The Highlander's Secret

by Jennifer Siddoway

  Heather’s blush ignited once again, and she could feel the heat of it on her cheeks. “Mayhap ye dinnae notice me.”

  Conrad reached out to place a finger beneath her chin. “Of course I have. As I said, I’m rather fond of ye.”

  “Really?”

  “Indeed,” he muttered softly. “Would ye care to take a walk with me? I’d like to show ye something.”

  She glanced back towards the fire nervously and said, “What about the festival?”

  “The festival can wait. I’d rather be alone with ye. All the noise between the music and chatter, it gives me a frightful headache. I can barely hear myself think. Wouldn’t ye just step outside with me for a moment?”

  “I cannae just leave,” Heather insisted. “What would my parents think?”

  “Oh, but ye can,” Conrad told her with a smile. “I thought ye liked me.”

  Heather glanced one last time towards the fires and gave him a subtle nod. He smiled widely leading her out of the village green to a quiet path around the corner. Her body tingled with excitement as they snuck away together. A spotted horse was tied to a post outside with its reins and tack still in place for an evening ride.

  Heather became suspicious at the sight of it and asked, “What’s this?”

  “It’s a bit of a ride to get there,” Conrad explained. “I just want fer us to have some time alone together. Dinnae ye trust me?”

  She gazed up at him trying to figure out what to say when Conrad slipped his arm around her waist. “Isn’t this what ye wanted?” he asked her softly. “We could forget all about this festival and ride together, just ye and me. What can I do to convince ye?”

  Heather sighed at the promise in his words. Her lips parted Conrad placed a gentle kiss upon them. Her eyes flew open in shock, but Conrad held her captive pressing his lips hard against her. She thrilled at the warmth of his body next to her and leaned into him for support.

  Conrad pulled away from her and traced a finger down her cheek, saying, “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  Heather smiled when he took her hand and helped her up onto the horse. The tremendous beast was even larger than she imagined with its hairy shoulders and body under her. Her heart was pounding wildly at the thrill of his attention and running away together. Conrad untied the animal and climbed onto the horse in front of her, with the reins tightly clasped within his hand. Heather leaned forward to wrap her arms around his waist and said, “Just a short ride.”

  “Aye,” the warrior chuckled. “They’ll never even ken we’re gone.”

  He cracked the reins while digging his heel into the horse’s side, leading it down the hill and out of the village gate. As they left Elign behind them, Conrad brought the horse into a gallop and followed the river at the base of the hill. It led into a grove of trees and soon they were surrounded by a forest of towering oaks and evergreen.

  “Where are ye taking me?” Heather giggled.

  They rode on further until she got an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She didn’t like going out into the woods at night, it was eerie and secluded. The branches reached out from the shadows like a gnarled arm, tearing at the hem of her tunic. Her legs were sore from riding on his horse so long and wind whipped through her hair. She clung to his body for support. It was deathly quiet and all she could hear was the hoot of an owl in the distance. He smiled, looking back over his shoulder as they rode, and said, “Ye’ll see.”

  She’d never been this far out of the village before and her parents were sure to be worried. Everything looked new and different, but Conrad said that she was beautiful, and he kissed her. Surely, that meant he was in love with her. No lad in the village ever paid attention to her before, and certainly none like him.

  Her breath quickened with every step, eager to find whatever place Conrad was leading her to. Moonlight dappled through the leaves overhead, casting an eerie shadow on the ground.

  “Conrad, how much farther?” she asked him breathlessly. “I …cannae see where we are.”

  “Hush,” he cooed, without even turning back to look at her. “We’re almost there.”

  Heather pursed her lips and buried her face in the back of his shirt. Something about this didn’t seem right. Conrad wasn’t acting like himself, he was pushy and erratic – and in a hurry to get out of the village. He wouldn’t answer any of her questions either, which seemed odd. More than odd, it frightened her.

  They journeyed through the trees on the east side of the village along the river until he said, “Ah. There it is.”

  In the distance, she made out the silhouette of a house, but there was no smoke coming from the chimney. There was no light or anything at all coming from the structure, she wasn’t even sure it was a house. It looked abandoned and not suitable for habitation for quite some time, so why on earth would he have brought her here? Conrad stopped the horse when they arrived and dismounted on the forest floor. Heather threw her leg over the side and climbed down after him while glancing around nervously at their surroundings.

  “Come on,” he commanded suddenly. “It’s just inside.”

  “Conrad…”

  “It’ll be fine,” he assured her. “This will be our little secret.”

  She was about to protest when Conrad kissed her roughly on the lips and began leading her back towards the house. Heather tried to push him off, but he was so much stronger than her. Her feeble attempts to free herself only made Conrad fight back that much harder.

  “What’s wrong?” he snarled as she broke away. “Ye come with me all this way and change yer mind?”

  “I want to go home,” she told him. Tears streamed down her face and he backed her up against the wall with fire blaring in his eyes.

  “Stop that,” he commanded. “It’s unattractive. Nae one would hear ye scream anyway.”

  “Why are ye doing his?” Heather cried.

  Conrad laughed. He tightened his grip around her arm and yanked her forward. “I’m going to get what I came here for one way or another. I suggest ye try and enjoy it.”

  Heather shook with fear and his lips came down on her again. She wondered what he would do to her, and if he’d been planning this all along.

  Chapter Ten

  Jain groaned into her blankets when she heard the rooster crow outside and sat up with a yawn. The morning chill crept in around her shoulders as the blanket slid down around her waist while she woke up.

  Jain stretched her arms and pulled herself up on the bed. She could hear her parents grumble in the other room. With a tired moan, she stretched and then licked her lips to relieve the dryness. The festivities the night before had taken their toll on everyone and it was difficult to get going in the aftermath.

  “Aileen, it’s time to get up.”

  Her cousin groaned, sitting up on the pallet bed and then running her fingers through a mess of dark brown hair. “Oooff!”

  Jain shivered from the cold when her feet touched the ground and she pulled on her favorite tunic to keep warm. Aileen threw off the rest of the blankets and joined her getting dressed. “Jain yer hair looks slept in,” she informed her with a grin.

  Jain scoffed. “Ye’re one to talk!”

  They laughed with each other while undoing their braids and pulling on a pair of hose. “I saw ye talking to Rodrick at the fires,” Jain teased her with a grin. “Ye seemed to be enjoying one another’s company.”

  Aileen blushed and pulled one of the cloaks around her shoulders. “Ye spent the entire festival dancing with Alan. Dinnae pretend like ye dinnae have feelings fer him.”

  Jain’s smile faded and she headed out into the kitchen. “Come on, let’s get the fire going and break our fast. There’s still much to do to complete our harvest.”

  The girls walked out into the living space together and Jain kissed Moira on the cheek before starting on the morning meal. “Good morrow, Mam.”

  “Good morrow, loves. I trust ye slept well?”

  Aileen nodded in response whi
le kneeling by the fire to get it started. Some embers were still crackling from the night before, but they wouldn’t last very long without some added fuel. She hastily put a branch onto the burning hearth and blew onto the red-hot embers until it caught flame to warm the rest of the house.

  Jain busied herself in the kitchen, retrieving spices and ingredients to prepare some food. Eamon came out of his bedroom wearing a cloak and hat and headed for the door. “Aileen, could ye tend to Fiona fer me? I’m going to check the coop fer some eggs and then head over to the spring house.”

  Aileen breathed out a tired sigh and nodded. “Aye.”

  Moira winced as they walked out the door together and then collapsed in one of the chairs with her hand flying to her hip.

  “Mam?”

  “It’s alright, dear. Just another spell,” she told her.

  Jain frowned when she knelt beside her. “Let me make ye some willow bark tincture. It could ease the pain.”

  Moira nodded, though the pain was evident on her face, and Jain got to work immediately. A few minutes later, the door creaked open and Aileen came back with a pail of milk. Eamon was right behind her with the eggs and he set them carefully on the table. “Alright, loves. I’m off to get some water and will return presently.”

  “Thank ye, Da.”

  He collected some buckets and was about to leave when there was a sudden knock at the door.

  Jain turned at the sound of it and frowned. “Who could that be?”

  Eamon mumbled something unintelligible and walked over to the door to answer it. His long brown tunic fell almost to his knees over a pair of knitted hose and a leather belt around his waist. The door swung open and Keenan stood waiting on the other side with a grim expression on his face.

  “Keenan? What's going on?” Eamon asked him.

  The chieftain sighed. “Good morrow, Eamon. I'm sorry to disturb ye before ye've had the chance to break yer fast, but I'm afraid it cannae wait.”

  The tone of his voice was serious and sent a thrill of fear down Jain's spine. Something was wrong, she knew it. Keenan would never disturb a family this early in the morning if there was another option. It was at that moment, when Jain saw past her uncle’s figure, she realized there were four other men on horseback.

  Something was very wrong indeed.

  “Tell me what it is,” Eamon beseeched him. “Ye ken I’m at yer service always. How can I be of assistance?”

  Keenan cleared his throat and explained, “One of the lasses dinnae come home last night after the festival. Her parents are beside themselves. Ever since they told me, I've been assembling a search party to go and look fer her. I hate to ask, but we could really use yer help.”

  Aileen gasped at the terrible news and covered her mouth with both hands. Jain listened to them in rapt attention and placed her arm around Aileen’s shoulder as a form of comfort. It was a terrible thing when a member of their clan went missing. The entire community would mourn. She just hoped the men would find her soon and be able to bring her back safely.

  “Aye, of course,” Eamon responded to his brother’s request. “I’ll be with ye right away.”

  “Who was it?” Jain blurted out.

  Moira cast her a warning glance, but Keenan nodded in understanding. “It’s Heather Gordon.”

  Jain gasped. “Nae!”

  Immediately, her thoughts went back to seeing Heather the night before, standing by the fire side with Conrad. Heather was smiling, laughing, and appeared to be having a wonderful time.

  “I’m afraid it is,” he told her.

  “She was talking to Conrad. They were—”

  Keenan held up his hand to silence her and said, “We’ve already spoken with Conrad and there’s nae evidence of foul play. His friends claim they were with him all night. I ken ye’re upset, but we’re doing everything we can.”

  Jain pursed her lips and nodded. Eamon came walking by her with his cloak and hat and stepped over to the door to join them.

  “Da…”

  “Dinnae worry, Jain. We’ll bring her back,” Eamon promised.

  Without another word, Eamon and Laird Gordon left. Jain sat quietly in her chair, still reeling from shock. Moira came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It won’t do Heather any good to mope around the house. The lads will be here soon to finish with the thatching on the roof.”

  Jain nodded while choking down the lump that was rising in her throat. “Aye, Mam.”

  Alan and Rodrick arrived shortly after that, with the same morose attitude as the men who came before. It seemed they too had heard the news about Heather’s disappearance. Without their pleasant conversation to lighten the mood, Jain got started on her chores right away. Jain threw herself into her chores and gathered up the dirty linens, taking them outside to wash so she wouldn’t have to think about what happened to her friend.

  Around noon, she went out to check on the clothes drying on the lawn and found the wash line had become disconnected and fallen from its post. All the clothes she’d spent the morning cleaning were now laying in the dirt and Jain would have to do the entire wash again.

  “Oh, would ye look at that,” she grumbled.

  In an exasperated sigh, Jain knelt on the grass and began picking them up again to return them to the bucket. She was mumbling to herself when the sound of footsteps came marching up the hill. Jain glanced up from what she was doing, hoping it was her father or Keenan returning victorious with news of all that happened. Instead, Jain was disappointed to find, not her father, but Conrad and his friends walking down the path towards her.

  She gritted her teeth at the sight of him and continued picking up the clothes, hoping she hadn’t caught his eye. Conrad never went anywhere without Murray and Scott flanking him on either side – the whole lot of them were incorrigible. As luck would have it though, Conrad spotted her in the grass and strode over to where she was without so much as a pause. Jain stiffened at the sight of him standing next to her and cast her eyes toward the laundry. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. Conrad was arrogant and brash and something about him always put her teeth on edge. She didn’t feel safe when he was around.

  “Now, lads, that’s what I call a pretty picture,” he told them with a grin. “I’ve never seen anything quite as beautiful as a woman on her knees.”

  Scott and Murray laughed at his little joke, but Jain’s cheeks flushed as she stood up hastily to brush the leaves off her apron.

  “What do ye want, Conrad?”

  “Oh, dinnae be like that,” he scolded. “I was just telling my friends how lovely ye are, tis all. Ye should take it as a compliment.”

  “Fine, I accept yer compliment. Now be on yer way and leave.”

  Murray laughed, “Be careful, Conrad. This one has teeth.”

  Conrad grinned, leaning in to lick his lips while raking his eyes across her body, his black hair hanging down across his shoulders and said, “Ye ken, Jain, ye really should be nicer to me. I was just here the other day asking yer da if he’d consider giving me yer hand in marriage. Surely, that proves my affection and entitles me to a certain level of civility.”

  Jain snickered at the ridiculous suggestion Eamon would even consider such an offer. She could only imagine how that conversation went and tried to stifle a laugh at his expense. “Ye asked my da to marry me?”

  Conrad nodded, his arrogant smile never failing.

  “Interesting, since this is the first time I’ve even heard of it. He must not have approved.”

  The warrior’s smile faded. “I’m sure yer da would change his mind if ye let him ken that I was amiable. Keenan wouldn’t deny such a humble request if it came from his own niece.”

  She flinched away from him when he came nearer. His breath reeked of ale when he spoke to her and had the bitter hint of body odor. Jain’s nose crinkled at the smell, appalled that Conrad would be drunk this early in the day. Having the casual drink was one thing, but his speech and behavior was clearly
beyond what could be considered socially acceptable. He was potted.

  “Are ye drunk?” she asked.

  This time it was Scott who laughed, while crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I dinnae ken we ever stopped after the festival!”

  “And why would I?” Conrad chuckled. “After all it’s a celebration. Who are ye to judge a man fer when he’s been drinking?”

  Jain turned to him and smiled, knowing that she had the upper hand for the first time since he arrived. “Ye’re absolutely right. I’m in nae position to judge ye for having a drink, it’s none of my business. I could probably change their minds if I wanted to, but that’s never going to happen, Conrad. What makes ye think I would ever accept yer hand in marriage?”

  “I could take care of ye, and provide a lovely home. Ye shouldn’t dismiss my affection so carelessly. Women like fer their men to take care of them, telling them what to say and do. Tis proper and good that way. Ye should be nae different.”

  Conrad stepped towards her once again and Jain stiffened. Every muscle in her body tensed when he came nearer. There were whispers about him from the other girls in the village. He made all of them uncomfortable with his leering gazes and sense of entitlement. Just because he was skilled warrior and hunter, Conrad seemed to think that he could get away with anything.

  Without warning or permission, he reached up and brushed his hands across her cheek, scraping Jain’s delicate skin with his callouses. “Such spirit,” Conrad mused. “And yet, so quiet and lovely at the same time. Ye’ll make the perfect wife one day once ye’ve been sufficiently broken. All ye need is a good, strong man who kens his way around a woman’s body to give it to ye. I’d be more than happy to show ye how it’s done.”

  “Get away from me!”

  The large man scowled, his eyes narrowed with unspent anger. She strode past him to continue with the wash, but he grabbed her by the arm and whirled her around to look at him.

  “I’d thank ye to treat me with more respect, lass. One of these days ye might not be so lucky. Yer da cannae afford to support ye living here forever. It’s high time ye accepted that and start looking fer a husband. Ye should be honored that I even took a liking to ye to begin with. I doubt anyone else will make such a generous offer.”