The Highlander's Promise

by Lynsay Sands

  "Aye. I usually come in the mornings and swim ere I break me fast," he admitted, setting down the basket and shaking out the plaid to lay it on the grass. "O' course, I did no' come here while at the lodge. 'Tis a longer ride here from the lodge and I would no' leave ye fer that long."

  "Oh," Jetta said softly, touched by the admission.

  "Do ye want to eat first or swim?" Aulay asked once he'd finished with the plaid.

  Jetta hesitated, her gaze sliding from the basket to the loch. The sun was higher now, nearly free of the horizon, and the sky was lightening with its arrival, but the air was a bit chilly still. Soon it would be fully bright, the sky an azure blue with frothy white clouds, and the air would warm. Jetta knew from experience--though she didn't recall what experience--that cooler air made the water seem warmer more quickly. Besides, she wasn't really hungry at the moment.

  "Swim," she announced, glancing back toward the men.

  "They'll no' turn around," Aulay assured her solemnly and stepped closer to help her with the fastenings of her dress.

  Jetta half expected him to take the opportunity to kiss and caress her, but he didn't. He helped her out of her dress, and then quickly stripped himself, and walked her to the shore's edge. As she'd expected, the water was cold, but the cool air soon made the water seem warmer than it was so that she kept as much of herself underwater as she could. They'd been in the water for several minutes before Aulay moved closer and slid his arms around her waist to pull her to him.

  Eyes widening, Jetta glanced nervously toward the men, but Aulay smiled and said, "'Tis all right, love. Much as I'd like to, I'll no' start something with the men here. We'll ha'e to save that fer another time."

  Relaxing, Jetta nodded and slid her arms around his neck, holding on as he drew her through the water, moving them in front of the rocky outcropping to the right of the little beach where the plaid lay.

  Jetta bit her lip as they moved. He'd said he wouldn't start something with the men there, but she was beginning to wish he would. Her breasts were brushing against his chest under the water, her nipples hardening by the moment, and his leg kept sliding between hers and gently nudging her. Trying to distract herself, she asked, "Where are we going?"

  "Just here," he murmured and then paused as soon as she could see the even smaller beach on the other side of the outcropping.

  Except for the small stretch of sand, the land there was not flat. Instead it looked like this smaller bay was carved out of the surrounding hill, she noted.

  "Do ye see that large bunch o' bushes on the left side o' the crag?" Aulay asked in a hushed voice as if trying to be sure he wasn't overheard.

  "Aye." Jetta nodded, concentrating her gaze on the bush in question.

  "Behind that is a cave, with a tunnel entrance in it that leads back to passages in the castle."

  "Really?" Jetta glanced to him with surprise, and then found herself staring at his lips as he answered.

  "Aye. I'll show it to ye sometime when we're here alone. Fer now, I just want ye to ken where it is."

  Jetta nodded, but her gaze was still locked on his mouth. Now that they'd stopped moving, she'd drifted to rest against his front more fully and she could feel that he was hard.

  Groaning, Aulay said, "Lass, stop looking at me that way."

  "What way?" she asked, surprised to hear how breathless she sounded.

  "Like ye want me to kiss and make love to ye," he growled.

  "I am sorry, husband, but . . . I do," she admitted apologetically.

  Aulay chuckled roughly at her words. "Ne'er be sorry fer that, love."

  "We are not going to, though, are we?" she asked with disappointment as he eased her a little away from him.

  "Nay," and now he sounded apologetic. "No' with the men here. Ye're no' the quiet type when it comes to lovin'. They'd hear."

  "I could try to be quiet," she offered.

  "Lass, if ye were quiet, I'd fear I was no' pleasurin' ye. Besides, yer cries and moans excite me. I'd no' enjoy it as much without it, and ye'd no' enjoy it as much trying to be quiet."

  "Oh," she sighed.

  Pulling her closer, he kissed the tip of her nose and then eased her back again. "I promise, we'll come alone the next time, and I'll love ye til ye scream so loud ye scare every bird in every tree for miles around into flyin' from their roosts."

  Jetta chuckled softly at the promise and then shook her head. "Mayhap you should let me make my own way back to where we were, then, for I do not think I could bear the trip back otherwise."

  He hesitated, but then nodded. Aulay didn't release her at once, however, but carried her closer to shore so that her head was above water when he let her go.

  "Thank you," Jetta murmured, and then glanced toward the smaller beach again. As they started to move back through the water toward the larger beach, she admitted, "Saidh and the others mentioned something about passages in the keep."

  "Did they?" he asked with surprise.

  "Aye." She turned back to him. "They were talking about you thinking that whoever pushed me down the stairs must have known about the passages and used them to escape."

  "Aye," he said grimly. "The problem is no one should ken about those passages but family."

  Jetta noted his grim expression, and said, "Saidh does not think they used the passages."

  Aulay's eyebrows rose at that. "Why not?"

  "Most of the dresses were missing from one of the chests in the hall, and the ones that remained were crushed as if someone were sitting on them. Saidh thinks whoever pushed me hid in the chest afterward."

  Aulay shook his head. "Niels checked the chests."

  "Did he just open each one and move on? Or did he actually pull out a dress or two or press down on them?" Jetta asked. "Because Saidh found a ballock dagger under one of the gowns and thinks they must have pulled the gown over themselves to hide, and it must have fallen out while they did, so that when they got out and dropped the dress back in it partially covered it."

  "A ballock dagger?" he asked with surprise.

  "Aye. It was quite lovely with figures carved on the swellings of the guard."

  Eyebrows rising slightly, he asked, "What did she do with it?"

  "She has it. She and the other women were going to tell the men about it after the wedding ceremony. But she suggested you not be told until the next day so we could enjoy . . ." Pausing, she blushed and shrugged. "Despite her suggestion, I planned to tell you myself as soon as we were alone back in our room after the ceremony, but we did not go to our room, and then with one thing and another I forgot until just now."

  Nodding, Aulay began to walk them back through the water the way they'd come. "We should eat and return. I should like to see this dagger."

  "We can skip eating here and ride right back if you wish, husband. I do not mind and I know it will bother you until you get to talk to the others about it."

  When Aulay hesitated, she added, "We can break our fast at the keep with everyone else while you talk to them."

  Nodding, Aulay carried her out of the water.

  Chapter 17

  The ride back was quicker than the ride out had been. It seemed like just minutes before they were entering the keep. It was still early, though, and while the people who had been sleeping in the Great Hall were now up and about, Aulay's brothers and sister and their mates were nowhere to be seen and obviously still abed.

  Aulay took that in as they entered, and then started to lead her to the tables, but Jetta drew him to a stop.

  "Mayhap I should go above stairs and do something with my hair before I break my fast," she suggested, self-consciously feeling the back of her head. While the hair in front and on the sides was long and still a little damp, the short hair that had managed to grow in on the back was pretty much dry. She imagined it looked strange, though, and was eager to fix it with one of the cauls the women had given her.

  Aulay nodded easily, handed the basket and plaid he carried to one of the men, and sc
ooped her up into his arms.

  "I can walk," Jetta protested as he turned toward the stairs, although not very vigorously. She was actually growing tired.

  "I like carryin' ye," he said easily, and then added gently, "and ye're starting to drag yer feet, love. I keep forgetting that ye're still healing. I should ha'e dismounted at the keep doors and had one o' the men take the horses to the paddock rather than make ye walk all that way."

  "Thank you," Jetta said, rather than argue further. Between the swimming, riding and walking she was knackered and grateful for his coddling.

  Alick was coming out of his room, yawning and scratching the back of his head, when they reached the upper landing. Jetta spotted him as Aulay turned toward their room, and he obviously spotted them too. The younger man froze when he saw them, mouth open and arm raised, and gaped at them briefly. Although it seemed to Jetta he was gaping mostly at her, and then he gave his head a shake and let his arm drop, muttering, "It must ha'e been a dream."

  "What must ha'e been a dream?" Aulay asked with amusement as they approached him, headed for their room.

  "Oh." He smiled wryly. "I was thinking last night as I drifted off to sleep that ye'd ha'e to show Jetta the--"

  "Show her what?" Aulay asked when he paused abruptly.

  Rather than answer, Alick grimaced and let his gaze drift toward the soldiers behind them.

  Understanding that whatever he was talking about was not something he wished to share with the men, Aulay said, "Come to our chamber with us."

  When Alick fell into step with them, Aulay said, "Cullen, ha'e one o' the men go fetch Mavis, please."

  "Aye, m'laird," Cullen said quietly, and then nodded to one of the soldiers, a strapping young ginger-haired man, who promptly turned to hurry back the way they'd come.

  "I'll be out in just a minute," Aulay murmured as he carried Jetta into their bedchamber with Alick on his heels. Leaving Alick to close the door, he set Jetta down on the bed and then walked over to the table by the fireplace and turned to raise his eyebrows in question.

  Alick hesitated and then joined him by the fire, and the two began to talk quietly enough that the men in the hall wouldn't hear. But Jetta could and listened unabashedly as she found her brush and began to pull it through her drying hair.

  "So what were ye thinking I should show Jetta?" Aulay asked, dropping to sit in one of the chairs.

  "The passages," Alick said in a low voice she barely caught.

  "It must ha'e troubled ye greatly if ye were dreaming on it?" Aulay commented.

  Alick grimaced. "Aye. The fire bothered me. Made me think she should ken about the passages so she could escape if anything o' the like happened in the keep. I mean, 'twould be just as easy to start a fire at a bedchamber door. 'Twould prevent anyone from rescuing her and prevent her escaping by the door as well."

  "Aye, brother. Good thinking," Aulay said solemnly.

  Alick nodded. "In me dream, I showed her the passage in me room and this room, told her how to open, close and lock them. I showed her the entrance to the stairs, and told her how to open the one at the bottom of the stairs that led into the tunnels as well, but just told her about the ones in the other rooms because people were sleeping in them." Smiling wryly, he added, "It all seemed real at the time, but me head was fuzzy, everything kept movin' on me, and Jetta had all her hair." Grimacing, he added, "I was glad to wake up this morn to find the room had stopped swaying and me stomach had settled. I felt quite sick during the dream."

  "Well, ye can stop frettin'. I'll show Jetta how to open the passage to this room right now, and then show her the others when everyone is up and about," Aulay said, standing and walking Alick to the door. "Why do ye no' go down and break yer fast? We'll be along as soon as Mavis--Ah, here she is," Aulay said wryly. He'd opened the door to reveal Mavis on the other side with her hand raised. Stepping back and pulling Alick with him, they let Mavis enter and then Aulay urged his brother out the door, saying, "We'll be down shortly."

  "You do not have to wait for me, husband," Jetta said, smiling at Mavis as the woman hurried to her side and took the hairbrush. "Two of the men can wait to escort me and you can take two of the men with you below."

  "They are yer guards, wife. No' mine," he said moving over to sit on the end of the bed and watch Mavis work on her hair. "Besides, I want to see how Mavis puts the caul in. Then I can help ye with it the next time we ride out early."

  Jetta couldn't hide her surprise at those words. He was willing to help her with her hair? Truly, he was a rare find.

  "Do no' look so surprised, lass," Mavis said with amusement. "O' course he wants to learn how to fix yer hair. Aulay was always a smart lad. He kens ye'll be less likely to ride off with him fer some houghmagandie by the loch if ye're always returning with yer hair in the state it is now."

  Eyes widening in alarm, Jetta pulled away from Mavis's ministrations and rushed to the mirror. Her jaw dropped in horror when she saw herself. The wind on the ride back had only half dried it, but it had left it in a flyaway mess.

  Chuckling at her expression, Mavis walked up behind her and began brushing her hair again. "'Tis fine. I'll fix it. It'll no' take a minute."

  "I'm sorry, Aulay. It did no' e'en occur to me to pull dresses out o' the chests or press down on them," Niels said for probably the sixth time since he'd come below some fifteen minutes ago.

  Niels and Edith had been the last of their party to wake up and come down to the trestle tables this morn. By the time the pair had come below, everyone else had broken their fast and Jetta had returned to their bedchamber to lie down for a nap. He'd suggested it after she'd yawned for the tenth time. The ease with which she'd agreed told him just how tired she was. He shouldn't have woken her so early, Aulay supposed. But he'd known she'd want a bath this morning and he had wanted to show her the loch. He'd thought to kill two birds with one stone by taking her along for his morning swim.

  "I should ha'e driven me sword into the bundles o' gowns," Niels muttered angrily, and then repeated, "I'm really sorry, brother."

  "I ken. I'm no' angry with ye o'er it," Aulay said patiently, also for the sixth time.

  "Aye, but if I'd just thought to do that, we'd already ha'e the culprit. The stables ne'er would ha'e burned, and--"

  "Niels," Aulay interrupted, finally losing some of his patience. "Ye've naught to be sorry fer. I doubt I would ha'e thought to remove dresses or press on the material in each chest either. I probably would ha'e just opened each to be sure they were still full o' dresses and then moved on to the next. Stop apologizing. What's done is done."

  "Aye," Niels mumbled. "I guess we should just be glad that is where they were hiding and no' the pass--elsewhere," he ended in a dull voice, remembering at the very last second not to mention the passages at the tables where anyone might hear. Aulay frowned at the man's sallow complexion and the way he kept slurring his words. "Ye're almost in worse shape than Alick this morn. What the devil did the two o' ye get up to last night?"

  Niels grimaced. "Alick challenged me to a drinking game. I won."

  Aulay smiled with amusement at the glum words. "Bored, were ye?"

  Niels shrugged. "More like frustrated. The women had told us about the ballock dagger in the chest and their suspicions when we returned to the keep after the fire. We all discussed it, but wanted to talk to ye about it and see what ye thought, but ye did no' come below that night or the next, or--"

  "Aye," Aulay interrupted. He had barely left his bedchamber since carrying Jetta up there. He'd slipped out a time or two, but only to talk to Cullen to find out if there was anything amiss. Cullen had passed on any grievances or issues that had cropped up with the normal running of Buchanan, but hadn't known about the knife and what his family members were fretting over. So Aulay had given the man orders on what to do about the issues he did know about and had slipped back to rejoin Jetta. Never once during that time had Aulay asked how Katie was doing, and it had been a conscious decision on his part. He'd wa
nted just to spend time with Jetta for a day or two and enjoy the fact that she was now his by law before rejoining the real world and addressing the waiting issues of murder attempts and whatnot.

  That vacation from real life was over now, though, and he was neck-deep in theories and worries about the attacker who was plaguing them. If he weren't laird, Aulay would march right back upstairs now, climb into bed with Jetta and forget all of this by losing himself in her body. Despite being laird the idea was a tempting one, and he briefly considered doing just that, but then pushed the tempting thought away. He had responsibilities here.

  "How long do ye think 'twill take Alick and Conran to find out which ship lost its mast?"

  Aulay glanced up with a grimace at that question from Cam. After the first run of discussion about the ballock dagger, Aulay had sent Alick and Conran out again to travel to the various ports along the coast and ask around about the ship. This time, though, they would be looking for information on one that had lost its mast, rather than one that had sunk. The hope was that they would learn who might have been traveling on it, if not the name of the woman who had been strapped to it.

  The pair had been leaving as Niels had come below little more than fifteen minutes ago, and since that was the only thing any of them could think to do at the moment, it would be a waiting game until they returned. Hopefully, one of them would gain the information they needed. Although Aulay wasn't sure what he would do with it once he had it. Tell Jetta her full name, that of the ship she was on, and where she was sailing to in hopes it would bring on the rest of her memories and shed some light on who might be behind the attacks? Or ride out to confront her family and this man they wanted her to marry to tell them she was a Buchanan now and would be protected, in hopes that would bring an end to the attacks?

  The problem was, he needed more than just for the attacks to stop. While he and Jetta had survived the attacks on them, Katie still might not survive her own injury, and deserved justice.

  "It depends on whether they get lucky, or no'," Aulay said finally. "If the boat launched from one o' the nearer ports and returned there as well, they may be back in a day or so. If it launched from further away, or limped into port further away, it could be as much as a week or week and a half."