“We’ll see about that.” He released her and took a step backward, moving away from her. That told Fia he didn’t believe her story. Perhaps she wasn’t going to be able to fool him the way some of his clan members were. She wanted to tell him that some of his men were lying, but didn’t think this was the place or time since his men were watching her every move. “Get on the horse,” he commanded.
Before she had a chance to move, his hands were around her waist, and he hoisted her up into the saddle. She landed with a plop, having to grab on to the horse’s mane to keep from going over the other side. He was strong, and she was sure he could be quite forceful.
He swung his body up behind her, gripping her around the waist with one arm. With his other arm, he reached around her and took the reins.
Her body warmed being pushed up against him. Her cheeks tingled with blood flowing to her face, making it hard to breathe. He was her captor, so why did she like the feel of being held tightly in his embrace?
“Let’s move on out,” he commanded, turning his horse and speaking to his men.
“Wait!” cried Fia. Her hand flew to her head while her eyes scanned the ground where she’d slept last night. “My crown. I need to find my crown.”
“Relax,” he whispered in her ear. His breath tickled the small hairs at the back of her neck. “Did ye forget I’ve got it in the travel bag attached to the horse?”
“I dinna want yer men to steal it.”
“If anyone is takin’ it as a token of war, I assure ye it’ll be me.”
“A token of war? But, I’m no’ the enemy!”
“The crown is from English nobility, is it no’?”
“Ye ken it is. I told ye it was given to me by the late Queen Philippa.”
“The Queen of England,” he stated.
“Aye. Of course.”
“I prove my point.”
“I’m no’ the enemy,” she said once again.
“Ye’re a Gordon and aligned with the Grants who are enemies of the MacPhersons. So that makes ye my enemy after all.”
“Then why did ye kiss me?” she spat.
“I kissed ye because . . . because ye sewed up my wound,” he said, though she didn’t believe that was the only reason. “And it was before I kent who ye really were.”
“I did nothin’ to ye or yer clan. Do no’ blame me for yer misfortune.”
“Nay, that’s no’ true, lass,” he said, directing his horse into a gallop, leading the way to the Highlands.
“What did I do?”
He didn’t answer but only mumbled something under his breath. She would have to ask him about it later.
Chapter 10
“Richard’s troops are approachin’ Edinburgh,” Brohain announced as he rode back to camp with Rhodric later that day. They were the scouts that Alastair had sent on ahead to spy on the English troops pillaging the coast.
Alastair jumped up, meeting them halfway. “How close are they?” he asked anxiously. He glanced over his shoulder to see Fia watching them. Something told him not to let her hear them, but there wasn’t much he could do to stop it. He didn’t want her out of his sight. They were nearing West Lothian where her family lived, and he wouldn’t put it past her to try to escape and go home.
“They’re no’ a half-hour’s ride from here,” said Rhodric. “I say we join the Lowlanders waitin’ in the shadows and run those bastards through with our claymores now and no’ wait for the ambush.”
“Nay,” said Alastair, pacing back and forth. His eyes wandered back to Fia. He had to get her far away from Richard and his troops. They were too close to the fighting, and he didn’t want anything to happen to her. She was his only means of getting his father released. A half-hour’s ride west and she would be home. A half-hour’s ride east, and she’d be with the English. The king being her cousin had him worried. He didn’t know where Fia’s loyalties lie since she had connections with both sides. He decided to head back home to Aberdeenshire as fast as possible because he didn’t want to be around either place right now.
“We will leave for Cluny Castle anon. We’ll make one stop at the Iron Eagle to pass on the information to our contact to take to our king. Then we’re goin’ home.” He raised his hand in the air to get the rest of his clan’s attention. “Move on out. We have no time to waste.”
Fia overheard everything once again. Sitting on a log finishing off a piece of bannock, she studied Alastair’s stance and disposition. He stroked his chin as he talked with his men. He was contemplating a decision. Something had him upset, and it was more than just the fact the English were attacking. She’d noticed the way he’d glanced sideways over his shoulder several times to make sure she was still there. Plus, he paced a lot today and dragged his hand through his hair more than usual. That told her he had a lot on his mind and wasn’t sure of his decision. He was worried. It had something to do with her, she was sure of it.
He came back to his horse and tied the travel bag to the side. The bulge within the bag let her know her crown was still safe and secure.
“We’re leavin’, are we no’?”
“Aye.” He hoisted her up into the saddle, not saying another word. It wasn’t until he mounted behind her and wrapped one arm around her waist that she dared to speak.
“I want to go home. I ken we are close to my family. I demand ye drop me off where I belong.”
His arm stiffened and he held her tighter. Aye, he was afraid she was going to escape.
“I told ye, that is no’ goin’ to happen. Now, I willna hear another word from ye about it.”
All hope seemed lost as the clan headed north. In the distance, the sound of shouting was heard. Billowing tendrils of smoke filled the air. She was so close to freedom but yet so far away. There was no way Alastair was going to give her a chance to escape. Nay, she would have to find another way to get back home. Fia was only one woman but felt the weight of the world upon her shoulders right now. Having overheard the plan about the Highlanders waiting to ambush Richard and his troops in Fife, it worried her. If that happened, the Scots would have the advantage of surprise, and there was going to be a very deadly battle. Her gut twisted. She had to stop it somehow. No matter what happened, people she loved were going to be killed. Somehow, she had to get word to Richard to warn him before a bloody battle ended the lives of many English as well as Scots. Her only hope was that Richard would retreat and take his troops back to England before things went too far.
Alastair found it hard to think straight with Fia’s long, soft, red hair blowing in the breeze and brushing against his cheek. Her feminine essence warmed him in ways that made him want to stop and bed her around every curve in the road. But he couldn’t do that. If so, he wouldn’t be any better than the rest of the lust-filled men of his clan.
He needed to concentrate on his mission and keep his mind from going astray. But if he didn’t make a little distance between him and Fia soon, this was never going to work.
“There’s the Iron Eagle,” said Alastair, stopping his horse out front of the two-story tavern that had rooms upstairs and also served as an inn. “We’ll stop here for the night,” he told his men.
“For the night?” asked Niven in confusion. “We still have a few good hours of sunlight left. Shouldna we keep ridin’?”
“Nay,” Alastair answered, slipping out of the saddle and helping Fia to dismount. Damn, her small waist and the curve of her hips under his hands were driving him mad. “I have set it up to meet our contact here who will take the message to the Highlanders waitin’ in Fife. I’ll pass on the information to the courier and first thing in the mornin’ we will head home.”
“I still think we should stay and fight,” complained Brohain, always disagreeing with Alastair, and always wanting a battle.
“If it’s fightin’ ye want, ye’ll get it when we rescue my faither from the Grants.”
“Fight?” asked Fia. “I thought ye said I was to be a trade. Why would there be fightin’ invol
ved?”
“Ye are a means to the release of my faither.” Alastair untied the travel bag from the horse. “However, I highly expect the Grants to stab us in the back.”
“Ye dinna trust anyone, do ye?”
“Should I?” His eyes drilled deeply into big, round, green orbs. He wasn’t sure he could trust her, and she knew it. The lass wasn’t shy about staring him boldly in the eye. He had never met anyone like her. The way she met his perusal in challenge, not looking away, made him feel exposed and naked. It was almost as if she could see into his very soul, knowing all his secrets.
“I’m hungry,” he said, looking the other way, wanting to break the connection. If she continued to look at him like that, it was going to make him vulnerable, and he couldn’t allow that. He had never let a lassie get that close to him before. This one drew him in, as well as rattled his nerves. “We’ll get food inside as well as a room for the night.” Alastair slung the travel bag over his shoulder. With his hand at the small of Fia’s back, he guided her into the tavern. Inside the doorway sat a burly man on a tall wooden stool. He held his open palm out, waiting for the charge required to enter the tavern. Alastair pulled several coins from the small pouch attached to his waist belt and handed them to the man.
“This is for my entire travelin’ party, includin’ the girl,” he said. “And there is an extra coin for a room for the night.” The man nodded, satisfied, and let them pass.
“Oh, guid, I wouldna mind sleepin’ on a pallet tonight instead of the hard ground,” said Niven, following at Alastair’s heels. A broad smile spread across his face.
“The rest of ye will sleep outside,” grumbled Alastair. “I’ll be the only one stayin’ with the lass to make sure she doesna escape.”
Protests went up from the clan members as they entered the Iron Eagle behind them, having heard Alastair’s announcement.
Fia wasn’t sure what to think about what she’d just heard. Sharing a room and, perhaps, a pallet for the night with Alastair had her mind soaring. Would he try to kiss her again? Or would he want to take her like a lover in the night? Either way, the thought excited and frightened her at the same time. The man was handsome. She felt attracted to him, but he was her captor. And according to him, they were enemies.
“Alastair, welcome back,” called out an older woman, rushing over to greet them when she noticed Alastair walk into the room. Her long, graying hair was in a braid, over one shoulder. Dressed in a plain gown covered by a leather apron, she looked to perhaps be the proprietor’s wife. She was tall for a woman. By the way she walked with her back straight and her gliding steps, it seemed to Fia she was someone with confidence and was to be respected.
“Lorraine.” Alastair nodded, his eyes scanning the room as he spoke. He reminded Fia of a wild animal constantly scoping out the area with his perusal, always expecting trouble. “Have ye seen Fergus in here at all?”
“Aye, he just arrived,” she told him. “He’s out back tending to his horse and talking with my husband.”
“Hello, I am Fia.” If Alastair was going to be rude and not introduce her, Fia decided she would do it herself.
“Hello.” The woman’s eyes settled on Fia’s heart pin attached to her bodice. Fia’s eyes darted back to Lorraine. The woman brushed aside her braid, exposing the same pin attached to her gown.
Fia’s jaw dropped. She started to comment on it when the woman replaced her braid over the pin and headed in the opposite direction.
“Niven!” Alastair called out. “Watch over the lass until I return. And get us some food.” He set the travel bag down on a vacated table that wasn’t even cleaned yet and started toward the back door.
“Aye, my laird.” Niven hurried over, his eyes fastened to Fia. This was going to make any chance of escape impossible.
“And Niven,” Alastair called over his shoulder. “Dinna take yer eyes off of her even for a minute.”
“Aye, my laird.”
Fia settled herself on the bench as Niven did the same on the opposite side of the table. He was an odd-looking boy, short but with a long neck. His blond hair was fair yet his brown eyes so dark that they seemed to contradict each other. He had a large, curved nose that reminded her of the beak of a raptor. When he smiled, she saw what looked like twice as many teeth than she expected him to have. He leaned forward on his elbows with his eyes fixated on her. It made her feel uncomfortable since it was more than evident that the boy liked her.
Fia surveyed the tavern area of the building, noticing the stairway that led to the upstairs rooms. The place wasn’t nearly as dirty or stale-smelling as some of the places she’d visited through the years, traveling with her father and then the earl. Nay, the rushes on the floor looked as if they’d been changed recently, and they smelled faintly from rosemary and mint. The tables and benches, though old and rugged, were sturdy and in good shape. She noticed the woman named Lorraine watching her from the other side of the room. Needing to talk to her to find out why she had a heart pin, Fia had to find a way to get rid of Niven first. Perhaps this woman was one of the members of the late queen’s secret group. If so, this would be a stroke of good luck.
“Niven, I see a servin’ boy with tankards of ale over at the drink board on the other side of the room. Can ye get me some ale? I am verra thirsty.”
“I am sure he will be here soon.” Niven continued to stare at her. “Laird Alastair told me to keep my eyes on ye at all times.”
Och, this wasn’t going to be easy. The lad was taking his job to the extreme, not even looking away for a moment. “I am no’ goin’ anywhere,” she said, flashing him a smile. “I just really need somethin’ to drink.”
When it didn’t seem as if he were going to leave, she faked a cough and then another pretending as if she were choking. He jumped up. But instead of heading over to the drink board, he patted her on the back with short, sharp slaps. She groaned inwardly, making eye contact with Lorraine again. Alastair would return at any minute, and she was desperate. Not wanting to have to revert to this tactic, she decided she had no other choice. She batted her eyelids and flirted with the boy like her cousin would do.
“Can ye please get me some ale? I would be ever so grateful.” She used a high, sing-song voice the way Willow did whenever she wanted something from a man.
“Oh.” He sat up straighter, seeming surprised by her action. “Well, I suppose I can keep an eye on ye from across the room.”
It worked! Niven left the table. It made her feel sick to her stomach to use this tactic, but it didn’t matter right now since it bought her a little time. Now, with Niven out of the way, she would have a chance to talk to Lorraine. She motioned the woman over with a nod of her head.
Lorraine came to the table to clean it. There were still empty mugs and trenchers of half-eaten bread from the last occupants left there.
“Who are ye?” asked Fia. “I saw yer brooch and it is the same as mine.”
“Shhh. Keep your voice low.” Lorraine’s eyes scanned the area as she picked up the dirty dishes and loaded them into a large wooden bucket. “I have worked for the late queen for many years.”
“Ye’re English,” said Fia.
“I am, but I married a Scot. Scotland is my home now. I am surprised to see you. Since the queen died, I didn’t think that Imanie was training anyone new.”
“I am Fia, daughter of one of the Legendary Bastards of the Crown.”
“You are?” The woman’s eyebrows lifted. She stood up straight. “Ah, with that red hair I assume you are Reed’s daughter.”
“Yes, I am. I, as well as two of my cousins, have been trained by Imanie. It was the late queen’s wish, but we didna find out until we heard it from King Edward on his deathbed. He is the one that gave us the brooches.” Her hand covered her heart pin as she spoke.
“How is Imanie?” asked the woman, running a rag over the old, wooden table.
“She’s dead.”
Lorraine’s hand stopped. She spoke without l
ooking up. “Then it truly is the end of the Followers of the Secret Heart.”
“Nay, I dinna think so. It will live on as long as there are members.”
“I will always be here if you should need me,” Lorraine promised.
“Well, I do need yer help. Do ye have a way to get a message to King Richard?”
The woman’s eyes snapped upward and her brows squeezed together as she studied Fia’s face. “What are you saying?”
After making sure Niven was still occupied, Fia leaned forward and whispered. “I have heard that the Scots are plannin’ to ambush the English. They have an alliance with the French and are goin’ to surprise Richard. The Highlanders along with Lowlanders have joined together to fight. They have burned their own land to take food from their attackers, and have been lyin’ low, waitin’ for Richard to cross over into Fife.”
“Richard’s men are already in Edinburgh,” Lorraine told her with trepidation in her voice. “I have heard just this morning they started burning Holy Rood. John of Gaunt is power-hungry and loves a battle. I am sure they will head to Fife next.”
“I want to stop them from goin’ there,” Fia explained.
The woman leaned in closer. Her eyes narrowed, and her words were stern. “Our job is to bring about changes by making men think they thought of the idea. This is out of our control. There is no way one woman can make a difference if a battle takes place or not. You are crazy if you think you can influence the outcome.”
Highland Secrets Page 11
