KIDNAPPED BY THE HIGHLAND ROGUE

by Brisbin, Terri

  The only time he’d been able to make her react was in the dark of night when she climbed into bed beside him and continued her exploration of things between a man and a woman. He never initiated it. He’d convinced himself not to touch her now that their paths would be going separately. He had used her for so much that he would not do this.

  And each night, as she stripped off her shift and stood naked before him, he damned the only noble scruples he could find within himself. As his body screamed to take her, to spread her legs and fill her with his flesh, he would not. When his dreams showed him the ecstasy of claiming her, he refused to act on it. Then, after giving her as much pleasure as his hands and mouth could give her each night, he quietly saw to his own matters to avoid taking the only thing he had not taken from her.

  ‘So, the road south?’ he asked as they reached the crossroads.

  ‘Follow this one to the edge of town,’ she said, pointing to the next street they encountered.

  ‘We will take the road south to Stirling, then on to Falkirk and Edinburgh.’ He did have one question for her. ‘What did Mistress Murray give you?’ Niall nodded at the edge of her cloak.

  ‘A purse with enough coins to return to her inn, if I need to,’ she answered. Another person setting out to protect the lass. He shook the reins at the horse and they began the long journey ahead of them in silence.

  The weather favoured them that day and they reached Stirling by day’s end, even finding a place to stay. He used the time to ask about her family and her service to the Lady Mackintosh. She told stories of all sorts and he loved seeing the vibrant way she described the goings-on of her kith and kin. He’d missed all of that in the last ten years.

  * * *

  The second day, the rains were back and he was grateful that the lass had bought their supplies. Two lengths of good Highland woven tartan saved them from being soaked to the skin as they continued as far as they could along the muddy road. But talking was difficult until they sought and found shelter in an old, unused barn for the night.

  The knowledge that everything would change on the morrow hung in the very air around them as they finished their simple meal of cheese and bread and ale and settled in for the night. Niall knew her questions would not be held back now and, in a way, he wanted to tell her everything. Even now though, he could not. The King did not wish his secret spy to become known.

  And hopefully she would never learn about his father’s treason and the depths to which Niall had sunk or the nefarious acts he’d committed since then. Or the exile of his mother to a convent. Or the shame of a forced and inappropriate marriage that his sister had to bear, if she yet lived.

  So, as the rain yet fell outside, he held her in his arms and allowed himself to consider whether all of what he’d done so far would be worth the reward he wanted. Whether loving her and giving her up after seeing a tiny sliver of the man he wanted to be was worth more to him than his goal. Whether she was enough to make him give up on his hopes of seeing his family reunited, whole again, after so many years.

  If he reclaimed his life, she was lost to him. The King would, no doubt, have a suitable bride already in mind and to his own purposes. If he walked away, he could never claim her for he was guilty of so many transgressions and could do nothing to prove himself other than guilty. Niall would never make her suffer the life on the run as he had lived these past months and years. She deserved better than that. She deserved better than him.

  Bloody hell, even hapless Dougal would be better for her than he would be! He laughed then and she turned in his arms to look at him with a frown.

  ‘I was just thinking on hapless Dougal,’ he admitted, though not the rest of it.

  ‘Why do you call him that?’ she asked.

  ‘I watched him trying to convince you to accept his offer and could tell he had no chance,’ Niall admitted. ‘He seemed so mild-mannered and, well, hapless.’ He met her gaze then. ‘Will you have to settle for him?’ He had not meant to ask it in that way, but it brought up the painful topic.

  ‘Somehow I think he would be settling for me now, Iain.’

  ‘And you would take him knowing that?’ She would be tolerated. She would be a scandal. She would need to endure knowing what they thought of her...all because of him.

  ‘I think I might enjoy a lack of adventure in my life,’ she said. ‘For a time at the least.’

  ‘Fia, I am sorry,’ he began. She put her hand over his lips once more.

  ‘Why did you do it? Tell me why you took me from the village, Iain?’

  She wanted the truth. She deserved something.

  ‘Niall.’ He looked at her. ‘My name is Niall.’

  Fia had no idea of what prompted this strange conversation except that this would be the last time they were truly alone together. And now hearing his true name she smiled. ‘Niall then?’ He nodded. ‘Niall...Corbett? And Elizabeth is...?’

  ‘My mother. The book belonged to my mother.’ She let it go then, the sadness in his voice made her heart hurt for him and his loss.

  ‘So, Niall Corbett, why did you take me from the village?’ Fia sensed there were boundaries that he would not cross, truths he would not expose, but that did not mean she would not seek what she needed to know. He let out a sigh and gathered her closer.

  ‘Anndra and Micheil had plans for you, lass,’ he said. ‘At first, when Lundie backed me on it, I was going to let you be. Then Anndra came back intent on having you.’ He shifted and leaned on his elbow, looking down at her. ‘He knocked you out and would have dragged you off into the woods, if I had not taken you myself.’ He leaned over and kissed her then, a gentle touch on her mouth. ‘I had no choice.’

  So he’d never intended to ravish her, then. He’d tried to save her and ended up bringing her into the middle of this misadventure that would change her life for ever. And Lundie... Something tickled her memory about Lundie but she could not bring it to mind now.

  ‘I thank you for that, Niall Corbett,’ she whispered, stroking his chest. ‘Why were you there? You have not done one roguish thing since I met you.’

  ‘Oh, Fia.’ He laughed, burying his face against her chest, laying kisses all over her. Even through the layers of clothing, it made her tingle and ache for more. ‘I think I have been roguish to you lately.’ She grabbed him by the hair and lifted his head up so she could see his face.

  ‘I am certain that I took advantage of you, Niall.’ His gaze softened as she spoke his name. His true name. ‘You were in your sickbed and I slaked my lustful feelings on you.’ She smiled. ‘You could not escape me.’

  He laughed then and she joined him. It felt better to be light-hearted than morose and crying. There would be time for that later, when he left her.

  ‘I found myself on the wrong side of the King’s judgement,’ he said. She watched his face for signs that he was jesting. ‘So when he wanted someone who could find the cause behind these recent problems between the Mackintoshes and The Camerons, he sent me to join them.’ He rolled away from her, lying on his back and staring off into the dark corners of the barn.

  ‘So you became an outlaw.’ The words stayed there between them and she realised that, though he might have saved her for some reason, he had been part of all the attacks on her clan.

  ‘Aye. Now I must return with the news that I failed.’

  ‘What will happen?’ She leaned up now and put her hand on his chest. He covered it with his, entangling their fingers. ‘What had he promised in return?’

  ‘To save my family. My mother. My sister.’

  ‘Oh, Niall,’ she whispered. ‘What will happen to them now?’

  ‘I plan to throw myself on his mercy and hope that he has some. There are some details I can give him. I hope they are enough.’ He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. ‘’Tis that uncertainty and more that forc
es me to let you go.’

  His tone was intractable, the words his final decision. And she could think of no way to change his mind or change the course of things. So Fia offered him the only thing she had to give.

  ‘I love you, Niall Corbett. I just need you to know that when tomorrow and the days after come.’

  She had hoped he would tell her of his love, but he did not. He pulled her close and kissed her, letting her feel his longing. Then he turned her on her side and lay behind her, tucked close with her.

  * * *

  The rest of the night had passed in silence as did the early morning when they rose and began the last part of their journey together. With each mile they crossed, Niall became less and less like Iain Dubh and by the time they rode through the West Port gate into Edinburgh, the man at her side was someone she did not know. He’d told her only that he would be meeting the King at Holyrood Abbey the next day and that they had a place to stay for the night near that place.

  As they made their way down the crowded and busy street called Cowgate, she marvelled at the sights around her. The castle stood above them on an ancient mountain with a ridge before it that led down to the town of Cannongate and further to the abbey. Tightly packed buildings nestled on either side of the ridge halfway down to the abbey. They rode by and Fia found herself fascinated by the sights and sounds of such a huge city.

  They continued along the rural road, leaving the castle and city behind and riding towards another crest of mountainous crags that rose to twice the height of the castle’s rocky platform. And there, at the foot of these crags, lay the abbey of the Holyrood, founded by the King’s ancestor of the same name. The abbey held all the lands around it, including the park and loch and more. Fia had to keep reminding herself to close her mouth and keep breathing.

  She thought the Highlands and her home were beautiful, and they were, but this city appealed in many different ways. As they turned on to a small road near the entrance to the abbey’s lands, Fia knew it was time. Niall stopped the wagon near a stone house and waited. Servants immediately came out to assist him down from the cart and aided him in walking up the steps at the front of the house.

  When she looked up, a man of powerful bearing stood there in the door, waiting for him. Niall bowed deeply before the man and waited. The man touched his shoulder and then pulled him into an embrace and towards the door. Niall stopped then and turned to face her.

  ‘This is Brodie Mackintosh’s ward. See to her comforts,’ he said in a voice that commanded obedience.

  And then he left her behind, walking into the fine house with the other man.

  It was over. Well and truly over.

  Now all she needed to do was convince herself and that damn silly heart beating rapidly in her chest that it was done.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ‘Yours was the last face I thought to see here, Alex,’ Niall said as he followed his cousin along the hallway. ‘I thought you were still in France.’

  ‘Ah, not now,’ Alexander Lindsay, Earl of Struthers, answered. ‘While I am here, the King asked me to see to this matter with you.’ His mother’s sister had married, a second time, to Alex’s father, making them more kith than kin. He waved Niall to one of the chairs and motioned to one of the waiting servants. Once they both had glasses of wine, Alex asked, ‘So what the hell is this matter I must see to?’

  Niall downed the wine and held out his glass for more. If the servants thought that a filthy-looking, unkempt man should not be sitting here with the earl drinking this costly wine, they kept it to themselves. But Niall noticed a few unguarded glances aimed his way before they looked away. As though they expected him to attack their lord and rob the house of all its costly items.

  ‘Did the King not explain?’ he asked. Better to know what Alex knew before sharing too much.

  ‘Some Highland problem between two of their clans or such,’ Alex said. ‘You were to find the source of the trouble.’ Before he spoke again, a manservant entered and whispered to the earl.

  ‘A bath is ready for you,’ he said, nodding to the servant. ‘And clothing as well. You cannot appear before the King like this,’ his cousin said, pointing at his condition. ‘See to his care,’ he ordered. ‘I will see you at supper.’

  Niall decided that clean clothes would not be a bad thing, nor would a hot bath considering how his leg pained him. So, he handed the glass to the waiting servant and followed the other towards the doorway and stairs.

  ‘Niall, is the girl truly the Mackintosh’s ward or is she someone you wish me to get rid of for you?’ Alex watched him closely, waiting for his answer.

  ‘She is as I said, very dear kin to the chieftain and his wife. If you would, see her clothed and cared for before she is taken to his factor’s house here in Edinburgh,’ Niall said.

  ‘Very well. A clean break is best in these situations.’ But Alex was not done. ‘And will there be complications when she is sent there?’ A polite way of asking the impolite.

  ‘Come now, Alex. There are always complications when it comes to women,’ he said, trying for a lighter tone than his current mood. ‘But, nay, her return will be welcomed and without bloodshed.’

  He walked out and followed the servant up the staircase to the next floor. His leg ached badly with each step taken. Though he kept watching for some sign of where they’d taken Fia, he saw none. Niall turned himself over to the servants and found himself scrubbed to within an inch of his life, his hair cleaned and clipped and his beard groomed from that of a wild Highlander to a more dignified length and shape.

  Then, when the warmth and the wine should have lulled him comfortable, he was struck by a deep restlessness instead. His first thought was to ask Fia to walk with him and see the abbey just up the road. He stopped before taking a step towards the door of the chamber.

  For so many weeks he’d come to rely on her and to enjoy her company. He turned to her day and night to talk or ask questions of. When he was in pain, she’d eased it with her soft caresses and words. When frustrated over his leg’s slow healing, she had soothed his mood. Even when he’d wanted to do his worst and seduce her, she’d cleverly guided him out of that. And when he wanted to leave her untouched, she’d insisted he not.

  Now, he would leave her and everything she was and everything she gave him behind and seek a new life without her. Niall turned away from the door and stood by the large window that gave him a view of the abbey’s buildings and park. That was his future. In that place, the King would decide on his petition to return his lands and titles. On the morrow, he could be returned to his status and his earldom once more.

  * * *

  The evening crawled by and Niall was aware of every passing second. Supper with Alex was a pleasant thing, with good food, better wine and stories of his cousin’s adventures in France on the business of the King. No mention was made of Fia at all. ’twas as though she’d disappeared from his view, much like the servants did when their duties were done.

  When he sought his chambers, he listened for some sound of her. Passing a number of chambers, Niall tilted his head waiting for some noise or the sound of her laughter...or tears.

  He was still listening when the sun rose, breaking through the fog and making the dew on the park shimmer in its light.

  * * *

  ’Twas like she could not be seen by human eyes.

  One moment she was conversing with Niall and then next she became a thing, shuffled around by the servants, fed, bathed, clothed, provided with whatever comforts or care she needed. She never left the very luxurious chamber after she entered it. A maid brought her news and instructions.

  Housed somewhere on the lower floor of the three-storey house, she understood. She understood her place now. She’d been told that someone would arrive to take her to Brodie’s house in the city after she’d had a chance to
eat and pack up whatever she wanted to take with her. Everything from their cart had been brought into her chamber and placed there for her perusal.

  Other than the clothing in her bag, there was nothing else she wanted to claim. All of it, any of it would remind her of him. And once she left here, she knew it would take every ounce of willpower and strength she had to forget him. ’twould be better to leave everything behind.

  The maid arrived to tell her that her escort was waiting outside and as Fia turned to leave the chamber, she saw it. The book of hours. He’d guarded it for so long and it meant so much to him that she knew she could not keep it. But she would not simply leave it there for him to find. She would have a final word with him.

  Pushing by the maid, Fia walked down the hallway where he’d gone on his arrival here. She’d heard the deep voices of him and their host as they talked in a chamber off in this direction. Though the maid tried to stop her, she continued on, listening for the same voices. The manservant in front of the closed door shook his head. She stepped around him, opening the door and stepping into a dining chamber.

  ‘My lord,’ the man called out. ‘I tried to stop her...’

  The man who’d greeted Niall yesterday came to his feet and waved the servant off.

  ‘I beg your pardon, my lord,’ she said, curtsying to the nobleman. ‘I wanted to return this to Niall before I left.’ Glancing around the room, she noticed another man sitting with his back to her. ‘I did not mean to interrupt your meal with your guest,’ she said.

  All she could see was the black hair of the man’s head over the chair where he sat. When he stood, with a grace of one born to nobility, and turned to her, she gasped. In the fine clothes of wealth and groomed to meet a king, she would not have recognised him if they’d passed on the street outside.

  He looked magnificent. She noticed the expensive clothing that matched the other man’s and was suitable for the court of the King. No longer Iain Dubh, the Highland rogue, or even Niall Corbett, the King’s spy, this man was...no one she knew. Only when he glanced at the book in her hand did she break free of her stupor and speak.