“They’re with Grandsire. He’s going to collect more men from MacLintock Castle before going to the meeting place, not far from Lorn.”
Derric whistled. “’Tis where the Bruce is headed. Everyone knows the power of the Grant army. If they’re called up against us, we’re all dead.”
“You don’t think our lairds would actually order our men to fight against the Bruce, do you?” Alick asked. “If so, you need to think again. Grandsire has his honor.”
“True, but your wife and mother are at risk. They wisely chose two important people to take. I’ll go along if you’ll have me.”
Alick glanced at the others, taking in Dyna’s scowl, and said, “We welcome your assistance. This is my cousin Sorcha Ramsay and her husband, Cailean, also of Clan Ramsay.”
“Ramsays,” Derric said, his hand moving to his private area as he cast a glance at Dyna. “Aye, I’ve heard of you.”
Everyone had heard of Gwyneth Ramsay, and her predilection for shooting villains in the groin.
Cailean asked, “Where did you pass the army of warriors and how long ago?”
“Half an hour south of here.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go,” Alick said. “The captives will probably be a half hour behind that group.” He ached to see Branwen again, to hold her in his arms and assure himself she was safe. His eagerness to save his mother hadn’t diminished, but losing Branwen that way—seeing those men take her from him and being unable to stop them—had made his heart ache in an entirely different way.
“Lead on,” Dyna said.
Derric grinned at her. “But I’d rather be behind you because you have the sweetest arse.”
Cailean shot him a dirty look and cleared his throat. “I’m married to a Ramsay. My wife’s mother is Gwyneth, whom you’ve obviously heard about. You may not realize it, but those words you just said are fighting words to a Ramsay. Or even a lass who’s been trained by one.”
“I’d fight Dyna any day at all,” Derric drawled.
“I know you’re having a laugh,” Sorcha said shortly, “but Cailean is right. If you say something like that again, I’ll ask my husband to hold you down to give Dyna a better shot.”
Dyna looked quite smug and crossed her arms as she glared at Derric.
“I’m only jesting, lass,” he said with a wink. “I tease you because you’re fun to tease.”
“Understood,” Alick said, “but now’s not the time. Save it for later. You’re slowing us down.”
“I’ll bide my tongue. Follow me.” He cast Dyna a quick glance, but he didn’t wink or waggle his brows or carry on like he had before—he simply looked at her. As soon as he started moving, they fell in behind him.
Alick let himself feel hope. If all went well, he would have his wife in his arms in less than an hour. And he could introduce her to his mother out here in the wilderness.
How wrong he was.
***
Kyla Grant sat leaning against the cold stone wall, a plaid wrapped around her for warmth. The gown she wore had to be the one she’d arrived in because it needed a good cleaning. It didn’t matter—dirty clothes and all, the woman was both regal and beautiful.
As if she had read Branwen’s mind, she said, “I don’t usually look like this, but I’ve been held captive for a few days. I’m not sure if I even know how long it has been. Before we speak of that, please tell me who you are and why you’re here.”
Her chin lifted as soon as she finished her sentence, as if daring them to question her.
They did not.
Branwen said, “I’m Branwen Denton.”
Kyla gasped. The fact that Alick had clearly told his mother about her gave her the courage to say what she said next.
“I married your son, Alick.”
“Oh my. It’s lovely to meet you, lass, no matter the conditions. I must have been gone longer than I thought if Alick has married you already. Mayhap I was hit on the head. Who is with you? Your father?”
“Nay, this is our stablemaster, Jep. Do you mind if I sit? I must admit my legs are still shaking a wee bit from all that has transpired.”
“Please do. I’ve swept the floor to the best of my abilities. I see you have Ramsay leggings on, the best garment in the world. That will help you stay warm. Please tell me how you came to be here and tell me how my son fares. And how you came to be married so quickly.”
Jep glanced at Branwen and nodded. “You ought to speak first. I know little about how you came to be at the castle this eve, but I can tell you what’s going on after she explains her part.”
Branwen sat down and leaned against a wooden wall so she could look at the woman across from her. “My lady, your son is fine. We came here to rescue you. I was held in a cell down the passageway when they brought you in, though I had no idea who you were because they had drugged you to make you sleep. Dyna helped me escape the next day. We returned to MacLintock Castle. Your brother, Jamie, and your husband arrived with many warriors. They only knew we were supposed to make the exchange, you for your father, in Glasgow—the English had given them no further information. No one wanted to wait, so we traveled to Glasgow right away in the hopes of finding more information. While we were there, we overheard some men speaking of a captive in the north. It was then it all came together in my mind. We changed course and came straight to Thane Castle.”
“Thane Castle? I wondered where I was.” She pulled the plaid around her tighter, tears misting in her eyes, even in the dark. “My father? How is he? And my husband?”
“They are both hale.”
Kyla nodded. “Go on. How did you end up back here, and where are the Grants now?”
“We came as a group, but set up in three different locations. We left Jamie with the warriors a distance away so as not to raise suspicion. Alex, Finlay, Alick, Els, Joya, and Dyna headed toward the castle with me. Cailean and Sorcha Ramsay came to us with a message they’d intercepted saying the exchange is supposed to take place near Lorn. Dyna and I split off from the rest to come here. We planned to meet up with Jep and get his assistance to rescue you. But we were caught.” She looked at Jep. “I’m sorry I brought you into this.”
“Lassie, do not apologize for doing the right thing. I wondered why your sire has been spending so much time around the stables of late. It seems he anticipated your attempt to return.”
“And the marriage?” Kyla asked. “When did that take place?”
“Forgive me. When Alick and Dyna left for MacLintock land, Alick came here first to ask my uncle for my hand. He’d asked my sire at your keep, but he rejected him. Said I was to marry Osbert Ware instead.”
“That I did hear about. So your uncle approved?”
“Nay, but he said he’d think on it. Talk to my sire. But when Alick and I were out walking, we came across a chapel, and we decided it would be best to marry at once rather than risk being parted. So we did. Forgive us for doing it alone, but the circumstances… My father thinks he forced me to marry Mr. Ware, but I was already married. I was able to escape him before nightfall. Thank goodness Alick and I married when we did, or I would be married to an old man with six bairns. I hope you’ll forgive us.”
“My dear, I live in the Highlands,” Kyla said with a warm smile. “I’ve known of many quick marriages and handfasting. You do what you must. Welcome to Clan Grant, daughter.” She reached for Branwen’s hand and squeezed it. “I was hoping my son would find a wonderful woman to marry, and it seems he has.”
Branwen wanted to hug the woman, but instead she squeezed her hand back and said, “Many thanks to you. I love your son verra much. We married quickly, but we both knew what our hearts wanted.”
“Who married you? I know most of the priests in the Highlands,” Kyla said.
“Father MacKenzie. I was surprised he was there because I have not seen him in a while, but we’ve known each other for some time. He agreed to marry us without witnesses due to the war.”
Kyla gasped, something flashing i
n her eyes, and she and Jep exchanged a look.
“What is it?” Branwen asked. “Do you know him?” Why were they acting so strangely?
Silence hung in the cell for a moment, and then Kyla finally said, “I did when he was alive. I had heard he passed two moons ago.”
Branwen froze, her eyes moving slowly from Kyla to Jep. She knew the priest had been ill, but she hadn’t thought to mention it to him at the chapel. He’d looked so well. She’d never heard anything about him dying. “Jep?”
“Father MacKenzie was your mother’s favorite priest. She adored him and…” He stared up at the ceiling before bringing his gaze back to Branwen’s. “I’d heard the same, that he had passed.”
“Mayhap ’twas a relative of the one we know,” Kyla said, glancing at Jep, who hastily nodded, “Brothers sometimes look exactly alike.”
Branwen was too exhausted to argue with them. She’d seen him with her own two eyes, listened to him talk, held his hand on one occasion. The man was clearly not dead. They must have heard wrong.
Jep took an oatcake out of his pocket and offered it to Kyla. “They probably have not fed you well. Would you care for a bite or two?”
Kyla’s hand moved up to her head and massaged her temple. “Nay, I’m not hungry, but my thanks to you. Wait a moment. Dyna. What happened to Dyna and where are the others?”
“Alick followed us.” She stopped for a moment. “I should explain that your father said that neither your husband nor your son should go with us because they would be too emotional. Finlay and Alick agreed but followed us a short distance to be there to assist us once we were able to move you out. They were watching our horses. But Alick came too close so Dyna went back to see what he wanted. That was when my father grabbed me and pulled me inside.”
Kyla smiled. “’Tis good news.”
“It is?” she asked in disbelief. The only good news she could take from the situation was that Kyla seemed pleased to have her for a daughter.
“Aye. Dyna and Alick both know you were taken, and they probably went back to my father and the others. They will get us out. They now know exactly where to find us.”
Jep cleared his throat. “Well, that could be a problem.”
They both turned to look at him. Branwen had no idea what he was referring to.
“They’re gathering men to go after the Bruce in Lorn. They’re expecting to gain a large amount of warriors along the way. I didn’t hear about it until a few hours ago. I’d seen more warriors about than usual, some of them Englishmen, but I didn’t know why. Now I’ve heard that Robert the Bruce is coming this way. Seems he’s seeking vengeance against the men who harmed his family. Macdougall, Galloway, Ross, and others. Has Thane done something to offend Bruce?” He paused, and when neither of them said anything, he said, “I’ve also heard quite a bit of arguing between Thane and your sire, Branwen. Aye, your marriage might have caused some of it, but I’ve heard King Edward’s name many times. Perhaps ’tis about the new king. I don’t know what’s going on here, but things are changing. Most of the men think they’re merely going to battle, but there’s another plan afoot.”
“I can guess,” Kyla said dryly. “They intend to force my father and my brothers to use the Grant army to fight Robert the Bruce.”
They were interrupted by the voice of a guard outside their cell. “Get up. All of you are coming with us.”
Branwen stood up, but Jep stepped in front of her. Kyla stood behind her and squeezed her elbow. “You’ll see,” she whispered. “We belong to the strongest clan in the Highlands.”
How she prayed Kyla Grant was right.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alick wished they’d taken another route, but Dyna had insisted this was the best way.
“Curse it, this is all wrong,” he swore, his gaze scanning the area. He had a bad feeling about the path his cousin had chosen. They hadn’t seen many stragglers, and when men headed out for battle, they tended to be accompanied by camp followers—others wishing to join the fight or watch it.
“Is it?” Dyna asked, arching one brow at him.
The sound of horses’ hooves, many of them, carried across the meadow, coming closer and closer.
“Where the hell did they come from so quickly?” he asked, turning his horse around to go into the forest to hide.
The others followed him back into the thick of the woods, where they peered out over the group of guards trampling across the meadow.
Derric dismounted and led his horse over to a small burn, nearly hidden except for the sound of the bubbling stream, a sweet sound that often calmed the animals. Dyna did the same, guiding her horse up next to his.
Derric cast her a sideways glance and said, “You love being right all the time, don’t you?”
She chuckled and lifted her chin. “You’ll be wise to remember that.”
Alick brought Shadow to the burn for a drink. He ignored their bickering, but they kept at it.
Derric narrowed his gaze at her. “You are right more often than most. Why is that?”
“Because I’m the smartest?”
“Nay, ’tis not the reason. There’s something different about you.”
The comment surprised Alick. Derric acted brash and utterly sure of himself, and yet he’d seen Dyna more clearly than most. He knew she was special, although not how special.
He splashed water on his face, then joined Cailean and Sorcha, who sat watching the onslaught of guards pass by.
“How long should we wait?” Sorcha asked.
Dyna answered her as she walked back toward them. “The captives will be along in about twenty minutes,” she said.
Derric approached her. “How do you do it?”
“Do what?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders.
“How do you know what’s going to happen before it does?”
“You mean, how do I know you’re about to be knocked to the ground?”
“Aye,” Derric said just as Dyna slid her leg behind his and shoved at his chest, knocking him backward.
“Because I planned to do it. ’Tis all there is to it. Learn to plan ahead.”
The rest of the group laughed at their antics, but Derric jumped right back up. “Verra funny, Diamond, but I mean other things and you know it. How did you know those horses were coming?”
“Diamond? Why do you call me that?” Some of the brashness had faded from her, and her cheeks looked slightly pink.
“Because your hair is the lightest color I’ve ever seen. It stands out like a diamond. And…”
“Does it bother you, Dyna?” Alick asked, knowing she was finally getting uncomfortable.
“Nay, it doesn’t bother me. He can call me whatever he wants because his opinion does not matter to me, but please finish your reasoning. And what else…”
“Because you’re hard as a diamond.” Derric persisted, “But someone else’s opinion does matter to you… Whose?” He followed her and tickled her neck with his fingers, something Alick suspected she wouldn’t tolerate. “Who is it? Are you betrothed to someone? Is that who you worry about, Diamond?”
She spun around, her hands on her hips. “There are only two men whose opinions matter to me.”
“Two? Well, are you not a saucy wench? Which two?”
“My father and my grandsire. Those two.”
“Och, Dyna, mine matters, does it not?” Alick said. He knew the answer, but she’d never admit to it, and he didn’t intend to push her—he knew better, even if Derric did not. Instead, he jumped down from his horse and strode over to peer out from the trees. “There are naught but stragglers left. Fifteen minutes and my wife and mother will be along.”
“I bet they’re having a most interesting conversation,” Cailean commented.
Alick spun around to look at him. “Why?”
“They’re going to chat about you, do you not agree?” Cailean asked, glancing at Sorcha, who nodded in agreement.
“Have they met yet?” she asked.
&
nbsp; “Nay. When Branwen was on Grant land, my mother was sickly and abed. We married in a hurry soon afterward.”
Dyna said, “Don’t forget Jep is with them.”
“Aye, and they may not be allowed to talk.” Cailean shot a look at him. “We must also consider the possibility that they may only be bringing your mother. They may leave Branwen in the dungeon.”
Alick cursed again. It hadn’t occurred to him. He’d wanted one thing to be easy.
***
The guards led them to the stables, locked them in a stall, and left. The torches were all lit in the stables, so Branwen knew something was about to happen. Nearly all the horses were out of their stalls or leaving.
They weren’t there for long before Branwen’s sire came to speak with them. “We’ll leave in fifteen minutes.” She thought she’d escaped a slap from her father because he appeared to be in such a hurry, but then he stopped and returned to their stall. After opening it again, he yanked her forward and slapped her face.
“I want that coin from Osbert,” he spat out. “When this is done, I’m taking you to him.”
After he shoved her back inside and left, Kyla said, “Your sire’s not a nice man, is he?”
“Nay, and he’s only become worse since Mama died.”
“How are you related to the earl?”
“My mother was his sister, but she passed two years ago. I know she would be upset with my uncle for allowing my father to marry me to Osbert Ware.”
“Aye, she would have,” Jep said, with a surprising amount of conviction.
“Go on,” Kyla persisted.
And so she told her a more detailed version of her story, starting with her forced second wedding to Osbert Ware and the way she and Lora had escaped from him. She ended with her capture and eventual rescue.
“You married Alick first,” Jep said. “Your sire, bastard that he is, cannot argue that.”
How she loved Jep. He’d always supported and championed her. Without him and Fia she would have been lost these last years. She gave him a big smile and said, “My thanks to you for all your help. You’ve loved me more than my own sire.”
The Scot's Pursuit (Highland Swords Book 3) Page 17
