What the hell was so important to her in Sinclair that she would do that? Or was it not Sinclair lands that she wanted at all?
Maybe it was just him.
Andrew and Clement had the horses ready. Unaware of what was going on, they’d brought out Kylie’s mare, and Creighton had ordered them not to ready her. Exchanging uneasy looks, they attached their packs to their own horses. Hovering to the side, looking pale and exhausted, Kylie looked on with obvious pain in her eyes. She carried her packs with her, but Creighton only glared at her as he mounted his own stallion.
“Creighton, I dinnae know what ye are doing, but we will take care of her,” Theo said in a low voice. It dripped with disapproval, but Creighton ignored it. Until Theo knew what it was like to have one brother betray another, to lose his family to the wicked whims of a woman, Theo couldn’t judge Creighton for his actions.
He was about to tell Theo that he didn’t care what he did with a woman when a shout had heads turning. A tall and slender old man his way through the crowd, grimacing at every step. “I am too old for this,” he muttered as he glared at Theo. “A man my age should be able to kiss his woman, soak in a hot bath, and enjoy a hot meal when he returns from a journey. Instead, I’m chasing ye lot because my wife says ‘tis most important that I share what I know before the Armstrong laird leaves.”
Creighton sighed. “Share information about what?”
“Erksine.”
Kylie gasped and stumbled forward. “‘Tis me who needs the information. Not Creighton. Ye know something of the Erksine laird?”
“Nothing new, but there was quite a bit of news traveling out of that clan a couple of decades ago. Since then, the laird has become vera quiet.”
“Speak up,” Creighton ordered. “Whatever ye tell Kylie, ye will tell me.”
Theo scowled. “Harry is not one of yer men, Creighton, so take care of yer orders. Kylie, it looks as though ye arenae traveling with Laird Armstrong, so if ye wish a quiet place to speak to Harry, I will be happy to arrange it.”
Kylie looked uncertainly up at Creighton and gave him a small smile. “That isnae necessary. If Laird Armstrong wishes to hear the news as well, he may.”
Harry nodded. “It wilnae take me long. A little more than twenty years ago, Erksine and Laird MacSeaver were good friends.”
“Fletcher MacSeaver?” Kylie asked.
“Aye, and though it was dangerous, Erksine traveled more, until a feud broke out between the two lairds. The surrounding clans were all on alert because a bloody feud between those two would have involved the other clans, and much bloodshed would have been spilled.”
Kylie seemed to deflate some. “I heard of the feud. Erksine and MacSeaver were fighting over MacSeaver’s wife.”
“Nay, ‘twas not his wife. ‘Twas an Erksine lass. Fletcher wanted her, and Erksine didnae want him to have her. Both were already married which is probably why the feud didn’t escalate as much as it could have. Shortly after that, Erksine began to travel more and more frequently. Word was that he was looking for a baby girl, although none knew why.” Harry shrugged. “That is all I know. When Erksine couldnae find what he was looking for, he closed his borders. To my knowledge, he hasnae left his land in ten years.”
“How long ago was he searching for the girl? Do ye know?”
The crack in Kylie’s voice caught Creighton’s attention, and his gaze sharpened as he took Kylie in. She was even paler now and trembling. Something about the story had scared her.
“I dinnae know exactly.” Harry scratched his head. “Maybe about fifteen years? I know he searched for about five years. Reports were that he was desperately looking for a child of about five to ten, dark hair, and blue eyes. Poor families with daughters who matched the descriptions tried to sell their daughters to him, but he never did seem to find what he was looking for.”
Kylie swayed, and for a moment, Creighton thought she might pass out, but she just smiled. “Thank ye for taking the time to tell me,” she whispered before she gripped her bags and turned.
She was going to walk away.
Panic seized him, and Creighton dismounted. “Kylie,” he thundered. “We wilnae wait much longer for ye. Pack yer mare and mount up.”
Instantly, Andrew and Clement dismounted to help her, and Kylie hesitated.
After all this, she was going to stay? Last night, she whored herself out for this journey. What had the old man said that had changed her mind?
Finally, she nodded, and allowed the guards to help her. Theo grinned, and Creighton realized that everything Theo had said today was meant to push him to this. Annoyed, he rolled his eyes and mounted while he waited.
Kylie had more secrets, and it was best to keep an eye on her until he’d covered each and every one.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
10
The morning chill gave way as the sun rose higher in the sky, and the flush on her cheeks reminded her that she was still wearing her cloak. She started fumbling with the clasp, but her hands were still trembling from Harry’s words. Marcus had to have known that Erksine was looking for her. Was that why he tucked her away and kept her safe?
The clasp finally came undone, but she failed to catch the cloak before it slid off her and fell to the ground. Another pair of hands reached out to snag it, and she looked up sharply. Had Creighton been riding this close to her the whole time?
Quietly, he folded the cloak and tucked it in her pack. “Ye havenae said a word all morning. Tell me what is going on.”
“Nothing.” If she told him that it was possible an entire clan was after her, he would likely abandon her on the side of the road.
Or even sell her to Erksine himself. She had no idea how angry he was with her or how far he would go to even the score between them.
She couldn’t believe she had propositioned him last night. Humiliation burned inside her. He’d turned her down flat. Couldn’t get away from her fast enough.
“I am just thinking on what Harry said. I wonder what happened to the woman they were fighting over?”
“Or the child they were looking for,” he said tightly.
Instinct had her turning her head, but she knew Creighton would be reading every nuance on her face. “Aye. ‘Tis all vera strange. I am sorry if I amnae keeping up with conversation. I will be more entertaining if ye like.”
“Like the entertainment ye suggested before?”
Quickly, Kylie turned her head, but Andrew and Clement were too far ahead of them to hear. “I should apologize for that...”
“Why are ye here, Kylie? If ye tell me the truth, maybe ye wouldn’t have to fight so hard to be in my company. The fact that ye won’t tell me makes me feel that ye are up to something troubling.”
“Can ye not trust me?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew they would only fall on deaf ears. All Creighton would think about was how she’d already lied to him once, and he would never forgive that.
After what had happened with his family, she wasn’t sure he would ever trust another female again.
“Elizabeth was right last night,” she said quietly. “When you saw me all those years ago, I knew you’d noticed the guard was gone. You’d put two and two together and realize that I’d been compromised. I’d traveled to Armstrong with my guardian and the other merchants. I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble, especially when ye told me that I was in an off-limits section of the keep. So I gave a false name.”
“And why would yer guardian allow for that?”
Kylie held her breath as she debated what to tell her. Beneath her, the mare trodded steadily, and the movements soothed her a little. “I was seeking an audience with yer brother. He was laird then, a new one, and I didnae have much hope that he would know anything about Erksine, but Marcus was in a good mood that week and decided to allow me to come. Sometimes he would let me travel unless he deemed it too dangerous.”
“And what did my brother tell ye?” Creighton demanded
. His voice had grown a little bit sharper, just as she’d feared it would when she told him that she’d gone to see his brother.
“Nothing,” she said softly. “I never got the chance to speak to him.”
“Distracted, were ye? And just who was it that ye bedded that day? I killed quite a few men when I learned that they were Alec’s sympathizers, ready to carry out my assassination as well. Perhaps yer beloved is dead.”
Kylie stiffened and glared at him. “Ye have a way of delivering bad news,” she snarled. “Yer people must love that about ye.”
Tightening her grip on her reins, she urged her horse into a gallop until she reached Andrew and Clement. They both gave her sympathetic smiles as she joined them, and she didn’t have to turn her head to know that Creighton still remained behind.
The skies were clear, and the stars bright as the group stopped to make camp. Kylie helped with dinner, and when Creighton wasn't looking at her suspiciously, she found that she enjoyed the guards’ company. She heated up the stew and biscuits that Gemma had packed for them and sat around the fire, enjoying the heat from the flames.
Andrew gave her a shy smile. She found him endearing, imagining that while he was a warrior, he was an artist at heart. "Ye are more comfortable sleeping outside than I would have thought," he observed.
"Oh, it doesn't bother me, although I don't handle the cold as well as you do. Some of my earliest memories are of something similar to this. Sitting out by the fire, only my father would tell me stories. Later, when Marcus became my guardian, I would travel with him and the caravan of merchants."
"What happened to yer parents, lass?" Clement asked.
"They were killed."
"Like so many others who live their life traveling," Creighton interrupted scornfully. "'Tis no life for a child or a woman. When we get to Sinclair, ye will stay put."
It pained her to hear him speak scornfully of her parents, and she blinked back her tears. Andrew noticed. "What kind of stories did yer father tell?" he asked while he glared at Creighton.
Kylie smiled. "Tales of heroes, of course! Mostly legends of feuds against other clans or brawls with the English. I dinnae think my father thought much of the English. He would, no doubt, be appalled that two of the allianced lairds’ brides are English."
"Was he a warrior?" Clement asked.
"Nay, I think he was a merchant. He must have heard stories during his travels and repeated them. I think that's how Marcus found me. He was following my father's route."
"He never told you?" Creighton asked.
"He thought it best not to dwell on things that couldn't be changed."
He held her off for as long as possible before he would let her travel with him, but even then, he didn't like to talk about that day. Likely, he wanted to douse her curiosity or keep away the nightmares, but she already had those, and his refusal to speak with her only made her more curious.
"How old were you?" Andrew asked sympathetically.
"I don't remember,” she lied. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to take care of my business and turn in for the night. I'm exhausted."
No one stopped her, but she didn't linger long in the woods. Even though it wasn't likely that Erksine was still searching for her, the knowledge that he'd been searching for her made her far more wary about being alone.
When she returned, the men had already cleaned up the area and were rolling out the bedrolls. Someone had set hers out—far too close to someone else's.
When she bent down to move it, a hand settled on her shoulder. She didn't need to turn around to know that it was Creighton. It wasn't necessarily his scent but the way her body reacted to his nearness.
"Leave it," he ordered her quietly. “Theo said there were reports of bandits in the area. I would prefer to have you close if there is an attack."
"Perhaps I should move closer to another guard. It wilnae bode well for yer future wife to know that I slept so near you."
"Considering what ye proposed, I think this will be the least of her worries."
Releasing her, he looked up sharply. “I'll take first watch. Clement, ye will take second, and Andrew third. If we leave at first light, we should reach Hamilton lands by noon."
Creighton settled against the tree trunk nearest to her, and Kylie tried to ignore him as she laid down and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. It wasn’t long before the guards were snoring away, but Kylie couldn’t sleep. She was exhausted after tossing and turning with worry, but now her mind was racing.
"I can all but hear you thinking," Creighton grumbled. "Ye must sleep, Kylie, or ye will be too tired to pepper Hamish Wirth with yer questions."
She didn't have high hopes that Hamish would know much. Unlike the other lairds, he wasn't born into the position and may not know much outside the alliance, but then, rumors were that he had traveled extensively. "Are the stories about him true? Did he end the Hamilton finds?"
"The Hero of Hamilton," Creighton grunted. "They should be calling him laird. Aye, the stories are true, but he is also happily wedded to a lass who could take out yer eye with a toss of her dagger."
Thrilled by the thought, she smiled. "She'll have no need. I have no designs on her husband or any other man. Perhaps she can teach me."
"Kylie, did yer guardian know yer father? Is that why he took ye in?"
"No," she said as she closed her eyes. "He just found me wandering around alone and took me in when he discovered my parents were dead."
"Strange that both men were MacSeaver merchants, and yet they didnae know each other. My merchants are quite close, especially the ones who traveled together. Surely he found someone in the clan who knew them, who could tell ye more of yer parents."
Realizing how neatly he'd boxed her in, she sucked in her lower lip. "Vera wall. I suppose ye must already know that I amnae likely a MacSeaver by birth, but I didnae die. 'Tis what Marcus told me, and it was years later that I made the same connection. I did confront him about it, but he claimed I was a MacSeaver and didnae speak any more about it."
When he didn't say anything, she turned to face him, but he was staring at her with the most peculiar look on his face. "Go to sleep, lass,” he said gruffly.
"And dinnae look at me with such worry. I will deliver ye safely to Sinclair lands. Ye have my word."
“Why?"
"Because I already have too much death weighing on my mind. I wilnae add yers."
He was so cold that Kylie shuddered, but at least she had his word. It comforted her, and she closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep.
11
Creighton and his men weren't very talkative the next morning as they rode, and neither was Kylie. She'd tossed and turned for most of the night, and only when he'd pulled her into his arms did she finally settle. Her warmth had lulled him to sleep, and he'd awoken hard and aching. Every time she stirred, she'd rubbed her body against him.
With gritted teeth, he'd managed to remove her without waking her up.
It was no wonder that she'd slept while they prepared for their journey, and even now, she yawned. She'd been exhausted yesterday. Even now, she was swaying a little on her horse, but she still looked around a little nervously.
"We will be arriving on Hamilton lands shortly," he told her. Was she hoping they would be done soon? Her quietness since leaving the loch concerned him. Something was bothering her, but she clearly didn't want to say.
"Thank ye. Are ye going to give me a set of rules to follow?"
The sharp edge in her voice made him relax. He could deal with her temper and annoyance, but not with her unease. “Ye are welcome to pose yer questions, but I would like to be there. I would like ye to be with one of us while ye're out of the keep, but Grace and Hamish deal harshly with violence against women, so ye are relatively safe."
"That will be nice. What about the Armstrong lands? Do ye harshly punish those who are violent against women?"
"Does that matter? Ye are not going to my lands." He was beginning to w
onder if that was a mistake. She'd already shown she was capable of making reckless decisions. How long until she got herself in trouble again once she was alone? The image of her surrounded by bandits flashed before his eyes.
"Just curious about what kind of leader ye are."
"Are ye questioning me?"
"'Tis only that ye have been judging my character this whole time, but what of yers?" she asked, her eyes flashing just a little. He matched the change in her with some amusement. Her sleep last night had returned some of her fire.
Or maybe it was his promise to see her safely delivered to her destination.
"Creighton should be proud of the work he has done,” Andrew said suddenly as he joined them. "We were in a dark place of uncertainty, and now we are thriving. Everyone, yer own men included, should feel safe in Creighton’s hands. Ye would be safe there if ye came with us."
There was a gentleness in Andrew's tone that Creighton didn't know if he liked. All of yesterday and last night, he'd seen the interest in Andrew’s eyes. Was his guard planning on making a move on Kylie?
Creighton wouldn't allow it. Kylie couldn’t be trusted, and Andrew was far too valuable to lose to the machinations of a woman.
"Andrew, Clement, do a check," he ordered. They both gave him a startled look. They would soon cross over into Hamilton lands, but they did as he asked without complaint.
"How long have ye known Andrew and Clement?" she asked as she stared thoughtfully after them. At least she didn't have that adoring look in her eyes, but his stomach still clenched. Andrew would be an admirable catch for her.
"Since we were children. There were only a dozen or so that I trusted after my brother's treachery came to light. It was a hard few months to watch men I had personally trained for signs of deceit. Andrew and Clement turned in men they'd fought next to, broke bread with. Trust doesn't come easily.”
Pain swept over her face. “Ye’re saying they don't trust me."
Highlander’s Elusive Bride: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance Page 6
