Master of the Highlands

by Veronica Wolff

Page 41

 

  A sudden pounding at the door startled them. They shared a conspiratorial look and ignored it. Instead, Ewen leaned down and kissed her deeply. Rocking his hips into hers, he began to tease his thumb around Lily’s nipple, tracing slowly from breast to belly.

  “Lochiel! ” The urgency of Donald ’s shout was finally enough to tear Ewen away from her.

  “The keep itself best be afire, old man, ” he growled.

  “What’s ”— “Ewen, it’s Hamish … the redcoats, man. Ewen, the lad’s been killed. ”

  The laird sprang off the floor and wrapped himself in his tartan in a single motion. He looked at Lily for a long moment, getting strength from this woman whom he could tell, from the anguish on her face, was probably one of the only people who would know how deep this loss would cut him.

  “Ewen, I’m so sorry,” Lily whispered. “What can I do?”

  “There’s naught you can do, Lil’, but just stay by me. ”

  Chapter 25

  Lily was given more than a few curious glances when they joined Ewen’s men already assembled and waiting in the common room.

  Donald cocked an eyebrow, and Ewen shot, “The lass stays with me, aye?” His words may have been posed as a question, but Ewen ’s tone brooked no response from his uncle.

  “Aye, Lochiel. ” Had Ewen not already been so preoccupied, he might have noticed the flicker of understanding in his uncle ’s eye. Rallying the clan together in time of battle was a private matter reserved for Cameron family members only. And, with the possible exception of the laird ’s wife herself, men were generally the only ones in atte ndance. Ewen stood at the head of the long oak table, and his presence alone was enough to silence the room full of men. He turned to Donald. “Now give me a full accounting, man. ” “Lochiel” —Donald recited the events in an uncharacteristically dispirited voice “General Middleton — and about three score of men were surprised by two regiments of Cromwell troops near Loch Garry. All the Highlanders were slain, some mayhaps dispersed. But most slain. ” He sighed. “We don’t yet know the full count from Clan Cameron, but young Hamish fell. ” The old man rubbed his face vigorously and added with a grim smile,

  “And I ’ll wager the lad gave those redcoat bastards a fight. His was a braw sword arm. ”

  “Aye. ” Ewen visibly fought to gather himself. “I ’d wager that as well, uncle. ” He cleared his throat and addressed the room. “So it is, men. If this Monk has a yen for a fight, the Camerons are happy to oblige. We ride on the morrow. ”

  The room erupted into a chorus of whoops and cries, and the gathering of clansmen transformed into a troop of battle -hungry warriors.

  “Silence. ” Ewen’s voice was dangerously quiet. As much as he craved a fight with the British, he never took bloodshed lightly.

  “We ride for Achdalieu at first light and have much to prepare before then. We ’ve but few ready clansmen to face an unknown number of redcoat regiments. So we ’ll just make our numbers an advantage, aye?” Ewen quieted a new round of enthusiastic shouts. “If Monk was last at Loch Garry, Achdalieu gives us the best possible position. We’ll need provisions for a small company of men for as long as a fortnight. Donald will see to supplies, but you ’ll need to ready your own mounts and gear.

  “General Monk tried to buy our allegiance and found that Clan Cameron is not for the selling. ” Another round of cheers exploded among the gathered men, silenced just as quickly by a steely look from their laird.

  “Laird, may I?”

  “Aye, uncle. ”

  “The lad who brought the news spied Cromwell ships coming from the open sea and up Loch Linnhe like flies creeping along a horse’s arse. ”

  “Well, men,” Ewen replied, “we ’re the whip that’s going to flick these bloody flies back to where they came from. ” While his men shouted and clapped their approval, Ewen walked to a side table and poured himself a snifter of whisky from a decanter sitting there. When they finally quieted, the laird continued, “That confirms other intelligence we’ve gathered on the matter. ” Ewen didn’t share that Gormshuil’s prophecy was his intelligence.

  “Monk’s come equipped with more than enough supplies and men to build himself a wee fort where he can rest his red tails awhile. ”

  A chorus of voices erupted once again and a redheaded clansman shouted over the din, “I say we give him a proper Highland welcome! ”

  “Aye, that we will, Malcolm. ” Ewen couldn ’t help but smile, the fellow had such incongruous freckles for his weathered, middle -aged face. Malcolm was a good family man, and the laird was proud to have roused one such as he to battle.

  “It seems,” Ewen pronounced, “that our enemy has offered us their throats to be cut. ”

  “Aye, ” Donald shouted, “the redcoats won’t be able to step from their wee fort without the Camerons taking a bite! ”

  “We ride for Achdalieu on the morrow. ” Ewen glanced at Lily as he continued, “And will wait for the bastards on the north side of Loch Eli. ”

  He could see the anxiety etched plainly on her face, but there was nothing to do for it. He couldn ’t merely sit by while Monk erected a fort on his property, felling Cameron men and Cameron timber in order to do so.

  “This won ’t sit well, but I ’m to send some of you home. ” He continued over the grumbling, “Aye, I ken you’ll all want to … express your grievances to Monk and his men, but you need to secure your livestock, your homes. We don ’t know how long this will take, or how much it will take from us, aye?” His men nodded, understanding his implication. They not only would need provisions assembled for the coming days, but there was a sizable chance that they would need healthy, whole men in reserve as well.

  “I’ll be taking thirty -two of you, meaning there’ll be more than a few redcoats for every one of us. ” Ewen paused for effect. “And I reckon the redcoats still won’t like the odds. ”

  The men roared their approval, but this time the laird didn ’t interrupt their carrying on. Despite his jesting, the odds were actually decidedly not in the Highlanders’ favor. Ewen had misgivings about taking so few men with him, but ultimately decided that a lean and swiftly moving party would be their best strategy.

  “Then gentlemen, it’s as simple as camping in the woods for a wee spell while we await our chance. ”

  Lily had been growing increasingly pale during Ewen ’s speech and he thought he ’d best cut the meeting short, lest he have an even more dangerous battle on his hands.

  “Now off with you, ” he concluded abruptly. “Donald will give orders to you individually. ”

  Lily sat in disbelief. She had finally surrendered her body and soul to a man, and not only was he standing there blithely making jokes about cutting throats, he was riding off to face a well- armed regiment of what was likely to be over one hundred British soldiers and his almost certain death.

  “You ’re a beauty when you look so fashed, Lil’”. Ewen came up from behind her and began rubbing her shoulders.

  “Fashed, nothing. I can’t believe just when I decide to be with you, you choose to ride off into the sunset like some tragic hero. I ’m familiar with the history of Scotland, Ewen. ” The laird’s hands stilled at her words. “I don ’t know exactly what happens when, but I do know that you don’t exactly have the greatest odds here on your little glory ride. ”

  “Aye, well”—his voice was unusually serene—“I do what I must. Don ’t worry yourself so. ” He turned her chair around to kneel between her legs. “I’ve no intention to leave you now, after it’s taken me so long to find you. And I will do all in my power to ride back to you. But if I live my life in fear of its ending” he cupped her chin in his hand “och, Lil’— — , I ’m no good to either of us. I ’ll not live my life as half a man. That’s the certain death. Do you understand, lass?”

  Lily had to admit that she did. It was precisely those qualities that she had fallen in lov
e with—Ewen ’s courage, strength, integrity—that now drove him to ride out to protect his land and his people.

  “Yes, I know. You have to go. ” Lily managed a smile, her voice hoarse from unshed tears. “But I don’t have to like it. ”

  “I’ll be what?” Robert was livid.

  “Mind your tone, lad. You’ll not run off with us when I need you here. ” Although Ewen was distractedly cleaning and readying the various weapons arranged along the edge of his bed, there was no doubt in his tone as to who was in charge of the conversation.

  “I may, in general, prefer the company of books to swords, Ewen, but I will remind you that I and mine are under siege also. I was as fond of Master Hamish as you, or did you not realize? Nemo me impune lacessit! The kings of Scotland themselves thus proclaim. No one provokes me with impunity, Lochiel! I ’m no less a man than your battle -hungry crofters, and I dare say I would have some value on a field of battle. If you would ever try me. ”

  Ewen studied his foster brother. He had taken Robert for granted, assuming his love of books merely hid a disdain for the world of the warrior’s arts in which Ewen steeped himself. A fierce sense of pride welled in the laird as he realized that Robert yearned for vengeance as much as any other clansman.

  “Or is it that you would have me stay behind to watch your woman for you, Ewen? Is that it?”

  The laird paused to inhale deeply as if collecting his temper then pinned his foster brother with a steely glare. “Take heed, Robert. You ’d be wise not to test me. ”

  Ewen sat, resting his elbows on his thighs in an unusually resigned posture. “Listen, lad—” Robert grumbled a protest that Ewen immediately silenced. “Och, that ’s what you are to me. A lad yet. Now hear me. You’ve seen skirmishes and done more than enough to prove yourself a man of this clan. You ’ll see the wrong end of a redcoat musket soon enough. ”