Highland Courage

by Ceci Giltenan

  “Take your hands off my daughter!” Lachlan yelled, throwing a punch at the man.

  The hall was on the verge of erupting into a screaming brawl.

  ~ * ~

  Mairead looked on in horror as Eara shrieked and the assembled lairds shouted at each other, depending on their loyalties. Hamish, obviously sensing danger, turned to her. “My lady, Meriel, quickly, up the stairs. Find a chamber and bar the door until I come for ye. I’ll guard your backs.”

  As they started toward the tower door a Fraser yelled, “No ye don’t, bitch,” and grabbed Meriel roughly by the arm. Hamish tried to free her when someone grabbed Mairead’s elbow. She turned and jerked away, only to discover Finola beside her.

  “My lady, we have to get ye out of here.”

  “Aye, Hamish said to lock ourselves in a chamber, get Meriel and come quickly.”

  “My lady, it is too dangerous, we will never make it to the tower stairs, but we are close to the kitchen exit. The laird has guardsmen outside—I’ll get ye to them.”

  “Nay, I won’t leave, Finola.”

  Finola pulled on her arm. “My lady, can’t ye see what’s happening? Ye have to get out of here. If a fight breaks out, ye are a liability to the laird. Ye can be used against him. It isn’t safe for him. He only has Hamish in the hall and he is guarding ye. Cael and Sloan are just outside. We can get to them.”

  Mairead hesitated, was she a liability? In that moment of indecision, Finola acted. Putting an arm around Mairead’s shoulders, she urged her through the rear exit from the great hall. “Finola, nay. Let go of me.”

  “Hurry, my lady, before it is too late,” Finola insisted. The instant Mairead was out of the hall strong arms grabbed her from behind, but neither Cael nor Sloan nor any other Matheson guard would handle her so roughly. Caught in an iron grip, the man hauled her firmly against his chest as he dragged her away from the keep. Then, a voice she had only heard in her nightmares since that day at the Michaelmas Fair said, “Fancy meeting ye here. After all of these years we can finally finish what we started when the damn interfering priest interrupted us.”

  Mairead screamed and a hand clamped over her mouth. She bit the palm of his hand. He swore and momentarily pulled his hand away. She twisted out of his grip, screaming again, but before she had taken more than two steps another man caught her.

  Two of them? He shoved a cloth gag in her mouth. “Did ye forget the bitch bites, Darcy?” She maneuvered to escape his grip, trying to yank the gag from her mouth. “Damnation, she’s slippery as an eel, but even eels can be caught in a trap, and so can wee mice, can’t they?” said the first one as he grabbed her again, holding the gag over her mouth. “Guthrie, see that we aren’t interrupted,” he said, pushing through the door of the deserted kitchen.

  He held her so tightly; she could barely breathe, much less move. He threw her to the floor with enough force to knock the wind out of her. He was on top of her before she recovered her breath.

  Dear God, it was happening again. Just like last time. No, not just like last time! She thrust the heel of her hand toward his nose but he dodged the blow and caught her hand in his fist.

  “I had my nose broken once because of ye, it won’t happen again, bitch,” he growled and backhanded her, leaving him momentarily off balance. Ignoring the pain from the blow, she squirmed, trying to free her hips so she could scoot out from under him. He forced her hands to the floor over her head and with the weight of his body held her against the floor. Her struggles were useless. The memory of Tadhg’s words came flooding back to her, “If ye find yourself overpowered, acquiesce. Stop fighting and save your strength.” She stilled.

  “Ready to give up now?” She nodded. “I want to taste that mouth of yours. I’m going to take the gag out. There is no one to hear ye scream anyway, everyone is busy with my whore of a sister. But if ye do scream, I will knock your teeth out. Do ye understand?”

  She nodded again and he removed the gag. He still held her too firmly for her try again to escape, so against every instinct, she continued to lay still. “That’s better.” He forced his lips over hers, brutally shoving his tongue into her mouth. She couldn’t breathe and in spite of herself, she struggled against him again. “This is going to be fun,” he jeered.

  Mairead caught her breath and once more forced herself to calm down. Again Tadhg’s voice sounded in her head, Tell him ye give up and ye will do whatever he wants. Do whatever it takes to stay alive. She was terrified but she would do it. “Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever ye want. Please.”

  “Yes, ye will do what I want, won’t ye, and ye’ll like it. I thought ye would be a hot little piece when I first laid eyes on ye years ago. If we hadn’t been interrupted, we could have had quite a lot of fun then. Ye know, ye were almost mine again, and Matheson thwarted the betrothal.”

  Dear God, this is Darcy Fraser. Learning his identity nearly shattered her. How close had she come to being married to this beast?

  “We’ll make up for it now, though.” He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. She closed her eyes tightly and suppressed a shudder. “None of that,” he said and bit her neck, hard. He clamped a hand over her mouth before she cried out. “Don’t close your eyes. I want to see them. I want to know how much ye are enjoying this.”

  She forced her eyes open. Could he possibly think she was enjoying this? “That’s better. Ye are a bit overdressed, little mouse. I think we need to remedy that.” Almost gently he removed the brooch holding her plaid and laid it to one side. Then he carefully removed her belt.

  “This is taking a bit too long, mouse. I think we need to hasten things along a bit.” To her horror, he pulled his dirk from its sheath and held it in front of her face. “This should help.” With one hand he grabbed the neck of her léine, slicing into it. Then laying the knife aside he gripped the garment with both hands and yanked, tearing it apart. She grabbed the fabric, trying to cover herself with it, and he backhanded her again. Her face exploded in pain and this time she could taste blood. “I said ye were overdressed, whore.” His mouth crushed against hers cruelly while he squeezed one of her breasts painfully. Once again, she fought for breath and when he released her lips, pulling away from her slightly, her blood left a smear on his mouth. He grinned, licking the blood from his lips. “Mmm. I made ye bleed. Let’s see if I can make ye bleed somewhere else.”

  She was terrified and blind panic nearly overwhelmed her. Stay calm and focused so ye can look for an opportunity to try again. Dear God, how could she stay calm? With supreme will, she forced herself not to react. Trying to suppress her revulsion, she ran her hands lightly down his arms, as if she were caressing him.

  He grinned and chuckled. “I knew ye’d like this. Now it seems my sister is to marry your brother. We are to be relatives, little mouse. So this is what is going to happen, we can have a wee bit of fun this afternoon and it will be our secret. Ye need only stay as quiet as the wee mouse ye are. If, however, ye decide to run squeaking to your husband or father, I will be forced to tell them what a wanton ye are and how we have had a secret relationship for years.”

  “But we haven’t.”

  He gripped her hair in his fist, yanking her head back and forcing his mouth roughly over hers again. The pain made her eyes water and she was unable to control the whimper that escaped.

  He pulled away from her lips, but continued to hold her painfully by the hair. “Oh, aye, we have. The MacKenzies come to the Michaelmas Fair every year. Ye and I have always found a few moments to steal together. Ye were heartbroken when the betrothal to me fell through. Today ye slipped away when the spectacle started. Ye begged me to run away with ye. Ye demanded it. As much as I love ye, I had to be very forceful with ye. I would never dishonor my family in such a way.”

  “They won’t believe ye.”

  “Nay?” He struck her again. “I wouldn’t count on that if I were ye. I can be very convincing. Still, I suppose the easiest thing would be simply to slit your throat with my dirk.
After all, someone cracked your brother’s skull. Perhaps they have a grudge against the MacKenzies.” As if contemplating it, he picked up his dirk and stroked it lightly across her throat.

  He repulsed her. She wanted to fight and scream. She couldn’t live through this again. Once more Tadhg’s words filled her head and her heart, Do whatever it takes to stay alive. She could do this. She could do whatever it took to stay alive. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Nay, please don’t hurt me. I said I will do what ye want.”

  “That’s better.” He tossed the dirk to one side then raised himself up, lifting his weight from her so he could push her skirt up. Her hips were free for an instant and his hands were occupied. This was her opportunity. She twisted out from under him, kneeing him hard in the groin then ramming an elbow to his nose. He screeched in pain as she scrambled to her feet and ran screaming from the kitchen. The man called Guthrie grabbed her arm as she passed but she easily broke his grip. She never stopped yelling for help.

  Twenty Two

  As punches began to fly in the great hall, Tadhg looked for Mairead. Hamish fought to free Meriel from the clutches of a Fraser clansman. Mairead was behind him and Finola’s arm was around her. Tadhg started forcing his way through the brawl to reach her when someone grabbed him from behind and jerked him around. Tadhg drew back his arm, preparing to smash the face of whoever was keeping him from Mairead. It was Lachlan Fraser, but before Tadhg let his fist fly, Niall bellowed over the din, “Ye will stop fighting now!” Instantly, his guardsmen enforced his order, restraining both Tadhg and Lachlan.

  As Niall’s men attempted to restore order in the hall, Tadhg struggled again to reach Mairead. “Dammit, Muir, I am just trying to get to my wife.”

  “Laird, she is fine. I helped her leave the hall just as Hamish said to,” Finola told him.

  Muir loosened his grip and Tadhg wrenched free, turning to Hamish. “Ye told her leave the hall?”

  A terrified Meriel cowered behind Hamish.

  “Aye, Laird I told her to seek refuge in a tower room and bar the door until we came for her.”

  “And she left the hall safely?” he asked Finola.

  “Aye, Laird, she left the hall safely.”

  “Ye and Meriel go find her, and stay with her.”

  “No ye don’t, Matheson,” yelled Lachlan Fraser. “Your clanswoman will stay here and tell what she knows.”

  “I’ll go, Laird,” said Finola. “Meriel can stay here.” Tadhg nodded to her and she left.

  Niall MacIan stepped forward again and said, “Laird Fraser, we tried to discuss this with ye privately and ye would have none of it. If tempers erupt again, I will hold ye responsible. Do ye understand me?”

  “Ye have maligned my daughter, MacIan.”

  “Fraser, I simply told ye the facts as I know them. Your daughter Eara was overheard last night arranging to meet with one of your clansmen, a man named Rafer. As questioning Rafer discreetly now is impossible, I will have him brought into the hall and ye can hear his side of the story.”

  “Aye, bring him in, then.” Laird Fraser fumed until one of Niall’s men led Rafer into the hall.

  “Rafer, ye have been accused by a Matheson of arranging a tryst with my daughter Eara. What have ye to say?” Rafer looked confused. He glanced around the room as if searching for someone. “Well, man, did ye or didn’t ye?”

  “Laird Matheson has accused me?” he asked, appearing dumbfounded.

  “Tell them it isn’t true,” Eara shrieked.

  “Nay, of course it isn’t. What reason would I have to meet with Lady Eara?”

  “Ye see, Da? That Matheson bitch is after Rowan. She just wanted to start trouble. I told ye not to believe her, Da.”

  “What have ye to say now, Matheson?” Laird Fraser asked.

  Tadhg looked at Meriel. She stood alone, pale and trembling, with her arms clutched around her middle. “Meriel, do ye wish to change your story?”

  She looked directly into his eyes, with no trace of guile. “Nay, Laird. I don’t. I told ye exactly what they said, and no more. The man named Rafer arranged to meet Lady Eara in the chapel.”

  Eara pounced. “She is lying. I bet she also lied about the attack on Rowan.”

  Meriel backed away from her. “I know nothing about Rowan’s attack. The only thing I know anything about is the conversation ye had with Rafer.”

  “Rowan’s attack?” Rafer asked.

  Eara crossed the room to Rafer. “Aye, this bitch accused us of cracking Rowan’s skull open.”

  “I said no such thing!” Turning in fear toward Tadhg, Meriel said, “Laird, I didn’t say that. I don’t know anything about what happened to Rowan. I swear.”

  “I know, Meriel. Laird Fraser, Laird MacIan, my clanswoman has said repeatedly she did not hear details about the attempt on Rowan’s life.”

  A look of concern crossed Rafer’s face. “Wait, I had nothing to do with harming Rowan. The last I saw him; he was angry, but very much alive.”

  “And when exactly was the last time ye saw him?” asked Niall.

  Aware of his mistake, Rafer glanced at Eara. “I’m sorry, love, I am. But I don’t want to be blamed for a murder I didn’t commit.”

  “He is not dead, Rafer,” hissed Eara.

  “Still, I had nothing to do with injuring him, Lairds, and neither did Eara. We did arrange a tryst.”

  Shocked exclamations rippled through the hall.

  “Laird, I’m sorry. I love your daughter with all my heart. We were together in the chapel when Rowan found us. He left angry. I swear I didn’t see him again. We both hurried back into the hall expecting him to decry us, but when he didn’t, we thought perhaps he wasn’t going to. After all, he had no witnesses. It would be his word against ours. Eara slipped up to her room in the east tower and I returned to the Fraser encampment.”

  Eara had gone pale and Laird Fraser looked as if someone had knocked the wind from him. “Eara, is this true?”

  Eara started, “Father, I—”

  “Nay, Eara. Just answer my question. Is this true?”

  “Aye, Father.”

  “And have ye given yourself to Rafer freely? Were ye forced?”

  “Nay, Father, I wasn’t forced. I do love him.”

  Niall snorted. Tadhg suspected this must be painfully close to what had happened to him years ago.

  At that moment, Finola burst into the hall from the back door to the kitchens. “Laird Matheson, come quick!”

  The crowd parted. Tadhg ran toward the open door and the sound of his wife’s screams.

  As he exited the keep, his heart nearly stopped. His wife, her clothes torn and her mouth bleeding, rushed toward him from the kitchen. Cael and Garvey also came running from the front of the keep at the sound of her screams.

  Mairead ran into his arms, bursting into sobs. “What took ye so long?” she demanded, while clinging to him for dear life.

  “Sweetling, Hamish thought ye had gone upstairs as he told ye to. I didn’t know ye hadn’t until just now.”

  “It was Darcy Fraser,” she sobbed.

  “Darcy attacked ye just now?”

  “Aye, but he was the one. The one from the Michaelmas Fair.”

  “I’ll kill him,” Tadhg growled.

  “Please, just get me away from here.”

  Tadhg lifted her into his arms. “Cael, Garvey, find Darcy Fraser and drag his sorry carcass to the great hall.” When they stepped back into the hall, it was still in an uproar, people reacting to Eara and Rafer’s confession, but silence spread as soon as everyone took in Mairead’s torn clothes, bloody mouth, and tear-streaked face.

  She buried her face in Tadhg’s chest. Her father and mother pushed through the crush of people.

  “God’s teeth, MacIan, do ye have a madman on the loose?” Cathal demanded. “Mairead, lass, what happened? Who did this?”

  “Darcy Fraser,” Tadhg ground out.

  “Nonsense!” roared Lachlan. “MacIan, I am a guest in your h
ome but ye have allowed Matheson to call my daughter’s virtue into question.”

  “With good reason,” countered Tadhg.

  Ignoring him, Lachlan continued, “Now he is accusing my son of perpetrating this attack. I don’t know why Matheson is trying to destroy me, but, MacIan, I demand ye let Darcy enter this hall to defend himself.”

  “Please do, Niall. Although I am at a loss to know how he thinks he can defend brutalizing my wife.”

  “Come, Tadhg, she needs her wounds tended and then to rest,” said her mother, gently pushing Tadhg toward the tower entrance.

  “She’s not going anywhere!” yelled Lachlan. She has accused my son of the unthinkable, by God, she’ll give witness.”

  “Lady MacKenzie is right. Mairead is injured and needs to rest. She is in no condition to give evidence now,” said Tadhg.

  “Ye want to drag my son in here like a criminal, but ye’ll give his accuser time to relax and think of a good story? I won’t have it. I want these charges put to rest now, or I am leaving with my clan even if I have to slice my way out.”

  There were murmurs of agreement from Fraser’s allies. “This is your land, what is it to be, MacIan?”

  “Niall, look at her, she’s hurt and afraid. Ye don’t know the whole story. This is asking too much.”

  Mairead raised her head from his chest and said, barely above a whisper, “I can do this. I’m not going to let fear rule me anymore.”

  “Are ye sure, sweetling?”

  “Aye, I’m sure.”

  Twenty Three

  Her mother hastily wiped the blood from her mouth, clucking about her bruised face. Mairead did not want to do this. She wanted to go her chamber and pretend it had never happened. That’s worked really well for ye in the past, hasn’t it?

  No, her first instinct was right. She needed to end this, and running away to hide while the Frasers closed ranks was not going to accomplish that.

  Tadhg wrapped a plaid around her gently. “My brave wee lass, ye don’t have to do this. I know ye are afraid.”