A Rogue at the Highland Court: An Arranged Marriage Highlander Romance

by Barclay, Celeste

  Allyson woke with a start to an owl hooting while sitting on her window ledge. The animal had moonlight behind it, and it appeared to be observing her. It was an unsettling feeling, as though the bird saw in her chamber and into her soul. Roused from slumber, Allyson lay on the bed contemplating her options. She could remain at Culcreuch until Edward escorted her back to court. Once she was there, she had the choice between running again or accepting the marriage. She refused to make that choice because she refused to return to court. This created a choice between running away from Culcreuch before everyone began waking or trying to slip away from Edward and his guards while they were on the road. She had no doubt Edward would track her and drag her back to court, kicking and screaming if he had to. As the realization that she needed to leave soon settled into her mind, she considered how she might leave the bailey wall with no one notifying Edward.

  It had been dark when she arrived earlier that night, so she had no way to tell if the village outside the keep had a stable or livery. She wouldn’t assume it did, which meant she needed to decide whether she would try to sneak a horse out of the bailey or leave on foot. Allyson could travel farther and faster on horseback, but she imagined she’d be more difficult to track on foot. She wouldn’t be able to decide until she made it outside and surveyed the bailey.

  Allyson climbed out of bed and gathered her meager belongings before opening the door a crack. She’d feared they would post a guard outside her chamber, but there was no one visible in the passageway. She slipped down the stairs to the Great Hall but avoided the main doors and entered the kitchens. She eased through the side door and looked around the bailey. There were guards on the battlements, but there was no one in sight on the ground. She hid in the shadows as she crept through the alley between the back of the outbuildings and the retaining wall. Two guards stood on the wall walk above the postern gate, both facing away from the keep. Even if she opened the gate, they would spot her as soon as she passed through it. This ended the option to take a horse through that way. She glanced toward the portcullis, but it wouldn’t open for several hours, and by then, she would be too noticeable. Any attempt to leave through the main exit would draw too much attention. She looked along the side of the keep to where she glimpsed construction work being done on the retaining wall. She inched her way toward the site, praying there might be a crumbling hole in the wall that she might sneak through. She realized it was an unlikely event, but she hoped, nonetheless. While she didn’t find a hole in the wall, she found a ladder propped against it. She knew that section of the wall butted up to the shore of a loch, so there were few guards in sight, and that portion of the wall would be difficult for the guards to see in the dark. Allyson saw her only option for escape.

  She scaled the ladder with her skirts tucked into her waist before rolling onto the wall walk. Allyson waited for the alarm to go up or for a guard to rush toward her, but all remained quiet. She grasped the ladder and yanked as hard as she could. She was close to falling over backwards when she discovered the ladder was far lighter than she expected. She pulled it up and away from the side of the wall until she passed it along to the other side. She looked over the edge and found there was a small strip of dirt between the wall and the edge of the loch. She lowered the ladder and wiggled it several times to ensure it wouldn’t shift too much. Allyson scampered down to the ground and caught her breath as she looked around. She glanced back at the ladder and winced. She couldn’t push it back up and over the edge, nor could she leave it propped against the outside of the wall. That would be an invitation for anyone to breach the keep’s defenses. She tucked as much as she could under the foliage that grew along the shore.

  I can travel southwest to Glasgow or northeast to Edinburgh. Glasgow is closer and the opposite direction from Stirling. Which way is southwest, though? The sun won’t rise for a few more hours, and I have no clue how to use the stars to navigate. I admit it was a large dose of luck that got me here, but now what?

  Allyson had ridden west from Stirling with no need to turn north or south, which meant the gate must face east. She walked along the length of the keep until she came to the eastern wall, and from there, she turned to face her right. She would have to travel west until she reached the far shore of the loch, but then she would adjust her course and turn south, then eventually southwest.

  I just don’t know how far south to go before needing to head west again. Do I point myself between what I believe is due south and due west and take that path? What will I encounter if I do that? I figure I have a full day’s walk, but I’ve brought no food or provisions. I haven’t eaten since the feast. I should have thought this through more and nabbed bread and cheese while I was in the kitchens, but I can’t very well go back, so I can only go forward.

  Allyson shuffled her way down the ledge to the shore of the loch. She noticed it was tidal, so she walked under the partial overhang, realizing no one on the battlements could see her. But after a few steps, she noted her footprints being left behind in the wet ground. Allyson had no way of knowing when the tide would come in and wash away the evidence. She couldn’t assume it would be before sunrise. She retraced her steps and wiped them away until none remained, and she scrambled back onto the ledge. She’d lost precious time she didn’t have, so she lifted her skirts and ran.

  She turned south when she rounded the portion of the loch that obstructed her direct flight from the keep. She wouldn’t be even a speck in the distance to the guards on the battlements, but she didn’t slow until there was no trace of the castle. Winded with a stitch in her side, Allyson paused to catch her breath. Her shoes and clothes weren’t designed for such vigorous activity. It wasn’t long before she arrived at a village she’d heard was called Fintry. She hesitated to pass through in case someone questioned her–or worse, in case Edward questioned the villagers–but she needed food at the very least, and preferably a mount. She kept her hood up, with her shawl and scarf obscuring her face, as she entered the village. No one was stirring yet except for a few homes where the smell of baking bread wafted to her. She feared knocking on a door and asking for food, even if she paid, but she wasn’t ready to steal.

  “Lass?” An older woman’s voice called out as Allyson drew close to the village’s well. Allyson froze before turning toward the hunched over figure. “You aren’t from here, and you shouldn’t be skulking about in the dark.”

  “I became separated from my party when highwaymen attacked. I lost my horse and my guards.” Allyson observed the woman’s reaction before she continued her lies. “I hoped I might find food and a mount. I can offer some coin.”

  The old woman cast a speculative gaze at Allyson before responding. “Culcreuch Castle isn’t far from here. The laird and lady aren’t in residence, but there is another noble couple there. You look and sound like a lady. They’d offer you shelter.”

  “I don’t doubt that they would, but that’s the opposite direction from where I’m headed. I need to travel southeast to return to my clan’s territory. I’m a Buchanan.” It was the only clan she thought of nearby, and they were a large one. The likelihood of anyone knowing all the members, even the noble ones, was slim. She wasn’t wearing her Elliot plaid, so she didn’t fear her ruse being discovered.

  “In that case, you aren’t far from home but just far enough that you’ll need some sustenance, and a horse would ease your troubles.”

  “Do you know of anyone who might offer me either or both?”

  “Aye. I can offer you the food, lass, and my son can sell you a horse.”

  “Thank you, kind lady.” Allyson flashed a genuine smile that earned her a toothless one in return. It was a short time later that Allyson’s belly was full, she had food in her satchel, and she mounted on a horse more suited to a plow but would plod along. She’d fished out a few coins from the pouch while the old woman led Allyson to her home. Allyson wasn’t wearing any jewelry, so when she proffered the coins from the hidden pocket in her skirt, it didn’t appea
r as though she hid more money. She rode southeast until she was out of sight, then adjusted to head further west. Allyson prayed she was pointed in the right direction.

  Chapter Seven

  Cairren pushed past people as she dashed toward Laird Elliot, who broke his fast alongside the Gordons. She skidded to a halt when she reached their table and covered her chest with her hand as she attempted to catch her breath.

  “She’s gone,” Cairren blurted out. “Allyson never returned to her chamber last eve and wasn’t there when I went to meet her before Mass. She wasn’t in the chapel either, and she’s not arrived to go for our morning walk with the queen. No one’s seen her since the feast.”

  “Perhaps she’s run away,” Ewan jested around a chunk of bread, but when Cairren turned a cold gaze on him, he realized it was most probable he’d guessed correct. “She followed a man out of the Great Hall last night. I found him with another woman, but maybe she decided to break our betrothal by breaking her— Oof.”

  Eoin’s sharp elbow bashed into Ewan’s side before he could finish his insulting remark. Kenneth was on his feet and pushing the bench away from the table. He placed his meaty fists on the table and leaned over until his nose nearly touched Ewan’s.

  “If the king hadn’t ordered my daughter to marry you, there would be no way in hell I’d ever allow you near her, you puffed-up popinjay. This is your fault, with your crude comments and taunts. She ran to escape the hell you’ll put her in. I swear by all that’s holy, if she comes to harm, I will skewer your cods then lop off your head.” Kenneth stormed away from the table and approached the dais. The Gordons and Cairren observed Laird Elliot’s animated conversation with the king before Cairren returned her gaze to Ewan.

  “He’s right. You did this, and you’d best fix it before someone defiles her or kills her.” Cairren glared at Ewan. “You embarrassed us both the day before yesterday, then you frightened Allyson with whatever you whispered, and now she’s run away after finding out she’ll be shackled to you. It’s not mere disappointment that’s driven her away or even pride. You’ve made marriage sound like a terror. She may be a flirt, but the attention she gets at court is the only attention she gets. You’ve sentenced her to a life even worse than the one she left behind to come to this godforsaken hellhole of iniquity. You may look like a man, but it’s time you grew up and acted like one.”

  Cairren spun on her heels and fled the Great Hall while Ewan sat stunned alongside his father and brother. He resented first Allyson, then Cairren for referring to marrying him as the same as being shackled, but then he’d felt that way about Allyson. He never imagined she would run away to avoid the marriage; he assumed she’d come around and then go quietly to Huntly, where he could leave her.

  “What do you think she meant that the attention she gets here is the only attention she gets?” Eoin’s question broke through Ewan’s thoughts.

  “I don’t know. I don’t care right now. I will have to help Elliot find his wayward daughter. Father, she should be committed to a nunnery, not to our clan.” Ewan grumbled as he left the table to approach the dais.

  “She’s been gone all night, Your Grace,” Kenneth said as Ewan approached. “I need to determine where she’s gone and bring her back.”

  “Bring her back?” The queen interjected. “Aren’t you the least concerned that she was so overset by this betrothal that she ran away? Don’t you care what might have befallen her along the way?”

  “I am, Your Majesty, but she serves at your leisure. I assume you expect her to return to her duties.”

  Queen Elizabeth rose from her carved chair and peered down at Ewan and Laird Elliot. Her lip curled in disgust before she raised an eyebrow. “You’d better explain to your future son-by-marriage why Lady Allyson didn’t find his jests humorous. If you don’t, I will.” Queen Elizabeth swept from the table and left the dais before entering the royal antechamber.

  “What was the queen talking about?” Ewan demanded. He glanced at the king before returning his glare to the Elliot.

  Kenneth Elliot closed his eyes and swallowed several times before looking at Ewan. It stunned the younger man to see sadness and a hollowness to the older man’s eyes. “I arranged a marriage for Allyson’s oldest sister when Allyson was still very young. The ceremony took place at our keep, and the couple remained there for their wedding night. Allyson awoke to the sound of her sister’s screams while her husband forced her to consummate their marriage. A few years later, her sister returned to our home after her husband’s heart gave out while he was still trying to sire a son. He left Mary destitute with no money to travel back to Elliot territory. She had to beg guardsmen to bring her home and pay for her expenses while they traveled. I reimbursed them, but it wasn’t until after the men left that we discovered they demanded a different payment before they arrived at our keep.”

  Ewan tasted bile in the back of his throat as he listened to the tale, which explained why the suggestion that he and his brother might share Allyson had spurred such a terrified response. His words that equated her to chattel only exacerbated a problem he didn’t realize existed.

  “Thank you for confiding in me,” Ewan whispered. “I wish I’d known this before I spoke to Allyson either time. But I know I shouldn’t have said what I did regardless of your family’s past. Let me gather my sword and my bedroll, and I’ll be ready to ride out in a quarter hour.”

  “I’m not taking you. One look at you, and she’ll bolt again. You’ve done enough.” Kenneth barked and turned back to the king.

  “Like it or not, Eoin and I are the best trackers you’ll find here. None of these Lowlanders parading around in their silk and velvet will find her. You need men like me and my brother who are used to being outdoors, used to hunting. Rather than argue, tell me where you think she would go first.”

  “I don’t bluidy know. She won’t go to our home because she knows her mother will send her back. She might consider her friend, Isabella, but Allyson has enough sense to realize she can’t travel all the way to the Sinclairs alone. I’m certain she’s not in Stirling, so mayhap Glasgow or Edinburgh.”

  “I’d check with my brother and Lady Elizabeth at Culcreuch,” King Robert offered. “The ladies are friends, and it’s a short ride that she could have made with no one noticing.” The Bruce paused. “Gordon, set this right, or it won’t be Laird Elliot who cuts off your cods.”

  * * *

  Ewan and Eoin charged out of the castle’s bailey with Kenneth and a mixture of Elliot and Gordon warriors following them. They made good time, and when they arrived at Culcreuch, they found Edward Bruce preparing to mount his horse as they clattered into the bailey. Edward strode over to Kenneth Elliot and clasped forearms.

  “She was here, but she disappeared before sunrise,” Edward stated by way of a greeting. “We couldn’t figure out how she disappeared until a village fisherman notified the head of the guard that he discovered a ladder hidden beneath some shrubs near the loch. We’ve deduced she must have scaled the ladder left propped against the western wall, then lowered it on the opposite side to make her getaway. I’ve already had scouts out looking along the shore and through the village. I was just about to ride out to Fintry, which is the closest village beyond the walls.”

  “We’ll join you,” Ewan responded. The look of revulsion that crossed Edward’s face took him aback when the Earl of Badenoch and Lockerbie swung his gaze toward Ewan. “I take it she spoke of what happened when we learned of the betrothal.”

  “If finding her wasn’t so dire, I’d challenge you right here and now,” Edward spat. Ewan wisely remained quiet during the ride and while Edward questioned villagers in Fintry. They learned that a young woman claiming to be a Buchanan purchased food and a horse before sunrise and was headed southeast. Ewan and Eoin dismounted and searched for tracks that led in the direction they were told. The hoofprints were easy to find, but it wasn’t long before they disappeared once they left the village behind.

  “She’s
changed directions. Allyson has no intention of traveling to the Buchanans. She must have used their name because they’re large with plenty of septs. No one would know whether she was one.” Kenneth shifted in his saddle as he leaned over his horse’s shoulder to catch sight of any traces of the way Allyson headed.

  “She’s headed southwest,” Ewan announced. He’d found the hoofprints that proved she turned away from her original path and estimated where the horse would step. His search took him several yards from the others before he picked up her trail again. “She intends to go to Glasgow.”

  “She’ll be halfway there by now,” Eoin tilted his head to look toward the sun. It was midmorning, and she’d had at least a four-hour head start.

  “More likely, she’s already there,” Kenneth muttered. He wheeled his horse around and set off, leaving the other men to catch up.

  * * *

  Allyson approached the Glasgow city gates just before midday. Smaller than Stirling, Allyson could weave her way through the streets until she reached the marketplace. Vendors called out their wares, and Allyson was relieved to see she arrived on market day; she’d be able to trade her finer clothes for money. The coin would replace what she’d already spent to secure two horses and some food. Allyson left her horse in the town’s stable, but was careful not to allow anyone to see more than her eyes. She kept the rest of her face and her hair covered. She imagined her father had discovered her disappearance by now and Edward Bruce had informed him of her visit the night prior. She approached a haberdasher and listened as he haggled with the customer before her. She noted what he said and how he said it as she prepared for her own negotiations. When it was her turn, she approached the booth and angled her body so few people could see what she withdrew from her satchel.