by Katy Baker
"It was a dangerous mission ye accepted, lad, and it looks as though that danger found ye. Tell us what happened."
Fraser swallowed thickly and began his tale. "It went well to start with. I took lodgings at an inn and pretended to be a merchant, selling Lily's cloth, just like we agreed. It took a while but eventually I got invited up to the castle to show my wares." His sharp blue eyes fixed on Robert. "It's as we feared. Laird Malcolm is dead and Merith, his only child, has married John de Clare. He's seized power and is laird in all but name."
Robert cursed softly under his breath. "This is nae the news we were hoping for. What of the clansmen? Have they accepted de Clare? Are they loyal to him? Is there any who challenge his rule?"
Fraser shook his head. "That's what I wondered at first. Surely there must be some of the Murray clan who wouldnae accept him, an outsider seizing control through marriage? Lesser things have caused rebellions. I asked around as secretly as I could, trying to gage opinion. I couldnae find any hint of dissatisfaction amongst the clan. It seems that de Clare has won them over by telling the Murrays exactly what they want to hear." Fraser's hand tightened around his goblet. "He's been stirring up the mob and no mistake. The castle and the villages were ripe with gossip about how de Clare had bested Duncan MacFarlane and how he would lead them to victory over their long-standing foes, the MacFarlanes, who've been raiding their lands and are busy raising an army to invade."
"That snake!" Quinn growled. "Duncan should have killed him when he had the chance!"
"Peace, brother," Robert said.
"Peace?" Quinn rounded on his brother. "Ye know what this man did!"
The death of his eldest brother at the hands of John de Clare was like an open wound in Quinn's soul. The fact that Duncan's murderer had gone free and now strutted around like a prize cockerel was a knife being twisted in that wound.
Robert laid a hand on Quinn's arm. Although his eyes were full of fire, his voice was calm. "We'll get revenge against de Clare, Quinn. Didnae we vow it on our brother's grave? But we'll nae gain anything if we allow our passions to rule us." He turned back to Fraser. "Carry on."
Quinn mastered himself with an effort. Robert always kept a calm head. That was why he made a better laird than Quinn himself ever could.
Fraser took a sip of his wine and then continued with his story. "I was in the main hall one night when a group of men came in. They weren't of the Murray clan although they were welcomed as such. I'm guessing they were de Clare's men. They brought a tale with them of a band of MacFarlane raiders harrying Murray lands to the north. They even sported cuts and bruises to show they'd been in a fight and had driven off the MacFarlane raiders."
"That's a lie," Robert said. "There havenae been any raids from our side of the border since before my brother Duncan's time."
"I know it," Fraser said. "But that's what the men claimed and the Murrays believed them. It was the final piece of evidence that de Clare needed to convince them. Now they're preparing to march against us."
A heavy silence fell in the room. So, it had come to this. Quinn had hoped that the long-standing animosity between the MacFarlanes and the Murrays would die with Laird Malcolm. It seemed that if John de Clare had his way that would be a vain hope.
"When?" Robert asked. "Where?"
Fraser shook his head. "I dinna ken. I'm sorry, Robert, but they caught me before I could discover their plans. One of the cooks reported me for asking too many questions and de Clare's men found me before I could make my escape. It was only with the aid of the innkeeper that I managed to get away at all."
Robert reached across the table and clapped him on the shoulder. "There's no need for apologies, lad. Ye've done well and because of ye we have some warning of what they're planning. Go and get some rest and I'll send up one of the healers and a servant with some food for ye."
"But I want to stay," Fraser protested. "If de Clare is marching on us I want to be a part of it when we ride out to meet him!"
"Ye will be, lad." Robert said, soothingly. "But right now yer nae use to anyone. Go and get some rest. That's an order from yer laird."
Fraser nodded reluctantly. He climbed to his feet and allowed one of the men to help him from the room.
"How long do ye reckon we have to prepare for any attack from the Murrays?" Robert asked after Fraser had left.
Quinn thought about this. He'd done many scouting missions along the Murray border and knew in detail the disposition of their settlements and forces.
"Tis a large area they control but much of it is upland and sparsely populated. With their people spread out the way they are it will take them a long time to gather their strength. I'd estimate a month at least before de Clare can gather enough men to march on us."
Robert nodded. "I agree."
He looked around at the men gathered in the room. Each one of them was strong and well trained and would die for clan MacFarlane if it came to that. "Lachlan, Dougal, you'll ride out tomorrow and deliver warning to our crofters and farms close to the Murray border. Ensure they make plans to evacuate as soon as they become threatened. Jamie, Connor, you'll ride out as well but I want you to begin gathering our outlying forces and bring them here to Dunbreggan."
The men who'd been addressed nodded, their faces grim and determined. "Yes, laird."
Robert turned to Quinn. "Brother, together we'll lead our forces. We've already set up messenger stations so we should get the word of the Murray's march long before they reach us. We must face them at a site of our choosing that gives us the best advantage."
Quinn stroked his chin. "Aye. I have a few ideas about that."
"Good. In the meantime, I'll dispatch messages to the other powerful members of the Murray clan and see if we can't talk some sense into them. If there's any possibility of ending this without bloodshed, I want to explore it." He looked around at his men once again and then nodded. "Very well. Ye all know yer tasks, let's get to it."
AS QUINN LEFT IN A hurry, Darcy's immediate thought was Lily. Did her friend know that Fraser had returned?
Darcy handed James back to Rebecca, gave her a quick hug, and hurried from the room. She darted through the castle, across the outer bailey and then along the causeway. She reached Lily's shop and burst through the door to find Lily seated at her loom. Her friend looked up, startled, at Darcy's sudden entrance.
"Darcy?" Lily asked. "Is everything all right? You look as though you've just ran all the way from the castle!"
Darcy nodded, gulping in air. "I have. Or just about, anyway. I take it you've not heard?"
"Heard what?" Lily said, looking puzzled.
"Fraser's back."
The color drained from Lily's face. A heart-wrenching mixture of relief, hope, and anguish passed across her face. She took a deep breath and then turned back to her loom. "That's good. I'm glad he returned home safely."
Darcy stepped over to her. "Is that all you can say?"
"I have a plaid to finish for Rina Campbell. I promised I'd have it to her by tomorrow." Darcy noticed that Lily's hands on the loom were gripping so tight that her knuckles had turned white.
Darcy laid her hand on her friend's shoulders. "Don't you want to go and see if Fraser is okay?"
Lily shook her head. "It's not my place."
"Not your place?" Darcy cried indignantly. "He loves you! And you love him! It's about time you both stopped being so pig-headed!"
Lily frowned at her. "I've not come across that phrase before but I can guess from your tone what it means."
"Stubborn. Stupid. Ridiculous. Take your pick. Lily, come on." She grabbed her friend's arm and all but hauled her from the seat. "We're going to go and see Fraser, right now."
Lily didn't protest as Darcy locked up the shop and led her through the village to the castle. Already the place was abuzz with rumor. The servants gossiped in the hallways, the stable boys shouted to one another about war with the Murray clan and the warriors stalked through the castle with grim expressions on th
eir faces.
They reached the door to Fraser's room and found it slightly ajar. The sound of voices came from the other side.
Lily halted. "He's not alone," she said. "What if Laird Robert's with him? I can't just go bursting in there!"
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go and see who he's with. You wait here."
Lily nodded, waiting a few paces down the hallway. Darcy knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but this was important. She wanted Lily to have the opportunity to be as happy as she herself was. And if that took a bit of meddling on Darcy's part, so be it.
She crept up to the open doorway and froze when she recognized Quinn's voice coming from inside.
"Nae, lad. Ye'll not be on the training yard for at least a day or two."
"But I feel much better. That potion the healer gave me has done the trick."
"Ye may feel better but that's deceptive. Yer injuries will take a while to heal. I'll nae risk ye hurting yerself further."
Fraser grumbled something under his breath. Then he changed the subject. "Seems things have been moving on a pace since I've been away."
"Aye. Robert and Rebecca's bairn has finally made an appearance and I'm glad of it. Twill be good to have a nephew to teach things."
"Aye, it will, but that's not what I meant."
There was a pause. Then Quinn said. "Nae? So what did ye mean?"
"Tales of ye and a certain bonny lass? The place is full of tales of ye and Lady Darcy."
Darcy's heartbeat quickened. She really ought to leave. Nothing good ever came of eavesdropping. Yet she found her feet rooted to the spot.
"So? Is it true?" Fraser prompted.
"Aye, lad," Quinn said softly. "Its' true."
"So, the famous bachelor Quinn MacFarlane has finally had his heart snared by a woman. It's like one of the romantic tales that the bards sing."
"Hardly," Quinn replied. "I canna say it happened like the tales. I had nae choice. I found her. I brought her here. She's my responsibility and I'll do my duty to her."
"So you're with her because ye reckon ye have to be?"
"Aye. She's a strange one with foreign ways. What was I to do? Nobody else would take her."
Darcy gasped, feeling like she'd just been slapped in the face. She caught herself on the door frame, legs suddenly weak.
Oh god.
He doesn't love me, she thought. He's just trying to protect me out of some misplaced sense of responsibility.
Her stomach churned so hard she thought she might throw up. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to straighten, turn on her heel and return to Lily who was wringing her hands and all but hopping from foot to foot.
"Well?" Lily asked. "Can I go in?"
Darcy forced a smile onto her face. "Sure. He's with Quinn. They're chatting about unimportant things. Just go in. He'll be glad to see you."
Lily beamed. She gave Darcy a quick hug and then darted to the door. She knocked lightly and then pushed through it. Darcy paused only long enough to hear Fraser's exclamation of delight before spinning on her heel and hurrying away. She didn’t want Quinn to catch her loitering out here. She had no idea how she'd react if she saw him. Fall to pieces or slap him hard enough to loosen his teeth?
She all but ran through the castle. Quinn's words kept replaying in her mind.
I had no choice. Nobody else would take her.
Each word was like a knife in her heart. She burst into her room and crossed to the wardrobe. She took out her medical bag and began stuffing all her belongings into it - the hairbrush Rebecca had given her, the few things she'd collected in her time here. When she had everything packed she changed into the jeans and boots she'd arrived in then quickly made her way upstairs to the library and took one of the maps she'd been studying. On it she'd marked where she thought the stone arch might be and she'd also marked a possible route that led to it.
She'd not been idle during the long weeks of poor weather and conflict with Quinn. However, her plan to get home had completely gone out of her mind since the rescue of Old Mac's flock and what had been growing between her and Quinn.
Stupid, she told herself bitterly. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You don't belong here. You never did. What were you thinking?
Rolling the map, she stuffed it into the medical bag and then quietly closed the door behind her. She crept through the castle, careful to avoid the busier corridors where she might bump into Quinn or Rebecca, and made it to the stables. Once there she asked one of the stable boys to saddle her horse which he did without question - they were used to her going out to see her patients in the nearby farms by now. She mounted quickly, tying her bag to the saddle behind her and kicking her horse into a trot.
Running away again, Darcy? she asked herself. Yes! she answered. What choice do I have? I can't stay here. I can't stay with a man who doesn't love me.
Without a backward glance she rode through the gates and out of Dunbreggan.
Chapter 15
FRASER GRINNED AT QUINN, a mischievous look in his eyes. "So, the famous bachelor Quinn MacFarlane has finally had his heart snared by a woman. It's like one of the romantic tales that the bards sing."
"Hardly," Quinn replied. "I canna say it happened like the tales. I had nae choice. I found her. I brought her here. She's my responsibility and I'll do my duty to her."
"So you're with her because ye reckon ye have to be?"
"Aye. She's a strange one with foreign ways. What was I to do? Nobody else would take her."
He tried to make his voice sound authoritative. Fraser was a warrior under Quinn's command. It was important he saw his commander as strong, not as someone who had his head turned by a lass, no matter how true that was.
Fraser raised an eyebrow. "Yer duty?"
Quinn heard a sound outside the door. It sounded like the squeak of a floorboard. He almost went to investigate but when it didn't come a second time, he dismissed it.
"Aye."
"Ye really expect me to believe that?" Fraser asked. "I've nae seen ye so happy. Yer like a boy on his birthday! There's more to this than ye just doing yer duty to the lass!"
"I didnae say I wasn't going to enjoy that duty did I?" It was no good. He couldn't keep up the act. Quinn felt his stern warrior's mask crumbling and an idiotic grin spreading over his face. "My, but she's a fine woman, Fraser. I've never met anyone like her. She's turned my world upside down and no mistake."
Fraser nodded. "Aye, she's a special one all right. The question is, do ye love her?"
"Aye, I love her." It was surprisingly easy to admit that. Easier than he'd expected. In fact, just saying the words made Quinn feel invigorated. "I love the lass more than anything. I've never felt this way about anyone. Does that make me sound foolish?"
"Foolish?" Fraser snorted. "Nae, it makes ye sound human. It's about time ye found yerself a lass to settle down with."
He straightened in the bed, pushing himself more upright and fixed Quinn with a hard stare. "If there's one thing I've learned during my time among the Murray clan, is that ye must grab happiness when it comes yer way. Don't wait, don't question, grab it while ye have the chance because ye never know when ye'll get another one." He reached out and grasped Quinn's wrist. "If ye love her ye must ask her to stay and be honest about how ye feel. Trust me, Quinn. It's the only way."
Quinn opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by a knock on the door. A second later the door was pushed open and Lily's face peered around it.
Quinn smiled at Fraser. "What were you just telling me about seizing happiness when ye have the chance? Well, I think ye'd better follow some of yer advice." He stood, bowed to Lily, and made his way to the door. He paused at the threshold and turned back long enough to see Lily throw herself across the room and for Fraser to open his arms and welcome her into his embrace. With a smile, he left them in peace, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Fraser was right. He should tell her that he wanted her to stay, tell Darcy that he never wanted her to leave his side.
He'd seize his chance at happiness, just like Fraser said.
But Darcy wasn't in her chamber. Nor was she in the great hall or the outer bailey, or anywhere else in Dunbreggan. He didn't find her in the village either and by the time he reached her empty clinic, he was beginning to get worried. Nobody had seen her. He returned to the castle and went back into her room. Closer inspection showed that her belongings were gone. The bag she always carried, the one she had with her when he first found her, was gone. The wardrobe had been stripped bare.
Fear ripped through Quinn. It was so hard and sharp it made him stagger and he caught himself on the windowsill. What had the fool woman done this time? Where had she gone?
"Oh," said a voice behind him. "What's going on?"
Quinn turned to find Rebecca standing in the doorway. She looked a little tired but otherwise healthy as her eyes scanned the room.
"Shouldn't ye be resting, lass?" Quinn asked.
Rebecca fixed him with a withering stare. "Don't ye start as well, Quinn MacFarlane," she growled. "I've taken enough of that from the midwives and Robert. I've had a baby, not a mortal injury. The next person to tell me to rest will regret it."
Quinn held his hands up. "My apologies. Where is my nephew?"
"He's asleep, thank the Lord. Robert is with him." She stepped into the room and looked it over, inspecting the empty wardrobe. "I heard ye were looking for Darcy."
"I canna find her anywhere. I must admit, I'm getting a bit worried."
"Have ye checked Lily's shop? The outer bailey? The great hall."
"Aye. There's no sign of her."
Rebecca frowned. "When did ye last see her?"
"A couple of hours ago. Shortly before Fraser returned."
"And ye havenae seen or spoken to her since then?"
"No, just Fraser and Lily when-" He trailed off as a thought came to him. "Come on," he said to Rebecca.
With a puzzled glance she followed him as he led the way back to Fraser's chamber. He knocked only once before pushing it open. Lily leapt up off the bed, her cheeks turning red and hastily brushing down her gown. Fraser looked annoyed at the interruption.
