"Yes, you are right. Thank you so much for all of your help. I appreciate it so much," Edith said.
"That is all that I have for today, you are dismissed," Cameron said.
Edith stood up and glanced at Bran whose eyes were on the floor not looking at her. She wanted him to be happy about this. She was longing for him to declare that he would marry her as soon as she was free from her old marriage. If he would only declare that, then it would get her through these winter months having a light at the end of the tunnel.
That night at the feast she had a moment to speak to Bran and she had one question on her mind.
"Bran?"
"Yes?" he said uncomfortably looking around.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to try to kiss you," she whispered, hurt by his reaction.
"What is it?"
"When the spring comes and I make my way to the parish for my annulment documents, will you escort me there?"
"When the Spring comes and I know that the countryside is safe for travel from the reports of our outposts, then I will grant you travel."
"And you will come with me?" she asked.
"I would not let you out of my sight otherwise. I will be at your side on this journey," he said looking deep into her eyes. Then as though correcting himself and his lust, he walked away with purpose.
Edith smiled savoring his every word.
SPRING
The melting snow made Edith excited every day. She had never been so happy to have the days grow longer and the sunset grow later into the day. All of these were the signs that spring was arriving, which meant she would be a free woman soon.
As though she was living in her modern time, she even began to pick out the perfect traveling outfit to wear on the day of long journey that would take her to sign the official documents. Nothing seemed to be appropriate because she had no practice riding a horse, and she did not know which dress would be the most comfortable for such a thing. She realized there was a lot that she needed to learn in order to be a self-sufficient woman in medieval times. Learning to ride horseback would be one of those skills, and she would take the opportunity to ride her own horse on the journey so that she could get in some practice. There must be a gentle and older horse that practically led itself living in the castle stables. That would be the horse of her choosing.
Every day, she counted down the days to when her journey could begin, not just because she was excited about finally being a free woman, but because she would also be spending some time away from the castle with Bran. She would get to see the countryside that she had heard so much about and have some time to talk with him and just be friends as they were before.
Finally, the day arrived.
"Here you are, Heigl packed quite a good amount of food and water," Maria said tying bundles of cloth that were filled with sandwiches, skins of wine, and water onto Edith's saddle.
Edith laughed. "I cannot believe that Heigl is making sandwiches now."
"Oh, she cannot get enough of it. She thinks it is very convenient to have one's meal packed up between two slices of bread. She said it even takes less time to eat when one bite contains meat, vegetables, and cheese. Plus, it is incredibly easy to wrap them, there must be ten sandwiches in this bundle alone," Maria said.
"We should get going, the sun is rising," Bran said getting the last of his supplies ready. His voice was loud for the guards who were going with them to mount up as well. There were three guards all together escorting Bran and Edith.
Edith gave Maria a hug. Then she hugged Cameron. "I do not take for granted all your work in allowing this to happen. Plus, the guards and everything and lending me your cousin to escort me. I am truly grateful."
"You are welcome. You are one of us now, and we take care of our clan. Besides, Bran would have it no other way than to officially be the one in charge of this journey," Cameron said quieter in her ear.
Edith smiled glad to hear it.
"Let's set out," Bran said mounting his horse. Then he grabbed the reins of Edith's horse and led them both out of the stable. Once they were across the castle bridge and onto the main road leading into the countryside they were met with a spectacular sight.
"Oh, this is absolutely beautiful. I don't think I have seen the dawn this way," Edith said watching the sunrise.
"Yes, the beauty of my homeland is one to be proud of," Bran said.
"Now that we are on the open road do you think I may have the reins?" she asked.
Bran raised a brow at her. "Do you have any practice riding?"
"I do not, but I want to learn. I might as well start now." She smiled.
"Alright then." He returned her smile.
It was the first time she had seen him smile in a long time. It made her knees go weak and if she had been standing she would need to sit. He handed her the reins and as she took them, her hand touched his. Heat moved through her.
"Thank you," she said.
"Let me show you. Grab the reins as so. Then if you want to go in this direction you pull this way," he demonstrated.
She did as he showed her, and it worked. "Oh, I did it." She laughed.
"Then if you want to go the other way, pull in this direction," he said.
She followed his every move, including how to stop the horse.
"That's very good. You are a quick learner," he said.
"Well I have a good teacher." She smiled.
"And you are a good student," he said.
Edith smiled at the sparkle in his eye. It was obvious to her that he was flirting, and she was enjoying it. Had he become more loose in his interaction because she was on her way to being a free woman?
She hoped it was all worth the wait. In her dreams she would want Bran to ask the priest to marry them right then and there, but she knew it was much more complicated than that.
"I love this countryside. What does the clan do in the spring? I'm anxious to learn all about how the castle and the villages handle every season," she asked.
Bran answered proudly, "We do a lot. For the most part early spring as it is now with patches of snow melting, we begin to gather the seeds for sowing. As soon as the frost leaves the dirt, we plow and air the soil to prepare it for planting."
"I would love to learn how that is done," she said.
"You really do want to learn the ways of the people?" he asked.
"I don't mind getting my hands dirty. And as the Laird himself said, I am now one of you. I want to do my part," she said.
Bran smiled, clearly glad to hear it.
They rode for half the day and stopped just outside the first village which was a tiny fishing village. They took rest under a group of trees to eat and let the horses the rest. Edith was surprised that Bran sat next to her on a fallen tree trunk. He had spent the majority of the last few weeks staying away from her, but now that apprehension seemed to be gone.
He pointed out the popular spots of the village, which were outdoor gathering spots as this village was so small that it did not have a tavern of any sort or a church. The people of this town kept mostly to themselves and indulged in outdoor services in the summer when priests came through.
After a half hour rest, they continued on the second leg of the journey toward the next village and to the parish. Edith grew more excited with every movement knowing that she would soon be a free woman.
"We will be there before the sun sets," Bran said. "See those roofs in the distance? That is the village."
"I see them. I'm so happy," she said as the horses moved through a patch of boulders and forest that faced flat lands in the distance where the village sat.
"Whoop! Woo!" shouting sounds suddenly emerged.
Bran pulled his sword and moved his horse in front of Edith. The guards took stance. A group of five horses surrounded them with masked men riding them, whooping and hollering.
"Stand down! I will have you all arrested. You rob no simpletons. We are the guards of the Laird of Dunscaith and you will be taken prisone
r!"
Edith was mortified. She remembered Maria had said once that there were highwaymen along the routes that robbed people, but she never thought they would attack guards of a castle.
"No. You are exactly who we are looking for," a man said.
Edith's skin crawled. She recognized the American accent immediately. The man pushed his sword toward her, holding the point of it against her waist.
"Stop!" Bran shouted.
Gabriel pulled the cloth off his face down to his neck, showing his horrid grin. His hair was long and unruly, and he had a full beard, but there was no mistaken that it was him.
"You!" Bran said. "Be cautious, none of you will escape a second time."
The other men took off their masks revealing that it was the three Irish bandits and two new recruits. Gabriel was leading them all.
Edith broke into a cold sweat. There was no way that she was going to live through this. But Gabriel would not be quick to kill her, he would torture her as he had promised long ago.
Chapter 27
Bran had felt a weight off of his shoulders for the last few weeks. Watching the snow melt meant that spring was arriving. Because of this, it meant that there were more things than just the season that we're going to change. His cousin Cameron had informed him that Edith would be able to get an official documentation to annul her marriage there for making her a free and single woman. Finally, his frustration would be put to rest. He would then be able to pursue her in the proper way, one that would allow him to uphold the law.
As the days grew closer to the journey of taking her two villages over to the parish to sign the documents with the priest, his demeanor had also changed. He was growing light-hearted and was allowing himself to have some liberty flirting with Edith.
Of course, he would be the one to escort her on the journey because he wanted to make sure that she was safe and if anything happened along the way, he would be there to protect her. He knew now that she owned his heart. So, he had to protect her at all cost. Not to mention that he wanted to be there the moment she became a free woman because he had waited long enough.
But the moment he saw the face of Gabriel, he knew he had made a big mistake. He should have brought more men with him along the journey, as well as put Scouts up ahead of them to seek out any ambush. He himself was the one who had told his cousin Cameron that he knew Gabriel had vengeance in his heart and would be planning to take out that vengeance on Edith. But with his happiness of her becoming a single woman he had let down his guard. He took precautions of course, but not extreme precautions and now he regretted making that decision.
Anger fumed inside of him as he looked at Gabriel. He wanted to kill him right then and there. The fact that Gabriel had his sword aimed at Edith, right in her waist made rage flash like a white flash of a blizzard in front of him. He could not make any sudden movements or Gabriel could thrust his sword right through her.
He would not let his rash behavior cost her, her life. So, he remained steady and calm looking around at the men who had circled them. They were all around, and every inch of the guards and himself recovered. There would be nothing left to do but obey Gabriel and once he got close enough, then Bran could overtake him.
"What do you want? Money?" Bran hissed.
"Yes, of course. But that will be easily taken from you once you are dead. We will have no problem going through your pockets and taking your coin, and taking your weapons and anything of value, but that is just a reward after I get what I really want," Gabriel said with a grin.
"What do you want?" Bran asked.
"You know what I want. Vengeance," Gabriel said.
Bran shifted on his horse, angry.
"Edith, my dear wife. Slowly climb off of your horse," Gabriel said pushing the point of the sword against her dress. Then he grabbed the reins of the horse.
Edith looked to Bran.
"Do as he says, slowly, and careful that this idiot does not accidentally run you through with his sword," Bran said.
"Careful, or it won't be an accident," Gabriel said to Bran.
Edith slowly slid off her saddle, directly into Gabriel's arms. He grabbed her and turned her around, putting his arm across her neck and putting the sword against her flesh there.
"Now, the rest of you throw your swords onto the ground, all your weapons. And then climb off your horses. And if you don't, I will kill her," Gabriel said.
The guards looked at Bran.
"Do as he says."
The guards and Bran did what Gabriel asked and threw their swords, axes, and daggers onto the ground. Then they slowly dismounted their horses, but not letting go of the reins.
"Those be mighty fine horses. I think I will be claiming this one," one of the Irish bandits said about Bran's horse.
Bran knew his horse would not let anyone ride him except for him, and the bandit would be thrown off immediately breaking his neck.
"I'd like to see you try," Bran said.
"Enough. There will be picking for all of you. Now, let's get off the road. Pick up their weapons, and all of you follow me into the woods. Make any sudden movements and I will run my sword into her neck faster than your movement can be complete," Gabriel said.
"Lead the way," Bran said trying to contain his anger. Getting off the road would not be a good thing. He had to hand it to Gabriel for being smart enough to ambush them from the woods onto the road, and then to take them off the road where a passerby would not see what was happening to alert others.
Bran looked at Edith who had tears in her eyes, but they had not fallen down her cheeks. He'd misjudged her. He had always thought of her as weak, but in this moment she was not screaming and hysterical or crying uncontrollably. Instead she was calm and keeping her wits about her, just like any warrior would. Of course, he could see the fear in her face and watery eyes, but that was to be expected considering the monster she feared had her in his arms with a sharp sword at her neck.
Bran nodded his head at her, giving her some reassurance that all will be okay. He knew this because there was no way he was going to allow Gabriel to truly harm her. He would sacrifice himself and throw himself upon Gabriel if need be just so that she had the opportunity to run away.
He watched as Edith bit her lower lip, and her brows furrowed together. In that moment he swore to never again allow her to feel this sort of fear. But how could he overtake Gabriel without causing harm to Edith? His only choice was to see how this played out and wait for the perfect opportunity.
Chapter 28
Being outnumbered, Edith and her group found themselves overwhelmed by Gabriel's bandits. The highwaymen took them off the road deeper into the forest. Once they got to a clearing, Gabriel ordered Bran and his men to be tied to trees.
They were all tied up except for Edith, who was thrown onto her knees on the ground. She stayed there, not wanting to make any movements that would cause Gabriel to hit her. She already knew the anger that he held inside of him for her. She didn't want to do anything to bring it out in violence, though she knew it was coming eventually. For now, she needed to hold off so that she could figure out how to get them out of this. She knew that Bran was a skilled warrior and had probably been in this sort of predicament more than once therefore, he probably had some plan of action. She wanted to be prepared in case he made a point to do something quick and rash.
But looking at Bran, her heart fell to her stomach. Seeing him tied up made her feel very anxious and sad. He had given her a reassuring nod when they were moving off the road to the forest, and that gave her a lot of strength. She knew that he was capable of a lot, but she had also seen the darkness inside of Gabriel. All these months he had been gathering up anger and revenge in his heart and recruiting men to help him. She knew there was no way that he was going to let them go and the only way to get out of this was to fight their way out.
She looked to Bran, who spewed anger from his very being.
"Untie me, coward. Just you and me. This is betwe
en the two of us and you know it," Bran spat at Gabriel.
"No, it is between me and my wife!" Gabriel shouted.
"Using your wife to get out of a one on one fight. How does that look in front of your men? Why should they follow a coward?" Bran said.
The bandits looked to Gabriel enticed by Bran's words.
"Do not listen to him. He just has a trick up his sleeve," Gabriel said.
"My only trick is to prove what a coward you are," Bran sneered.
Gabriel walked up to Bran, getting very close and spat on his face. The bandits laughed at this, exactly what Gabriel wanted.
"Coward!" Bran shouted.
"You want to be untied to show how brave you are?" Gabriel said.
"To show how weak you are," Bran said.
Gabriel gathered his men and whispered something. Edith remained quiet. She felt like she was back in the hotel room with Gabriel beating her. Her voice was lost. He brought this out in her. The spirit she had inside her was crushed and cowering. She wanted to do something, anything to save Bran, but she did not know what to do. Looking at her hands, they were shaking uncontrollably. This all felt like a nightmare. She closed her eyes tight then opened them, expecting to wake up in her bed in the castle. But it did not work.
Seeing Bran tied up broke her heart. She had to do something, but she knew speaking one word would get her a blow from Gabriel that could possibly knock her unconscious and then she would have no control at all.
"You want a fight, Scottish scum. You will have one," Gabriel said squaring himself in front of Bran.
Edith was shocked to see one of the bandits move behind Bran and untie him. Bran bared his teeth, ready for a fight. Edith knew that Bran would take Gabriel down with one punch and readied herself to run if Bran asked her too.
"Show your men, you can fight," Bran said as he stepped forward. But as he did, one of the bandits hit Bran from behind on the backside of the knee. He fell forward. The men laughed.
Kiss A Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (A Highlander Across Time Book 2) Page 13
