Fated Hearts 02 - Highland Echoes

by Ceci Giltenan

  “This doesn’t change the fact that Grace admitted to loving someone else.”

  “Bram, time was running out. If ye still hoped to marry Grace when the Sinclairs arrived, the chance of an alliance was over. Da knew threatening ye wouldn’t work. What is the only other thing he could do?”

  “He wouldn’t threaten Grace? How could he? What did he have over her? If he had banished her, I would have gone with her. She knew that.”

  “I don’t know what he threatened her with. Maybe it was something to do with Kristen or Innes. Whatever it was, I’m not even sure he would have made good on it, he’s not heartless. But Grace wouldn’t know that.

  “Nay I can’t believe he would threaten a young widow. He wouldn’t.”

  “Desperate men do desperate things and if he thought it was for the good of the clan, he might. Ye know full well Grace wouldn’t risk getting Innes or Kristen hurt. Better to set her own heart aside…and hurt someone stronger and better able to handle it…ye.”

  Bram stopped his horse and stared at Ian. If Ian was right and Da had threatened her, Bram had no doubt Grace would see it this way. She would do everything in her power to protect Innes and Kristen. “Do ye really believe Da might have done this? And what about Michael? She didn’t deny that.”

  “Bram, it was obvious to everyone that Grace loves ye as much as ye love her. And Da had too much riding on this alliance with the Sinclairs. Ye needed to believe whatever Grace felt for ye was gone. I don’t know what Michael’s role was in all of this, but it certainly helped convince ye.”

  Realization flooded him. “Damnation!” Bram clicked to Goliath, preparing to urge him into a gallop.

  “Wait, Bram. Where are ye going?”

  Bram spun Goliath around. “I need to see Grace. I need to know if Da did threaten her.”

  “And completely destroy the sacrifice she made for ye and this clan?”

  “God’s breath, Ian. I will stay away from her if I must, but I can’t bear the thought of her fearing some retribution from Da.” Bram turned Goliath toward home. They weren’t far now so he gave the horse his head. Ian and the guardsmen followed suit, tearing down the road after him toward Castle Sutherland.

  They reached the outskirts of the village in a few minutes. Bram stopped before he reached Innes’ cottage. He dismounted, handing Goliath’s reins to Ian. “See to him for me, please.”

  The guardsmen wouldn’t question him but his brother was not as circumspect. “Bram—”

  “Please, Ian. Grant me this.”

  Ian shook his head in frustration. “Aye, I will.” He clicked his tongue at Goliath. “C’mon, lad.”

  Bram waited until the men were well down the lane before walking to the little cottage. It was early evening. Grace would be putting Kristen to bed. He thought back to the night they met, and so many since then, when he heard her sweet lullabies. He had longed to hear her singing to their children. He sighed heavily. It would never be. As he drew closer he didn’t hear the melody he expected. Instead he was met with the sound of Innes trying to quiet Kristen’s distressed cries.

  Something was wrong. He ran the last few steps and knocked at the door. Innes opened it, looking as distraught as the child she held. “Dear God, Innes, what has happened? Where is Grace?”

  “Gone.” She trembled and began to sob too.

  “What do ye mean?” But even as he asked it, he knew he needed to calm them both before he would get any answers. He took Kristen from Innes and guided the old woman to the chair. Kristen clutched at him, burying her face in his léine, continuing to sob. “Wheesht, my sweet wee lassie. Wheest now, it will be all right.” He bounced her gently, rubbing her back as he had seen Grace do. “Innes, ye need to calm down and tell me what has happened.”

  “It was all a lie. She wasn’t Tristan’s daughter. She isn’t Kristen’s mother. Her name is Nina and she’s married.” Innes burst into a fresh wave of tears.

  What? Where did this nonsense come from? Of course she was Kristen’s mother. Bram tried again to calm them both. The wee lass finally had exhausted herself with tears. She was falling asleep in his arms, her little body still jerking occasionally with a sob.

  Innes still wept, so he turned his attention to her. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Innes, please calm down and tell me what has happened.”

  With great effort, Innes too managed to stop crying. She put her hand over his where it rested on her shoulder. “Thank ye for calming the babe, Bram. Put her on her pallet and then sit here with me. I’ll tell ye what I know.”

  Bram stepped through the door into the little room where they slept. He gently laid the sleeping child on the pallet, patted her back until he knew she was asleep, and kissed her forehead before returning to Innes.

  “Now, what is this about Grace not being Kristen’s mother?”

  “Did she ever tell ye where she came from?”

  “Not specifically. I knew she was raised on the Isle of Lewis. Why?”

  “Aye, she was raised on Lewis. I guess yer da was worried about me—that she might be hiding something. He sent a messenger to Lewis, to the heads of all the clans to see if he could find out more about her. The messenger learned she had lived among the Morrisons. I knew that and ’twas no secret. I would have told yer da if he’d asked.”

  Bram was impatient and he wanted Innes to get to the point, but he held his irritation in check. “So, Da found out she was a Morrison. What else?”

  “He found out she isn’t Grace Breive.” Innes launched into the story, telling him everything that the Morrison men had revealed.

  Bram tried to remain calm. On its surface, the story sickened him but he forced himself to listen. He needed to hear it all to understand what had happened. As he listened, he realized all of the pieces didn’t add up. The Morrisons alleged that Tristan and his family, including Grace, died of an illness. But Kristen had memories of her father and grandparents dying. She had told Bram, There was a storm. Da and Gwandda didn’t come home. Gwamma was sick. She died too. Me and Mama were awone. Surely if her real mother had died, she would remember that.

  Furthermore, if “Nina” had stolen the child from another family just before leaving Lewis, Kristen wouldn’t have memories of things they had done together on Lewis. It is wike the hiww we cwimbed at home. We don’t go neaw the edge…We awways ate wif Da on the gwass. Kristen couldn’t have these memories with a woman who had stolen her, even if “Nina” was supposedly a close friend of the family.

  “Innes, I don’t believe the Morrisons. I can’t understand why Laird Morrison would have written such a damning letter, but I don’t have a single doubt that Grace is Kristen’s mother. Besides, she proved herself to us. She had Tristan’s brooch and she throws a knife as expertly as he did.”

  “That’s what Michael said.”

  “What does Michael have to do with this?”

  “Michael tried to help her when this was happening. He said she had friends in Durness who knew her and he had met them. He also said ye only had to look at Grace and Kristen together to know Grace was her mother. The laird wouldn’t listen to him. Besides, the Morrisons said Nina and Grace were friends and Tristan taught them both to use knives. They also said she stole the brooch and Tristan’s letter from the real Grace’s cottage.”

  “What letter? Neither of ye ever mentioned a letter.”

  “It was a letter to me from Tristan. His wife wrote it for him years ago. He feared sending it to me because of her father. The seal was unbroken when Grace arrived. Michael begged the laird to look at it. Yer mother even tried, but the laird wouldn’t.”

  “Has Michael seen it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can I see it?”

  Innes’ eyes filled with tears. “She took it with her. It was in a little wooden box with the brooch. She also had a brooch and pendant that belonged to Tristan’s wife.”

  “What was in the letter?”

  “Tristan explained about his wife’s fath
er. It was the reason they fled to Lewis in the first place and why he couldn’t contact me. He didn’t hate me as I always imagined he did. He begged my forgiveness.”

  The existence of the letter was a complete surprise. He wondered why Grace had never mentioned it. Perhaps there was more information in the letter—something that could help her now. “Innes, did Father Francis read it to ye? Maybe ye are forgetting some important detail that he will remember. Or if Michael read it, maybe he knows something.”

  “Ye could ask Michael but yer da threw him in the dungeon for interfering and Father didn’t read it to me. The lass herself did.”

  “Grace can read?” This too was a surprise.

  “Aye, she can. She said her mama taught her.”

  “But Innes, ye said the man named Roddy had a marriage certificate that bore Nina’s mark. Other than Laird Morrison’s letter was this the only proof they offered?”

  “Aye, well that and their testimony. She didn’t even recognize her husband. They said she had lost her mind when she lost her own child. When the laird gave them leave to take her, she certainly looked like a mad woman, screaming and kicking. Of course, Michael fought too. It took four guardsmen to subdue him. One of the Morrisons knocked Grace out.”

  One of them struck her? It was all Bram could do to rein in his temper. “Innes, I don’t believe a word of their story. Kristen knows who her mother is and ye say Grace can read. Surely if she were truly this man’s wife, Nina, she would have signed the certificate—not simply marked it.”

  Innes’ eyes grew wide. “I didn’t think of that. Aye, and Kristen does know her mama. She has been distraught since they left yesterday morning, crying for her mama.”

  “Two days? They’ve had her for nearly two day? Did Michael go after her?”

  “Nay, I told ye, he’s in the dungeon.”

  His heart sank. “Innes, I must go. I will find out what my father knows and then find her.”

  Innes stood with tears streaming down her cheeks again. “I let them take her. I doubted her. She begged me to believe her and I didn’t.”

  “Innes, ye couldn’t have stopped this, not with my father condoning it. Ye might be in the dungeon alongside Michael if ye’d tried. But I will bring her back. I swear. Even if it is to let Michael have her.”

  He wasted no time getting to the keep, running the whole way. When he reached the great hall, Ian and his father looked at him from where they sat at the refectory table. Clearly their father had told the story to Ian whose eyes held only pity. His father, on the other hand, looked ready to do battle.

  Fine. Bram would give him a battle. “Where did they take her?”

  “Back to Lewis, where she belonged,” Eanraig answered.

  “Through which port?” Bram ground out.

  “They were heading for Durness, and good riddance.”

  Bram exploded. “Ye have no idea what ye’ve done, Father.”

  “Mind yer tone with me, Son.”

  Bram continued. “Ye had to meddle. Ye would have done anything to get rid of her. But it was over between us. Why couldn’t ye just leave it be?”

  “I did it for the good of the clan. It wasn’t over as long as ye thought ye loved her, Bram. But it is a good thing I found out the truth. She is a mad woman. She’s married and she stole the child. Even her story about how Tristan and his family died was false. They all died of an illness that swept the village. She stole the real Grace’s belongings. I know ye don’t want to believe it but she lied to us.”

  Bram trembled with rage. “Nay, Father, she didn’t. Ye were willing to believe Laird Morrison’s letter and his men, without bothering to find out the truth of it, even with a trusted guardsman telling ye they were wrong. Besides, Kristen remembers when her father died. She will tell ye, her da and grandda died in a storm.”

  “Michael is as blind as ye are and Kristen is a bairn.”

  “That doesn’t matter. She remembers and she knows who her mother is.”

  “Bah.” His father waved his hand, as if he refused to credit a child. “Besides, I didn’t rely only on Laird Morrison’s letter. Nina’s husband had their marriage certificate bearing her mark.”

  “Good point, Da. But why would a woman acknowledge a document with a mark if she can read and write?”

  “Clearly, Nina can’t read and write.”

  “Aye, I’m sure Nina, whomever she is, can’t. But the woman who lived among us can read. Surely, if she were truly married, her husband would know that.”

  For the first time, Bram saw a glimmer of doubt in his father’s eyes. “She can read? How is that possible? Tristan couldn’t read.”

  “Her mother could, but the question of who taught her doesn’t matter. Ye let six men drag Innes’ granddaughter away based on a letter from a clan leader with whom ye have no formal ties and a marriage certificate which might have belonged to anyone. And ye threw the one person who tried to help her in the dungeon. Did ye ever consider Laird Morrison might have had another motive?”

  “Bram, be reasonable. What cause would Laird Morrison to have to lie about who she is?”

  “I don’t know, but that brings me to another issue. Yer messenger arrived before Ian and I left. Ian asked ye about what news he brought and ye said it was nothing important. This seems worthy of at least a mention.”

  “I didn’t know it then,” said his father.

  “What do ye mean, ye didn’t know it?”

  “Laird Morrison told the messenger she was lying to us but didn’t offer details. He said he would send men for her.”

  “Doesn’t that seem odd to ye? Wouldn’t it have been reasonable for him to say, Grace Breive died or to tell ye that the woman in our midst had lost her mind and stolen a child so ye could prevent her from harming someone else before they arrived? Did it ever occur to ye that he gave ye no details because he needed time to make a plausible story?”

  More doubt flitted across his father’s features even as he insisted, “I had no reason to doubt Laird Morrison.”

  “But ye doubted a man to whom ye trust yer life? I think the truth is ye would rather let them haul away an innocent lass to ensure she didn’t interfere with yer plans for me. But ye had already taken care of that, hadn’t ye? Ye threatened her and forced her to tell me she loved another.”

  “It was for the good of the clan Bram. Who told ye anyway?”

  “Ye just did.”

  His father had the good grace to look contrite. “Son, I—”

  “Nay, I’ve heard enough. I am going to find Grace and bring her home. Kristen and Innes need her. That is, if there is anything left of her.” Bram stormed out of the hall, barely registering the horrified looks on the servants’ faces.

  Ian caught up to him when he reached the stable. “Bram, wait.”

  Bram had just realized Ian had said nothing in the great hall and spun to face him. “Did ye know any of this?” Bram didn’t think he could bear it if Ian had kept this from him.

  “Nay, Bram. Da had just finished telling me about it when ye arrived.”

  “Don’t try to talk me out of going after her.”

  “I won’t. In fact, I’ll go with ye. But Bram, we can’t go tearing off after them alone and it’s getting dark. We can leave with fresh horses at dawn.”

  “It is at least an hour until sunset, and another hour of gloaming after that. We can ride hard for two hours, then rest the horses until first light and we’ll be that much closer. If they pushed hard, they could reach Durness by midday tomorrow. I only pray the tides are in our favor. We must reach them before they board a ship.”

  “Aye, we do,” Ian said, “but it isn’t likely to take them much less than three days. They had no reason to push and I’m sure Grace didn’t make it easy.”

  Bram glowered at him. “Fine, we’ll leave tonight. Just give me enough time to gather some men and supplies.”

  Bram knew Ian was being prudent, but waiting even a moment seemed too long. “Thank ye, Ian. And for the
love of God, get Michael out of the dungeon.”

  “It was Michael? He threw Michael MacBain in the dungeon?

  “Aye. No one else helped her.” Bram’s throat tightened with emotion. “Six men, Ian.”

  His brother gripped his shoulder. “We’ll find her.”

  Chapter 28

  Grace gave the Morrisons no more trouble. Clearly, her injured feet were as effective as a locked cell at preventing her escape. Roddy hadn’t even bothered to bind her hands again. He allowed her to ride the next day. Frankly, he had no other choice if he wanted to reach Durness in less than a sennight. Although Roddy had her ride sitting in front of him initially, he soon complained that his mount was tiring under the extra weight.

  Grace suspected an entirely different problem. She had been a married woman and could certainly recognize a man’s erect member when it pressed against her. If she wasn’t much mistaken Roddy had ridden for several hours in an uncomfortable state of arousal before foisting her off on Kenneth, the man who was apparently his second in command.

  Kenneth was as cruel as Roddy, taunting her throughout the afternoon about what awaited her at Fearchar’s hands. Grace refused to react, so Kenneth kept goading her with increasingly dire predictions. With each foul suggestion, much to her revulsion, Grace realized Kenneth too became aroused.

  Eventually, Conan growled, and cursed before riding up beside them. “Ye’re disgusting, Kenneth, and if ye don’t shut yer foul mouth, I’ll shut it for ye.” Before Kenneth could react, Conan had pulled Grace onto his own lap.

  “Thank ye,” she whispered.

  “Frankly, I don’t care what Fearchar does with his whores, but I was tired of hearing Kenneth yammer on about it.”

  She rode with Conan for much of the rest of that day. She had hoped perhaps she could befriend one of them and maybe get help in escaping but after Conan’s pronouncement she didn’t even try with him. Conan handed her off to Gordon for a few hours in the late afternoon.

  At least Gordon was polite but he refused to be drawn into a conversation. This left her alone with her thoughts so she envisioned one escape scenario after another. Then one after another she discarded them. They all hinged on needing to move quickly and her feet were too injured for that. She couldn’t hope to outrun any of them. She fantasized about obtaining six knives and making short work of all six men, but the chances of that happening were slim. Besides, she wasn’t entirely sure she would be able to take a single man’s life, much less six. It would be especially hard for her to hurt Augie. He didn’t seem as cruel as the rest. Perhaps that was where she needed to focus her efforts.