Gather the Stars

by Kimberly Cates

  Gavin battled for control of his outrage as his gaze locked on the man sitting behind a massive desk so out of place in this room it must have come from another chamber. Gavin knew that the most fatal misstep he could make would be to betray to Sir Dunstan Wells how desperate he was to free the man lying in shackles somewhere below.

  How many times had he seen Wells since that first horrific glimpse on the battlefield of Prestonpans? In his nightmares and fleeting glimpses during raids and rescues the Glen Lyon had arranged? Each encounter had fed the loathing, the thick, poisonous hate he felt for the English officer.

  Yet even the Glen Lyon's most daring defiance, most humiliating triumphs over Wells hadn't marked the soldier's features as they were now. Every muscle in Sir Dunstan Wells's face was pulled to the breaking point, his eyes seething with frustration and fury. Even during the destruction of an entire village, the knight had remained eerily pristine, a picture of military perfection, from his gleaming boots to his expertly powdered wig. But now the man's red coat hung open, his neckcloth torn awry. The wig had been torn off, baring hair in wild disarray.

  For a man who had supposedly captured his most dreaded enemy, Sir Dunstan Wells looked thwarted and mad as hell.

  But then, Adam had always had a gift for driving people mad when he'd a mind to. Gavin could imagine all too well the pleasure his brother had taken in enraging Wells.

  The knight downed a snifter of brandy in a single gulp as Gavin approached the desk. Then those eyes locked on him. Gavin knew the instant Sir Dunstan recognized him from their encounter in the glen. Wells's eyes turned frigid, his fingers clenched on his glass.

  "Leave us," Sir Dunstan snapped as the soldier took a guard post at Gavin's side.

  The soldier started, glancing from his commander to Gavin. "Sir, we searched him, but there's no telling how dangerous he could be—"

  "Get out!" Dunstan ordered. The soldier bolted out of the room as if Wells had fired a shot at his coattails.

  Gavin's whole body vibrated with desperation as he heard the door shut, but he struggled to keep his head clear. He glanced at the pistol that lay before Wells on the desk, the hilt of the sword that was bound to Wells's waist. Even if Gavin was tempted to lunge at the man in some grand heroic gesture, it would be futile. In a heartbeat, the man could have that blade at Gavin's throat or blast him into eternity. Barring that, the soldiers standing guard would charge through the door in an instant. Gavin's wits were the only weapon that now stood between Adam and certain death. It was the most terrifying prospect Gavin had ever faced.

  Sir Dunstan spoke first, his voice cultured as a Roman senator's, and as hard. "If you've come to bargain for your master's life, you can save your breath. He's mine now, the accursed bastard. And I vow to you he knows it. You see, I've spent every moment since he arrived here interrogating him."

  Gavin's muscles screamed at the control it took not to lunge at Wells, but he couldn't afford to make a reckless mistake. He was Adam's only hope.

  "You don't like that, do you?" Sir Dunstan snarled. "The fact that your master is in my power? He's a man—a thieving traitor who chose his own path and is receiving a well-deserved punishment for his own crimes. Rachel de Lacey is an innocent woman. I'll use any means necessary to wrest her from his grasp."

  "The Glen Lyon promised to release Mistress de Lacey the instant the ship has sailed. He'll hold to his word."

  "Excuse me if I don't put much faith in the blood vow of a traitor and a coward! I prefer to trust the bite of the lash. That bastard will tell me where Rachel is if I have to beat him to within a breath of death," Dunstan growled. "Even the Glen Lyon has a breaking point."

  "An interesting theory," Gavin said coolly. "A pity you won't be able to test it."

  "Won't be able to—what the devil? I'm testing it now, sir, and the rebel bastard has the torn flesh to prove it."

  Gavin paced to the window. "You're lacking one crucial element to test your theory."

  "And what is that?"

  "The Glen Lyon."

  Wells gave a scornful chuckle. "The Glen Lyon is rotting in a cell. We've given him the taste of a cudgel. Within the hour, his blood will be dampening the strands of the cat-o'-nine-tails."

  Gavin's fists clenched. The cat—he'd witnessed its savage fury more than once during his time in uniform—lead balls braided into leather thongs, nine strands coiling trails of fire over a man's back. God in heaven, Adam couldn't have endured that horror yet....

  It was all Gavin could do to keep his rage from his voice.

  "You are, after all, in command. As such, you can whip anyone you choose. But this time, I'm afraid you will be wasting a great deal of effort whipping the wrong man."

  "What is this? Another crazed plot?" Sir Dunstan scoffed. "Whatever you're scheming, it won't work. He's the Glen Lyon."

  "He is an imposter," Gavin repeated.

  Sir Dunstan stilled as if the whip's lashes had touched him instead of the prisoner, then his lip curled in scorn and his eyes hard and cold. "The prisoner confessed. He faces certain death. Why would any man do such a thing if he was not the Glen Lyon?"

  Gavin shrugged eloquently. "Who knows? Perhaps he did it out of some misplaced loyalty. Perhaps he was attempting to protect someone else. Perhaps he was hungry for grandeur. There are men who would rather have a few minutes of borrowed glory than live forever in obscurity."

  He could see Sir Dunstan grappling with disbelief and the unthinkable possibility that what Gavin said might be true. "I don't believe you. He must be the Glen Lyon!"

  "Why? Because you need a rebel to hang? A trophy to display to your superiors?"

  The truth of Gavin's questions flashed into the knight's eyes.

  "It doesn't really matter a damn why this captive of yours decided to play imposter," Gavin said. "It's more important to consider the consequences his little jest could have for you, Sir Dunstan." Gavin let a chill smile play about his lips. "The Glen Lyon has eluded you for nearly two years. You must admit his antics have made you appear somewhat the buffoon."

  Sir Dunstan's cheeks washed dull red, his mouth a stiff line of tension. "You are calling me a buffoon?"

  "Not while you've got that pistol within reach." Gavin's gaze flicked to the weapon pillowed on a nest of papers. "However, it is common knowledge that when things go awry, commanders have to search for someone to blame, someone to feed to the lions, as it were. Surely, with the number of years you've served in the military, you're aware of that particular phenomenon?"

  Sir Dunstan's lips whitened and Gavin plunged on. "I'd imagine playing the role of scapegoat is not a pleasant sensation for a man lauded as a hero at Culloden Moor."

  Gavin could almost see the memories wash into Dunstan Wells's gaunt face—glory, courage, victory. He could taste the frustration and rage that had been Sir Dunstan's constant bedfellow since the Glen Lyon decided to lead him into hell. For the first time, Gavin gloried in what he'd achieved.

  "There have been some difficulties the past two years," Dunstan said, allowing some of what Gavin said, but his eyes glowed with triumph. "But you forget, I now have more interesting prey to feed to the lion—a traitor, a rebel."

  In that instant, Gavin knew Dunstan Wells would fill his gallows with a traitor, even if it were not the particular traitor he'd sought. The Englishman didn't want to know whether he had the wrong man prisoner. Gavin could almost feel it in Wells—the crippling need to display a corpse to those who had questioned his abilities, jeered at his failings for so long.

  Perhaps Gavin could stir that fear of being made a mockery.

  "I suppose that you intend to hold a public execution," Gavin said. "The more people who attend, the better the lesson, isn't that true? And God knows these rebellious Highlanders need to see what happens to those who defy the crown."

  Hate flooded Dunstan Wells's features, a hate so well worn, so molded to Sir Dunstan's soul that Gavin was certain the man must have held it since he was scarce a child.

>   "The Scots are slow learners. They've been dealt many lessons by the crown's swords," Wells said. "This time, I promise you, it will be the last lesson they ever learn, one carved so deep into their flesh and bone that they'll never dare raise their hands in rebellion again."

  Gavin's gaze locked with that of Dunstan Wells, his face resolute with promise. "If you execute the man who is now your prisoner, you will make yourself the laughingstock of this entire campaign."

  The blow struck deep. Wells flattened his hands on his desk and bolted to his feet. "What the devil are you saying?"

  "There are plenty of people in the Highlands who know the Glen Lyon's face. When you execute the man in your dungeon, they'll know the Glen Lyon has made a fool of you once again."

  "Damn you—"

  "I swear to you, Sir Dunstan, you have the wrong man. Release him, and I will give you the real Glen Lyon in his place."

  "What is this? Some kind of trick?"

  "I have an aversion to watching an innocent man hang. You know I was the Glen Lyon's messenger. This time I bring another message. Release this man, and the Glen Lyon will surrender. You can have your grand execution and ride triumphant before your commanders with a traitor's corpse in tow."

  Wells's eyes were hungry, yet torn by doubt. "How do I know what you say is true? There's no way you can prove—"

  "The Glen Lyon sends this." Gavin rummaged in his coat pocket and drew the object out, laying it before Dunstan Wells. It was the betrothal ring that had adorned Rachel's finger when she'd first been taken captive. The gaudy emeralds and sapphires glinted in the candleshine.

  Wells grabbed up the ring, clenching it in his fist. "Damn you, where is she?"

  "She's safe. As long as you allow one last ship to sail, she will be released, unharmed. That bargain still stands, no matter what fate you design for the Glen Lyon."

  "That traitorous bastard! Cowardly cur! I vow I'll kill him an inch at a time for daring to touch her!" Gavin's heart tore at Wells's unwitting echo of his own vow to protect Rachel; he felt an odd, wrenching sense of union with this enemy he had loathed for so long. God, the irony, that they should be bound in love for the same woman. But Dunstan had had the right to wed her, while Gavin had never had the right to touch so much as the toe of her slipper.

  "If you release this innocent man, you will have the Glen Lyon at your mercy to do with what you wish," Gavin vowed. "I swear it on my own life."

  Dunstan stared at Gavin, transfixed, the betrothal ring glowing against his skin, while violence and lust for vengeance clung to him like the putrid stench of death.

  Wells rose from his chair and stalked to the door, flinging it open. The brace of soldiers outside sprang to attention. "Bring the prisoner here at once."

  "No!" Gavin started to protest. "Just take him outside where he can be released. Don't let him know—"

  "Know what? That you've won him freedom? No. I think it better if you confront each other before I strike this bargain. Keep the bastard chained," Wells ordered the soldier. "At the first sign of any trouble, kill him."

  "Yes, sir."

  Gavin withdrew into the shadows as he listened to the thud of boots receding down the hallway.

  "Before our guest arrives, I want this clear," Wells said. "I will not release the prisoner before I have the Glen Lyon in chains. I don't trust any traitorous bastard who would consort with Scots animals."

  "Then I'll have to trust you. You give me your word of honor—your word of honor as an officer—that you'll release this man, and I'll snap the manacles about the wrists of the Glen Lyon myself."

  Sir Dunstan crossed his arms over his chest. "You have my word. If this man proves to be an imposter, I'll release him."

  Gavin's jaw set grimly. The man being brought to the chamber would not only be an imposter, but a damned surly one. Gavin braced himself, knowing that his battle with Dunstan Wells would be a mere skirmish compared to what he'd face when Adam was dragged into this room.

  It seemed an eternity before the soldiers returned, a silence stretching tighter, tighter, until it seemed it must snap.

  "If this is a trick, you'll pay in blood," Sir Dunstan warned. Gavin stilled as footsteps approached, the military click of the soldiers, the stumbling, awkward gait that must belong to Adam. Gavin's whole body tensed as the sounds hesitated outside the door, the clink of chains against wood like ice in his blood. The door opened, and a filthy, battered figure was shoved inside.

  Adam all but went to his knees, and Gavin could feel the effort it was taking his brother to remain standing. Adam—proud, fierce, warrior Adam—his face distorted from a savage beating, his powerful arms bound by shackles. His shirt was stained with blood. His eyes were seething pits of defiance and deadly resolve.

  Never, in all his life, had hate surged so thick through Gavin's veins. He would have sold his soul in that instant to make those who had done this to his brother pay with their lives.

  "Decide to entertain me in loftier quarters, Wells?" Adam's words were slurred by the horrible swelling of his lower lip. "I prefer rats running about when... I'm being tortured. Adds so much to the... atmosphere."

  Wells took a step toward him, those eyes skimming Adam's battered face. "Are you a liar as well as a traitor?"

  Adam gave a harsh laugh. "I've not had the practice you've had, but given enough time, I'm certain you could turn me into a liar. What you couldn't do is to turn me into a murdering son of a bitch with a hunger for children's blood."

  Sir Dunstan lashed out with his fist, connecting hard with Adam's jaw. The lip split and bled. Gavin started to lunge from the shadows, then froze, holding himself back by sheer force of will.

  "I've been told you are a liar," Dunstan purred. "An imposter."

  "Imposter? What the devil?" Adam's features whitened.

  "There is a man here who says you are not the Glen Lyon after all."

  "Who? One of the brainless fools who has been chasing me for so long? One of your bumbling English fops stumbling over their own coattails? I am the Glen Lyon. I told you—"

  "Perhaps you should tell him." Dunstan gestured to the shadows. Gavin stepped into the light.

  He knew that if he lived forever, he'd never forget the expression on Adam's face—hopelessness, fury, and pain—deep, wild, primitive pain Gavin had never known his blustery brother capable of feeling. Then, in a heartbeat, it was gone, Adam's face a savage mask again, his eyes flooded with scorn.

  "Who the hell is this puling madman? And what the devil would he know about the Glen Lyon?"

  "Enough that he was able to produce this." Sir Dunstan thrust the betrothal ring at Adam. "It belongs to Rachel de Lacey, the innocent woman the Glen Lyon kidnapped."

  "I kidnapped her. She was dressed as Helen of Troy, and was plucking a rose in the garden. She'd been talking to some—some war hero who had lost a leg. I can even tell you their conversation was about you, Wells, and the gentleman's estimation of your character was none too complimentary."

  Sir Dunstan scowled, and turned to Gavin. "How could he know this if he wasn't there?"

  "The whole of Scotland was gossiping about what happened!" Gavin protested. "She was at a masquerade ball, was last seen with Nate Rowland. A six-year-old could tell you the same tale, but I doubt you'd believe the child was the rebel raider. Consider for a moment. The Glen Lyon is far too wily to go charging out, announcing his identity to a whole troop of soldiers! If he was that thick-headed and stupid, he would have been in a British jail a year ago!"

  Adam laughed, an empty sound. "Look at him, Wells! He's a harmless lunatic! I don't know where he got the woman's ring, and I don't know why the hell he's come here, spouting lies! I am the Glen Lyon!"

  "You lie!" Gavin snarled. "Admit it. He's agreed to release you if you tell the infernal truth."

  "Release me?" Adam roared, his gaze slashing to Gavin's in disbelief. "Why? Why would he release me?"

  "It's none of your concern—" Gavin started to snap, but Sir Dunstan c
ut in, his voice cold, precise.

  "Because this man has agreed to provide me with the real Glen Lyon in exchange for your life."

  Gavin could see the revelation strike Adam more brutally than any blow Sir Dunstan or his minions could have dealt. Panic washed over Adam's fierce features, mingled with killing rage.

  Adam lunged at Gavin, only the grasp of the soldiers' hands on his meaty arms holding him back. "You son of a bitch! By God, I'll—" Adam broke off the words, turning to Sir Dunstan. "You've won at last, Wells. Defeated me! What are you going to do? Listen to the babblings of this fool? Build your accursed gallows! Sharpen your knives! You want an infernal execution? Let's get it over with! I'll give you a spectacle of death you can brag about to your accursed military friends for a hundred years!"

  "He's not the Glen Lyon," Gavin insisted. "Execute him, and you'll be the laughingstock of Scotland."

  "If he's not the Glen Lyon, then who is?" Sir Dunstan demanded, those eyes seeming to sear into Gavin's face. "Tell me now. If you do, I vow I'll let him go. You have my word of honor."

  Honor, that most fragile of laurels. Gavin's gaze flicked to the two soldiers flanking Adam, others at the door who must have heard their commander's vow. Did he dare trust Wells to honor his promise before Adam was out of chains? Did he have any other choice?

  Gavin turned to stare into those cold eyes. "I am the Glen Lyon."

  "He's insane!" Adam roared, wild desperation flooding his features. "Damn it to hell, don't do this!"

  "I'm Gavin Carstares, Earl of Glenlyon."

  Sir Dunstan gaped at him, contempt sharpening his features, curling his lips. "Carstares. The coward."

  "When I escaped Culloden Moor, I decided to stop running. I'm the one who has stolen so many fugitives from beneath your swords. I'm the man who gave the order for Rachel de Lacey's kidnapping."

  "He's not! Damn it to hell! Listen to me," Adam bellowed. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know! Just fling him out—"

  Wells stormed toward Gavin, fists clenched. "Where is Rachel? By God, I'll wrench the information out of you if I have to strip the flesh from your bones one bladeful at a time!"