The Highland Chieftain

by Amy Jarecki

  Mairi refused to budge. “I cannot. Not without knowing you will be all right.”

  “Och, lass, I’ve been taking care of myself for thirty years. You needn’t worry about me.”

  “I hate this.”

  “Just do as I say. Promise me you will not try to do anything rash. Please.”

  She cringed. Her own foolishness had created this mess. “I will. I promise.” Her mind raced. “W-what if Da takes me to London? What should I do?”

  “Do you still have the missives I gave you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Keep them hidden. Take them with you. Gain an audience with Seaforth. Tell him everything. I swear, that man owes both of us a great deal.”

  “The pox on Seaforth. What if he doesn’t listen?”

  “Then I will no longer pay him fealty.” Dunn took her hand and kissed it. “Trust me on this, Mairi. You will be mine whether Seaforth helps or not. But having his backing will only help matters.”

  He pushed the key into her palm. “Haste.”

  She closed her fingers around his hand and squeezed while her heart bled. “I don’t want to go—I can’t leave you here like this.”

  “You must. I need you to be stronger than you have ever been in all your days.” He again pulled her hand through the bars and kissed it, the expression in his gesture filled with passion so overwhelming, words could never explain. He straightened and smiled while he cupped her cheek in his palm. “You have the bonniest eyes of any lass in the Highlands. I see incredible goodness in them and stalwart strength. Know you have the courage to weather this tempest, mo leannan.”

  “I do. Because of you, I do.”

  “There’s a good lass.” He kissed her again and released her hand. “You must be careful not to let anyone see you, lest your father punish you more.”

  She swiped away a tear. “I don’t want to go.”

  “Remember I love you. Now more than ever.”

  “I love you, too.” She rose on her toes and kissed him, then slipped through the shadows of her home, not making a sound.

  * * *

  Mairi waited to light a torch until she had entered the blackness of the tunnel. She made her way through the dark cavern quickly, constantly checking over her shoulder and peering into nothing but blackness. The long walk through the passageway had always been eerie, but she’d never traversed it at night and never with the stakes being so high. At each bend in the tunnel, her heart jolted, ready for a ghost or wicked fairy to leap in front of her.

  No matter how unnerving the passage, Mairi tightened her grip on the torch and continued onward until she met Ram and Curran exactly where she and Dunn had left them.

  “Where’s MacRae?” asked Ram.

  “My father has taken him prisoner.”

  “God’s blood.” Curran threw up his hands. “I kent walking in there for a wee chat was folly. Cromartie is a snake. I beg your pardon, m’lady, but everyone kens your father is a viper.”

  “And now I do as well.”

  Ram bowed respectfully. “I’m sorry it has come to this. MacRae gave us orders we must carry out at once. He feared this would happen.” He turned to Curran. “We ride.”

  “Ride?” Mairi stamped her foot. “Where?”

  Ram headed for his horse. “Forgive me, but I’m not at liberty to say.”

  “Not at liberty?” Her heart raced. “You do not understand. My father is taking me to London…soon…mayhap on the morrow.”

  Ram stopped. “What say you? Cromartie is leaving?”

  “Aye. To attend the queen’s Autumnal Ball, where he expects to find a pompous old duke who will agree to marry me.”

  Curran thwacked Ram on the shoulder. “If Cromartie is heading for London, the army remaining at the castle ought to be reduced by half.”

  Ram mounted his horse. “You’re right.”

  Mairi glanced between the two Highlanders. “Tell me what you’re thinking. Are you riding for more men?”

  “We’re no’ exactly heading for home.”

  “Aye,” Curran agreed. “But the laird swore us to secrecy.”

  Things were spiraling out of control so fast, Mairi’s chest tightened as if she were drowning. “Please. Whatever you are up to, I expect you to act with haste. I do not want things to go so far as to leave me with no alternative but to venture to London. Understood?” She pulled the key from the pocket of her apron. Giving it to Ram, she explained how to go through the crypt and find the entrance to the passageway. “There’s a padlock on the gate, which I will secure upon my return. Use this key. The passageway opens in the cellars. After you climb up the stairwell to the kitchens, head through the courtyard to the guardhouse at the main gate. Dunn is imprisoned there.”

  “Thank you, m’lady,” said Ram, taking up his reins. “Now return home afore you’re caught.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The footman helped Mairi into the coach, followed by Aela. Da walked around the team, inspecting the harnesses as he always did before a journey, then told the driver all was well and climbed in the coach and sat opposite the two ladies. He smiled with a great deal of smug satisfaction. Clenching her fists at her sides, Mairi returned his gaze with a stony leer.

  Nothing was settled. As she feared, she’d been awakened at dawn and told the coach was waiting. Escorted by armed guards, she hadn’t even been allowed a chance to see Dunn. The guards had marched her to the courtyard as if she were heading for her own execution.

  My life is shattering.

  As the coach rolled through the gate, she glanced out the window toward the gaol. Dunn sat alone cooped up in his miserable cell for naught. His crime? Saving a maid in distress. And there Mairi ambled along, riding in a stately coach as if she had not a care, on her way to board a galleon that would transport her to a royal ball. It tore her insides to shreds to leave Dunn alone. What would happen to him? What did Ram and Curran have planned? Was a feud imminent?

  Mairi loathed sitting across the coach from her father while the horses took them farther away from Dunn. Her heart twisted, tormenting her as if she were a wretched traitor guilty of sedition, leaving her man behind bars and in chains.

  “Mairi, you are like an open book,” said Da. “You’re not even trying to disguise the anguish you think you’re feeling.”

  She sifted her gaze to her father’s recreant face. “How would you know what I’m feeling?”

  He smirked. “You will enjoy this venture to London. I have gone to great lengths to secure superior marriage prospects for you, and I will not abide your indifference. Your infatuation with MacRae is merely that—an infatuation brought about by your rescue and then close proximity. A few days away will give you time to clear your head, and you’ll see the folly of your ways.”

  Beside her, Aela cleared her throat. “I believe attending a royal ball would be astonishingly romantic.”

  Da opened his snuffbox and took a pinch. “You are quite right, miss. I have no doubt Mairi will forget the Highlander as soon as we arrive in London and she mingles with many other fine gentlemen much more fitting to her position.”

  I will never forget Dunn. Clasping the hands in her lap as tight as her fingers could grip, Mairi shot her lady’s maid a glare. Was everyone intent on rallying against her throughout this voyage? As soon as she got the lass alone, she would set her to rights. For the love of everything holy, Aela knew the depths of Mairi’s desolation.

  It took three hours to travel ten miles to the confluence of the Cromarty Firth with the River Conon, but it seemed more like an eternity. Any other day, Mairi would be thrilled to board a ship and sail for London. She would be thrilled at the opportunity to attend a royal ball and see the opulent ladies’ gowns and dapper gentlemen in their finery. She would relish the chance to shop for the latest fashions on High Street. But doom and sadness were better descriptors for this day.

  A skiff waited on the shore to ferry them to the three-masted brig moored in the Firth. Mairi obediently climbed
in, allowing the sailors to help her to a bench. She sat, patting the seat beside her to beckon Aela. “What would you like to do in London?”

  The maid looked astonished and drew a hand to her chest. “Me, m’lady?”

  “Aye. After all it is your first voyage, I would think there would be a great many things you would like to see.” Honestly, Mairi would relish any excuse to avoid outings with her father. Perhaps she would slip away with Aela for some shopping or take a coach along the Thames.

  If only dreams were real.

  Once the skiff was tied alongside the ship to hoist the guests aboard, the sailors used a winch with a seat that looked like a tree swing. Da made Mairi go first. When she swung out over the sea, she glanced down, her stomach lurching. Should she leap into the gray swells? If she did, she would swim back to Castle Leod and set Dunn free. That is, if she weren’t wearing volumes of woolen skirts that would fill with water and drag her beneath the surf. No, such a folly simply wouldn’t do. She must stay alive to help Dunn. She would deliver his missive to the Earl of Seaforth, and when the time came, she would take a stand against her father.

  Once the Cromartie reached the deck and all were aboard, the captain introduced himself and shook hands with Da. He turned to Mairi and bowed. “I do hope you and your father will join me in my cabin for the evening meal.”

  Mairi curtsied and smiled pleasantly, though she nearly asked for a tray to be delivered to her stateroom. “It is very kind of you to invite us.”

  “I shall have the boatswain show you to your quarters, where you can rest. I’m sure the journey from Castle Leod was tiring.” He gestured to the sailor on his right—obviously the boatswain.

  “My thanks.”

  The captain returned his attention to the earl. “Your Lordship, I trust that you will find my ship comfortable and accommodating during this voyage. With a good wind and calm seas we should arrive in London by Thursday eve, Friday morning at the latest.”

  A lump swelled in Mairi’s throat. Three days of sailing farther away from Dunn.

  “Very good,” said Da. “You’ll sail right up the Thames then?”

  “Aye. We shall navigate her all the way to the Pool of London.”

  “Excellent.”

  The boatswain gestured to the luggage that had been hoisted aboard. “Which portmanteau is yours, m’lady?”

  “The two nearest.” And the one with the red ribbon contains the most precious cargo of all, Dunn’s letter. Mairi looked over the rail to see her trunk being winched upward. “Where will my chests be stowed?”

  “The trunks will go in the hold.” He picked up the portmanteaus. “Have you packed what you need for the voyage in these?”

  “I have. My trunks will be secure in the hold, I assume?”

  “Yes, of course, m’lady, locked away. Only I and my boatswain have keys.”

  “That will be fine.” Mairi gestured for Aela to follow the man as he headed aft.

  Once they were alone, she sat on the bed. “I believe I just heard someone shout to weigh the anchor.”

  “I heard the call as well, m’lady.” Aela set one of the portmanteaus on the table and opened it. “Shall I unpack for you?”

  “Not yet.” Mairi pulled Dunn’s missive from her cloak, unfolded it, and patted the bed beside her. She’d read it last night, but intended to read it over and over again. “Would you like to know why I will marry Dunn MacRae and none other?”

  Aela took a seat. “Is that missive from him?”

  “It is, and I want to share it with you. If it were proper, I’d climb to the main deck and shout it for all the crew to hear.” She cleared her throat and read aloud:

  My dearest Mairi,

  I only have a few moments to write this as my men prepare for our ride to Castle Leod. If I am not beside you when you open it, then my worst fears have been realized.

  I want to tell you how much you have enriched my life, how happy you have made me during our adventures together. When I approached your father and offered for your hand, I did so believing in my love for you. I was enamored of your high spirits, your lovely laugh, the way your eyes sparkle in the candlelight. But at the time, my love was only half of what it is now. I tell you true, my admiration has grown tenfold. Aye, I still admire all the things I stated above, but now there is so much more.

  You, Mairi MacKenzie, are a remarkable woman. I am honored to have found your favor, and know that I love you with every fiber of my being. Ever since we met, I have pondered your poem. It is high time I share it with you:

  The first time I saw ye bonny lass, ye caught my e’e,

  Though I could do naught but pass ye by.

  I watched from afar whilst many a year passed,

  Watched as ye grew,

  Into a bonny lass,

  An’ a fine woman ye are, ’tis true,

  I watched ye from afar wi’ my heart tied,

  I offered fer yer hand and was denied,

  Then fate brought us together at last,

  And we discovered our love was vast,

  Now ye are mine and so, so nigh,

  My love fer ye shall ne’er die…

  …Know you are in my heart always, my lady. Know whilst I still breathe you will have my love and my sword.

  Your devoted servant,

  Duncan MacRae

  “Och,” Mairi cried, pulling a kerchief from her sleeve. “I cannot bear to leave him in that horrible cell.”

  Aela clasped her hands over her heart. “What are you to do, m’lady? Surely you cannot marry one of your da’s suitors.”

  “I will refuse them all—string them along. I vow on my mother’s grave I will not agree to a hasty marriage. Da owes me at least that.” Mairi buried her face in the kerchief. “Mr. MacRae is so wonderful, and my father is being such a bull-brained mule.”

  “Mr. MacRae is a true gentleman.” Aela sighed loudly. “And ever so romantic.”

  “He is romantic.” Mairi set the missive aside and blew her nose. “I once thought he was frightening with his dark features and brooding eyes. But he’s nothing like that. It was only because of Seaforth that he kept his feelings hidden. Thinking back, at every gathering I ever attended, he always looked my way. I looked at him as well, I suppose, though I didn’t realize how much I liked him. His watchful gaze always made me feel unnerved, but…” Mairi slapped her hand through the air. “Forgive me. Mine are the silly musings of a daft maid.”

  “Not at all, m’lady. I think ’tis wonderful. Tell me, for I’ve never been in love. How did his attentions make you feel?”

  “Beautiful,” Mairi sighed. “And Seaforth never so much as made me feel anything aside from unsuitable.”

  Aela returned to the portmanteau and fished out a brush. “Thank heavens he married someone else then. Because you are an astonishing lady, and anyone who doesn’t realize it does not deserve you.” She gestured to the chair before a looking glass bolted to the wall as the ship began to sway. “Come. You must dry your eyes and dress for the evening meal.”

  Groaning, Mairi plopped into the chair, nearly teetering off for the sway of the ship. “We are under way.”

  “And on an adventure.”

  “I only wish my heart was filled with eagerness rather than foreboding.”

  Aela shook the brush. “Och, if his letter is any indication, Mr. MacRae will find a way to win you; I am positive he will. You’ve naught but to try to play along with the earl’s antics and enjoy the voyage as best you can. With all your fine gowns, simply stepping out amidst London society ought to be amusing.”

  Using a tactic Dunn had taught her, Mairi snatched the brush from Aela’s hand, stood, and wielded it like a sword. “I doubt anything will amuse me on this journey.”

  Aela’s mouth dropped open. “M’lady, you wrested the brush from my hand with no effort. How on earth did you manage to do it?”

  Mairi slashed the makeshift weapon through the air in an X. “Mr. MacRae is good for more than poetry. If anyone d
ares attack my person, I shall not simper and wilt.” I swear it—even if he is my father. She resumed her seat, presenting Aela with the brush’s handle. She might be captive on this ship for three days, but she vowed to use the time to practice disarming her lady’s maid.

  I shall never be helpless again.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A sudden screech awoke Dunn from a deep sleep. Groggy, he reached for his dirk but only grasped a handful of straw. Grunts echoed through the passageway. He pushed up from his pallet and peered through the iron bars. Shadows flickered in the torchlight beyond.

  “Tie him up,” a man hissed.

  Damnation, Dunn couldn’t see a thing.

  Moments later, Ram and Curran hastened toward the cell, holding the keys to his freedom.

  “Where are the others?” Dunn asked while the tension in his shoulders eased tenfold. Good God, he was relieved to see his men.

  “Beyond the walls—ready to attack if need be.” Ram used a key to unlock the door. “Once Lady Mairi told us the earl was sailing for London, Curran and I realized the MacKenzie guard would be reduced by half at least.”

  “I like it—a quiet escape.” Dunn pushed the creaking door open. “Were you seen?”

  “Nay, we slipped through the tunnel in the crypt. Her Ladyship gave us instructions,” said Ram.

  Curran chuckled and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “We had a wee skirmish with the guard, but he’s dreaming with the fairies at the moment.”

  “Did you kill him?” The last thing Dunn needed was a murder on his hands.

  “He’s still breathing, but he’ll have a sore head when he comes to.”

  “What is the hour?”

  Ram dropped the ring of keys to the dirt floor. “Three, near enough.”

  Dunn rubbed his wrists. “Where are the horses?”

  “Out the back—tied in the wood where we left you days ago.”

  “Very well, we shall head through the cellars then.” Dunn led the way through the corridor and stopped at the guard, lying on the floor with his wrists and ankles bound.