Luckily, there wasn't anyone around to get in her way. She looked in each cell and didn't find anyone. Panic started to set in again. For whatever reason, Ginny had to find this girl and help her. She had never been so compelled before in her life. The thought of having dodged the bullet this woman had endured for who knows how long was driving her to search each cell carefully. In the last cell, Ginny almost missed a small form in the corner. “Hello, are you okay?” Wow, is that my voice , she thought. It didn't sound like her at all. Ginny noticed some movement, then saw a pair of eyes shine from the light of the nearest torch. “I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help. Can you tell me where the keys are?” Every time she spoke, she listened to herself. It was like listening to a recording of your voice, only this was someone else's voice.
“You're English?” was all the woman said.
“Huh... what... oh, yeah, sure, I'm English. Listen, I don't know how much time we have. Do you know where the keys are?” Ginny was speaking in a panic and sounded somewhat annoyed. She could reason it was a dream, but right now, it felt real and she wanted to get this woman out before someone came along. Ginny was angry, angrier than she'd been in a long time. The kind of anger you feel when you watch the news story about the abused small child left for dead by the boyfriend of his mother. And she knew that she could and maybe even wanted to hurt someone. She also knew, and this was the greatest source of her anger, that she hadn't the ability to inflict the kind of harm that people who would do this deserved. Those warriors were doing it for her, but she didn't know their intent, so she had to do this on her own.
“By the chair,” came a weak and defeated voice.
Ginny turned around and spotted them. She grabbed the keys and went about unlocking the ancient cell door. As she entered the cell, Ginny was struck by the conditions this fragile looking woman had so far survived. The cell had no bathroom and reeked of urine and feces. There was some straw for her to bed down on, but there were also insects and rats. The inhumanity of it reminded Ginny of a novel she'd read about Nazi concentration camps. This is what happens when we surrender our humanity , she thought, disgusted to share her species with the likes of these men.
The woman sat up and continued to stare at Ginny, as if wondering if she were a dream. Her face was gaunt, her eyes lifeless, and her hair was dirty and hanging in strings around her face. Again, Ginny was reminded of the pictures of the Jewish prisoners during World War II.
“My name is Ginny and I want to try to rescue you,” Ginny said knowing not to get her hopes up. “Can you walk or do you need me to carry you?”
“Could you carry me?” The woman was obviously used to disappointment.
“Right now, I think I could carry you in one hand,” trying to sound courageous, Ginny just sounded pathetic.
The woman nodded her head and took Ginny's outstretched hand. As she stood up, her face contorted with pain. “Lean against me... that's good. We'll take it one step at a time. When we get out of here, I'll examine you and treat your wounds. That's it... oh, what's your name?” Ginny was rambling, trying to keep her cool despite her fear.
“Aileana... from the clan McKenna. How did you get here?”
“I was kidnapped. I was taken here to replace you.”
“A profession I would not recommend,” Aileana said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Ginny's heart was breaking for this woman. Despite the horrors she'd endured, she was trying to calm Ginny's fears and help in their escape.
Climbing the slippery steps was taking a long time. By the time they reached the top, Ginny was out of breath from half carrying Aileana up. Despite her emaciated form, the woman still had enough bulk to make it a challenge to assist her. Ginny wasn't sure which way to go, being in the dark dungeon had muddled her mind. She stared in one direction, then the other, trying to determine which way she had come.
All of a sudden, she heard a loud crash to her right. Heavy footfalls were coming in their direction, so Ginny looked around for a weapon. There, standing against the wall, was a short sword. She quickly leaned Aileana against the wall and reached for the sword. Just as she picked it up, men came running around the corner. Ginny put her body in front of Aileana and made her stand by raising the sword. It was heavy and Ginny struggled to keep it up.
Three men were standing in front of her, staring at her incredulously. They had far bigger swords and were covered in blood. Ginny recognized them as the intruders, with the one in the middle her mega-hunk. Ginny was unable to speak, breathing heavily from helping Aileana and from trying to keep the sword up. She was shaking from fear and her eyes were wide. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. It was quite obvious who would win this match.
Ian couldn't believe what he was seeing. This slip of a woman was trying to ward off three men with a tiny sword that she couldn't even hold up. A smile formed on his lips at her audacity. He knew that she must fear them. They were a ferocious sight, especially after a battle. Truthfully, it wasn't much of a battle , Ian thought to himself. Cowards never put up much of a fight. Still, this girl is willing to stand up to us. How refreshing.
Ginny saw the leader smile and it scared the hell out of her. Summoning up what little courage she had left, she said, “Please, just let us go... I just want to help this woman... you have no beef with us, we've done nothing to you.” Stop rambling, you idiot!
Suddenly, the man on the left saw the woman behind Ginny. “Aileana, is that you?”
“Alec? Aye, 'tis me,” was all Aileana got out before sobs racked her. Ginny threw the sword down to turn and help her. Before she could complete her turn, the man on the left, Alec, had pushed past her and knocked her into the wall. Before Ginny could fall down completely, her mega-hunk grabbed her and pulled her aside.
“Who are ya?” Ian asked abruptly. He had Ginny by the arm and was pulling her away from Aileana.
“Aileana, are you alright? You know these guys, right? They aren't here to hurt you, are they?” Ginny looked back with concern.
“Fear not, Ginny, they are here for me,” Aileana said as she put her hands to Alec's face. She looked like she was in a dream, one that she would never had allowed herself to have. After so much pain and despair, she was feeling some peace.
“Please,” Ginny pleaded to mega-hunk. “Let me help her. She's been hurt and I can help her.”
“Are ya a healer then?”
Ginny noticed the soft cadence of his Scottish burr. It was almost hypnotic. His eyes are the deepest blue she'd ever seen. He had a chiseled face, a perfect jawline, on a square head that reminded her of her Norwegian ancestry. He had a reddish five o'clock shadow, which matched his hair. My God , she thought grimly, I really am in a romance novel! The unreality of the situation pulled her back to his question.
“Yes, I'm a healer,” sure, whatever you say , “Can I please examine her now?”
“Nay,” Ian turned and walked away while still dragging her by her upper arm.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Ginny screamed while ripping her arm from his grip. This is getting a little too surreal , Ginny thought. She was in a medieval castle, with a Greek god inspired Highlander, having no way of knowing how or why she was here. One thing she did know, with absolute certainty, was that she was no pushover.
“Who the hell do you think you are? I want... to... help... her. Capiche?” Ginny was standing toe to toe with the giant. “Do... you... understand... me?” Speaking deliberately slow, she hoped she made her point. All the while making him feel like the ass he was acting like.
Ian closed his eyes for a moment and prayed for patience. When his eyes opened again, he glared at the Englishwoman. No one would dare speak to Ian McKenna like this. It just wasn't done. Ian was the Chieftain of one of the most feared clans in the Highlands. He made his reputation in battle and had the scars to prove it. There were many who would die of fright just to stand as close as this woman was standing to him right now. And yet, she wasn't backing down.
“My name is Ian McKenna and ya'll never speak to me like that again.”
There was that burr again. Ginny was always a sucker for any accent to come out of Great Britain. That, coupled with him being one of the best looking guys she'd ever seen this close up, was making her a bit frazzled. Regardless, she had to stick to her guns. She knew that Aileana was hurt and she wanted only to help her. Ginny decided that a different tact was needed.
“Ian McKenna, I...”
“Ya'll refer to him as Laird McKenna,” came a booming voice behind her. Ginny turned to see the man who had been standing to Ian's right. He had one, big ugly scowl on his face. He looked absolutely primeval, wearing nothing but a kilt, smeared with blood. He was bigger than Ian and by far the scariest man to walk the planet.
Ginny was not about to hedge her bets on pissing this guy off. Turning back to Ian, she said, “I'm sorry, Laird McKenna. Aileana may need medical attention immediately. You went to a lot of trouble to rescue her, wouldn't it be meaningless to let her suffer more now.”
The scary man began to spout off to Ian in Gaelic. Again, Ginny picked up a few words, enough to get the gist of the conversation. Scary man thought Ginny was not to be trusted and the clan should just leave now. Ginny watched Ian's face during the speech. Ian never took his eyes off her while scary man was speaking. Scary man finished his diatribe and Ian turned and spoke to Alec.
“She's yar wife. Do ya want the Englishwoman to heal her?”
It was Aileana who spoke first. “She came to rescue me. I dinna think she means me any harm.” Alec began to shake his head, but Aileana turned to him and said, “You can stay with us if ya want. She is a good person, Alec. Trust her.”
With a long sigh, Alec consented to the exam. “Not here. I willnae have ya stay in this place a minute longer. Do ya have yar potions with ya?” Ginny had no idea what he was talking about.
“I don't have anything. I was kidnapped and brought here just before you guys arrived,” Ginny waited to hear their reply. It was obvious that they had little trust for her and felt they had even less use for her.
It was Ian who spoke first. “Broderick, look around this keep for a healer's den and grab whatever ya find. Alec and I will bring the women out. Once ya're done, have Alistair and Callen help ya with burning this vile place to the ground. We will meet ya on the ridge beyond. Aye?”
“Aye, Laird,” was all Broderick said in return. A moment later, he was gone. Ian then turned his face to Ginny, “Ya'll come with us. Ya'll help with Aileana.” Isn't that what I said I'd do , Ginny thought nauseatingly, rolling her eyes like a teenager.
With that, Ian grabbed Ginny's arm again and started pulling her out. “You don't need to pull me along, I'm willing to come. You are welcome to help Alec with Aileana.”
“My brother doesnae need my help with his wife.” Ian suddenly turned Ginny to face him. “What were ya thinking by getting her on yar own?”
“You all seemed kind of busy, and I wanted to help,” Ginny replied to the strange question.
Ian shook his head in disgust. This woman had no idea how insulting it was to not allow them the duty of rescuing one of their clan. The English, they never seem to get anything right. He was tempted to leave her behind with the burning keep, but she might prove useful. Ian would not admit that it was because she was quite beautiful and might prove useful in other ways.
“Where are ya from?” Ian asked, knowing that she would probably never see it again. Although this girl was innocent in the taking of his sister-in-law, Ian knew he had to come away with something. The disgusting band of men who made the mistake of stealing a member of his clan had paid the ultimate price, but still, he would take anything of value that he could. If the only thing this keep offered was a young Englishwoman, he would take her.
Ginny thought for a moment about Ian's question. Just as she thought she would have to make something up, it all came to her in a flash. Ginny wasn't Ginny anymore, she was Lady Genevieve Chatham, daughter of the late Lord Royce Chatham. No siblings, no family, just her now dead father. Her mother died in childbirth, her family land stolen by traitors. She knew some Gaelic because they lived so near the lowlands of Scotland. Ginny rolled her eyes at the soap opera-ish drama that was this girl's life. Of all the bodies, in all the romance novels...
At least she had something to tell him. “I'm Lady Genevieve Chatham. My father was murdered and his lands stolen. I was taken by this band of merry men as payment for their loyalty to those who orchestrated the plot against my father. You may call me Ginny,” Ginny started talking like she was writing the novel now.
“Hmmm. I wonder if they will be lookin' for ya.”
“Why would they look. They obviously wanted me dead anyway. I'm sure they'll assume as much when news of what happened here gets to them,” Ginny wondered if Ian was looking for another fight. Curiosity won out, “Why do you care?”
In a low, whispered voice, he said, “When I take ya, I dinna want any trouble with anyone looking for ya.”
“Ooookaaaay.”
* * *
They continued to walk outside the keep. A young boy in a kilt walked a very large horse over to Ian. Ian climbed onto the horse with ease and looked down at Ginny. Ginny had no idea what he wanted her to do, so she started to walk in the direction of the other warriors. After just a few steps, Ian angled his horse in front of her, blocking her escape.
“What?” was all Ginny could say.
Ian, not one for words, reached his hand down to her. Does he think I'm getting on that horse with him , Ginny thought anxiously. The horse, a beauty by most standards, was at least two feet taller than the top of her head. It had a chestnut brown hide and big soulful brown eyes. Ginny could admire the horse's beauty, as long as it was far enough away.
Ian began to get impatient. He was trying to be a gentleman and offer her a ride. Does she really want to walk to the ridge? he thought. Why must she make things difficult.
“Did you want to give me a ride?” Ginny giggled nervously over the thought of riding on that thing. She was pretty sure where this story was going, but could she manage to hold onto some of her dignity. She began to walk away, toward the ridge with the other warriors, when all of sudden she was being lifted up on top of the horse. “Dear God, what are you doing?” was all she could ask before he plopped her on his lap and began to gallop away.
Ginny grabbed hold of Ian around his waist and buried her head in his shoulder. She was quite certain she was going to fall off and die. Or worse, be paralyzed, waiting to slowly die. Up, down, up, down, over and over again until Ginny was certain she would be sick. “Are we there yet?”
Ian chuckled to himself. It was quite amusing to see this poor girl so frightened over something so ridiculous. It was also a little insulting considering his skill. Did she really think he would drop her? Was this the same girl who stood up to him and his men? Ian reached the ridge and dropped Ginny to the ground. She landed on her butt and let out a few choice curses.
Ian raised his right eyebrow, listening to her unladylike litany. She is quite a feisty thing , he thought amusingly. What am I ever going to do with her? Ian's face turned dark thinking about her safety. Bringing her home would not guarantee she would be safe, since his clan would undoubtedly want to do her harm as well. He couldn't send her to her home just to be slaughtered. It seemed he had some thinking to do.
Ginny looked up at Ian with a murderous look. As she tried to get up, Ian reached down and lifted her up again. “Thanks,” Ginny murmured before sending a few other whispered words his way. She turned around to see the warriors walking up the hill. On the other side of the ridge was where they had set themselves up for battle. There were horses and tents, some fires were burning as well.
“This way,” Ian sounded surly. He brought her to a tent and opened the flap. Ginny ducked her head to enter and saw Aileana lying on some blankets on the one side. Ginny rushed to her side and asked if there was anything she could fetch. Alec, her husband
, quickly got defensive. “I will tend to her needs, Englishwoman. Ya said ya could heal her. Now is the time.”
“Of course,” Ginny was not certain what his problem was, but didn't want to make anyone angry with her. This was a camp of very large men with very big swords. Not to mention, it would do little to help Aileana.
Ginny wanted to examine her, but both Ian and Alec still lingered in the tent. “May I speak to you both outside, please,” she asked sweetly. Both men exchanged a glance that indicated that that wasn't an option. “Please, not in front of Aileana,” she whispered.
Begrudgingly, both men left the tent, but would go no further than the very front. They stared at Ginny like this was beyond an inconvenience and to get on with it. “I need to examine your wife, from head to toe. Do you really want your brother standing there while she's undressed?” Ginny had dealt with abusive partners, worried parents and unreasonable patients, but his went above and beyond.
“Ya will not put my poor wife through any more humiliation,” Alec stated.
Ginny could feel her patience wearing thin. “What, then, would you have me do for her?” she said making sure that her voice didn't carry into the tent.
Alec and Ian exchanged glances. They obviously had no idea what needed to be done. Ginny let out a sigh of exasperation. “Look, I'm trying to help. Your poor wife has been through a real trial, and I just want to try to ease any suffering. I will not harm her further, but I can't help her if I don't know the extent of her injuries.”
Alec bowed his head. Without looking up, he said, “I know. I couldnae protect her. Do what ya must to help her. I willnae disturb ya.” There was so much pain in his voice. He truly believed he'd failed her in the most important job he brought to his marriage and now he suffered along with her. He would never be able to atone for his mistake in letting her out of his sight, away from the village, but he could do something to help her now.
A Lesson in Passion Page 4
