Dreams Of The Highlander

by Sarah Hoss

  James and Alexander sat in the dining hall, along with Margaret and her family. The rest of the guests had gone on about their business, leaving the two brothers and Callum alone. Alexander was getting ready to ask something when he heard a commotion and turned to see what it was.

  “Hamish.” Alexander spoke as he grasped his brother in a hug. The men clasped arms and smiled. “I’m glad ye are here.”

  Alexander watched the entrance to the dining hall, hoping Marlana would walk through the door. “She went to speak to the Chief. She should be back by now.”

  “I’ll go see if she is still there. Maybe they are sitting up there talking and I can pull her away.”

  Alexander turned to Margaret. “Would ye care for a bite to eat?” After stopping one of the servants and ordering a round of food, he sat back down at the table.

  About half an hour later, James returned and the expression on his face set off warning bells.

  “Did ye not find her with the Chief?”

  “Nay, Cluny was talking with his wife. He said he hadna seen Marlana today. I checked her room and she isna there, either.”

  A sick feeling began to grow in Alexander’s stomach. Something wasn’t right, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it. Where could she have gone or be doing to keep her this long?

  He stood from the table and addressed Margaret. “If ye will excuse me, I’m going to go search for Marlana.”

  “Of course, I understand.”

  The servant had finished putting the food on the table and had been listening to the conversation. She curtsied in front of Alexander. “May I speak?”

  “Aye, go ahead.”

  She glanced around at everyone, before settling her gaze on him.

  “Mary, if ye have something to say, please say it,” James said encouragingly.

  Turning toward James, she said, “Well, it’s only that ye mentioned ye are looking for the Crawford woman.”

  “Aye. What do ye know of her where abouts?” Alexander asked.

  Turning back to Alexander, she answered. “I saw her leave with the Comyn gentleman this morning.”

  Alexander swore. Hamish stepped beside him and he turned back to Mary. “Tell me all ye saw.”

  She wrung her hands in her apron. “It’s sorry that I am, but there isn’t much to tell. I was working in the garden, so I doona think they saw me, being on my hands and knees as I was. I heard a door shut and looked expecting to see the new girl coming out to help me. Colyn and Marlana walked out of the castle and to some horses that were waiting for them,” she shrugged her shoulders. “Then they rode off.”

  “Did ye see anything out of the usual? Was she being forced to go?”

  “Nay, she was walking beside him, he didna touch her.”

  James stepped to her side. “I thank ye, Mary, for speaking up.” Once Mary had walked away, he turned his attention to his brother. “Did anything happen between ye and her last night? Did ye two have a fight?

  “Nay.” He glanced over at Margaret and said no more. He watched Callum kiss Margaret on the forehead and send her and the kids to the table to finish their meal then he led his brothers and Callum outside.

  James put a hand on his arm to stop him, drawing him up short.

  “What?”

  “Tell us now, what ye wouldn’t say in front of Margaret.”

  He switched from one foot to the other, aggravated to be standing still instead of getting on his horse and chasing after her.

  “Marlana came to my room last night.” He looked from one brother to the other. “She spent the night, then left this morning to go speak to Cluny. I went down to breakfast.”

  “Alexan—”

  “Ye two stay here and look for an answer, if that’s what ye want to do. I’m going after her.” He took off at a jog across the yard, not wanting anyone to see his distress. He kept telling himself that she would be all right. They went for a ride and that was all, but in his heart, he knew those words to be a lie. Another part of him was worried that she had been lured away and might be in danger. He knew Colyn, knew he would do anything if angered.

  As he rode toward Marlana, his mind raced with images of her, of their time together. He pictured her working in the garden, sun shining down on her. The way she would stand and arch her tired back, wipe a wayward strand of hair from her face. She wasn’t used to the rigorous task of working on a farm, but she did it and never complained. He respected her for that.

  He pictured her sitting on the bench he’d made for her. She always sat at sunset, the light settling around her, the breeze blowing her hair. Sometimes he would join her and they would talk about everything. Other times he would stand off to the side and watch her.

  He thought about how much he watched her and how those reasons for doing so had changed. At first it was because she was a stranger and he was trying to figure her out, but he was man enough to admit that soon it turned into a desire of seeing her. He caught himself wondering what she was doing when she wasn’t in his sight. He would find himself hurrying his chores so he could get into the house quicker to have their evening meal together. How many stupid excuses had he made to be near her? Like the time when she was hanging clothes on the line. He came over to inspect it, to make sure it was tight so the clothes wouldn’t touch the ground. He knew there was nothing wrong, but it was the only thing he could think of at the time. She’d thanked him, giggling while she did it.

  He remembered the wolf attack and how scared he’d been to see her in danger. He never once thought about what he should do. Instinct had taken over. He wouldn’t let anything harm her, even if that meant bringing harm to himself. He should’ve known then what he was feeling. When the comfort and safety of someone else’s life comes before your own, that has to mean something. It tore at his heart to see her so afraid. He tried the only thing he could think of to take her mind off the moment and that was to kiss her.

  He ducked under a branch as he rode his horse toward her. He had to focus on this task or he’d end up lying face down in the dirt somewhere. He would always love Mairi, would always smile when he remembered her. But with Marlana, he knew he’d found his soul mate. He couldn’t lose her now.

  Bringing Gideon to such an abrupt halt made the horse rear up. He’d been so lost in thought that he’d almost missed seeing her at the edge of the tree line. If she hadn’t called out to him, he would’ve ridden past her.

  He tied the horse to a tree branch and ran to the edge of the rock clearing that jutted out of the side of the hill. She was a little ways away from him, but not far enough that they couldn’t speak.

  “Marlana, what are ye doing out here in the woods? Come, let me get ye back to the castle.” He stuck out his hand, offering it to her.

  “I’m not going back with you, Alexander.”

  He took a step closer.

  “Marlana, where is Colyn? Why are ye alone out here?”

  Colyn stepped out of the tree line just as Marlana began to speak. “Alexander, I’m not going with you. I choose Colyn, instead. I’m sorry, I made a mistake.”

  “What are ye talking about, made a mistake?” Fear gripped him, his stomach turned.

  “Exactly as I said, Alex, you had your chance. I decided I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering if you won the contest because you wanted me or just to beat Colyn. I know Colyn wants me, so I’m going with him.”

  Colyn stared at him, smiling. Alexander wanted nothing more than to go down and remove it personally from his face. How had this all gone wrong? He watched her, looking for a sign, anything that would indicate she was speaking false. He prayed for that sign.

  He started to say something, but she cut him off.

  “Please, Alexander, just go. Don’t try to follow me. This is what I choose. I’m sorry if I misled
you in any way. I realize now it was all a mistake.”

  He’d started to walk toward her, but her words halted his feet. A mistake? Was she saying last night was a mistake? Anger flared within him. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so blinded by a pretty face and story too unreal to be true? His fist opened and closed over and over. The muscles of his jaw clenched and unclenched.

  “Ye swear it, Marlana. This is your choice? Ye arena being forced in any way?”

  “Yes, Alexander, this is what I want. No one is forcing me.” She turned, then, to look at Colyn, smiling at him.

  The next words he heard shattered any hope he had left.

  “I won’t play second choice to Mairi, Alex.”

  “Go, Macpherson. Doona come near her again or ye will regret it. She made her choice.”

  Alexander stood a moment longer, waiting for any sign, but none was forthcoming. He dropped his hand that he held out to her for a second time and turned to walk away. He untied Gideon and mounted. As he started to leave he stopped and watched Colyn take Marlana to their horses, mount, and leave. Emotion breaking his resolve, he sat stoically as he watched her ride away.

  Marlana sat her horse, willing herself not to turn around and look back. Sobs escaped her chest, tears streamed down her face, leaving hot trails in their wake as she contemplated what she had just done. Her throat was tight with emotion, almost choking her.

  When they were a good distance away, Colyn grabbed the reins of her horse and drew them to a stop.

  “Quit, now. I willna listen to it any longer.”

  As hard as it was, she managed to soften her crying, but she was unable to quit completely. Her heart had been ripped out of her chest.

  She kept her head down as he spoke. She didn’t want to look at him. He disgusted her.

  “I must say, ye are a verra good liar. Even I was beginning to believe ye.” She turned toward him and spat on the ground, still not looking him in the eye.

  “Ye have fire in ye, I’ll grant ye that. But take care to not let it get too out of control, for I will douse it.”

  She didn’t wipe her eyes and started her horse forward. Let the evidence of her pain be there for all to see, she didn’t care.

  As they rode in silence, back to the camp, her mind replayed the scene. Tears fell fresh and free as she realized it was the same scene she had dreamt over and over for the past year. A Highlander standing on a rocky outcrop with his hand extended to her. His words, that she had never been able to hear, were of him asking her to return with him. She understood the desire she had felt to go with him. She loved him.

  “No, it can’t be,” she whispered to herself. Could that be the meaning of her dream? Had she traveled all this way to find true love, only to lose it this way? Fate was a cruel thing. She would never have come to Scotland had she known it would all end like this. But making her heart believe those words were another thing. Had she not come, she would never have had that one, glorious night in his arms. She knew as the words sprang in her head, that she would do it all over again to be able to spend that one night making love to Alexander.

  Iain nudged his horse over to Colyn. “Is it done?”

  “Aye.” He peered over at her for a moment, then back to Iain. “Now, go finish him.”

  She screamed as she drew her horse closer to Colyn. Anger welled up inside of her, spilling forth like water from a broken dam. She’d been betrayed and she was angry because she should’ve known better. Deep inside, she knew he wouldn’t keep his word, but she’d held out hope that if she played the role and was obedient, Alexander would be spared.

  The sound echoed through the forest as she slapped Colyn across the face. Her chest rose and fell with the exertion of fighting him and being angry.

  “Damn, you. You said you wouldn’t do this,” she said as she pointed to herself. “I did everything you asked of me.”

  His head fell to the side with the blow, coming slowly back around to glare at her with fury alight in his eyes. She knew it was a mistake in hitting him, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to hurt him any way she could. She wanted him to feel just a hint of what she was feeling.

  He grabbed her arms and jerked her forward, bringing their faces so close together she could feel his breath on hers.

  “It’s yer fault. He is going to die because of ye.”

  “What?”

  “Ye love him. And as long as he lives, ye will always love him. Ye might even try to run back to him and I canna have that. I will not have my wife loving another man. I will not live in his shadow, so, he dies because of yer love.”

  She choked back a sob. “You’re right, I do love him, and I always will. But you’re wrong about two things. I will not be your wife and you will always live in his shadow, because you are only half the man he is, dead or alive.”

  The last thing she remembered before he hit her, knocking her unconscious, was hearing the growl that escaped Colyn’s lips.

  CHAPTER 24

  Alexander rode as if the devil was on his heels. He had to get back to the castle where his brothers waited for him. He knew they would help him and that was his only thought.

  The horse had barely stopped before he dismounted and handed the reins off to the stable boy. Running into the keep, he went in search of his brothers, checking the dining hall first.

  He found them around the table, heads together, deep in conversation. Margaret and the kids were gone and he was glad. He wanted to talk to them alone.

  Hamish and James glanced up as he walked in.

  “Where’s Marlana? Did you find her?”

  “I found her, Hamish.” He poured himself a hearty dose of whisky and downed the glass.

  “Well, out with it, where is she?” James stood.

  “She’s with Colyn.”

  “She left here with him?” James sounded unbelieving.

  He retold the tale of what transpired in the woods. Both brothers listened intently. Hamish and James looked at each other, grim looks on their faces.

  “So, ye have lost her, then?” Hamish laid his hand on Alexander’s arm as if giving solace. “Or do ye have a plan?”

  “Nay, I havena lost her, and I need yer help, all of ye.” He turned to James. “Can ye enlist some of the men to help also?”

  James shook his head. “What are ye planning to do? She told ye she didn’t want ye.”

  Alexander slammed his hand on the table. “Ye doona understand.” He stared at Hamish with pain in his eyes. “As I was riding, I remembered my dreams.”

  Hamish nodded, encouraging him to go on. Hamish knew it by heart as many times as Alexander had told him of it. He looked over at James, seeing the confusion on his face and filled him in.

  James shifted his feet, growing impatient. “What does it have to do with her?”

  “In the dreams I felt as if I wanted to help her, but nothing I tried worked. I couldna. But I know now how I can. In the dream, Marlana was biting her lip. Before, I always found it attractive, but I’ve come to know her.” He turned to look at Hamish. “Marlana only bites her lip when she is nervous or scared. She was forced to tell me those things, I know it.”

  He stood there for a moment; feet spread apart, hands on his hips, staring at the floor. “I rode most of the way home thinking I had lost her. I was angry and I kept replaying the scene in my head.”

  Peering up at his brothers, he spoke. “I doona know what Colyn is holding over her head to make her speak as such, but I know with all that I am, that she didn’t do it on her own. I have to get her back.”

  James walked up to his brother, grasped his shoulder, and looked him in the eye. “I believe ye. We’ll get her back. But I must speak to the Chief first and tell him what has happened. I canna gather the men without his permission.”
James left, running out of the hall and out of the keep in search of the Chief.

  Alexander sat down for a moment, his legs feeling weak. Time passed slowly and what seemed like hours was merely twenty minutes. James strode back into the hall. When he found a maid passing by, he ordered her to fetch some food and drink for the men.

  “The men are assembling now. Twenty five of our best will ride with us.”

  Alexander stood and embraced his brother. “Ye have my thanks.”

  “No need to thank me. Ye would do the same for me and ye know it. I like Marlana, and I’m glad to see a spark back in yer eyes. It’s been a long time.”

  “Aye, it has and I willna lose again. I love her.”

  Hamish strode into the hall with his sister in tow. Callum and Hamish had heads together whispering, when Margaret walked over to James and kissed his cheek saying a quick prayer for his safety, repeating the prayer to Hamish and Callum. Then she turned and walked over to Alexander, doing the same. She put her hand on his cheek before she spoke.

  “Marlana is a strong woman, she‘ll be all right.”

  All he could do was nod at her words.

  The men left the keep and mounted their horses. James gave commands to the men, all nodding their understanding. A smile crept to his face as he remembered something Marlana had said to him. It amazes me how fiercely you Macpherson’s do everything. Glancing out over the men, at his brothers, her words rang true. Never had he seen such raw strength and power and by the end of the day, Colyn would wish he hadn’t angered the Macpherson’s.

  The men rode for an hour before they stopped along a stream to water the horses and discuss their strategy. James sent a scout ahead. They would wait on his report as to where Colyn and his men were and whether or not Marlana had been harmed.

  After the planning, some of the men went off to load their flintlocks. Everyone else sat talking, sharpening their weapons, preparing to fight. Hamish, James, Callum, and Alexander stood on the small hill, looking out over the land. He had his sword in his hand, pointed toward the ground, spinning it, his impatience evident.