Highland Protector

by Hannah Howell

  Pleased with the terror he could see in Donald’s eyes, Simon left. Elen would have a dowry and Reid would have choices in life, he thought as he walked toward his home, and he was satisfied. He knew the Armstrongs and the Murrays would care for the children, as would he if the need arose, but the money would help no matter where the children lived or with whom.

  “Ah, weel met, Sir Simon. Might I speak with ye for a moment?”

  The sight of a smiling Sir Walter Hepbourn stepping up to him soured Simon’s mood, but he stopped and bowed faintly in greeting. “How can I be of service to ye, sir?”

  “I but wondered if ye have had any word on the whereabouts of Ilsabeth?” Walter asked.

  “If I had it would be the king’s business, Sir Walter.”

  “ ‘Tis mine as weel, is it not? I was the mon who was to wed her and the one made a fool of by her treachery. Her actions could have blackened the good name of Hepbourn. And, from all I have heard, the king’s soldiers havenae gathered up a single one of those traitorous Armstrongs. I humbly beg your pardon if ye feel I am intruding on such matters, but I begin to grow, weel, uncertain.”

  The tone behind that apology held no humility at all, but Simon’s attention was caught by Hepbourn’s last words. You begin to grow afraid, thought Simon. Things were not going as planned for the man and fear was beginning to trickle through Hepbourn’s veins. Simon wondered if the one at the head of this plot was making his displeasure known. He hoped that leader did not punish failure with a knife across the throat as Hepbourn could yet be of use. It would also be too quick a death for the man who had used Ilsabeth and put her life in danger, he decided.

  “There is no need to worry, Sir Walter,” Simon said. “We will soon find the traitors. I work diligently to do so as do my men. Now, if ye will be so kind as to pardon me, I must be on my way. Good eve to ye, sir.”

  Simon caught a brief glimpse of fury on Sir Walter’s face before the man bobbed a swift and shallow bow and walked away. Did Hepbourn truly think it would be so easy to get information from him? The man’s arrogance was astonishing. Simon did not understand how a woman like Ilsabeth could have even considered marrying the fool.

  As soon as Simon began to make his way home again, he wondered if Hepbourn had yet noticed that he was being closely watched. That would certainly be enough to make the man nervous and Hepbourn had definitely been uneasy. A moment later he shook his head, denying that possibility. He and the men he used were good at what they did. If Hepbourn had seen anything, it could have been no more than a fleeting shadow, something to frown over for a moment and then forget. Hepbourn was simply worried that the plot against the king was faltering and, if it failed, so did Hepbourn’s chances at any fortune he had planned to gain from it all. With the Armstrongs still free and Ilsabeth not yet caught and condemned, the shields Hepbourn had put between himself and any hint of wrongdoing were weakening.

  The man behind this plot was the one he needed to find but he knew that was not going to be easy. Itwas clear that the leader of the ones plotting against the king stayed deep in the shadows. Simon had told his men to keep a close watch for Hepbourn or his cousin meeting with another man and there had been no word of that happening yet. He could only hope that they got their hands on David soon. Every instinct Simon had told him that that man would break easily and give them most, if not all, the information they needed to put an end to the game.

  Once inside his home, Simon slipped into his ledger room. It was a cowardly thing to do, but he could not face Ilsabeth just yet. He needed to carefully plan what he would say to her so that he could say it quick and then put some distance between them. It was what he had been doing since the moment he had risen from her arms two days ago and fled to this room. Although it did little to cure him of his aching need for her, it did stop him from acting on it.

  A soft rap came at the door and he tensed. Realizing he was actually afraid that it was Ilsabeth, Simon forced himself to relax. When Reid stepped inside in answer to his invite to enter, the disappointment that stung his heart irritated Simon. It was almost humiliating to know how little success he was having in keeping Ilsabeth at a distance.

  Forcing himself to smile at the boy as Reid approached his desk, Simon asked, “What can I do for ye, laddie?”

  Reid clasped his small hands in front of him, looking far too intense and serious for such a young boy. “I but wondered if ye can tell me if Ilsabeth is safe yet.”

  “Nay yet, laddie, but I intend to see that she is verra soon.”

  “Oh.” Reid sighed and his small shoulders slumped a little. “I dinnae like how sad she grows sometimes. I dinnae like to think me and Elen might lose her.”

  “I dinnae plan to lose Ilsabeth to the plots of others, lad. But, if it will calm your fears, ye need nay worry that ye and Elen will be cast out into the street again. I have sworn that, if aught happens to Ilsabeth, ye and your sister will be taken to her family, either the Armstrongs or the Murrays.” He smiled again. “That is if Old Bega will let ye go anywhere.”

  “Ilsabeth told me that she has made sure we will be cared for, but I would prefer to stay with her. She is teaching me a lot of things that will help me be a mon who can earn some money, more than a wee coin tossed to me here and there. I am nay yet sure what that could be, but I do ken that what she is teaching me will help and then I will be able to take proper care of Elen.”

  “Reid, I willnae lie to ye and say this will be easy or that the road to getting her free of this tangle will be a smooth one, but I am doing all I can to find the ones who really plot against the king. I dinnae want her or her family to have to run and hide any more than ye do.”

  “I ken it, sir. I but thought I would ask and so came here as we dinnae see ye much anymore.”

  That stung and Simon had to force himself not to grimace. He had not given much thought to the children, to how they might see his absences. He thought of how pretty little Elen always ran to him with a sweet smile, asking for a hug and kiss when she saw him, and inwardly cursed.

  “ ‘Tis difficult, lad. Hunting down a truth that many wish to keep weel hidden can take a lot of a mon’s time.” He stood up. “But, I have some time now and isnae it time for Old Bega to try and kill us with more of her food?” He grinned when Reid laughed. “Come along then. We shall all dine together this eve.”

  The boy fairly glowed with his pleasure as Simon took him by the hand and led him out of the room. That only added to Simon’s guilt. When had he become so concerned about his own fears and emotions that he could have missed the need the children had for his company, for something that faintly resembled a true family? It was not going to be easy but he was going to have to find a way to be near Ilsabeth more often and yet keep his lecherous hands off her.

  Ilsabeth was so stunned when Simon joined her and the children for the evening meal that she almost gaped. She avoided that embarrassment but it was difficult to hide how his presence unsettled her. It also puzzled her for she had been so certain that he would avoid her as if she had the plague for a few days more. Yet here he was, seated at the table, talking to her and the children as if he had not spent the last two days gone or hiding in his ledger room. Ilsabeth did not think Simon had had a sudden change of heart or mind, since he had fled her arms that night they had become so passionate upon the settee.

  So what was he doing here? she asked herself, and began to get irritated when she could think of no quick answer. Then she noticed what close attention he paid to Reid and Elen. Elen was nearly sitting on the man’s lap and kept trying to feed him. Reid was laughing and telling Simon all about the things he had been learning. Simon listened carefully to Reid’s words and offered a lot of encouragement and praise. All the while he did so, Simon managed to keep Elen in her seat and food off his clothes with a skill many a mother would envy.

  He would make a wonderful father, she mused, and nearly sighed like some love-struck maiden. Filling her mouth with food so that she would not say so
mething foolish, she found that the thought of Simon as a father would not leave her mind. One of the reasons she had been so eager to accept Walter’s offer of marriage was her desire for children. Now she could all too easily see Simon as the father of her children, could easily list all the qualities she admired about him that she would like him to teach their children. Of course, she thought with a hidden grimace, Simon was most reluctant to do what was needed to breed those children.

  “I have what I believe may be good news, Reid.” Simon smiled at the boy and then lightly tousled Elen’s thick curls. “And for your sister. I had a word with Sir Donald Chisholm today.” He frowned when Reid grew pale.

  “Ye arenae going to make him take us back, are ye?” asked Reid in a voice that was high and taut with fear.

  “Nay, never. I wouldnae trust the mon with a mangy dog let alone two fine children like ye and your sister. Nay, I went to make him live up to his rightful responsibilities.”

  “Oh, how good of ye,” said Ilsabeth. “Did ye beat him into naught but a stain upon the floor?”

  “Bloodthirsty, arenae ye,” murmured Simon, and resisted the urge to grin at her like Reid was doing. “I but punched him once in his nose when he appeared reluctant to do as I asked. I also threatened him a wee bit.”

  “What did ye ask of him?”

  “A dowry for Elen and money for Reid so that he might have a better choice for what he wishes to be when he is grown.”

  “And he gave ye some?” asked Reid in astonishment.

  “He gave me what he had there and has sworn to give me the rest as soon as he is able. I will then see to the care of it until Elen weds and ye, Master Reid, make up your mind as to what ye wish to be and what may be needed to accomplish that.”

  “Thank ye, sir. I will do ye proud.”

  “Ah, laddie, ye dinnae need worry o’er that. Just do as your heart tells ye and that will be enough.”

  Old Bega entered and hurried right over to a yawning Elen, scooping the sleepy child up in her arms. “ ‘Tis my night to tuck them up in their wee beds,” she said as she waved Reid to her side.

  “So it is,” said Ilsabeth as she hurried over to kiss Elen and Reid on the cheek. “Be good and I shall see ye both in the morning.”

  Old Bega led the children out of the room, talking every step of the way. Ilsabeth shook her head as she retook her seat and reached for one of the apples set in a bowl in the middle of the table. It was no wonder Elen talked so much, she mused, as she neatly cut and cored the apple, when the child spent so much time with a woman who never seemed to be quiet.

  Tossing a piece of apple in her mouth, Ilsabeth looked at Simon. “That was a verra good thing ye did,” she said as soon as her mouth was empty.

  “The mon couldnae be allowed to shirk his responsibilities,” replied Simon, already wondering when he could slip away without offending her too much.

  “Many do. Do ye believe he will gather the rest of the money ye demanded of him?”

  “I do believe so. Told him I would be watching and if he didnae I would beat him until he could-nae sire any more children.”

  “A verra good threat.”

  “Thank ye. And what were ye planning to do with him if ye e’er found him?”

  “Beat him o’er the head with something verra heavy until he fell at my feet begging for mercy and then go and speak with his wife.”

  “His wife may weel be pleased that he is taking his pleasure somewhere else. Those eight children, if ye recall.”

  “Ah, of course. Weel, yours was still a verra good threat.”

  “The mon is an utter coward. One didnae need a truly good threat to make him cower but I believe one should always do one’s best.”

  She laughed and Simon’s insides tightened with desire. It was such a free sound, so full of honest delight that it acted upon him like a caress. He idly

  wondered when the last time was that he had made a woman laugh and did not like the fact that no memory leapt to mind. When had he become so somber, lost that sense of fun he could faintly recall having when he was younger? Simon had the sinking feeling that it was yet another thing Mary had stolen from him along with his naïveté and ability to trust easily.

  Ilsabeth saw the somber and tense expression rob Simon’s handsome face of that light humor he had just displayed and inwardly sighed. It had grown more and more difficult to spend even a few moments alone with the man before he retreated behind that cold, distant shield he had so perfected. Used to a family that did not hide their emotions, good and bad, she was finding dealing with Simon very difficult.

  She stood up and moved to stand right next to him. The way his whole body grew tense both amused her and saddened her. It was funny how she, a small woman, could make a man like Simon afraid, but it hurt, too. Ilsabeth knew she loved him. The way her heart had grown so full it hurt when he had announced what he had done for the children told her so. The object of her devotion, however, sat there as if waiting for her to stick a knife in his ribs.

  And that, she mused, was probably the problem. Sometime in his past he had been badly used and hurt by a woman. Ilsabeth suspected it was a little more than that, that the incident had been made more than a heartbreak by other circumstances, for Simon was too intelligent to shield himself as he had over one simple heartache when he had been a

  young man. The problem was, how did she fight that memory, that hard lesson?

  “I thank ye for what ye did for Reid and Elen today,” she said, and brushed a kiss over his mouth.

  Suddenly his hand was at the back of her head holding her in place. A soft groan escaped him and she captured the sound of frustration and desire in her mouth. Ilsabeth was just slipping her arms around his neck to fully savor the deep, hungry kiss he was giving her when she felt him tense again. This time she pulled back, not wanting to suffer another of his abrupt retreats.

  “Nay,” she said, and started toward the door. “I will be the one to run away–this time. Good sleep, Simon.”

  Simon stared at the door for long moments after it had closed behind Ilsabeth. She saw him too clearly. That, he decided, was not a good thing. He doubted any man wanted a woman who could see him clearly.

  She had it right, however. He did run away. He pulled her close, gave himself a taste of the passion they could share, and then ran for the hills. The fact that Ilsabeth knew he did actually brought the heated sting of a blush to his cheeks and he had not blushed since he had been a beardless boy.

  “She isnae Mary, ye great fool,” he muttered as he filled his goblet with wine.

  A nudge at his leg drew his gaze down to Bonegnasher and he slipped the dog a piece of roasted venison. “There are many reasons I should stay far away from her, my old friend. Many, many reasons.”

  Bonegnasher rested its head on his thigh.

  “But, when I sort through it all, the biggest is that, if I grab what I want, I fear I will never want to let go. Mary’s lies cut me to the bone but it wasnae just her; it was all the other lies and betrayals that happened at that time. I fear that Ilsabeth could do so much worse with naught but a simple smile of regret as she walked away from me and left me all alone.”

  After kissing the children good night, Ilsabeth started to leave only to have Reid pull her back to his side with a soft whisper of her name. “What is it, laddie?”

  “It was verra good of Sir Simon to do what he did for me and Elen, aye?” said Reid.

  She sat down on the edge of his little bed and gently brushed the hair from his forehead. “It was verra good of him. He is a verra fine mon.”

  “If he is so fine then mayhap ye and him would get married and Elen and I can stay with both of ye. And the cat and Bonegnasher.”

  And that was something she wanted so badly she could taste it, but she would not raise the child’s hope. It was difficult enough to keep her own hopes under control. “I wouldnae set my heart on that happening, loving.”

  “Ye dinnae like him? I mean as a lass like
s a laddie?”

  “Oh, I like him, but when one is grown, liking isnae enough. Let it be, Reid. What happens will happen nay matter how much any of us want it or dinnae want it. Dinnae forget that I am in hiding and Sir Simon is trying to find proof that I am innocent of what I have been accused of. ‘Tisnae a time to be thinking of anything save getting that proof and getting my family free to go back to Aigballa.”

  “I ken it. ‘Tis a nice thought, though.”

  She laughed softly, kissed him on the cheek, and left to go to her own bedchamber. Ilsabeth moved to the window and stared out at the small moonlit garden at the back of Simon’s home. A large part of her wanted to confront the man right in his bedchamber and try to take what her body ached for. That would be bold indeed. Yet, another part of her feared that even then he would flee and her heart would break.

  Reid’s wish was now embedded in her heart, strengthening the one that was already growing there. Ilsabeth could see it all so clearly, her and Simon wed, Reid, Elen, and their own children by their side. It was a dream that filled her heart with joy but her mind, that part of her that could see beyond the haze of desire in her eyes, was not so certain such a dream could ever come true. Simon Innes was the man her heart wanted but she was beginning to fear that his heart was way beyond her reach.

  Chapter 7

  Her heart pounding so fast it hurt, Ilsabeth crept through the shadowed alley running between the cooper’s shop and the butcher’s. She had donned her nun’s attire thinking that it would keep her safe, as it had during her journey to Simon, while she went in search of some healing herbs. Poor Elen’s throat was sore and Ilsabeth needed something to ease the child’s pain, if only to get the child to go to sleep. Such a simple little chore. Ilsabeth did not understand how it could have gone so wrong. At least she had the herbs, she thought, and hastily swallowed the insane urge to laugh. The very last thing she needed to do at the moment was crumble beneath the weight of her fear.

  It was all the fault of that foolish mongrel, she thought as she reached the end of the alley. If the animal had not been trying so hard to tear her skirts to shreds, she would not have turned around to find herself staring right into the shocked face of one of Walter’s friends. Worse than that, it had