Arabella gasped. “A previous engagement? Why, that’s not boring at all, Adeline! In fact, that might be the most interesting tidbit we hear all night!”
“I suppose…” Adeline replied before seeing that Camry was on his way over to the two of them.
His eyes were trained on Adeline and she saw that he wanted a dance. She certainly could not refuse, yet she was not in any way prepared to handle the surge of conflicting emotions that raged within her. She was not sure that she was comfortable around Camry, but she was captivated by the way that he desired her.
“And how might ye stunning ladies be?” Camry asked with a wide smile.
Arabella looked at him with piercing eyes, knowing full well that he enjoyed Adeline’s shy response to his attentions. While she, too, was amused, Adeline knew Arabella didn’t like when people took advantage of her shyness.
“We are very well, thank ye, Mr. Grennock. Are ye enjoying the evening’s festivities?” Arabella asked, allowing Adeline time to gather her thoughts.
“Aye, thus far. But I was rather hoping the evening might improve,” he said with a glance at Adeline.
By this point, she had determined to surprise them all; she would be bold and strong, and vocal. Gathering courage, Adeline lifted her chin and looked Camry directly in the eyes. “And just how do ye intend to improve it?” she asked with a hint of flirtation in her voice.
A smile tugged on his lips. “I was rather hoping that I might have a dance with the bonniest lass here tonight.”
“I am afraid she’s otherwise engaged. Not engaged, actually. She is wed now. So ye might be just a tad late on that, unless the baron is a man of lesser tastes,” Adeline said, hinting to the fact that Emily Lester, the bride, was certainly the most beautiful woman in the room that evening.
Camry leaned in and allowed his mischievous smile to show in full. “Quite right ye are, Miss MacGowan. I suppose I shall have to settle for ye instead?”
“I do rather take that as an insult, to be something settled for,” she replied with a grin of her own.
At this, Adeline sensed Arabella slowly backing away, leaving just Adeline and Camry to their flirtation. This was a side of Adeline that she had never attempted to display. There was something deeply satisfying about it.
“Then I do beg yer forgiveness, Miss MacGowan, for I never had any intention at all of insulting ye. In fact, more than anything, I just wished for a dance with ye. Might I be so obliged as to having yer company?” he asked, suddenly a gentleman.
Adeline looked him up and down as if trying to decide. “Well, I suppose, if ye are really desperate for a partner, I cou-“
A blasting sound shook the hall and suddenly Adeline was surrounded by panic. It had been a shot.
They were under attack.
The Rogue Soldiers
“Slow…” Richard whispered to his steed as he pulled back on the reins. He was in the woods, he assumed somewhere near Lowkirk by now. The day of traveling between villages had been pleasant and he had despaired at the thought of going back when he was so enjoying himself.
However, here he was, in the woods, hearing the sound of not-too-distant gunfire. Among the sounds of the shots, screams echoed and Richard could sense that danger was very near and terror was spilling out.
“What do you think that might be, boy?” he asked his horse, knowing there would be no response, but needing the comfort of hearing even his own voice. “What do you say we go and check it out?”
Richard lightly kicked at the flank of his steed and rode quickly, but quietly, in the direction of the gunfire. It was a short distance through the woods and he came upon an enormous manor.
Outside, he saw a group of Hanoverian soldiers, some blocking the front entrance, shooting aimlessly and whooping as they did. Guests of the event flooded out the side doors and Richard saw that a few were even climbing out windows to hide on ledges, as it seemed the soldiers were preparing to flood the manor.
For a moment Richard was torn. He was a clear Hanoverian soldier and as such, the men might listen to him if he tried to step in, but his fear was that the guests might count him among these rogue brutes and he could be putting himself into the line of fire of the residents.
On the other hand, the soldiers might not like him stepping into their business and could easily turn on him themselves. It was a difficult situation.
However, Richard knew he had to intervene, whatever the cost to his own safety. Riding forward, and loudly, he readily made his presence known to the group of wild men.
“Soldiers!” he yelled as he approached. A few turned to him, some with their guns still trained before them and unintentionally now turning them on Richard as they shifted in his direction. It did not take long for him to realize this regiment was drunk and senseless.
“And who the hell are you?” asked one man with a slur in his voice. One of his eyes was unable to open fully. At first Richard thought it must be the result of some injury, but then he realized that it was just an effect of the heavy drink.
“Lieutenant Richard Holloway. Stationed at Fort Amswold. What is happening here? I order you to halt!” he said loudly.
For a moment, all the men ceased their fire and those standing at the door turned, and all eyes were on Richard. He felt relief wash over him. They were going to stop, everything would be alright.
“We are stationed at Elkirk. This here party is keeping us awake and we had nothing better to do,” replied the man with the slur.
“It seems to me that you have been rather enjoying your evening awake. Might I ask why a regiment such as yours has drunk itself senseless and into this mischief?” he asked. He knew the answer, but the question had to be posed anyway. It was his duty to see to it that Hanoverians weren’t being so senseless as these men. Even if they were from a different regiment than his.
“We drank to put ourselves to sleep, but as you can see, it didn’t work. We had no choice but to shut up the filthy Highlanders in our own way. You have no idea how loud they were, with all those bagpipes playing and playing. And honestly, we’re doing the world a favor. This here baron is an unpleasant man in every sense of the word,” the man said.
Richard had to listen closely to catch each word as it blended into the next.
All of the men were clearly eager to return to their violence. They had no need for Richard and his lectures on morality or his getting in the way of their fun time. Fingers seemed to itch as they rested upon triggers.
“Who is the leader among you? Have you a general?” he asked.
“You know the whole of the army is short of men. We were told to expect orders last week, but right now, I’m the highest ranking and I make the decisions for my men. Whatever business you have here, it’s not with us. You should be on your way,” the man warned.
“It is my thinking that I must rank above you. Therefore, it is the whole of you that had best be on your way. Otherwise, I will have to report you to my own superior officers and they will be quick to ensure that this regiment is punished severely for marching upon civilians out of orders,” Richard retorted.
The drunken man stood to his full height and puffed out his chest, trying to look as strong as possible, but still rife with alcohol.
“If they can’t even send us a leader, what makes you think they would spend the resources punishing us? We are soldiers, ordered to fight the Jacobites. So here we are. What does it matter if we take them out now or later? At a party or on the battlefield? We are in this fight to take lives. Don’t fool yourself into thinking anything different,” the man reasoned.
Despite his slurred words and drunken demeanor, the man was right. He was even…sensible. He understood the truth of this battle, this war, in a way that Richard had been trying to deny up until now. However, after seeing all that Douglas had experienced, and after hearing the words of this filthy man, how could he pretend it wasn’t the truth?
“Whatever it may be, it does not call for you to serve this kind of
punishment on this night. Whatever noise they made, however leaderless you are, it is not what you were stationed here to do. So once again, I order you to stand down. I order you to retreat back to your camp,” Richard said.
The man glared at him with hate in his eyes. For a moment, Richard realized that he was considering using the gun on him. This man was a Hanoverian through and through though. He would not risk killing one of his own. He lowered the weapon.
“I have one final thing to say to you,” the man began.
“As you wish,” Richard replied, relieved that he seemed to be thinking sensibly.
“You can pretend to be compassionate, but you are in this battle as well. And for that reason, I simply cannot take your words—or your warning—seriously. We are soldiers and this is what we do.”
With those words, the man turned around and began shooting again.
All of Richard’s hopes sunk as the soldiers joined their rather pathetic leader and began shooting blindly once more. The fight grew more brutal and Richard watched as a bullet tore through the abdomen of a woman in dark purple silk dress, and another through the arm of a man in his kilt.
The brutality of war was not foreign to Richard, but this horror, to these innocent guests, this was a travesty.
Richard could do nothing to defend them. He had but one weapon and very few bullets. He could not stop these men even if he wanted to.
Out of the corner of his eye, Richard caught movement. It was a group of women fleeing into the woods. He had seen them before. They were from Dunmore. Arabella. He remembered that woman’s name. She had been a friend of…
Adeline.
Was she here? Was she in danger?
Richard looked around the whole of the place, but the sun was beginning to set and he had to shield his eyes from the glare. Most people seemed to be mere silhouettes against the backdrop of the enormous manor and the looming threat. Everything seemed to slow and Richard’s eyes moved cautiously against the scattered beings.
Finally, he saw her. Across the yard, she was scrambling to get up from the ground. She had been knocked over by the coward he had seen dance with her at the wedding. The young man was running off, scarcely glancing back at Adeline where she fell.
Richard was enraged, but as his eyes glared at the coward, he remembered her, lying there, and he rushed over. Ducking and avoiding gunfire as he went, Richard reached her. “Adeline,” he said through gasping breaths.
Her brown eyes were wide with horror as she looked up to him in confusion. “Ri-Mr. Holloway?” she asked in a squeaking voice. It was clear that he had been the last person she expected. Then she looked over to the soldiers causing all the madness and back to Richard. Her eyes narrowed. “Ye!” she shouted in anger.
Richard realized what she had thought and rushed to put her concerns to rest. “No! Adeline, I am not a part of them. I was traveling, I heard the shots, I tried to stop them,” he said in a hurry. “Please, please believe me, I am not a part of their mission. I tried to stop them, to tell them what they are doing is wrong!”
She held her glare for a moment before easing her eyes. A shot rang near them and Adeline looked up, then back at her hand, which was already in Richard’s.
“Whatever you believe, please. Come with me now. We can talk about it later. I cannot leave you here right now though. Come with me,” he begged.
It was another few seconds before Adeline made up her mind, but when another shot rang out, she decided. Richard saw the resolve in her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She would go with him.
“Come. Be fast. My horse is just beyond those trees,” he said. Adeline was slight and he realized she could not be as fast as he was.
“Forgive me,” he said, stopping. She looked at him in wonder as to what he was asking forgiveness for and then had a moment of realization when he bent and tucked an arm beneath her knees.
He lifted her despite the clear impropriety. Although her dress was heavy, Adeline seemed to be a light creature in his arms, as if merely a child. He ran on his strong legs and swung wide around behind the soldiers, unseen.
Quickly they made it to the steed. Richard set Adeline down. “I assume you know how to ride?” he asked.
“Aye, of course!” she replied, clearly offended by the suggestion that she might not. Although she was short, she stretched up and agilely lifted herself onto the tall beast. Richard was impressed.
He climbed up behind her and put his arms around her to reach for the reins. Richard could feel Adeline stiffen at his touch. She was clearly a young woman of propriety. He found it incredibly attractive.
He was also able to smell her hair, which was fresh, with a scent like lavender.
“Wait,” she said. “Me friends. I saw them run out before me, but I didnae see where they went or what happened to them,” she told him with worry.
“I saw Arabella. That is her name, right?” he asked.
Adeline nodded quickly, eager to know what he saw.
“She went into the woods with a group of other women. They were dressed as if in the wedding party. And I saw the bride as well,” he said. “They made it to the woods and no one followed them. The soldiers have stayed at the manor.”
“Did ye see the baron?” Adeline asked urgently.
Richard hesitated. “Honestly, I have no idea. Men are all dressed the same at these things. Or if he was dressed differently, I didn’t see him. I wish I could give you better news, something to ease your mind, but the truth is that I didn’t see him,” he replied honestly.
Adeline hung her head a little. It was difficult news. However, her friends were safe, and that was the most important part thing.
In The Woods With A Hanoverian
“It has been a full hour. Are ye sure we are going in the right direction?” Adeline asked.
“Yes. I’m sorry, I know how worried you must be. But I am certain that I saw them run this way into the woods,” Richard reassured.
They had been riding for over an hour by that point and Adeline was exhausted, emotionally and physically, by the evening’s events. She had hoped that on horseback they would manage to catch up to them easily and find her friends with no problem. Instead, they had merely ridden in the increasing cold, worried for their own safety.
“Forgive me, I am endangering ye just by being on yer horse. Are ye certain ye want to be seen with a Jacobite woman?” Adeline asked Richard with concern.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he replied.
Adeline was shocked by the honesty in his voice. She didn’t feel the same hesitancy as she had with Camry. Richard didn’t make her feel like she was a prize or a piece of very desirable meat. He made her feel important.
Adeline felt his arms still placed around her. They were warm and secure, comfortable like a blanket. She had never felt like this before, had never felt the way her heart warmed to him. It was new, exciting, and also a little bit frightening. How could she be so indulgent of this man?
He was a Hanoverian. An enemy. A foreigner. Everything she was not supposed to love. Everything she was raised to fight against. And yet, here he was, in her path, a distraction, and an adored one.
Adored? Had she really considered him something so dear?
“Could we stop? Just for a moment?” Adeline asked.
Richard pulled back on the reins and slowed the horse to a halt. They were in the middle of the woods and Adeline was afraid to stop, but knew she needed to for a moment to get her bearings. There had been so much to occur in such a short time.
A wedding a week ago had introduced her to this man and now they were on the run together in the woods after another wedding. How had it come to this?
She had nearly died just an hour before. She easily could have. Camry had been near her. Had he made it to safety? She’d lost him in the scuffle and didn’t know. In addition, it was only based on Richard’s word that she thought her friends were alright. But what if there was something she had missed? What if
no one was alright at all?
“Forgive me for asking again, but are ye absolutely certain it was Arabella?” she asked, after hopping off the steed.
Richard dismounted and came to stand beside her. “I am completely sure. It was her. I remember her well from last week. She watched me the whole night because she wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt you,” Richard laughed. “It was clear that you are much loved.”
Adeline smiled and looked up at Richard. He was significantly taller than her, but she didn’t mind so much. His stature had enabled him to carry her small frame to safety easily. “I am glad ye saw her. It eases me mind,” she said.
“I’m guessing it isn’t eased too much or you wouldn’t keep asking me,” he said with a hint of teasing.
Adeline sensed that Richard wanted desperately for her to trust him. She wanted to trust him too. But could she? Could she really trust this man who was an enemy?
“Arabella is like the only sister I have left. It was me and me cousins, but they both married and now Arabella is all I have. I mean, sure, we have other friends, but not like us. And there were others, too, that I want to make sure they were safe. It was frightening, is all,” Adeline said, adding the last part quietly.
Richard looked at her with compassion in his eyes and she felt it bore through her. It was as if her heart was collapsing in on itself under the weight of his kindness and softness toward her. “I understand. Well, perhaps I do not. I have never had that sort of friendship, but I have had dear friends and I have worried for them on many an occasion. I have watched friends be cut down in battle and I have wept for them. So, while I have not had the fortune of such closeness, I have borne the burden of mourning them.
“I am sorry that you have to live with such an unknown right now, Miss MacGowan. Please accept my sympathies and know that I will do what I can to help you find your friends,” Richard promised.
Adeline melted under his words. Her heart was full to bursting and she began to wonder how such a man was possible. Were there many men this gentle and soft and kind? Or was he truly the only one, as he seemed to be? She could not imagine that there were other such men like him in the entire world.
Kidnapped Highland Bride (Ladies of Dunmore Series) (A Medieval Scottish Romance Story) Page 3
