The Highlander Who Loved Me

by Adrienne Basso

  Suddenly, a sharp, staggering pain cut across her temple and then she was falling, crumbling helplessly onto the damp, stone floor. She hit the floor hard, wincing at the pain in her hips and shoulder. Miraculously, she kept a grip on the candle, holding it upright. Hot wax dripped onto her hand, but she didn’t let go.

  By the Saints, someone struck me!

  Terror speared through her. She looked frantically over her shoulder, but no one was there. Blinking, she turned to search all four corners of the chamber. Thinking she heard a noise, she lifted the candle higher, illuminating the shadows.

  Nothing. She was alone. Whoever hit her must have been hiding in the tunnels and escaped back through them. Pray God they didn’t decide to return.

  A chilling breeze blew through the gaps in the stone wall. Nervously, Davina cupped her hand over the candle flame, groaning at the pain in her shoulder. But she was not quick enough. The light flickered, wavered, then went out, plunging her into total darkness. Trembling, she lifted her hand in front of her face, gasping when she realized she couldn’t see it. She couldn’t see anything.

  Breathing hard, Davina lay on the floor for a long minute, listening to the noises above her. It sounded like the stomping of feet or perhaps the movement of tables and benches and she realized she must be directly beneath the great hall.

  Fear crept through her, but she pushed it far back in her mind. Panic would do naught but make things worse. Her thoughts turned to James and she knew he would tear the keep apart stone by stone when he discovered that she was missing.

  Yet she could not simply lie here and wait to be rescued. Her body shook, but she forced herself to think clearly. Without light, it would be madness to move forward through the tunnel. Nay, she needed to find her way back to the staircase and return the same way she came down.

  Crawling slowly on her hands and knees Davina moved forward until she found the wall. She swayed dizzily when she stood, leaning heavily against the stone. Her knees were shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, trying to get her bearings in the darkness.

  Her eyes gradually adjusted, yet she could still see almost nothing. She reached behind her, pressing her hand against the damp stone wall. Hand over hand, she carefully guided herself along the wall, searching for the opening to the stairwell.

  Found it! A nervous giggle of relief escaped her lips. Using the same method, she placed her hand on the wall. Gingerly, Davina stepped up, slowly ascending the slippery steps. They were rough and uneven; difficult to negotiate in the dark, but she continued to climb.

  A scurrying noise caught Davina’s ears. Rats? Mice? Or some other foul creature that lived in this damp, darkness?

  No matter. They were more afraid of her than she of them—or so she told herself. Davina inhaled slowly and then exhaled, calming her nerves. Squinting hard, she peered into the darkness, but still saw nothing.

  Tentatively, she took another step, clinging to the stairwell wall for guidance. She managed to rise three more steps before feeling something brush over her hand as it raced over the wall. Shrieking, she yanked her hand away and in the process lost her balance.

  Crying out, Davina struggled to keep herself from tumbling, but she felt herself slipping. She went backward, somehow managing to land on her arse when she reached the bottom. The fall knocked the breath from her lungs and she gulped, struggling to pull in air.

  Chest heaving, Davina folded her arms and buried her head on them, fighting to stay calm. Fear blurred her pain, but desperation drove her to act. She tried to rise, but a searing, stabbing jolt shot through her leg. Tears of agony filled her eyes.

  Visions of being trapped down here for hours, even days, haunted her thoughts. Fear made her mouth go dry and her entire body tremble. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

  Rest. I’ll rest fer just a few minutes to gain some strength and then I’ll try again.

  “Where have ye been, James?” Malcolm asked, his eyes dark and troubled. “I expected ye back two hours ago.”

  James tossed his reins to one of the stable lads and vaulted off his horse. “Ye’ll not believe what I’ve found, Malcolm.” James reached into his pocket, but his hand stilled when he saw his brother’s expression.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “’Tis Davina. We cannae find her.”

  The air was very still. Davina grimaced. Her leg throbbed, the pain sharp and intense whenever she tried to move. She prayed that it wasn’t broken.

  Her eyes had gradually adjusted to the darkness, yet she could see little. She couldn’t stand, but if she dragged herself to the staircase, she might be able to pull herself high enough to scream for help. Cook must have returned to the kitchens by now. Surely, someone would hear her.

  A shadow of movement caught her eye. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

  Suddenly, a voice sounded in the distance. “Davina?”

  Disoriented, Davina looked up. “Aye! I’m here!”

  “Davina?”

  The voice sounded much closer. More importantly, it sounded familiar. Relief burgeoned in Davina’s breast. I’m saved!

  A cloaked figure emerged, illuminated by the glow of a single lit candle it carried. “Are ye injured?”

  “’Tis my leg.”

  “Oh, dear. We’ll need help getting ye out of here.” The figure raised the candle, momentarily blinding Davina. She blinked repeatedly. Her rescuer slowly came into focus, and Davina pulled in a breath of surprise. “Aunt Isobel?”

  James stormed into the great hall, Malcolm hot on his heels. He was met with an empty silence. “Davina! Davina!”

  Colin came running, his face streaked with tears. “Forgive me, Sir James. Ye bade me to watch over Lady Davina and I failed ye.”

  Colleen soon joined them, her eyes filled with alarm. “We’ve searched everywhere. Inside and out.” The older woman’s voice quivered as she spoke. “I just dinnae know what could have happened to her.”

  “The soldiers on the ramparts saw nothing?” James questioned his brother.

  “No one has entered or exited through the gates,” Malcolm replied. “Davina must be inside the keep.”

  “Where?” Fretful and restless, James anxiously paced in front of the cold hearth. He felt a sickness in his stomach and drove his clenched fist into the palm of his other hand at the thought of Davina in danger.

  “We’ll find her,” Malcolm insisted, as Joan entered the chamber.

  James immediately noticed her dabbing at the sweat on her brow, then shifting uneasily on her feet. He pinned her with a withering stare. “What are ye hiding, Joan?”

  Joan took a step away from him. “I might know where to find Davina,” she admitted.

  “What?” A muscle jumped in James’s cheek. “Tell me!”

  “There’s a hidden passageway under the keep. She might be down there.”

  Malcolm frowned. “How do ye know about it?”

  “I discovered it soon after I arrived. We have several at Armstrong Castle. My kin are partial to building them, so I assumed Davina’s father would have at least one here.”

  “Why would ye search fer such a thing?” James wanted to know.

  “I feared I might have to use it to make a fast escape.” Joan’s voice shivered with the words, but she kept her chin high and her back straight.

  “If Fraser came fer ye?” James guessed.

  She raised a haughty brow at him. “Aye.”

  “Show me,” James demanded, pushing on Joan’s back.

  She scurried from the great hall and they all followed. After what seemed like an eternity they entered the storeroom. Confused, James turned menacingly toward Joan. “If this is some sort of trickery . . .”

  “It’s not,” Joan stated flatly. She ran her hands deliberately over the wall, and then suddenly, amazingly, a section opened, revealing a set of stairs.

  “It’s black as pitch in there,” James said, squeezing his shoulders through the opening.

  “Here.” Mal
colm handed him a torch. James drew his sword; Malcolm did the same. With James leading the way, they began climbing down the winding stairs. The sight that greeted James when they finally reached the bottom froze his heart. Davina was on the floor, her head bowed low. A cloaked figure was crouched beside her.

  “Mother?” Joan cried out in astonishment.

  James rushed forward. Davina lifted her head, her eyes widening in alarm. “Careful!” she shouted. “She has a dirk.”

  “Aye, and it’s pressed at Davina’s throat,” Isobel proclaimed smugly.

  James stopped dead in his tracks. He lifted his torch higher, dismayed to see the frantic madness in Lady Isobel’s eyes.

  “It was ye, wasn’t it, Lady Isobel?” James regarded the older woman cautiously. “Ye hired those men to harm Davina, to kill us both.”

  “I wasted good coin on those half-wits! They failed at every turn. I needed Davina to remain unwed, to stay under my watchful eye. But she left to be with the McKennas fer Christmas and then she married ye. I thought I was well rid of ye five years ago, James McKenna!” Isobel’s face reddened. “Once Davina married, I knew she’d want to claim her inheritance, to make a home fer herself and her family here. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  “But why?” Davina cried with dismay.

  “I know.” Reaching inside his pocket, James held out the nugget he had found in the river. “Is this what ye sought?”

  Isobel’s head tilted. “Och, so ye’ve finally discovered the secret of Torridon Keep.”

  “Aye.” Hoping to distract her, James inched forward. “How long have ye known about the gold, Lady Isobel?”

  “Since Davina’s parents died. I came to help nurse them through their illness and discovered her father’s secret.”

  “Did ye . . .” Davina’s voice choked with emotion.

  “Kill them? Nay. The fever took them, though perhaps I was not quite as diligent in my healing duties as I should have been.” Isobel cackled with delight. “Davina’s father never told us about the riches on this land, never offered to share it with his only brother.” Isobel’s eyes narrowed with bitterness. “Fergus is the laird. ’Twas his right to have this treasure.”

  “Is that what Laird Armstrong told ye?” Malcolm asked.

  “Bah, Fergus knows nothing of this matter,” Isobel retorted. “He wouldn’t listen to me. Called me a daft fool when I told him about the gold. Well, look who’s the fool now!”

  James’s mind was churning, but he knew he needed to keep Lady Isobel talking. The older woman’s left hand was twined in Davina’s hair, pulling her head back far enough to expose her neck. The dirk was pressed firmly against Davina’s throat.

  “No doubt Laird Armstrong will change his mind when he sees the gold,” James said in an amiable voice as he took another small step.

  Lady Isobel smiled briefly, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Dinnae come any closer,” she threatened, pressing the dirk tighter against Davina’s neck. Davina cried out as a thin trickle of blood ran down her throat.

  “Mother, please. Let her go!”

  Isobel turned her eyes toward Joan and James seized the advantage. He leaped, knocking Davina away from the deadly blade. Then he lunged for Isobel, wresting the dirk from her hand. She spun away and ran toward the tunnel. Malcolm and Joan gave chase, but Isobel reached the tunnel first, disappearing into the darkness.

  Suddenly, there was a tremendous crash, followed by a loud scream. A large cloud of dust billowed out of the tunnel. James could feel the ground beneath them shift as pieces of stone dropped from the ceiling. He huddled over Davina, sheltering her with his body, wincing as the rocks rained on his back and shoulders.

  “The tunnel is collapsing,” Davina exclaimed.

  “Malcolm!” James shouted frantically.

  A heartbeat later, a coughing Malcolm appeared, pulling a whimpering Joan behind him. They were covered in dirt and debris.

  “Where’s Isobel?” James asked.

  “Buried beneath the rubble,” Malcolm replied. “The tunnel is braced with timbers. One of them cracked and the earth above it fell in. Joan and I pulled back, but Isobel kept running. A large beam struck her head and within moments she was buried.”

  “I’m certain she’s dead,” Joan added tonelessly.

  James looked to his brother and Malcolm nodded in agreement.

  “Nevertheless, we need to get some men down here to dig her body out,” James decided.

  “I’ll see to it,” Malcolm volunteered. “Ye attend to yer wife.”

  There was a hard lump of emotion lodged in James’s throat as he approached their bed. It tore at his soul to see Davina’s face so pale, her features so wan and crestfallen. Her aunt’s betrayal cut deep, and when she suffered, so did he.

  He hadn’t left Davina’s side since he carried her from the passageway. He had tried not to jostle her leg, which was thankfully not broken, but badly sprained. Colin had run to fetch the healer from the village, but Davina had insisted she needed rest and quiet far more than potions.

  James soaked a clean cloth in cool water, then pressed it to her brow. With gentle hands, he examined her head. Davina hissed with pain when he found the swelling bruise at the base of her skull.

  “This should heal in a few days,” he said gently. “Shall I ask Colleen to brew ye something fer the pain?”

  “Nay. My head feels fuzzy enough.”

  James sat on the edge of the bed and took Davina’s hand. The possibility of losing her hit him hard. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. How did ye come to be down in that passageway?”

  “I was in the storeroom and remembered seeing my father go through the hidden door when I was a child. I found the lever to open it and started to explore. Aunt Isobel must have been coming into the keep through the tunnel. She struck me on the head and left me. I dinnae know why she returned.” Davina let out a long, shuddering breath. “I still dinnae understand what she wanted.”

  “Gold,” James said quietly.

  Davina took the nugget he held out to her and ran her thumb over it. “Where did ye find it?”

  “In the riverbed on our southern border.”

  Davina shook her head. “I find this all very difficult to believe. My parents led a simple life. If there was gold running through the streams, they would have mined it. We could have had a life of ease and wealth.”

  James nodded. “I think Isobel exaggerated in her mind the amount of gold she believed was here. Something that extraordinary would not be kept secret fer long. Every man, woman, and child within a hundred miles would be mining the riverbed searching fer it.”

  Davina held the nugget up to the light. “Yet ye easily found this prize.”

  James smiled. “’Twas fate. It owed us a turn of good luck after all that we’ve endured.”

  Davina squeezed his hand, tears glistening in her eyes. “All this time wasted. If Aunt Isobel had not interfered, we’d be married five years already.”

  “Aye, and most likely bored and restless with each other,” he teased.

  “James McKenna!” She poked his arm, then managed a grin. “Ye are an incorrigible man.”

  He looked deep into her eyes. “I love ye, Davina. With all my heart and soul. ’Tis time to finally put the past to rest and start the future we both desire.”

  Her eyes softened. She lifted her hand and cradled his face. “Incorrigible, yet wise beyond yer years. I love ye, James.”

  Their lips met in a passionate kiss. Though edged with desire, their kiss conveyed the deep feelings they had for each other. James knew their love was something that couldn’t ever be found with another.

  They belonged together—in this life and the next. They had from the beginning. It might have taken them longer than most to reach for a life of happiness, but now that it was firmly within their grasp, James knew he would never let it go.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  Davina opened her eyes and gave a lazy yawn
, then snuggled closer to the warmth. Her palm lay flat over James’s heart, the steady beating a comforting lull, his familiar scent teasing her nostrils. Cocooned with her husband, Davina could momentarily forget the demands and responsibilities of the outside world and simply enjoy the bliss of a peaceful slumber.

  But not for long.

  A cock crowed, loud and shrill, and the bleating of sheep filled the air. Reluctantly, she pulled herself away from the delicious warmth and rose from the bed, heading straight for the window. A spring chill hung in the air, but the clear morning promised sunshine for the day.

  She smiled. ’Twas a good sign. Today the shearing would start and old Mangus had told her it would be easier for all, including the sheep, if the weather was fair.

  She heard the mournful call of a bullfinch and glanced down at the cluster of cottages that surrounded the keep. All looked in fine condition, with many boasting newly thatched roofs and neat rows of freshly planted home gardens. The variety of seeds Lady Aileen had gifted to her had been put to good use and she was glad there had been enough to give each family a share.

  Her eye drifted to the bailey. Smoke from the forge billowed and twisted into the sky and the sound of cattle and chickens cut through the quiet. Stones lay at the ready to complete the fortifications on the south side of the curtain wall and, next to the newly built weaver’s hut, the area where the chapel would be built was outlined with stakes and rope.

  The sight filled her with pride and hope. They had managed so many improvements in such a short time, though there was still much work to be done. ’Twas not easy, ensuring that all at the keep had warm shelter and enough food, but it was a task she and James had embraced with determination and optimism.

  The people of the village had been suspicious at first, but eventually realized that she had returned to make a home. Their moist, boggy land would never grow enough food, but it could produce goods that would supplement what they needed to ensure that none went hungry.