? That doesnae even matter. How am I going to get to him? I ken they lock the door as I couldnae open it the last time I tried. Mayhap I should have tried to push past the lass, but where would I have gone then. How would I have gotten away without being spotted? Magnus!

  Deirdre’s mind swirled like a tropical storm as her thoughts jumped from place to place. She went to the window and pulled the glass open. She had cut her bindings within an hour of Hay’s last departure. When the serving girl came, she did not say anything about Deirdre being untied, so Deirdre did not bring it up. She leaned as far forward as she could and craned her neck. She could just barely see an angry man gesturing from atop the battlements. She tried to see the other side, but it was impossible; however, she recognized Magnus’s voice.

  “Come down and fight like a mon. I challenge ye to single combat as is ma right. Dinna be chicken shite, face me like a mon. Or can ye nay do it without the assistance of a guardsman? Nae prepared for a fair fight? Only when ye are sure of an advantage. Ye’re naught more than a coward. Nay wonder the king makes ye stay behind when the real men ride out with his standard.”

  Magnus continued to taunt and lob insults at Hay who swore and paced. Deirdre could see Hay’s agitation and wanted to laugh if she was not so focused on how to escape her chamber. She looked around and saw nothing that would open a door locked from the outside. She ran to the armoire and said a prayer of thanksgiving when she found extra linens stacked at the bottom. She pulled the sheets out and looked between the bed and window. She did not relish her plan, but she could not see any other option. She divested the bed of all its covers and tied the sheets together. She wrapped one end around the bedpost twice before knotting it. She tied the other end around her waist and stepped to the sill. She looked behind her once more before swinging her leg out. As she pivoted to pull her other leg out, she had a moment of doubt, but she scooted off the ledge until she was ready to hang.

  What am I doing? I shouldnae tied the end around me. I thought it would catch me if I fell, but now I dinna have aught to climb down. Shite! I canna pull maself back up, and I dinna feel much for ma feet to stand on. Now what?

  Get yerself together, lass. Magnus walked the ledge outside yer window how many times? Dinna be a ninny.

  Deirdre forced herself to stop and think. She realized that if she held onto the sheet and leaned back a little, she could walk down the wall rather than shimmy or slide down the sheet. She took a deep breath and began her descent.

  Magnus caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye. He tried to ignore it, but a flash of yellow had his sliding his eyes over to the left. He did not move his head as he had a sneaking suspicion about what he would see, and he did not want Hay to notice. His heart lurched so high he was sure it hit the back of his teeth. He watched as Deirdre wiggled out of a window and paused. He thought he would expire right there and then. Then his heart kicked into a rapid staccato as he watched her work her way down what he realized were sheets.

  Deir! What the bluidy hell are ye doing? Ye waited this long. Ye couldnae give me a moment more? If ye break yer ruddy neck, I’ll thrash ye.

  Magnus waved to his brother whose horse sat just behind him to the right.

  “Tav, to the left. Up.”

  “Fuck!” came his brother’s uncouth response.

  “Shite,” came a feminine whisper that was enough to have both brothers looking at Ceit. She shrugged, and Magnus pulled his focus back to Hay.

  “Hay, ye’re stalling. What’s it to be? Are ye willing to accept ma challenge of single combat or nay?”

  “I could just have ye shot from here.”

  “Ye could, but ye willna.”

  “How can ye be so sure?”

  “Do ye think I traveled with only ma one brother and a lass? How quickly ye forget the three scores of men who rode out with me on the hunt after yer little stunt with the arrows.”

  “You and I both know I was not responsible for that, though I wish I could take the credit for it.”

  “They may have been Lady Mary’s men, but I am sure as it rains in Scotland, that ye had a hand in it. Ye arranged for the dead bird on ma bed.”

  “I cannot entirely take credit for that either. Mary’s idea but I did make the arrangements.”

  “Ye’re quite the pair.”

  Magnus kept Hay talking as Tavish maneuvered his horse to the left to better keep an eye on Deirdre’s progress. As long as Hay did not see the movement, then Magnus was confident that Deirdre would have enough time to make it to the ground.

  “Enough dithering aboot, Hay. Be a mon or admit ye arenae brave enough to fight me one on one. Mayhap Lady Mary kept yer bollocks that last time ye tupped her. Are yer twig and berries really just that?”

  “You are rather arrogant for a man who just took a lashing from me.”

  “I am also the same mon who’s ridden here in record time and has been ready to fight since I arrived. I amnae the one being evasive. Have done already, mon.”

  “Lord Archibald,” Magnus shot an angry glare at Ceit, but that did not stop her. “I would think with Lady Mary in residence, you would want to prove to her that you can vanquish her nemesis. Her hatred of the Sinclairs may very well be stronger than your hatred of just Magnus. I am surprised she is not here insisting you accept the challenge. Or do you want her to see you passed up the opportunity she so craves for herself but will never be granted?”

  “She’s here?” Magnus whispered.

  Ceit shrugged and whispered back.

  “She wasna seen at court the last few days, we all ken they are lovers, and Hay’s run off too. Where else would she be? She kens if they have Deirdre, ye will come. I would bet a pound to a penny she orchestrated this entire ordeal to punish ye and to rid herself of competition.”

  “Birds of a feather. They can have each other.”

  “If all goes well,
there will only be one left.”

  “I’m sure Mary will be chomping at the bit to forgive me then.”

  “Very well,” Hay called down.

  Magnus heard the gate crank open. He looked through the portcullis and saw Lady Mary standing in the courtyard. Magnus led Tavish and Ceit into the bailey as Hay descended the stairs. Magnus’s eyes darted to the left as once again motion attracted his peripheral vision. Deirdre was creeping along the side of the building with a dirk in each hand. She caught Magnus’s eye and flashed a smile before gesturing with her head for him to look ahead.

  He dismounted Sealgair and dropped the reins. He knew his horse would go nowhere until summoned. He drew his sword as Hay circled him. He allowed the other man to position himself before Magnus began his own circle. He made sure that when he made the initial contact, Hay could not see past him to Deirdre. They danced about one another; Magnus always ensuring that Hay could not see Deirdre.

  Hay’s impatience got the better of him, and he was the first to lunge. His thinner sword, only half the width of Magnus’s, would have been formidable against most opponents as it was quicker and easier to yield. However, Magnus, just like his brothers, handled a sword as though he were born to it. It was no longer merely a weapon but a part of him that was indivisible from him. Magnus parried each of Hay’s thrusts and allowed the man to tire and grow impatient. They both suffered from their injuries.

  “You were the one who wanted this, and now you dance around like a rag doll avoiding the fight you asked for,” Hay panted.

  “I amnae avoiding aught.” Magnus used Hay’s tactical error of speaking, making his breathing more difficult. He released his left hand from the hilt and thrust his sword forward as he flicked his wrist to release the dirk from his bracer. Now, not only did he fight two-handed again, but he fought with two weapons. Magnus attacked with a flurry of sword swings and dagger thrusts. He hit home in more than one place. He stabbed into Hay’s sword arm as his claymore cleaved through Hay’s ribs. He pulled his sword back, and as Hay’s arm went limp and he looked down to his side, Magnus thrust his sword through his opponent’s chest.