Rumors Among the Heather

by Amanda Balfour

  Tomorrow would be her last chance. She needed to leave before the ship came for them, or she would have no say in her future. As soon as Matthew was asleep and the tide receded, she intended to climb down the face of the cliff to the beach and make her way to where Ribble kept the boats. Once there, she could steal one and sail to the mainland as she had many times before.

  Even if the soldiers were watching the island through a spyglass, they would not suspect a boy on the beach or in a boat.

  When darkness came, Ribble left and they were alone. The moment proved awkward for both of them. More than once Julie tried to speak, but each time she did, Matthew gave her a look of loathing. She longed to tell him of the love in her heart and make things right between them, but she could not bring herself to speak when he so plainly hated the sound of her voice. Exhausted, she fell asleep on the pallet while Matthew watched the night sea.

  Matthew watched Julie more than he did the sea. Every time he looked at her, it almost took his breath away. He saw her beauty, but he thought he saw something more. He thought he saw love in her eyes.

  His mind sought the memory of them making love. The fire in her eyes, the glow of her skin, and the way she made him feel. He turned back to the sea. Her image almost drove him over the edge. His tortured mind relived the sensual aroma of her perfume. Unbidden, another image passed through his mind of Hamilton with his arm around her waist.

  He had watched her when they ate their supper after Ribble left. He looked away when she tried to talk to him. I can’t let her speak. If I do, she might confess her part in betraying me. Worst of all, she might say the reason was Geoffrey Hamilton. I only know one thing for sure, when I hear the velvet tones of her voice, I’ll believe anything she says. If I do that, I might as well surrender to the king and save His Majesty all the trouble of hunting me.

  He shook his head and refused to think, to feel, or remember. Perhaps it would be for the best if the king’s men were advancing. He would welcome the fight and the release from this unrelenting tension consuming him whenever she came near. Yes, it would be best to forget everything that had happened between them. Matthew gazed once more out into the night sky.

  * * *

  Julie slept restlessly. She tossed and turned and finally woke at sunrise. She prepared their morning tea and handed Matthew a cup and a piece of bread with smoked meat. They again ate in silence, neither daring to speak but creating more of a tension by their silence than any potential words.

  She watched the tide go out, and then looked at Matthew. To her horror, his eyes were wide open. Any other time he would have been sound asleep. Nervously, she waited for what seemed like hours. The tide had started coming back in to shore. She could wait no longer. Worriedly, she looked back at him again and heard the soft sound of snoring.

  She gathered her things together in a sack and silently walked back to the entrance of the cave. She looked at Matthew one last time. She wanted to etch his face in her memory, so she would never forget anything about him.

  Julie picked her way carefully until she was halfway down the cliff. She tried to stay in the shadows as much as possible so no one would be able to see from which direction she came, but she was now at an impasse. The only solution would be to climb higher and then come down on another ledge, but she would be in full view. She looked around and did not see anyone. She would have to take a chance. There was no other way.

  When she did find her way down, she found something she had not counted on. Water covered the beach. The sheltered cove where Matthew had landed was filled with water, even at low tide. She could go around to the other side, but that meant more time lost. She decided to jump in and swim out until she could reach the beach.

  Julie took off her shoes and put them in her sack. She secured the sack to her rope belt and tied the remainder of the rope in a loop, before placing it across her shoulders, and then jumped into the icy water. The strong current made it hard for her to gain any distance. Fighting the current and the cold water sapped her quickly.

  Finally, she glimpsed a sandy strip ahead of her. With the last ounce of strength she possessed, she swam furiously toward shore. She would get almost close enough to stand up, and the current would pull her back in its tow. On her fourth attempt, she grabbed for a rock and pulled herself up. She regained her breath long enough to make one more attempt at reaching shore. This time she made it.

  She rose slowly and began to walk unsteadily but with determination until her legs regained their strength. She knew she had to hurry. The waves of the incoming tide were lapping at her bare feet. At last, she rounded the point and saw a long stretch of beach. She heaved a sigh of relief when she realized she was safe, for the time being.

  She talked to herself as she walked along. You still have to be careful not to be seen. Slow down, take a deep breath. Just stay behind the sand dunes and follow the trail. You’ll be all right. The lengthening shadows told her it was the middle of the afternoon, and she guessed Matthew would be waking up about this time. He would not miss her at first. He had no reason to think she would be gone. He would wait before he looked for her, but would not be able to leave the cave until nightfall, and by dusk, she would be on the mainland.

  In the distance, she heard the bell ring for high tea. She knew everyone would be inside the castle. This would be her best chance to take a boat. She drew closer to where the boats were kept and watched for several minutes before she came out of hiding. Her heart beat frantically inside her chest when she began pushing one out to sea. When she finally pushed her boat into enough water to make it float, she threw herself in and began to row. Once out to sea, she hoisted the sail, felt the breeze fill it, and headed toward the mainland.

  She prayed her journey would be swift and without incident, but not long after she set sail, the king’s navy bore down on her taking the joy from her sails. They came close enough to her skiff to see into it. When they were satisfied it contained only a small boy, they continued on their way. The sailors yelled and waved as they passed her pitching boat. Julie fought to keep from being capsized. The longer she struggled with the boat the more they laughed.

  Julie prayed. God, please don’t let me capsize. If they stop to pick me up dripping wet, they’ll find out I’m not a boy.

  With difficulty, she lowered the sail until the ship passed. Only after the ship was some distance ahead did Julie manage to get her craft under control. A close call indeed, but she survived, and her spirits brightened.

  Once ashore, she stepped onto the sand and secured the boat to the dock. She cast one last look toward the island and wondered what Matthew was doing or thinking.

  Will he miss me, or does he care? Have I done the right thing?

  For one brief moment, regret touched her heart, but her mind told her she made the right choice, the only decision she could make. She put her damp shoes on and started to wander toward the village. Julie stopped long enough to purchase more supplies and continued on with her cap set at a rakish angle. She could not help but swagger a bit just as she saw boys do on market day when a pretty girl strolled by with her basket full of produce. Her spirits started to soar. If she could just make it through town, she would be on her way.

  Chapter Nine

  Her steps light and freedom at her fingertips, Julie picked up her pace as she passed shops and little white houses with neatly trimmed hedges before reaching the outskirts of Gairloch. Zest for this new twist in her life held her in good stead until she came to a crossroads. Should she turn left, right, or…continue straight ahead? There was evidence of a signpost at one time, but it had long since decayed.

  Julie realized she had taken the difficulty of this journey too lightly. She could not think of which way to turn. At Wintersea and at the Castle, her world had been small. Suddenly, she awoke to the world around her and the vastness of what lay ahead. In for a penny, in for a pound. Julie took the road going east, hoping it led to the right trackway. She had a vague notion of her destination
and east seemed to fit her sense of direction.

  On the map, Stonehaven lay south of Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland. If she could get there, it would be a simple matter to find Stonehaven. After all, Aberdeen was a large city and should be easy to find.

  Once out of town and away from houses and people, she soon found herself alone in the middle of a wilderness. There were no more green hills with sheep grazing contentedly or children playing happily. She shivered when she looked toward the barren, bleak mountains in the distance and saw nothing else in between. There were the occasional clumps of trees huddled together like terrified sheep, but mostly heather and gorse carpeted the landscape as far as the eye could see.

  The shadows of darkness began to close in around Julie, and she realized the cold night would not be far away. She squinted into the fading light, searching for a place to spend the night. She had money but what good would it do her now? She had little food and only the oversized jacket she wore for warmth.

  With the last rays of the sun for her guide, she left the trackway and crossed a field, heading for a patch of trees on the far side. There she found a large fir and crawled under its protective branches and made her bed in the soft needles at its feet. Still the ground felt hard as stone, but it would not matter for surely sleep would overtake her exhausted body and soul.

  She closed her eyes and heard the hooting of an owl in the distance and the lonely croaking of a bullfrog. The night sounds lulled Julie into an uneasy slumber.

  The next morning she sat up to stretch her tired muscles and hit the low-hanging limbs, which brought down a shower of droplets. It must have rained during the night. She smiled as refreshing drops continued to fall on her face.

  The cool morning air sent a shiver throughout her limbs, but once she began to move around, she felt warmer. She perched on a nearby rock and ate her ration of food before starting on her way again. The sun’s rising gave her direction, and she kept her eyes on a mountain peak in the distance. One foot in front of the other, she trudged on, quickly at first, but her steps slowed as the day moved forward.

  * * *

  Matthew had awakened the previous evening to the sinking of the sun and the sound of falling gravel. All his senses became suddenly alert. He felt a sense of foreboding. Without moving, he searched the cave trying to adjust his eyes to the growing darkness. He could not see Julie sitting by the entrance. The hair stood up on the back of his neck. His hand closed around the cold metal of his broadsword, and he made his way from the pallet to the entrance of the cave. Warily, he waited as little pieces of gravel continued to fly past his face. He heard the sound of boots scraping against rock. With his sword poised, ready to strike, he scarcely dared to breathe.

  A cry of surprise mixed with the gravel, and the scraping noise seemed to echo off the rock face of the cliff. A small body flew past Matthew and landed at his feet. Ian stood up unsteadily and gingerly brushed the dirt from his pants. Seemingly dazed but none the worse for wear, he turned and stared at Matthew. He started to scream, but Matthew silenced him by putting his hand over his mouth and pulling him into the cave.

  “Ian! You gave me a start. I thought you were a redcoat. You don’t know how close you came to feeling the business end of this sword,” Matthew said with relief.

  Ian stood completely still and stared wide-eyed up at Matthew. “Uncle M-Matthew, is that you?”

  “Of course it’s me! Who else would it be?”

  “I’m sorry, Uncle, but you…you look different,” Ian said hesitantly.

  “How do you think I should look? I’ve been stuck in this cave without a change of clothing or a decent way to wash up,” Matthew snapped and instantly regretted his show of temper. “What are you doing here, anyway, and where the devil are Ribble and Julie?” He tried to ask in a better temper than he felt, but his efforts went by the wayside.

  “The soldiers are all over the island. They’re watching Ribble and the rest of the staff, but no one seemed to pay too much attention to me. Ribble thought I would be the safest choice to come. I don’t know where Miss Hastings is, but Ribble is back at the castle mending sails.”

  “You didn’t see Julie outside when you came down? Did you look around carefully?”

  “Yes, I did. I was very careful. I waited up on top for some time just watching before I started down. She’s not outside that I can see,” Ian said with concern showing on his face.

  “Ian, get back to the castle and tell Ribble I have to see him tonight.”

  “I’ll tell him, but I don’t know if he can get away. Did you and Ribble have a quarrel?”

  “A quarrel? Why, no. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?” Matthew asked.

  “It’s just, well, Ribble seems upset. I think he could have gotten away tonight, but he didn’t seem to want to. That’s all,” Ian said with a puzzled look on his face.

  “You tell him I want to see him and to be quick about it,” Matthew said tersely. Ian started to go but hesitated. “Hurry up, lad. You’d better get back to the castle before you’re missed.”

  “Uncle Matthew?”

  “You’re wasting time, Ian.”

  “Did you and Miss Hastings have a fight too? Is that why she’s gone?”

  Matthew looked into his earnest blue eyes and felt a thousand years old. Why did she go? He thought back to the last time he saw her.

  He did not know himself. They made love, and it felt good, it felt right. She’d welcomed his touch—no, she’d enjoyed his touch, he knew she had, as he enjoyed hers. But she had cried afterward. Why? What had made her sad? Had he done something wrong? No, but then he did not do anything right, either. He should have told her he loved her and that all would be well. He could have told her he’d forgiven her for her treachery. Yet he’d allowed the chance to have everything as before to slip by.

  He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “No, we didn’t quarrel. We didn’t even talk,” Matthew said sadly.

  “Don’t you like Miss Hastings? I like her.”

  Matthew looked at the determined lad before him. He was at a loss; what could he say? That it was his fault Julie had left? “Oh, Ian, I can’t explain it now. Just go and send Ribble back,” he said with a touch of frustration cutting through his words.

  Ian clenched his fists and stared at his uncle. “Well, I liked her, and she liked you. I know she did. If you hadn’t been mean to her, she never would have gone away. Now I’ll never see her again,” Ian said with a sob.

  Before Matthew could say anything else, Ian scrambled up over the rock at the entrance to the cave and made it halfway to the top. “Ian, wait. Come back…”His words fell on deaf ears.

  Matthew feverishly paced the length of his cave. He should be searching for Julie, but he knew it would be foolhardy. Maybe Ribble knew where she had gone.

  I’m better off without her. I’ll be on the run and in hiding until I can reach France. She would just slow me down. Why did she leave? Why? He kept getting the same answer. She’s probably gone to turn me in. It’s a certainty, I gave her no reason not to. She and Hamilton are sure to be having a grand laugh at my expense. I must be the prize fool of this century. She’s fooled us all. Where the devil is Ribble?

  The night edged toward dawn before Matthew heard the sound of someone approaching. He grabbed his sword and waited. A moment later, Ribble entered the cave.

  “Where have you been? Why did you send Ian and not come yourself? Don’t you know how dangerous it is for the lad?” he demanded.

  “It was safer if the lad came. The bloody Sassenach have practically moved into the castle,” Ribble said shortly.

  “Julie’s gone. Have you seen her?”

  “No, but that explains why one of the boats is missing. She must have taken it over to the mainland. I noticed it missing after tea.”

  “Why would she go? She left while I slept. Do you have any idea where she would’ve gone?”

  “Why she went is her business. As to where, I guess that’s her bu
siness too,” Ribble said.

  “Blast, man! It’ll be my business when she tells Hamilton where I am.” Matthew began to pace the cave again.

  “Hmph! The ship’ll be here about nightfall. I’ll come for ye, but I’ll not be going with ye. My father and my father’s father have served your family well, but I no longer wish to be employed by ye,” Ribble stated simply and without emotion.

  His calm unemotional statement grated on Matthew. He stopped his pacing and watched the impassable Ribble for some time before he spoke.

  “If that’s your wish, that’s the way it’ll be. I’ll set up a pension for you when I reach France. We’ve been through many a campaign together. I thought we were friends.”

  “Aye, I thought we were friends too,” Ribble said and turned to go.

  “Wait, Ribble! Why are you doing this?”

  “If we’d been friends, I wouldnae been a part of yer charade. How could ye make me a part of yer sacrilege? Being a lord might give ye the privilege but not the right,” Ribble said heatedly.

  “What are you talking about? What charade?” Matthew roared his question. Their voices echoed eerily off the walls of the cave.

  “Yer bloody marriage,” Ribble yelled back.

  “What about my bloody marriage?” Matthew asked.

  “I know about it and so does the lass,” Ribble ground out.

  “Of course you know. Have you gone mad? Both of you were there. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matthew said, his hands clenching and unclenching with frustration.

  “Julie went ta the church. You dinnae more marry her than you took wings and flew. There’s no record. You lied to her and to me,” Ribble said accusingly.

  “For your misguided mind, my friend, I am married. I wish to God I wasn’t, but I am. I’m married to a traitor and cuckolded besides. Your indignation is misplaced,” he growled. Before rage could take over and before Matthew knew what hit him, Ribble connected with a blow to his face. Matthew landed hard on the cold ground. Stunned by Ribble’s action, he stood up and rubbed his jaw. Ribble crossed the room in two long strides. Before he could grab Matthew by the collar, Matthew propelled him backwards.